Grade:
Time:
Topic:
Concept:
SOL: 5.6 and complements the Computer and Technology Standards
Rationale:
Goals:
Objective:
The student will demonstrate that he or she understands concepts about the continental shelf by answering 4 out of 5 questions about animals, plants, location, and water pressure on the continental shelf correctly.
Content:
The continental shelf is the undersea ledge that forms the rim of a continent.
Coral are tiny animals that live in the shallow ocean and feed on zooplankton.
A coral reef is a stony limestone ridge near the surface of the water formed by the skeletons of sea coral.
Various species of plants and animals live on the continental shelf. (Reptiles, Mammals, Fish)
Most of the ocean’s organisms live on the continental shelf, but the continental shelf covers only about 10% of the ocean.
Plant and animal life can thrive on the continental shelf because of the conditions there, including ample sunlight and lower pressure than in deep water.
Cognitive domain:
The child will sort seashells. The child will orally state inferences that can be made about ocean life based on what he or she learns about the conditions on the continental shelf.
Psychomotor domain:
The student will use his or her senses of touch and sight to determine the reasons shells are advantageous for animals living on the continental shelf. The student will manipulate the shell, exercising fine motor skills, and he or she will feel the textures of the shell.
Affective domain:
The child will realize that different animals in the ocean are threatened or endangered.
Materials:
Board Chalk
Computer Ocean book
Paper Pencils
Shells Science pictures
glue Markers
Procedure:
The teacher will tell the students that they need to make a list.
The teacher will ask,
“What kinds of living things live in the ocean?”
The teacher will record the students’ responses on the board. After the students have exhausted their knowledge, the teacher will ask them to open their Ocean books and look at pages 30 and 31. The teacher will point out that this picture is a diagram of the continental shelf. The teacher will ask,
“What do you notice about this picture? What does it seem to be near?”
Once everyone realizes that this diagram is near the shore, the teacher will point out that this part of the oceans is shallow, it extends around each of the 7 continents, and that the continental shelf only makes up a very small part of the ocean—about 10%.
“Why would most of the plant and animal life in the ocean live on the continental shelf?”
Plant and animal life can thrive on the continental shelf because of the conditions there, including ample sunlight and lower pressure than in deep water. The teacher will ask,
“What living things that we listed on the board would we find on the continental shelf?”
The students will respond, creating a new list that the teacher records on the board. The teacher will ask,
“What do you notice about our continental shelf list and our original list?” The students should notice that most of the living things are appearing on the continental shelf list, as well.
The teacher will present a presentation that showcases different types of ocean life that are found on the continental shelf. This should engage visual learners and provide realistic, pictorial examples of the wildlife the class just talked about.
The teacher will distribute examples of coral and shells. The teacher will ask,
“What kinds of advantages does an animal have when it has a shell?”
Mollusks can hide from predators, keep from drying out, and protect themselves from harsh waves.
The students will examine the shells and write their first journal entry about the characteristics of the shells they are examining. What do they think the shells are made of? They may also include information about shells that they may not have learned in class.
If time still remains, the students will begin creating their covers for their science journals.
Closure:
Ask the students to put away materials and put the teacher’s materials away. Assign one student the job of picking up all of the journal entries and one student the job of picking up all of the seashells. The teacher will tell children who were particularly attentive, involved, or who showed more self control that she appreciates their excellent behavior.