Discovering a Dynamic Underwater World

How it Works:
This interactive unit on the ocean involves various activities that seek to inform children about the world's oceans and how to protect them from pollution and destruction. Without leaving home or the classroom, children can discover the ocean and its creatures by reading, creating art projects, searching the Internet and conducting science experiments. For example, tides and waves are explained through an art project in which students create a tide mobile. 

Students are introduced to tides and waves by visiting a website which describes how tides are formed though pictures and animations. After becoming familiar with tides, students will then use various art materials to re-create what they saw at the website. The students will also use Microsoft word to type up an explanation on how their tide mobile works. Children will also be exposed to the beauty of coral reefs through books, The Magic School Bus pictures, and science experiments. The ultimate goal for creating this unit, is to instill in children how important it is to conserve ocean life, to keep the ocean waters clean and to protect different kinds of ocean life from becoming extinct.

Standards:
-To identify important fact about the ocean.
-To identify food chains in the ocean.
-To identify what causes tides and waves.
-To identify various sea life living inside the ocean.
-To use technology tools to process data and report results.
-To use technology tools to enhance learning and increase productivity and creativity.

Estimated Class Periods To Complete:
8

Software and Materials Used:
Students will need to have access to a computer that is hooked up to the Internet and have Microsoft Word. Teachers should use an overhead projector as a teaching tool.

Keywords:
coral reefs, tides, oceans, underwater adventures, science experiments

Students:
The students involved in this project are gifted third grade students working at or above the third grade level. They all have experience using computers and are able to search the Internet and use Microsoft Word. The students worked in cooperative groups to accomplish most of their goals for this unit.

Overall Value:
The best innovative feature about this unit is a power point presentation about various sea animals. After researching facts and important information, students created a page that represented what they had learned. As the class sat and watched this "mini-movie" they were quite impressed with themselves and their classmates. Teachers would want to adapt this unit to their lessons because it involves all cognitive modalities during the learning process. Students are listening, reading, speaking, and creating throughout this unit on the ocean.

Tips:
Students should be accustomed to working in cooperative groups before using this unit. Furthermore, appoint 2-3 children as technology specialists. These children should be able to help the other kids who are having difficulty using the computer.

About The Teacher:
Rochelle Sklar is currently a third grade gifted teacher. She has earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a Master's degree in English for speakers of other languages.(ESOL) In the near future, Rochelle would like to attain a specialist degree in Math and Science to further enhance her teaching skills in these areas. Rochelle loves to employ new and innovative teaching styles in the classroom which almost always involves technology. She enjoys taking her children on wondrous adventures through thematic units which incorporate all the subject areas. Furthermore, she wishes that all her students become lifetime learners. Her class also participates in the Citibank FamilyTech program which provides computers and computer training to teachers, parents and students.

Subjects: 
Science and English

Grades: 
Three through Five

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