Extreme edition
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E X P L O R E R
Nomads TEACHER’S GUIDE
May 2012
May 2012
Dear Educator: From spiders, insects, and poisonous slow lorises to volcanoes, coral reefs, and the South Pole, this year has been full of adventures for National Geographic Extreme Explorer. In addition, students followed National Geographic photographers and explorers on their missions and learned to think like scientists. Through these adventures, students learned new vocabulary, nonfiction reading skills and comprehension strategies, and standards-based content. This month, we embark on three more excursions as we observe a solar eclipse on Easter Island and dive underwater to examine daily life in a tide pool. Then we pack our bags and travel with some groups of nomads to learn what life is like on the move. We’ve had a great year, and we look forward to seeing you in September as we set off on new adventures. Keep exploring!
Standards in this Issue
Tide Pool Tales (Teacher’s Guide pages T1-T8)
• Organisms interact with the nonliving and living things in their environment. • Organisms can survive only in habitats that meet their specific needs, including obtaining food and oxygen and protection from predators.
Sun Catcher (Teacher’s Guide pages T9-T16)
•O bserved patterns of events prompt questions about relationships and the factors that influence them. •P atterns of the sun and other stars in the sky can be observed, described, and predicted.
Wandering Ways (Teacher’s Guide pages T17-T24)
Shelby Alinsky Digital and Curriculum Editor, National Geographic Explorer
• The study of culture examines the socially transmitted beliefs, values, institutions, behaviors, traditions, and way of life of a group of people.
Look for these icons throughout the lesson: Interactive Whiteboard Lesson e- web edition (see www.prometheanplanet.com/ nationalgeographicexplorer) Look for parts of this activity in the free IWB lesson.
Don’t forget to check out the free sample of our new app! Look for National Geographic Explorer in the iPad App Store and Android Market. Order online at ngsp.com, or call 888-915-3276 for more information.
Projectable Edition eweb (see extremeexplorer.org) edition Use the projectable edition of this issue to enhance this activity.
e- web
edition
Website (see extremeexplorer.org) This activity refers to a resource on the website.
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May 2012
Tide Pool Tales Learning Objectives Students will: • explore the different tide pool zones and the plants and animals that live in each;
pages 2-3
• make connections between the text and what they already know.
Materials Needed • Two time-lapse videos of changing tides:
pages 4-5
http://www.education.noaa.gov/Ocean_and_Coasts/Tides. html http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/tide-pools/ time-lapse-video
• drawing paper • colored pencils, markers, or crayons pages 6-7
• a small cardboard box • materials for dioramas, including shoe boxes, construction paper, aluminum foil, small pebbles, or small shells
Resources • L earn more about tide pools: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/tide-pools/ white-text
pages 8-9
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats/Tide_pool
• Learn more about the cause of tides: h ttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/what-causes-the-
Summary
tides.html
• A tide pool is a pool of ocean water remaining after a tide has retreated. The tide is the slow rise and fall of sea levels that occurs twice each day. • The environment in a tide pool is controlled by the tides, and tide pools are habitats for unique communities of plants and animals. • The constant changes in the tide help create four tidal zones along the shore: the splash zone, the high zone, the mid zone, and the low zone. National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T1
May 2012
Tide Pool Tales
Background • Tide pools exist in the intertidal zone, the swath of land between the highest point of high tide and the lowest point of low tide. • Tide pools form in depressions that remain filled with water after the high tide retreats. These tide pools are often filled with a variety of organisms. • The forces of inertia and gravity that act on Earth’s oceans cause tides. ▶ Inertia and the moon’s gravity cause two bulges of ocean water to form on opposite sides of Earth. ▶ On the side opposite the moon, Earth’s rotating motion causes the oceans to bulge outward away from the planet due to centrifugal force. ▶ A second bulge develops on the side of Earth facing the moon, due to the pull of the moon’s gravity. • In most places on Earth, there are two high tides and two low tides each day. • Tide pools can be found anywhere in the intertidal zone, but are primarily located in the low zone.
• S cientists divide the intertidal zone into four tidal zones: ▶ S plash Zone: Sprayed with water during high tide, but never completely covered, this zone is home to creatures that can cling tightly to rocky surfaces. Animals here must be able to withstand exposure to sun, air, and wind. Organisms can include barnacles, limpets, and mussels. ▶H igh Zone: Covered with seawater only during the highest tides, organisms here are exposed to the air for long periods. Shelled animals, such as mussels, barnacles, limpets, and periwinkles, and a few types of seaweed live here. ▶M id Zone: Tides cover and uncover this zone twice a day. Living things here include barnacles and limpets on exposed shores, while more sheltered shores will have crabs and fish hiding among the seaweed of tide pools. ▶ L ow Zone: Seawater covers this zone at all times, except the lowest tides. Seaweed is much more abundant, as are fish, sea stars, sponges, tube worms, crabs, anemones, and shrimps.
• B ecause of the topography, most tide pools are found mostly along rocky coastlines.
Fast Facts
• Tide pools teem with life, but they are harsh environments. Organisms that live in tide pools often must have adaptations that allow them to withstand daily shifts in water levels, temperature, salinity, and oxygen concentration as the tide changes.
• B arnacles glue their heads to a hard surface and then build a limestone shell. When water covers them, the barnacles’ feathery legs grab food.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
• S ome sea anemones are thought to be more than 150 years old.
• It is easy to spot sea otters that often feast on purple sea urchins. Their teeth turn purple.
Page T2
May 2012
Tide Pool Tales Comprehension Strategy Connecting What You Know
1. Point out that tide pools are part of the intertidal
zone—the zone between high and low tide. This is one of several ocean zones. Others include:
pages 2-3
▶ The neritic zone lies between the shore and the open ocean, where the sea bottom (continental shelf) slopes gradually downward toward the seafloor.
Activate Prior Knowledge What are Tides?
1. Ask students to imagine that they have gone to an
ocean beach with their friends for a picnic. They set up an umbrella, a blanket, and a basket of food several meters away from incoming waves. Then they take a walk for a few hours. When they return, everything is underwater. Have students briefly explain what happened.
2. Tell students that the culprit that wrecked their picnic
was a tide. Explain that a tide is the slow rise and fall of the level of the ocean along the shore each day. Note that there are high tides, when waves break highest on the shore, and low tides when they break lower.
3. Display the two videos that illustrate the movement of tides with time-lapse photography.
http://www.education.noaa.gov/Ocean_and_Coasts/Tides. html
2. Ask students to describe any ocean habitats they have seen or read about and how they differ.
3. Ask each student to take out a piece of paper and a
pen or pencil. Tell students to use what they already know about ocean habitats to predict what they expect to learn in this article. Give students a few minutes to write their predictions.
4. Have pairs share their predictions with each other.
After students have discussed what they think, have each pair contribute one prediction.
5. Write each prediction on the board. As you read the story, check off any items that do appear in the text.
Vocabulary
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/tide-pools/ time-lapse-video
4. If students have personal experience with beaches
▶ The open ocean has several horizontal zones—from the zone nearest the surface where sunlight can penetrate to the zone at the ocean bottom that is freezing cold and in constant darkness.
Understanding Figurative Language
along the ocean, ask them to relate their own encounters with changing tides. (Possibilities include: sand castles built a distance from the water’s edge that eventually are washed away by waves as the higher tide moves in or hunting for seashells abandoned on the shore as the lower tide moves out.)
1. Display the first two pages of the projectable eedition edition of the article for students and draw their attention to the word Tales in the headline.
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2. Ask students what they think of when they hear that
something they are about to read is a tale. (The text is telling a story.)
3. Have students look at the structure of the article.
Based on what they see, ask them to explain why they think the article is titled “Tide Pool Tales.” (It is divided into several short, related sections, each about a different tidal zone. Each is a tale or story of what happens in that zone.)
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T3
May 2012
Tide Pool Tales Explore Writing Draw a Cartoon
1. Instruct students to reread the introductory paragraphs in red.
pages 4-5
2. Challenge them to use this introduction to create a
cartoon strip that tells a tale about a sea star living in a tide pool along an ocean coastline.
3. Students can work alone or in pairs. Caution students to avoid giving the sea star human characteristics.
Explore Science
4. When students have completed their cartoons, display
Understanding Tides and Tide Pools
1. After students read pages 4-5, discuss the relationship
between tides and tide pools. Ask students to describe where tide pools form, what they might look like, and how they might change throughout the day. (They form along rocky ocean coastlines worldwide. They can be small puddles high up on the shore or huge holes closer to the sea. They are habitats for thousands of creatures. During high tide, water can completely cover a tide pool. During low tide, most of the water drains away, trapping creatures in small pockets of water.)
them on a class bulletin board and allow students to compare and contrast their cartoons with others.
2. Have each student draw a picture of a tide pool at low
tide. (Drawings should clearly show the tide pool as an isolated depression filled with water at low tide.) When students are finished, have them trade pictures with a partner. Have the partner draw that same tide pool as it would appear during high tide. (Drawings should clearly show that same area covered by the sea.)
3. Once students have completed their drawings, have partners discuss what they included in their initial drawings, how they altered each other’s pictures for high tide, and why they made these changes.
4. Choose several volunteers to share their drawings and ideas with the class.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T4
May 2012
Tide Pool Tales Explore Reading
Examining Adaptations
1. As a class, discuss adaptations that animals need to
survive in an ocean habitat. Concentrate on prior knowledge of ocean habitats outside the intertidal zone. (This varies greatly depending on the part of the ocean in which the animal lives, but possibilities include: gills that allow fish to use oxygen dissolved in ocean water; the ability to produce light in animals living in darkness in deeper parts of the open ocean; stationary filter feeders such as barnacles that capture food as it floats by in the water.)
pages 6-7
Explore Science
Understanding Tidal Zones
1. Guide students in examining the tidal zone diagram
on page 7, having them identify each of the zones and some of the living things in each one, as described in the text.
2. Have student pairs read page 6. Have one student read the “Splash Zone” section, while the student’s partner listens without reading along.
2. Guide a discussion of adaptations that animals need to live in each tidal zone. Cover the adaptations in the article. Have students infer other adaptations that animals would need in each zone, based on the location of the zone and how long it is covered with seawater each day.
3. At the end of each paragraph, the reader should
stop and allow the listener to write down important details about the habitat in this zone that he or she can remember. Students should concentrate on how animals get what they need in the zone.
4. After finishing “Splash Zone,” have the listener become the reader, and read the “High Zone” text while his or her partner listens. Students should repeat the same process they used for “Splash Zone.”
5. After both sections have been read, allow students to
review their notes and describe the habitat of the zone they listened to with their partner.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T5
May 2012
Tide Pool Tales Extend Science
Make a Diorama of a Tide Pool
1. Have students work with a partner to identify a coast
where tide pools are found (such as the northern coast of California, the coasts of Oregon or Washington, the coast of British Columbia, the coast of Nova Scotia, the western coast of Scotland, and the northwest coast of England). Then have the pairs conduct research on the plants and animals that live in the tide pools of their selected location.
pages 8-9
Explore Science
2. Instruct students to include types of plants, algae, and
Understanding Tidal Zones
1. Have students repeat the reading/listening exercise
they practiced with the text on page 6, pairing off with a partner to read the text on page 8 about the mid zone and the low zone.
2. As before, one student reads, while the other student listens and writes down important details about how the mid zone is a habitat.
animals found in each zone, adaptations that help them survive, and any other interesting facts that they can discover about these organisms.
3. Once the pairs have completed their research, have
them create a diorama of a tide pool in the area based on their research and share their creations with the class.
3. Students change roles and repeat
the exercise. They can each share their information with their partner.
4. H ave students complete the
Activity Master to reinforce their understanding. Activity Master, Page T7
Explore Writing Write a Story
1. Invite students to choose one of the tide pool scenes
described on these pages and flesh it out to become a longer, more detailed story.
2. When students have finished their stories, invite a few volunteers to share what they have written with the class.
3. Lead students in a discussion of the stories, including
how what happens in a tide pool could be called a tale.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T6
May 2012
Tide Pool Tales
Name:
Activity Master Tidal Zones Describe each zone.
1
1 Habitat: ____________________________________________________
2
What Lives Here:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3
How Tides Affect the Zone:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4
2 Habitat: ____________________________________________________
graphic by paul horn
What Lives Here: _____________________________________________________________________________________ How Tides Affect the Zone:
3 Habitat: _____________________________________________________________________________________ What Lives Here: _____________________________________________________________________________________ How Tides Affect the Zone: _____________________________________________________________________________________
4 Habitat: _____________________________________________________________________________________ What Lives Here: _____________________________________________________________________________________ How Tides Affect the Zone: _____________________________________________________________________________________ National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T7
May 2012
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Tide Pool Tales
Name:
Assessment
Read each question. Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1.
What is a tide pool?
A B C
2.
Which tide zone is never covered by the sea?
A B C
3.
What is the rise and fall of sea level that happens twice a day?
A B C
4.
Which zone is almost always covered by the sea and is full of life?
A B C
5.
In which zone do plants and animals live underwater half of the day?
A B C
a pool of water near a pond, lake, or river a pool of water remaining after the tide has retreated
the low zone the high zone the splash zone
waves tides
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
a pool of water that forms at high tide
currents
the low zone the mid zone the high zone
the mid zone the high zone the splash zone
National Geographic Extreme Explorer Page T8
May 2012
Tide Pool Tales
Name:
Activity Master Tidal Zones Describe each zone.
1
Possible Responses
1 Habitat:
plash Zone S___________________________________________________ _
2
What Lives Here:
____________________________________________________________ Barnacles, periwinkle snails, algae
3
How Tides Affect the Zone:
It is hit by ocean spray during high tide. _____________________________________________________________________________________
4
2 Habitat:
igh Zone _ H ___________________________________________________
graphic by paul horn
What Lives Here:
Limpets, chitons, algae, crabs _____________________________________________________________________________________ How Tides Affect the Zone:
3 Habitat:
Mid Zone _____________________________________________________________________________________ What Lives Here:
Seaweed, sea stars, mussels, barnacles, sea anemones _____________________________________________________________________________________ How Tides Affect the Zone: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Waves wash over it for half of the day and don’t reach it the rest of the day.
4 Habitat:
Low Zone _____________________________________________________________________________________ What Lives Here:
Fish, algae (sea palms), sea urchins, octopuses _____________________________________________________________________________________ How Tides Affect the Zone:
This zone is usually underwater. _____________________________________________________________________________________ National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T7A
May 2012
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
Strong ocean waves batter this zone during high tide. _____________________________________________________________________________________
Tide Pool Tales
Name:
Assessment
Read each question. Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1.
What is a tide pool?
A B C
2.
Which tide zone is never covered by the sea?
A B C
3.
What is the rise and fall of sea level that happens twice a day?
A B C
4.
Which zone is almost always covered by the sea and is full of life?
A B C
5.
In which zone do plants and animals live underwater half of the day?
A B C
a pool of water near a pond, lake, or river a pool of water remaining after the tide has retreated
the low zone the high zone the splash zone
waves tides
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
a pool of water that forms at high tide
currents
the low zone the mid zone the high zone
the mid zone the high zone the splash zone
National Geographic Extreme Explorer Page T8A
May 2012
Sun Catcher Learning Objectives Students will: pages 10-11
• understand what causes an eclipse; • understand the impact solar activity has on Earth; • use cause and effect to aid comprehension; • explore writing in the first person.
Materials Needed pages 12-13
• photos of the sun and other stars • two foam balls (15-cm and 2-cm in diameter) • a wooden dowel about half a meter long • a flashlight • “ The Anatomy of the Sun” and “Our Stormy Star” posters • glass beaker
pages 14-15
• saltwater solution • National Geographic video about the Easter Island total solar eclipse: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/spacetechnology-news/solar-eclipse-july11-vin/
Resources •L earn more about the sun: h ttp://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/sungallery
poster
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Sun
poster
ttp://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/science/spaceh sci/solar-system/sun-101-sci
Summary • Inside the sun, gases collide to form new gases. The sun’s surface is stormy, which has effects on Earth. • There are still many mysteries about the sun, such as the links between events on the sun and their effects on Earth. • Astronomer Jay M. Pasachoff studies solar eclipses to solve some of these mysteries, including why the sun’s corona is hotter than its surface. National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T9
May 2012
Sun Catcher
• Solar flares and coronal mass ejections can cause power outages and disrupt the workings of satellites responsible for communications, weather prediction, and GPS navigation.
Background • The sun is an average-size star about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) from Earth. Like all stars, the sun releases energy through nuclear reactions in its core.
•A ccording to NASA, the next solar maximum should occur in mid-2013.
• The sun has several layers: ▶ Core: The hottest, densest part of the sun. The reactions that create the sun’s energy occur here. ▶ Radiative and Convection Zones (not included in the article): These two layers surround the core and make up most of the sun. Energy moves from the core to the sun’s surface through these layers. ▶ Photosphere: This thin layer is the sun’s surface that we see from Earth. Like the rest of the sun, it is made up of gases. The photosphere is the first part of the sun’s atmosphere. ▶ Chromosphere: This is the middle layer of the sun’s atmosphere. Temperatures here are hotter than in the photosphere. ▶ Corona: This layer of hot plasma is the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere—but can be thousands of times hotter than the sun’s surface. • Sunspots are dark patches on the sun’s photosphere. They are areas where loops and waves in the sun’s magnetic field intersect its surface. • At the peak of the solar cycle, or at the solar maximum, activity on the sun increases, resulting in more sunspots, solar flares (explosions on the sun’s surface), and coronal mass ejections (bursts of solar wind) that can send charged particles streaming toward Earth.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
•M ost solar eclipses are partial eclipses. During a partial eclipse, only a part of the sun’s face is covered. During a total solar eclipse, the sun, moon, and Earth line up in a straight line. • I t is important that students should not look directly at the sun, as it could cause severe eye damage if not viewed properly and at the correct time. For information on how to safely view a solar eclipse, go to: http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how.html
Fast Facts • Th e sun contains 99.8 percent of the matter in the solar system. • One million Earths could fit inside the sun. • The sun is about 4.5 billion years old and has enough fuel to last for about another 5 billion years in its current form. • I n March of 1989, strong solar flares caused a surge that disrupted the power grid in Quebec, Canada, leaving 6 million people without electricity. That September, a burst of solar energy shut down the Toronto stock exchange when it caused computers to crash. • Th e Maunder Minimum was a period of unusually low sunspot activity that occurred between about 1650 and 1710. This solar minimum coincides with “The Little Ice Age,” a time of unusually cold temperatures and heavy snowfall across the northern hemisphere.
Page T10
May 2012
Sun Catcher Comprehension Strategy
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Cause and Effect
1. Point out to students that life exists on Earth largely
pages 10-11
because just the right amount of solar energy reaches Earth’s surface as heat and light energy.
2. Ask students how more or less solar energy would
Activate Prior Knowledge
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Review Astronomy and the Solar System
1. Project or display a photo of the sun for students and
ask them to identify what the photo shows. Then project or display a photo of a dark sky dotted with stars. Ask students to identify the objects in this photo.
2. Ask students how the objects in the two photos are
related. (The sun and the points of light in the second photo are all stars.)
3. Have students explain why the sun and the other stars
affect Earth. (more = Temperatures would be too high for living things to survive. less = Temperatures would be too low for living things to survive.)
3. Invite students to imagine what would happen to
Earth if our sun suddenly got much hotter or colder. Ask students to think about what Earth would look like under those conditions.
4. Have students write two or three paragraphs
describing the effect. Tell students to write in first person, as if they are experiencing the events.
5. Have a few volunteers share what they have written.
look so different. (The sun is much closer to Earth.)
4. Point out that all objects in space are extremely far
apart. The sun, the closest star to Earth, is 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) away. In space, that is a short distance.
5. L ight from the sun takes only about 8 minutes to reach us, travelling at 300,000 kilometers (186,000 miles) per second—or the speed of light.
6. Tell students that the next closest star to Earth is
Proxima Centauri. Lead a brief discussion in which students speculate on what “close” means in space by guessing how long it would take light to reach us from Proxima Centauri.
7. Inform students that Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light
years away—so light would take more than four years to reach us.
8. As an added challenge, ask students to research other space objects, including planets, to find out how far they are from Earth.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Vocabulary
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The Language of Astronomy
1. Introduce these two vocabulary words and write their definitions on the board:
▶ Planet: a large, nearly round space object that orbits a star and does not make its own light ▶ Star: a body of hot gases that makes its own energy, including heat and light
2. Have students use the two definitions to make a Venn
diagram that compares and contrasts planets and stars. (Star: hot gases; makes own heat and light; Planet: orbits a star; does not make own light; Both: in space)
3. Next, explain to students that when they see the word solar, it describes something related to the sun. Note that the word solar comes from the Latin word sol, which means sun.
4. Tell students to turn to Wordwise on page 15 and list
the phrases that include the word solar. Ask them to explain how adding the word solar affects the meaning of each listed phrase.
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May 2012
Sun Catcher Explore Science
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Identifying the Sun’s Layers
1. Display the “The Anatomy of the Sun” poster. Ask
students how Earth and the sun are alike in structure. (Both have layers.)
2. Discuss how their layers are different. (The sun’s layers pages 12-13
Explore Science
are gases or plasma, while Earth is rock, molten rock, and metal. The sun is much hotter than Earth, and nuclear fusion at the sun’s core produces heat and light energy. Earth is a space object that does not produce its own light.)
poster
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Understanding Eclipses
1. After students read pages 12–13, share with students a diagram similar to the one below:
3. If desired, tell students that the poster shows, but
does not label, two layers between the core and the photosphere. (radiative zone and convection zone) Direct pairs of students to research and identify these layers.
4. H ave students use the Activity
2. H ave students use the diagram and what they have
Master to record information about each of the sun’s layers.
learned to explain how a total solar eclipse occurs.
3. Next, have two volunteers model a total solar eclipse.
Use a wooden dowel or other rod that is approximately half a meter long to connect a 15-cm foam ball to a 2-cm foam ball. Explain that the larger ball represents Earth and the smaller ball is the moon.
4. H ave one student hold the “Earth” end of the model.
The rod connecting the two objects should be parallel with the floor.
5. Have another student stand in front of the “moon,” pointing a flashlight (the sun) horizontally at the Earth/moon model.
models in the correct order for a solar eclipse. Note that all three bodies should be on the same plane.
7. Th en have the student holding the Earth/moon model slowly rotate to show a possible moon orbit that could take the moon on a path between Earth and the sun.
eclipse visible from Easter Island. (See page T9.)
9. Revisit the diagram of a solar eclipse. Have students explain more thoroughly why a total solar eclipse is only visible from part of Earth’s surface.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Cause and Effect: The Sun’s Energy
1. Remind students that the sun produces energy. Ask
how we experience that energy on Earth (heat, light).
2. Project the diagram on page 13 of the article.
Guide students in tracing the path of energy from the sun’s core, through its layers, and out into space.
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3. Have students work in pairs to create a cause-and-
6. A sk the students to line up the Earth, moon, and sun
8. Share the National Geographic video of a total solar
Explore Reading
Activity Master, page T15
effect graphic organizer that explains what causes the sun’s energy and the effects of that energy on Earth.
Explore Writing
Writing a First-Person Account
1. R emind students that a first-person account is told
from the point of view of the person writing the story. It uses the pronoun I.
2. Have students use what they have learned to write a
first-person account of watching a total solar eclipse.
Page T12
May 2012
Sun Catcher
▶ Present students with the beaker, which now has salt residue in it. Ask students to formulate a question based their observations. (Example: How did the salt get into the beaker?) pages 14-15
▶ Break students into small groups. Have them use observation and prior knowledge to formulate a hypothesis that explains how the salt got into the beaker. ▶ Tell each group to devise a method for testing its hypothesis. Groups should write out their method and, if desired, complete the investigation step.
Explore Science
Understanding the Solar Cycle
1. Remind students that the solar cycle is the sun’s
11-year weather cycle. The occurrence of sunspots and other solar activity ranges from almost none at the solar minimum to a lot at the solar maximum, when sunspot activity is at its peak.
2. Tell students that the next maximum is predicted
▶ Discuss the hypotheses and testing methods students have developed. Evaluate them as a class.
4. Th en discuss a question Pasachoff is trying to answer: Why is the corona hotter than the sun’s surface?
5. A sk students what Pasachoff ’s next step in the
scientific method would be after forming his question. (Observation and research, then formulate a hypothesis)
for mid-2013. Ask students to speculate about how scientists know where we are in the cycle. (Accept several answers as a basis for discussion.)
6. D iscuss the challenges Pasachoff would face in
3. Point out that this information is gained through
investigating his hypothesis.
observing the sun. Tell students that astronomers have been observing sunspots since the early 1600s. That’s how they detected the 11-year pattern.
Explore Reading
The Impact of Solar Storms on Earth
Explore Science Practice of Science
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1. After reading the “Zapping Earth” section, Have
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students list the three effects of solar storms identified in the article. (power outages, damage to satellites, auroras)
1. Point out that scientists such as astronomer Jay
Pasachoff use the scientific method to find answers and understand the world and beyond.
2. D iscuss reasons scientists would be interested in
2. Remind students of the basic steps of the scientific
method (ask a question, form a hypothesis, design an investigation, draw conclusions).
3. Use this hands-on experiment to practice coming up with a hypothesis.
▶ The day before class, create a small amount of a saltwater mixture in a glass beaker. Allow the water to fully evaporate. Do not let students see this process taking place.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
predicting when these storms are going to erupt on the sun, or when the sun might have a long period without any storms. (The storms can cause power blackouts and damage satellites used for communications and navigation; forecasters can predict when and where people can observe auroras; long quiet periods on the sun may be linked to a colder climate on Earth; advance knowledge could help people prepare.)
3. A sk students how their own lives might be affected
by storms on the sun. (Possible answers: lose power; problems with phones, GPS, or TV signals that depend on satellites)
Page T13
May 2012
Sun Catcher
Extend Science
Forecasting Weather on the Sun
1. Instruct students to conduct research about recent activity on the sun’s surface.
2. Tell students they will use this information to become weather forecasters on the sun.
poster
Explore Science
3. Have students use the information they learned
e-
edition
to write a one- to two-minute weather forecast. Challenge students to include at least five solar terms in their presentation. Encourage them to be as creative as possible.
web
4. Ask each student to deliver his or her forecast to
Observing Features of the Sun
the class.
1. Display the “Our Stormy Star” poster. Focus students’ attention on the four highlighted features.
2. Guide students in reviewing each of the features on
the poster. Point out that these are all features of the sun’s surface that are associated with very active parts of the solar cycle.
3. Divide students into pairs. Have students review
the poster and the article to find a cause-and-effect relationship associated with each of the solar features. Have each set of partners create a graphic organizer to show the relationships they identify.
4. H ave two or three sets of partners form groups to share and discuss what they have created.
5. Ask each group to share what it learned with the class.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T14
May 2012
Sun Catcher
Name:
Activity Master Parts of the Sun Label the parts of the sun in the diagram. Below, write a short description of each one.
© 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
[Insert Art: cut-‐away diagram showing various parts of the sun identified in the SE and on the posters; these parts include: Core, Photosphere, Chromosphere, Corona, Prominence, Sunspot; Leader lines should extend from WOLs to each part ]
©paul wootton/photo researchers, inc.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T15
May 2012
Sun Catcher
Name:
Assessment
Read each question. Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1.
What happens during a solar eclipse?
A B C
2.
What substance makes up the sun?
A B C
3.
What is the solar cycle?
A B C
4.
What kind of reaction takes place inside the sun’s core?
A B C
5.
What is one effect of the solar wind?
A B C
The moon passes in front of the sun. Earth passes in front of the moon.
rock water gases
the sun’s schedule of eclipses the sun’s 11-year weather cycle
© 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
The sun passes in front of the moon.
the sun’s range of temperatures
prominence fusion coronal wind
It can cause a total solar eclipse. It can make the sun’s surface much brighter. It can cause power outages on Earth.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer Page T16
May 2012
Sun Catcher
Name:
Activity Master Parts of the Sun Label the parts of the sun in the diagram. Below, write a short description of each one.
[Insert Art: cut-‐away diagram showing various parts of the sun identified in the SE and on the posters; these parts include: Core, Photosphere, Chromosphere, Corona, Prominence, Sunspot; Leader lines should extend from WOLs to each part ] photosphere
corona chromosphere
©paul wootton/photo researchers, inc.
photosphere: the part of the sun we see, gases that reach 5,500 degrees Celsius; chromosphere: the inner part of the sun’s atmosphere, less bright than the photosphere, but hotter (20,000 degrees Celsius); corona: the outer part of the sun’s atmosphere, invisible from Earth except during a total solar eclipse, temperatures reach over 2 million degrees Celsius; core: the center of the sun where nuclear reactions take place, temperatures reach 15 million degrees Celsius. National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T15A
May 2012
© 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
core
Sun Catcher
Name:
Assessment Read each question. Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1.
What happens during a solar eclipse?
A B C
2.
What substance makes up the sun?
A B C
3.
What is the solar cycle?
A B C
4.
What kind of reaction takes place inside the sun’s core?
A B C
5.
What is one effect of the solar wind?
A B C
The moon passes in front of the sun. Earth passes in front of the moon.
rock water gases
the sun’s schedule of eclipses the sun’s 11-year weather cycle
© 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
The sun passes in front of the moon.
the sun’s range of temperatures
prominence fusion coronal wind
It can cause a total solar eclipse. It can make the sun’s surface much brighter. It can cause power outages on Earth.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer Page T16A
May 2012
Wandering Ways Learning Objectives Students will:
pages 16-17
• explore the three different nomadic cultures; • make connections between the text and their own culture; • use context clues to define new words.
Materials Needed
pages 18-19
• physical map of Africa • computer and printer to access National Geographic MapMaker: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/ mapping/outline-map/?ar_a=1
• class set of outline world maps • two large outline world maps for class display
pages 20-21
Resources • Learn more about the Tuareg: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/saharatuareg/stirton-photography
pages 22-23
• Learn more about the Wodaabe: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/peopleplaces-kids/nigeria-wodaabe-kids/
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/006/Y5115E/y5115e04.htm
Summary • Nomads are people who have no permanent home; they move from place to place looking for food and/or places for their animals to graze. • The article describes the lives of three groups of nomadic people: ▶ The Wodaabe of the Sahara; ▶ The Reindeer People of northern Mongolia; ▶ The Sea Gypsies of Myanmar (Burma). National Geographic Extreme Explorer
• L earn more about the Tsaatan: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/ photogalleries/reindeer/photo5.html
• Learn more about the Moken: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/ myanmar/moken-text/1
http://www.natgeoeducationvideo.com/film/458/moken Page T17
May 2012
Wandering Ways
Background • The Tuareg are nomadic people of northern Africa. • They have traditionally traveled across the Sahara in camel caravans to trade salt and spices. • The Wodaabe are a nomadic group of the Sahel, the semi-arid area at the southern edge of the Sahara. • An estimated 200,000 Wodaabe follow their herds of cattle throughout much of the Sahara and the Sahel from northern Cameroon through Chad, Niger, and into northern Nigeria.
• The cattle provide milk products and transportation. Beef is rarely eaten, except on special occasions. • The Wodaabe prize qualities such as long noses, light skin, and white teeth. During ceremonial dances, men wear makeup to enhance these features. • The Tsaatan, or Reindeer People, live between the coniferous subarctic forest of the taiga and the arid steppes in northern Mongolia. • During the coldest part of the year, the Tsaatan set up a winter camp. Men look after the reindeer. Women forage for firewood and collect snow that they melt and use as their water supply. The Tsaatan also collect reindeer antlers to carve and sell. • The Tsaatan live in a remote area of central Asia, but they are not totally cut off. Many own cell phones that they use to communicate with other groups when they are far apart.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
• The Moken migrate among the hundreds of islands of the Mergui Archipelago, off the mainland of Myanmar (Burma). • They are born, live, and die on their small wooden boats called kabangs. In fact, before they can even walk, Moken children are taught to swim. • The Moken catch fish with spears, harpoons, and hooks—sometimes even with their bare hands.
• The Wodaabe herd cattle, as well as keep smaller numbers of goats and sheep.
• The Tsaatan live in teepee-like homes called urts that can be carried easily from place to place.
• The Tsaatan culture is thousands of years old but is threatened today by a declining reindeer population. The reindeer are declining largely because of untreated illnesses. Only a few hundred nomadic Tsaatan remain.
• While on land, young boys learn how to fish and make harpoons used in the hunt. Women look for useful items that have washed up on the beach.
Fast Facts • The Wodaabe do not usually spend more than ten days in one place. • The Tsaatan are the southernmost of all the world’s cultures based on herding reindeer. • B ecause of restrictions in their movement imposed by the government of Myanmar (Burma), the number of nomadic Moken is decreasing. There may be 1,000 or fewer Moken still leading a nomadic life at sea. • Among the Tuareg people, men traditionally cover their faces so that nothing but their eyes show, and women wear no face covering at all.
Page T18
May 2012
Wandering Ways
2. If applicable, note that in places such as the United
States, everyone descends from an immigrant at some point in their family’s history. Invite students to identify the country (or one of the countries) from which their family came. Ask them to report on one tradition of their family that comes from that culture.
pages 16-17
3. Allow students to share one of their cultural traditions. Students might share a holiday celebration, type of food, article of clothing, song or poem, oral tale, picture, object, belief, or dance.
Activate Prior Knowledge What is Culture?
4. Lead a discussion about how and why some older
1. Introduce the article by asking students questions
about their lives, such as their favorite holidays, games, foods, etc.
traditions are part of their own culture today.
2. Point out some of the differences in students’
Vocabulary
3. Then ask students how their answers would be
1. Have students read the text on page 17. Ask how they
4. Lead students to understand that how they live is a
2. S tudents may point out that they could use a
5. Tell students that their culture is formed by where they
3. Direct students to find the word nomad. Explain that
Using Context Clues to Define New Words
responses and ask why students’ answers vary.
could figure out the meaning of the words in bold.
different if they lived somewhere else in the world. product of their culture. Ask students to define culture. Lead them to understand that culture is the customary beliefs, values, practices, and features of everyday existence shared by a group of people.
live and who they interact with.
6. H ave students identify and describe various world cultures that they know about.
7. Tell students that in this article, they will read about three different nomadic cultures.
Comprehension Strategy
Make Connections to Your Own Culture
1. Ask students to brainstorm characteristics of their
culture. Prompt them by asking about their music, food, clothing, holidays and celebrations, way of governing, social customs and values, language and dialect, literature and folklore, myths, crafts, sports and leisure activities, ideological principles such as belief in freedom and democracy, and so on.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
dictionary. Explain that they can also determine the definition of an unfamiliar word by examining the context, or the other words, sentences, and images around the word.
sometimes context clues are found in the sentence that contains the word. Ask students if they see context clues in this sentence. (no)
4. Explain that often context clues are found in the
sentences before or after the sentence containing the unfamiliar word. Ask students if that is true in this case. (yes) Have students identify the context clues. (“move from place to place” and “carry everything they own”.)
5. Have students identify context clues that help define the word traditions.
6. Encourage students to use context clues to help them understand other unfamiliar words as they read the article.
Page T19
May 2012
Wandering Ways Explore Reading
Exploring Similarities and Differences Between Cultures
1. Ask students to compare the culture of the Wodaabe
pages 18-19
with their own culture.
2. F irst, ask students if they think any aspects of the two
cultures are alike. Students might dismiss this idea but ask them to think carefully. (Possible answers: They work to earn things they need; families live together; they have celebrations.)
Explore Social Studies
Understanding Wodaabe Culture
3. Next, ask students to identify the ways in which the Wodaabe culture is different than their own.
1. Project a physical map of Africa with nation
boundaries. Point out the Sahara and the Sahel.
4. Ask students to choose three things they do each
2. Zero in on the area of the Sahel at the southern edge of the Sahara where the Wodaabe live (Niger, on the map in the article).
3. D ivide the class into three groups. Using maps and
other resources, ask Group 1 to conduct research and compile facts on the physical environment in which the Wodaabe live.
4. Have students use the Activity
Master to record what they have learned about the Wodaabe culture. When students have finished reading the article, have Group 1 make a short presentation on the Wodaabe. Encourage students to use visuals.
5. H ave Groups 2 and 3 fill in the
day such as travel or eat. Have students compare how they complete these activities with how the Wodaabe do them, based on information in the article or inferences they make. If desired, have students conduct independent research to find answers.
5. After students have finished their research, have
them form small groups to discuss what they have determined. Encourage them to identify the aspects of culture that impact the carrying out of these activities in both situations.
Activity Master, page T23
Wodaabe column on the Activity Master.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T20
May 2012
Wandering Ways Explore Reading
Exploring Travel of Cultures
1. Have students contrast the culture of the Tsaatan with their own culture.
pages 20-21
2. Ask students to recall where they have traveled during the past year. Did they stay close to home or travel far away? Ask students why they made each trip, such as for vacation, to visit family, etc.
3. Remind students that the Tsaatan are nomads. Based
Explore Social Studies
Understanding Tsaatan Culture
1. Project a physical map of central Asia with nation
boundaries. Point out northern Mongolia, the home of the Tsaatan.
4. D istribute outline maps of the world. You can
2. Have students in Group 2 work together to
create the maps and print them out at this National Geographic site:
conduct research and compile facts on the physical environment in which the Tsaatan live.
3. Ask Group 2 to use the Activity Master to record what they have learned about the Tsaatan culture. When students have finished reading the article, have Group 2 make a short presentation on the Tsaatan to the class. Again, encourage students to use visuals.
4. Have Groups 1 and 3 fill in the Tsaatan column on the Activity Master.
on what they have read, ask students to speculate on whether the Tsaatan travel very far from their home area. (Students should recognize that although the Tsaatan are always on the move, they remain near their home territory as they move.)
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/ mapping/outline-map/?ar_a=1
5. Have students locate places they have traveled in the
past year. Have students shade in those places on the map.
6. Help students locate the territory roamed by Tsaatan
nomads in northern Mongolia. Have students shade in this area.
7. P lace the maps on a classroom bulletin board where
everyone can see them. Lead a discussion contrasting the extent of travel of the Tsaatan with students’ travel. Then discuss each culture’s reasons for traveling and how that might impact when, how, and where people in each culture go.
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T21
May 2012
Wandering Ways
2. E nlarge the map so that it is large enough for the entire class to see. Make two copies.
3. Tell students that they will compare and contrast the diversity of the Tsaatan people with that of the class.
pages 22-23
4. Point out that the Tsaatan people are from northern
Mongolia. They have little contact with non-Tsaatan people. Their culture is the product of northern Mongolia. Shade in northern Mongolia on one map.
5. H ave students each create a list of countries where
Explore Social Studies
Understanding Moken Culture
1. Project a physical map of Southeast Asia with nation
boundaries. Point out the area where the Moken roam off the coast of Myanmar in their boats.
2. Have students in Group 3 work together using the
Activity Master to conduct research and compile facts on the physical environment in which the Moken live. Have Group 3 make a short presentation on the Moken to the class. Again, encourage them to use visuals.
3. H ave Groups 1 and 2 fill in the Moken column in the Activity Master.
Identifying Cultural Connections
where their family comes from on the second map.
7. C ompare the results. Discuss the pros and cons of a culture that draws from one source versus many.
Extend Social Studies Debate Nomadic Life
1. Explain to students that each of these nomadic groups
2. Challenge students to think about the pros and cons
1. Point out that, at first glance, all the cultures students have read about seem different. However, certain characteristics cross many cultures.
of continuing the nomadic life versus assimilating into modern culture.
3. Divide the class in half. Assign each half one side of
2. For example, these three groups eat different types of foods, but they all must find a way to get food.
3. Ask students how climate patterns affect each culture.
Lead them to understand that these patterns drive the movements of each group of nomads.
characteristics that cut across all of these cultures.
6. H ave students shade in a country or area of the world
faces challenges in maintaining its unique culture in the modern world. The way of life of many of the nomads featured in the article is endangered.
Explore Social Studies
4. Have students to brainstorm other general
their ancestors come from. If students cannot identify a specific country, have them write down an area of the world, such as West Africa or Southeast Asia.
the argument. Have groups research their topic. Then conduct a debate. At the conclusion of the debate, determine if the arguments changed any minds.
Extend Writing Write an Essay
1. Ask students to think about the life of a nomad and whether or not they would enjoy living such a life.
Explore Reading
Compare and Contrast Diversity
1. D ownload an outline world map from:
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/ mapping/outline-map/?ar_a=1
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
2. Have students imagine they are nomads. Have them
write a short first-person essay describing their life and expressing their point of view about nomadic life.
3. Have volunteers read their essays to the class.
Page T22
May 2012
Wandering Ways
Name:
Activity Master To help organize information for your research, fill in the chart below.
Wodaabe
Tsaatan
Moken
Where They Live
What They Herd or Hunt
Climate They Live In
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
Nomadic Cycle
What They Eat
Customs
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T23
May 2012
Wandering Ways
Name:
Assessment
Read each question. Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1.
At which time of the year do the Wodaabe gather to celebrate?
A B C
2.
Why do the Moken live on land during the monsoon season?
A B C
3.
What do the Tsaatan get from reindeer?
A B C
4.
What do the Tuareg and the Wodaabe have in common?
A B C
5.
Why do nomads move around?
A B C
when the desert is hot during the rainy season
There are no fish. The water is rough. They do not like rain.
fur for clothing milk for ice cream hooves for tools
They are no longer nomads. They are nomads of the desert. They are nomads who live on water.
to see new places to tend to fields they plant with crops to get food for animals and themselves
National Geographic Extreme Explorer Page T24 May 2012
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
in the coldest part of winter
Wandering Ways
Name:
Activity Master
To help organize information for your research, fill in the chart below.
Tsaatan
Moken
Where They Live
Sahara in Africa (Niger)
northern Mongolia
islands off the coast of Myanmar (Burma)
What They Herd or Hunt
cows
reindeer
fish, shellfish, sea anemones
Climate They Live In
hot and dry most of the time
Nomadic Cycle
cross the desert with cows most of the year; gather during the rainy season
What They Eat
butter, yogurt, grains
Customs
barren plains and dark forests where winters are snowy
warm waters with seasonal monsoons
travel across the plains and forests, moving teepee-like homes every few weeks
spend 9 months traveling on water, live on land during the monsoon season
cheese and yogurt from reindeer milk
gather for Gerewol ride reindeer and during the rainy use them as pack season, during animals which young men paint their faces
National Geographic Extreme Explorer
Page T23A
fish, sea anemones, and rice at sea; sweet potatoes and boar on land live in small family groups on boats, play in the sea; on land build temporary homes on stilts
May 2012
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
Wodaabe
Wandering Ways
Name:
Assessment
Read each question. Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1.
At which time of the year do the Wodaabe gather to celebrate?
A B C
2.
Why do the Moken live on land during the monsoon season?
A B C
3.
What do the Tsaatan get from reindeer?
A B C
4.
What do the Tuareg and the Wodaabe have in common?
A B C
5.
Why do nomads move around?
A B C
when the desert is hot during the rainy season
There are no fish. The water is rough. They do not like rain.
fur for clothing milk for ice cream
Š 2012 National Geographic Learning. All rights reserved. Teachers may copy this page to distribute to their students.
in the coldest part of winter
hooves for tools
They are no longer nomads. They are nomads of the desert. They are nomads who live on water.
to see new places to tend to fields they plant with crops to get food for animals and themselves
National Geographic Extreme Explorer Page T24A
May 2012