Early Themes - Me, Space, The Sea and Dinosaurs: The Sea by Teacher Superstore

Published by R.I.C. Publications速 www.ricgroup.com.au

RIC-6287 3.6/491

Additional titles available in this series:

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Me (Ages 4–6) Space (Ages 4–6) Dinosaurs (Ages 4–6)

This master may only be reproduced by the original purchaser for use with their class(es). The publisher prohibits the loaning or onselling of this master for the purposes of reproduction.

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Internet websites

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Foreword The sea is one of a series of books based around popular themes written for students in the early years of schooling. The wide variety of activities in this book extend across many learning areas, particularly Science and Society and Environment. The book covers predominantly factual information about the sea, compiled in a way to develop simple understandings and motivate early learners to extend their learning beyond the contents of this book.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Titles in this series are:

Me — Ages 4–6

The sea — Ages 4–6

Dinosaurs — Ages 4–6

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Space — Ages 4–6

Contents

Teachers notes .................................................... ii – iii Curriculum links ........................................................iv iv

Ocean layers ..........................................................4–5

What are sponges? ............................................38–39

Salty sea water.......................................................6–7

Make a sea turtle ...............................................40–41

Sea food chain .......................................................8–9

Magniﬁcent manta ray kite ................................42–43

Fantastic ﬁsh ......................................................10–11

E–e–e–k! Eels! ....................................................44–45

Shark wanted poster..........................................12–13

Coral cut-out .....................................................46–47

Seahorse jigsaw .................................................14–15

Strange seaweed ...............................................48–49

Jumping jellyﬁsh ................................................16–17

Seafood .............................................................50–51

Sprinkly sea stars ...............................................18–19

All kinds of sea craft ..........................................52–53

Clams and oyster puppets ................................20–21

Rub–a–dub SUB.................................................54–55

Colourful slugs and snails ..................................22–23

Diving in the deep .............................................56–57

Octopuses and squid ........................................24–25

Sea fun – 1 .........................................................58–59

Paper plate crustacean ......................................26–27

Sea fun – 2 .........................................................60–61

Spiny sea urchins ...............................................28–29

The ocean has high and low tides .....................62–63

Whales and dolphins – 1 ...................................30–31

Look into a rock pool.........................................64–65

Whales and dolphins – 2 ...................................32–33

Seashells ............................................................66–67

Seals, sea lions and walruses .............................34–35

Protecting marine creatures and their homes ...68–69

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Manatees and dugongs.....................................36–37

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Earth – a great watery planet! ..............................2–3

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Early themes — The sea

Teachers notes The sea (Ages 4–6) aims to provide a basis for further investigations or creative activities about the sea. The book aims to develop the following concepts about the sea: !

Most of the planet Earth is covered by oceans.

There are different layers in the ocean.

The sea is salty.

There are food chains in the sea.

Many types of ﬁsh live under the sea.

Sharks are amazing ﬁsh that live in the sea.

Sea horses are unusual but real creatures.

Jellyﬁsh live in the sea.

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Clams and oysters live under the sea.

Sea snails and slugs live under the sea.

Octopuses and squids live under the sea.

Crabs and other crustaceans live under the sea.

Sea urchins live on the ﬂoor of the sea.

Whales and dolphins belong to one of two main groups, toothed or baleen whales.

Whales and dolphins are mammals, not ﬁsh.

Seals, sea lions and walruses are related.

Manatees and dugongs are large, gentle creatures that spend their whole lives in the water.

Sponges are primitive animal forms.

Turtles live in the ocean.

Manta rays are the largest rays that live in the sea.

Some eels live in the sea.

Coral can be found in reefs under the sea.

Seaweed and other plants grow under the sea.

We eat food from the sea.

Many different types of craft use the sea.

Submarines go on top of and under the sea.

People dive under the sea.

We use the sea for many different leisure activities.

The ocean has a high and a low tide.

A rock pool is home to a number of creatures that have adapted to the conditions of each zone.

Seashells are the coverings of sea animals.

The sea, and the animals who live there, needs to be protected.

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Early themes — The sea

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Teachers notes The format of the book Each student activity page is accompanied by a corresponding teachers notes page. The title of the corresponding student page is given.

The concept being developed is stated.

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Answers are supplied where necessary.

Additional activities to support or extend the concept are supplied. These extend across other learning areas.

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Relevant background information is given concerning any necessary preparation, how to introduce the activity or how to use the worksheet with students. Also included is some background information which teachers may require to answer students’ questions.

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Teachers notes pages

Resources to support the concept are supplied, including songs, poems, stories, relevant websites or references to pages in other books.

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Clear, concise instructions for completing the student activity are supplied.

The title of the student page is given.

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Note: *

Teachers are encouraged to enlarge worksheets to A3 size where necessary to allow enough space for beginning writers to complete their responses.

Some students may need assistance to write, copy or spell words. Others may need an adult to scribe words for them.

*** As much as possible, students should be encouraged to use the appropriate language (such as ‘baleen’, ‘plankton’) when completing this theme. **** Teachers are given the freedom to introduce the factual information provided on the teachers pages in any way which suits them (pictures, factual texts etc.) with many student activities forming a concluding activity.

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Early themes — The sea

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Early themes — The sea

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Curriculum links Science NSW LTES1.3

Vic.

I F.1

1.1

I F.2

1.5

LL1

1.6

Qld Science and Society 1.1, 1.2 Earth and Beyond 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

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INVES1.7

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ESES1.6

Life and Living 1.1 1.2 1.3

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ICP F.1

1.3

SOSE0103

ICP 1.2

1.4

ICP 1.3

1.5

ICP 1.4 PS 1.1 PS1.2

Place and Space 1.1

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ENES 1

1.2

Systems, Resources and Power

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1.1

R 1.1

Time, Continuity and Change

NSS 1.1 NSS 1.3

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1.4

Early themes — The sea

Earth – a great watery planet! Concept: Most of the planet Earth is covered by oceans. Indicators: !

Views the location of each ocean.

Colours the area of the world map covered by oceans.

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Background information:

To help students appreciate the 7:3, water:land ratio of the planet, demonstrate a number of examples showing the same ratio, such as 7 boys:3 girls, 7 apples:3 oranges, 7 bottles of blue coloured water:3 bottles of green coloured water. Discuss the difference in size using mathematical language; for example, ‘more than twice as much’, ‘less than half as much’, ‘greater than’, ‘less than’.

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There are many seas around the globe, such as those close to Australia (Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, Arafura Sea), but they are very small compared with the vast expanses of the world’s open oceans. Seas have generally been named where they exist between close neighbouring land masses.

The largest seas on the planet are: South China Sea, Caribbean Sea, Mediterranean Sea.

Earth is the only planet in the solar system with water in its liquid state. The oceans have played a key role in our evolution as this is where life on Earth began.

The temperature of the planet is regulated by the oceans as they distribute the heat energy which they have absorbed from the sun.

Use a globe to show the extent of water:land masses, as a map, whatever the projection, distorts the image.

Before completing the activity page, mention the continents (Africa, North and South America, Antarctica, Asia, Australasia and Europe).

Assist students to colour the map accurately.

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Additional activities:

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Print the name ‘sea’ and ‘ocean’ on card. Cut each into individual letters. Scramble the letters and rearrange correctly.

Make globes using blue and green modelling clay ( or playdough).

Complete a planet Earth jigsaw puzzle.

Resources:

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Commotion in the ocean by Giles Andreae

Fidgety ﬁsh by Ruth Galloway

In the swim by Douglas Florian

Early themes — The sea

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Teac he green. Colour the oceans and seas blue and the land r

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Most of the planet Earth is covered by water and most of this water is in the oceans. The rest is found in rivers and lakes.

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t watery planet!

Early themes — The sea

Ocean layers Concept: There are different layers in the ocean. Indicators: !

Listens to information about each ocean layer.

Follows a key to colour each layer.

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Background information: !

The ocean waters are divided into three zones;

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• sunlight (euphotic) zone – sunlight penetrates the sunlight zone and the waters are relatively warm, enabling plants to photosynthesise and grow. This zone reaches a depth of about 200 m. Approximately 90% of marine life lives in this layer of the ocean. Because it is easy to see in this light layer, camouﬂage is an important way to avoid predators and surprise prey.

• twilight (dysphotic) zone – a small amount of sunlight reaches this zone but insufﬁcient for photosynthesis. Therefore, there are no plants in this zone, which extends to a depth of about 1 km. Water pressure increases and temperature decreases. Creatures living in this zone have adapted to their environment. Some are red or black in colour, to easily blend in with the dark waters. Others are very thin, making themselves less obvious to predators. The hatchet ﬁsh has a very large mouth and sharp teeth which helps it catch food. Bioluminescence—i.e. creatures making their own light—is common in this zone. They have special organs in their bodies called photophores, which emit a green light.

• midnight (aphotic) zone – reaches to depths of over 6 km. It is very cold in this layer and the water pressure is immense. As no light penetrates this zone, it is totally dark and a number of creatures living at this depth do not have eyes but rely on their other senses for survival.

The key points for students to learn are:

– There are three main layers in the ocean.

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– The top layer is only a very small part of the whole ocean. Students can study available resources to ﬁnd the correct colours of the ﬁsh.

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Additional activities:

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– Most marine life lives in the top layer because sunlight penetrates, enabling photosynthesis to occur.

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Create and label a display of the three layers of the ocean. Add numerous examples of marine life for each layer.

Choose a marine creature from one of the ocean’s zones. Study its life cycle, habitat and environment. Present as a short talk and/or picture book.

Using available art resources, decorate an outline sketch of an unusual looking marine creature. Hang from a mobile.

Resources: !

Magic school bus on the ocean ﬂoor by Joanna Cole

At home in the coral reef by Katy Muzik

Coral reef (look closer) by Jane Burton and Barbara Taylor

Early themes — The sea

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Ocean layers

1. Colour the layers of the ocean.

twilight – blue

midnight – dark blue

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sunlight – light blue

plants and animals

twilight zone no plants; some creatures which can glow in the dark!

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midnight zone pitch black,very cold, many creatures

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Early themes — The sea

Salty sea water Concept: The sea is salty. Indicators: !

Understands that the sea is salty.

Compares salty water with fresh water.

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Background information:

It is suggested that the activity is completed in small groups with an adult helper allocated to each group. Each group will require 1 cup of salty water (see below) and 1 cup of fresh water (the cups should be two different colours or be labelled with different coloured stickers), 1 clean craft stick per child (for tasting), 1 balance beam or set of scales and 1 fresh egg.

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The sea has a salt content of about 35 parts per thousand. Other elements, such as calcium, gold and magnesium, are also present. The sea gets most of its salt from rivers. Rivers pick up salt contained in rocks as they ﬂow towards the sea.

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Because the students will need to taste ‘sea water’ for this activity, salty water should be substituted. To make it, add one part salt to four parts hot water. Stir the water until the salt dissolves and leave to cool.

To complete Question 1, the students should ﬁrst colour the pictures of the cups at the top of the table using the corresponding colours of the actual cups or labels. They can then dip one end of their craft stick into each cup to taste the water. Each group can then decide what words to write (e.g. ‘salty’, ‘nothing’ etc.). Both cups of water can then be weighed and either ‘heavier’ and ‘lighter’ written or the actual weight of each cup recorded. If made according to the recipe above, the cup of salty water should be roughly 40 grams heavier than the cup of fresh water. Finally, an egg can be placed into each cup. The egg should ﬂoat in the salty water. This is because salty or sea water is denser than fresh water.

After completing Question 1, Question 2 (a) and 2 (b) could be completed as a class. The students can then complete 2 (c) individually.

Answers:

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1. Teacher check (see above) 2. (a) fresh water

(b) fresh water

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Additional activities:

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Make salty play dough as a class.

Draw sea scenes using crayons on dark card. Paint over the pictures with salty water. When the pictures are dry, they will sparkle.

Resources: !

Books –

I wonder why the sea is salty? – Anita Ganeri

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The drop goes plop – a ﬁrst look at the water cycle – Sam Godwin and Simone Abel

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The water’s journey – Eleonore Schmid

Early themes — The sea

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Salty sea water Sea water is salty. This makes it very different from fresh water. Compare a cup of each.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Sea water

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1. Complete the table.

Fresh water

Tastes like… Weighs

Does an egg ﬂoat in it?

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(b) Which water would be easier to carry?

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sea water

fresh water

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2. (a) Which water is better to drink?

sea water

fresh water

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Early themes — The sea

Sea food chain Concept: There are food chains in the sea. Indicator: !

Chooses appropriate words to complete a simple food chain.

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Background information:

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A food chain describes the path that energy and nutrients may follow in an ecosystem. Plants get energy from the sun, plant-eating animals get their energy from eating plants, and meat-eating animals get their energy from eating other animals. All of these animals are linked together in a form of chain, so anything that affects one link in the chain affects everything else in the chain. The ﬁrst link, usually the plant, is called the producer, while the other links are called consumers.

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Explain how a food chain works.

This activity could be completed as a class. When the words have been filled in, teachers could have the students trace the chain with their fingers as they read; i.e. ‘The whale eats the seal which eats the octopus which eats the crab which eats the starfish which eats the plankton’. The students can then colour the pictures.

Additional activities:

Glue pictures of sea animals and plants onto paper chains to make food chains to hang from the ceiling.

Discuss the fact that big sea animals such as whales may also eat very tiny living things like plankton.

Resources: Books

– This is the sea that feeds us – Robert F Baldwin and Don Dyen

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– Who eats what? Food chains and food webs Patricia Lauber and Holly Keller – Wish for a ﬁsh: All about sea creatures – Bonnie Worth

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Fingerplays – Slippery ﬁsh http://www.preschooleducation.com/socean.shtml

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– Five little fishes http://www.angelfire.com/fl/preschoolfunzone/sealife.html

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Sea food chain

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The whale eats

the

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Choose the correct living thing from the box to complete the food chain.

which eats

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which eats

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the crab

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which eats the plankton

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octopus

seal

Early themes — The sea

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Fantastic ﬁsh Concept: Many types of ﬁsh live under the sea. Indicators: !

Reads about some different types of ﬁsh that live in the sea.

Colours pictures of fantastic ﬁsh.

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Background information:

Stonefish live in shallow waters, often around coral reefs. They are a mottled brownishgreen colour which helps to camouflage them among rocks. The stonefish’s spines are highly venomous and can kill a human within a few hours if left untreated.

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Sea horses are covered in bony plates rather than scales. Most species of sea horse live in tropical seas. The reproduction of sea horses is very unusual—the female lays eggs into a pouch found only on the male. He then carries the eggs until they hatch.

The light organs along the body of a lanternfish are known as photophores. These give off light in a process called bioluminescence. Photophores are used to attract prey. Although a deepsea fish, the lanternfish swims close to the surface of the water at night to feed and avoid predators.

The gulper eel is a deepsea ﬁsh with an enormous mouth. It usually eats small prey like prawns and plankton, but can unhinge its jaw to swallow large animals. It has a luminous organ at the end of its long tail.

Complete and display simple information charts about different types of ﬁsh.

Make dioramas which contain hanging pictures of different types of ﬁsh drawn by the students.

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Resources: Books – –

Song –

The rainbow fish – Marcus Pfister What’s it like to be a fish? – Wendy Pfeffer

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Early themes — The sea

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Fantastic ﬁsh

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The stoneﬁsh lies on the sea bed. It has poisonous spines on its back.

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There are many fantastic ﬁsh living in the sea. Read about each of the ones below. Colour the pictures.

The sea horse can change colour to hide from its predators.

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The lanternﬁsh can light up its belly. This attracts small ﬁsh it wants to eat. R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

The gulper eel has a huge mouth like a pelican’s bill. Early themes — The sea

Shark wanted poster Concept: Sharks are amazing ﬁsh that live in the sea. Indicator: !

Makes a wanted poster for an imaginary shark.

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Background information:

Sharks have existed for 400 million years, which was before dinosaurs were on the Earth. Their average life span is 25 years but some can live for 100 years. Sharks are found in all the oceans of the world and some, like bull sharks, even live in fresh water.

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Students should use their imagination and what they know about sharks to make a wanted poster for an imaginary shark.

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They vary in size from the pygmy shark which is less than 30 cm to the whale shark which is as big as a school bus.

Sharks do not have a bony skeleton but have cartilage instead so they are very ﬂexible. Their skin is made of denticles, not scales and is very hard. They do not have a swim bladder so they sink if they stop moving. They never sleep, but just rest. Sharks have a very well developed sense of smell, which involves 2/3 of their brain. They have eyes like cats and can see in the dark. They can feel vibrations and electricity.

Almost all sharks are carnivores with powerful jaws, both of which can move. They have different–shaped teeth. The great white, which is a carnivore, has very sharp, pointy teeth and grows about 20 000 of them in a lifetime. They never run out of teeth, regularly replacing them from the row behind.

Carnivorous sharks eat ﬁsh, sea mammals (dolphins and seals), other sharks, turtles and seagulls. Sharks do not need to eat often and great whites can go for up to three months without food. The harmless sharks, which are usually the biggest, eat plankton, which they strain through gill rakers at the back of their throats.

Many people fear sharks, but most of them are harmless. There are some very dangerous ones, including the great white, tiger, hammerhead, mako and bull sharks. There are only about 100 attacks a year resulting in about ten deaths. In fact, more people die from bee stings and are killed by dogs, pigs and deer!

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Some sharks lay eggs, other female sharks hatch their eggs and some give birth to live young. Sharks do not care for their young but do attempt to ﬁnd a safe place for them. Baby sharks are called pups.

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Although sharks do not have many natural predators, many thousands of them are killed each year by people.

Additional activities: !

Collect and name pictures of different types of sharks.

Write an acrostic as a class using the word ‘shark’ or the name of a speciﬁc type of shark.

Resources:

Amazing sharks (I can read books) Sarah Thomson Harper Collins Publishing

www.kidzone.ws/sharks

Early themes — The sea

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Shark wanted poster

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WANTED

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Name:

Skin:

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Scars:

Eyes: Teeth:

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Early themes — The sea

Sea horse jigsaw Concept: Sea horses are unusual but real creatures. Indicators: !

Follows instructions to makes a sea horse jigsaw puzzle.

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Background information:

Sea horses have a long horse-shaped head and a curved tail and are a type of ﬁsh. Instead of scales, they have a hard outer body covering like a crab, with little spines like a puffer ﬁsh. Their eyes move independently, like a lizard, so they can look forwards and backwards at the same time. They have a snout, like an aardvark, and they use it like a straw to eat their food, mostly krill and small shrimp. They do not have teeth. A sea horse uses its monkey-like, prehensile tail like a hand and holds onto sea plants while it looks for food so that it won’t be swept away by ocean currents.

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Some students may not be aware that sea horses, unlike mermaids, are not creatures of myths and legends, but are, despite their unusual appearance, real.

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Sea horses are not good swimmers and move very slowly, mostly up and down. They glide through the water moving the transparent ﬁn on their backs very fast, at about 30 times a second.

Camouﬂage is a sea horse’s very effective and efﬁcient defence mechanism. It can change colours very quickly, like a chameleon.

The female sea horse deposits eggs in the male sea horse’s kangaroo-like pouch and he gives birth to about 100 sea ponies about 1 cm long. They need to be able to fend for themselves from birth. Sea horses live for about four years.

Sea horses are found in many of the world’s oceans in the warm water of reefs and in seaweed. They vary in size (approximately 15–30 cm) and in colour (including white, yellow, brown, black, grey) and some are banded and others spotted.

Sea horses are endangered by pollution because they live close to the coast. Huge numbers are collected to be used in the traditional medicine of some countries.

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Because of the difﬁculty of pasting paper on card so that the edges of the jigsaw pieces do not separate, it is recommended that, if possible, the page be photocopied on light card. If students are pasting the paper on card they should apply glue evenly across the card then place the paper carefully on top.

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Match particular features of sea horses with those of other animals; e.g. a pouch like a kangaroo, changes colours like a chameleon.

Find names and pictures of different types of sea horses.

Discuss similarities and differences between horses and sea horses.

Resources:

I sea horses: From sky to sea – Dawn Van Zant, Wild Heart Ranch Books

Hippocampus the sea horse – Pauline Reilly, Bristlebird books

Early themes — The sea

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Sea horse jigsaw

What to do:

1. Colour your sea horse picture and cut it out in one piece. 2. Spread glue over the cardboard. 3. Place picture on cardboard.

You will need: • coloured pencils • scissors

r o e t s B • o r glue e p carefully. ok 5. Cut out the pieces u • cardboard 6. Try to putS your jigsaw together

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4. Allow to dry.

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again.

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Early themes — The sea

Jumping jellyﬁsh Concept: Jellyﬁsh live in the sea. Indicator: !

Completes a picture of a jellyﬁsh by colouring squares and using a key.

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Background information:

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Jellyfish are marine creatures with soft, bell-shaped bodies and long tentacles. Jellyfish float along, carried by the oceans’ currents. They have no skeleton, brain or respiratory system and have an incomplete digestive system. They have a simple nervous system which helps them detect light, odour and other stimuli (such as other sea creatures and humans) and orchestrate responses. Jellyfish are almost 98% water. They occur in a variety of sizes (from about 2.5 cm to over 2 metres), colours and shapes in oceans all over the world. Many are transparent. Because jellyfish are lightsensitive, some can be found in water up to depths of over 3600 metres. Jellyfish will move to deeper waters during the hottest part of the day and surface when it is cooler.

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Jellyfish open and close their bodies to create a current which forces water close to their tentacles to reach their food. They have one opening in their bodies to receive food and dispose of waste. The body of a jellyfish consists of an outer layer (epidermis), an inner layer (gastrodermis) which lines the gut and a thick, elastic layer (mesoglea) in the middle. They have between four and eight oral arms near their mouth to carry food which has been captured by the tentacles. The tentacles of jellyfish have stinging barbs which inject toxins into its victims.

Jellyfish are carnivores as they usually feed on small fish, plankton, comb jellies and other jellyfish. Larger species are able to consume large crustaceans and marine organisms.

Jellyfish can be either male or female. When they reproduce, the male releases sperm from its mouth which swim into the mouth of the female jellyfish. After the ova are fertilised, a larva forms called the plantula which settles on a shady surface. It develops into polyps which grow and divide into baby jellyfish called ephra. The ephra grow into adult medusa.

Jellyfish only live between three to six months and are eaten by sea turtles, spadefish, sunfish and other marine organisms.

A group of jellyﬁsh is often called a ‘smack’. Large swarms or ‘blooms’ of jellyﬁsh may consist of hundreds or thousands of creatures.

Jellyfish can be very harmful to humans, although they do not attack them. Usually, beachgoers come into contact with the nematocysts (capsules which contain the barbed threads) of jellyfish. Some jellyfish are more dangerous than others, causing shock and paralysis. Jellyfish sting may be relieved by the use of white vinegar, meat tenderiser, baking soda, shaving cream or salt water (never fresh water, which may release more venom). Stings should not be rubbed or touched with spirits, ammonia or urine. Rescuers should protect their bodies by using clothing such as pantyhose and wetsuits as barriers. See http://www.emedicinehealth.com/wilderness_jellyfish_sting/page3_ em.htm for a step-by-step guide to treating jellyfish stings.

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Ask students to select one colour to complete all the squares with the same number before selecting another colour and number. Students may also wish to trace the shape of the jellyﬁsh, rocks and seaweed after completing their picture.

Resources: !

Poem – Jellyﬁsh stew by Jack Prelutsky

Story – The life of jellyﬁsh by Twig C George

Song – Three jellyﬁsh (sitting on a rock) http://www.enchantedlearning.com/rhymes/forum/old/2003a.shtml

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Jumping jellyﬁsh Use the key to colour the squares to make a jellyﬁsh picture. Key: 1 = blue 2 = yellow 3 = red 4 = black 5 = green

2t 2 r 2 B 2 2 2 o e s r e oo p 2 u 2 4 2 2 2 2 4 k 2 S 1

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2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 ©2R. I . C. Pu bl i ca t i o ns 1 f 2 rr 1e 2 p 1u 1o 2e 1o 1l • o v1i ew r p s s n y2•1

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6 = brown

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Sprinkly sea stars Concept: Sea stars (starﬁsh) live in the sea. Indicators: !

Writes words beginning with ‘s’ to describe a sea star.

Completes a sea star by colouring, cutting, gluing and covering with sand.

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Background information:

Sea stars have a central disc with an arrangement of arms which radiate from the centre. They have spiny, hard skins with small objects known as pedicellariae on the outside to prevent organisms from growing on them. Most sea stars have ﬁve arms but others may have more or less. Some species of sea stars are able to regenerate new arms if they lose one.

There are almost 2000 different species of sea stars on the ﬂoors of oceans around the world in different shapes, colours and patterns. Some colours serve as camouﬂage or warning signs to predators.

Sea stars do not have a skeleton but instead have a system of tube feet on the arms which help them to move and feed. They have a simple eye (or eye spots) at the end of each arm which detects differences of light and dark, indicating movement around them. They have a mouth on the underside and an anus on the top. Sea stars do not have blood. Instead, they pump sea water around their bodies.

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Sea stars (starﬁsh) belong to a group of marine invertebrates (animals without backbones) called echinoderms. Echinoderms include animals such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers, as well as sea stars.

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Sea stars have two stomachs for digesting food. They are able to push one of their stomachs outside their body through their mouth to capture and digest food. Some will even insert their stomach into the shells of molluscs and digest them while they are still inside their shells. Most sea stars are carnivores who eat mussels, clams, oysters, coral, ﬁsh and slow or dying animals.

Sea stars release large quantities of eggs and sperm into the ocean where they are fertilised. After they are fertilised, the tiny larvae become part of zoo plankton. Baby sea stars are swept around by ocean currents for about two months.

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Additional activities:

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Sea stars do not have a brain. They have a ring of nerve cells which collect and give information to the body.

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Use the sea star shape as a template and have the students paint it using a variety of colours and the ends of pencils, wooden skewers etc.

Have students trace around another star shape the same size as that on the worksheet. On the new sheet (which will become the underside of the sea star) students draw or attach a mouth in the centre and tube feet. Join both pieces together with staples. Leave a small opening to stuff the ‘fat’ sea star with crumpled newspaper or paper towel. Staple up the opening.

As a class, write nonsense sea star stories with lots of words beginning with ‘s’.

Resources: !

Song –

I’m a sea star by Linda Arnold and John Sanders http://www.mbayaq.org/lc/teachers_place/activity_popup_imaseastar.asp?bhcp=1

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The sea star song http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=3186

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Sticky, sticky starﬁsh (sung to ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star’) www.preschooleducation.com/socean.shtml

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Sprinkly sea stars 1. Write words beginning with ‘s’ to tell about sea stars (starﬁsh).

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r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S 2. Colour and cut out the sea star.

3. Cover the sea star with glue and sprinkle on dry sand. Allow to dry. mouth

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Clam and oyster puppets Concept: Clams and oysters live under the sea. Indicators: !

Makes an egg carton puppet.

Understands that clams and oysters have two shells that open and close.

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Background information:

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Clams and oysters are both types of molluscs—soft-bodied animals with no bones. They are further classiﬁed as bivalves because their shells are made up of two parts called valves. The valves are connected by a ligament which allows them to open and close for defence. Both clams and oysters have gills, a heart and kidneys—but no head!

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Clams live on the ﬂoor or along the shores of oceans and other water bodies like lakes. They have a muscular organ called a ‘foot’, which allows them to anchor in mud or sand. The giant clam lives on coral reefs. It can grow to more than one metre in length and weigh more than 200 kilograms.

Oysters are usually found in calm ocean environments. They fasten themselves to rocks, shells or other hard surfaces using a cement-like substance produced by their bodies. Oysters produce pearls when a small piece of sand or similar object works its way between the mantle (the lining of the shell) and the shell. The irritation causes the oyster to cover the object with shell material—creating a pearl. The quality and frequency of pearl production varies among species of oyster. Oysters, like most clams, eat plankton.

Paint, scissors and a handful of cotton wool are also required for the students to make their puppets. If students decide they are making an oyster rather than a clam, they could also glue a white bead, or similar object, inside their carton to represent a pearl. They could also decorate their puppets, giving them eyes, hair, hats etc.

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The puppets can be used for a range of activities, including partner role-plays.

Additional activities:

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Make paper plate clam or oyster shells by folding a paper plate in half. Colour and display.

Discuss how an oyster makes a pearl. Use as a springboard for making up class stories about how treasure can be found in unlikely places.

Resources: !

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Each student will require a small egg carton and two lengths of string to make a puppet. Before the lesson begins, teachers should use a needle to pierce a hole on each side of the lower part of the carton and one in the centre of the carton’s lid. The students can then thread the string through these. An 80-cm length (approximately) is needed for the loop handle and a shorter length for the student to use to operate the ‘mouth’ of the puppet.

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Stories –

Going for oysters – Jeanie Adams

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What lives in a shell? – Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

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Shellﬁsh aren’t ﬁsh – Allan Fowler

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Clam and

oyster puppets

Clams and oysters have two shells. These can shut to protect the small, soft animal inside. Oysters are very clever. They can make pearls. Giant clams can weigh more than an adult human!

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r o e t s BYoou will nee r e p ok d: Make au talking clam • 1 small egg S puppet. or oyster carton • string

1. Paint the carton and decorate it.

• scissors • paint

• cotton wool

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3. Thread another piece of string through a hole in the lid. Knot it. This will open and close the top.

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4. Put a piece of cotton wool inside the carton to make the soft animal. 5. Make your puppet talk! R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Colourful slugs and snails Concept: Sea snails and slugs live under the sea. Indicators: !

Identiﬁes matching patterns.

Understands that sea snails and slugs have colourful shells and bodies.

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Background information:

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Sea slugs and sea snails are closely related. They are types of molluscs known as gastropods. Gastropods have a head with eyes and tentacles, a muscular foot used for movement and a rasp-like tongue used for feeding. Sea snail shells are most often a spiral shape. The bright colours of both animals warn predators away and help with camouﬂage.

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The students will require three colouring pencils to complete Question 2. They could use three of the colours for the ﬁrst picture and the three different colours for the second picture.

Additional activities: !

Collect marine shells, such as cowrie shells, and compare size, shape, colours, patterns etc.

Compare pictures of sea snails and slugs with pictures of land snails and slugs.

Resources: Rhyme

– Five little sea shells sitting on the shore

Book

– Slugs and snails – Claire Llewellyn and Barrie Watts

Fingerplay – Slowly creeps the garden snail

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Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Colou r

ful slugs and snails

Sea slugs and sea snails are a bit like land slugs and snails. But they are much more colourful! Sea snails have colourful shells. Sea slugs have colourful bodies.

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1. Match the sea slugs or snails with the same pattern.

2. Use three colours to draw a different pattern on each animal below.

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o c . che e r o t r 3. Complete the sentences. s super This is a sea

. This is a sea

It has a colourful

. It has a colourful

Its colours are

Its colours are .

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

. Early themes — The sea

Octopuses and squid Concept: Octopuses and squids live under the sea. Indicators: !

Understands some of the features of octopuses and squid.

Understands some of the differences between octopuses and squid.

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Background information:

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Octopuses and squid are soft-bodied molluscs. An octopus has no bones at all; a squid has a kind of flexible backbone called a ‘pen’. An octopus has eight arms lined with suckers that it uses to catch prey on the sea floor, where it lives in a den. A squid has eight arms and two tentacles to help it catch prey. It lives in the open ocean rather than on the sea floor. Both animals have parrot-like beaks for killing and eating their prey. Octopuses usually eat crustaceans such as crabs, snails and clams, whereas squid usually eat fish and prawns. Octopuses and squid move by ‘jet propulsion’—sucking water into a muscular sac and expelling it. They both can evade their predators (such as seals and whales) by producing a cloud of ink-like liquid or changing colour to blend with their surroundings.

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All of the information at the top of the page should be read to the students. Discuss the area in which each animal is likely to be found (i.e. the octopus on the sea ﬂoor near the crabs and the squid in the open water near the ﬁsh). The students can then colour the picture.

Additional activities:

Make a paper octopus or squid using a paper bag stuffed with tissues or scrap paper for the head and streamers for arms.

Draw a large ‘O’ for octopus and ‘S’ for squid. Using the ‘O’ for an octopus head and the ‘S’ for a squid tentacle, draw in the rest of each animal.

Resources: !

Songs

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Book

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View photographs or movies of octopuses and squid and list some differences that can be seen.

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Henry the octopus – The Wiggles

An octopus followed me home – Dan Yaccarino

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Octopu

ses and squid

Octopuses and squid are sea animals with soft bodies. They look almost the same. But some things are different. Octopus

Squid

It has 8 arms.

It has 10 arms.

r o e t s BoIt likes to swim. r e p It likes to eatu crabs. Ito likes to eat ﬁsh. k S It has a round head.

It has a long head.

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It lives on the sea ﬂoor.

1. Cut out each animal and glue it in a place it would like to be. 2. Both animals can change colour to help them hide. Colour the picture so they are hard to see.

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Paper plate crustacean Concept: Crabs and other crustaceans live under the sea. Indicators: !

Makes a paper plate crab.

Understands that a crab is a crustacean, with jointed legs and a hard shell.

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Background information:

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Crustaceans are boneless animals with an exoskeleton and pairs of jointed legs. They usually have three main body parts—a head, a thorax and an abdomen. Most crustaceans live in salt water. Members of the crustacean group include lobster, crayﬁsh, prawns, barnacles and crabs. Crabs have ﬁve pairs of jointed legs, with one pair having claws.

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The students will require assistance to punch holes in their paper plates and to twist the pipe-cleaners to make it look as though the crab is walking and also so the drinking straw lengths stay in place. The drinking straws should be cut into lengths prior to the lesson. Instead of fold-back clips, cardboard cut-outs of crab claws could be attached to the two front legs.

Additional activities: !

View photographs of different types of crabs. Discuss their features and make up a class story about one of them.

To appropriate music, move as different crustaceans; e.g. scurrying sideways for a crab.

Song

– The ﬁsh in the sea (sing verses ‘The lobster in the sea’ and ‘The crabs in the sea’)

Book

– Crab moon by Ruth Horowitz

Fingerplay – Mr Lobster and Mrs Crab sung to the tune of ‘Old MacDonald’ http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/beach/songs.htm

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Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Paper pla

te crustacean

Crustaceans are sea animals with no bones. They have a hard outer shell instead. They also have many pairs of jointed legs. Crabs, crayﬁsh and prawns are crustaceans.

r o e t s Bo r e You will need:p ok u • 1 largeS paper plate

• 11 pipe-cleaners

• 30 short pieces of drinking straw (each about 2 cm in length)

• 2 small fold-back clips

crab’s shell.

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2. Punch 10 holes around the edge of the plate as shown.

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3. Poke a pipe-cleaner through each hole and twist to hold in place. These are the crab’s legs.

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Make a paper plate crab by following the instructions.

o c . che e r o 4. Thread three piecesr of straw onto t s sup r each pipe-cleaner. Attach ae clip to each front leg to make a claw. Bend all the legs.

5. Punch two more holes in the plate between the legs with claws. Thread a pipe-cleaner through the holes to make two feelers. R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Spiny sea urchins Concept: Sea urchins live on the ﬂoor of the sea. Indicators: !

Understands that sea urchins are spherical and covered in spines.

Draws lines to divide objects into equal parts.

Completes sentences using the words ‘equal’ and ‘half’.

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Background information:

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Sea urchins are found in oceans all over the world. They are a type of animal known as an ‘echinoderm’. Other echinoderms include sea stars and sea cucumbers. Sea urchins have a spherical body with skeletal plates under the skin. These plates form a shell known as the ‘test’. A sea urchin’s long spines are attached to the test, which has ﬁve-fold symmetry. Sea urchins often feed on decaying plant and animal matter as well as algae, sponges and kelp. Their mouths, containing ‘teeth’, are located on their underside. Sea urchins use their spines and their ‘tube feet’ (found among their spines) to move slowly on the sea ﬂoor and to help them capture food. Their predators include crabs and sea otters. One of the largest sea urchins, the red sea urchin, can have a test of about 18 centimetres in diameter.

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Additional activities:

Make sea urchin models from modelling clay and toothpicks.

View the dried ‘test’ of a sea urchin to see the ﬁve-fold symmetry.

Use describing words to write labels for pictures of sea urchins; e.g. ‘long’ (spines), ‘sharp’ (teeth).

Books

Animals without bones: sea urchins by Jason Cooper

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Sea urchins by Lola M Schaefer

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Starﬁsh, sea urchins and other echinoderms by Daniel Gilpin

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Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Spiny sea urchins A sea urchin is a sea animal shaped like a ball. It has long sharp spines all over its body. These protect it from being eaten.

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1. Draw lines to divide the sea urchins into two equal parts. Colour each half using a different colour.

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o c . che e r o 2. Finish the sentencesr by copying the correct words. t s super I drew lines to cut the sea urchins in Both parts are equal

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

. half Early themes — The sea

Whales and dolphins – 1 Concept: Whales and dolphins belong to one of two main groups, toothed or baleen whales.

Indicator: !

Recognises the differences between toothed and baleen whales.

Background information:

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Pantropical spotted dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, killer whale (orca), sperm whale and beluga whale are examples of toothed whales.

Minke whale, humpback whale, ﬁn whale, bowhead whale and blue whale are examples of baleen whales.

Characteristics of toothed whales:

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Cetacea is the group of aquatic mammals to which whales and dolphins belong. There are over 75 species of cetaceans, each of which belongs to one of two groups, toothed whales or baleen whales.

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• use echolocation to locate prey • use teeth to catch prey before swallowing them whole • have one blow hole

Characteristics of baleen whales: • have baleen, comb-like plates which hang from the upper jaw

• use baleen to sieve plankton, crustacea and small ﬁsh from large gulps of water

• large baleen whales have throat grooves which expand as the whale takes in huge gulps of water when feeding. Whales with these grooves are called rorquals. • have two blow holes and a splash guard • females larger than males !

Similarities between toothed and baleen whales:

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• two pectoral fins, flippers, used for steering • mammary glands, located on the underside, for suckling calves • median notch in tail fin

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• sides of tail ﬁn called ﬂukes !

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• small eyes and ears, without outer ear, at side of head

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Discuss differences and similarities between each group of whale. Show students pictures of different types of whales and determine which group each belongs to.

Additional activities: !

Make a whale and dolphin mobile. To achieve a 3-D effect, staple two sides of each creature together and stuff with shredded paper.

Make an ocean diorama. Colour and cut out pictures of whales and dolphins and hang inside a decorated box.

Make a calendar using a picture of a different whale or dolphin for each month.

Resources: !

Baby whale rescue: the true story of JJ by Caroline Arnold and Richard Hewett

The whale: giant of the ocean by Valerie Tracqui and Jacana Vial

Baby whales drink milk by Barbara Juster Esbensen

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Whal es an

Label each picture using words from the box.

d dolphins – 1

Some words are used twice. The ﬁrst letter has been written for you. teeth

one blowhole

throat pleats

r o e t baleen s Boﬂukes r e dorsal ﬁp n splash guard two o blowholes u k S Toothed whale

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ﬂippers

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Bottlenose dolphin

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Baleen whale

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g b Humpback whale R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

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f Early themes — The sea

Whales and dolphins – 2 Concept: Whales and dolphins are mammals, not ﬁsh. Indicator: !

Shows understanding of the differences between whales and dolphins and ﬁsh.

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Background information: !

Whales and dolphins are warm-blooded animals, needing to feed to maintain the correct body temperature. The thick layer of blubber beneath the skin insulates the whale from the cold water. Fish are cold-blooded.

Whales and dolphins breathe air into their lungs. Air is breathed in through the blowhole, located near the top of the head. The spout is the jet of air and water that the whale blows out before breathing in again. Unlike humans, whales are voluntary breathers, which means they cannot sleep for long periods of time otherwise they will drown. Whales rest by taking many short rests throughout the day, waking regularly to breathe. They always rest close to the surface. The time between breaths at rest and when swimming varies between each species of whale. Fish use gills for breathing.

Whales and dolphins have double circuit circulation like humans, with the blood being pumped by a four-chambered heart. Oxygen-depleted blood is pumped through the heart to the lungs where it is enriched with oxygen. Oxygen-rich blood travels from the lungs to the heart from where it is pumped around the body. Fish have single circuit circulation through which blood is pumped by a simple two-chambered heart.

Whales and dolphins have mammary glands for nursing their young which are born live, coming out tail ﬁrst. The milk is rich in fat and the young calf grows quickly. Calves stay close to the mother, learning how to swim and ﬁnd food. Some leave the mother when they are weaned but may remain within the pod (group) as with killer whales (orca). Other calves, such as the sperm whale, stay with the mother for up to ten years. Fish lay eggs and do not care for their hatched young.

When swimming, whales and dolphins move their tails up and down. The tail has two flat fins called flukes which come together at the median notch. The size of fluke and depth of notch varies between species. Strong muscles in the back move the tail up and down. Some whales and dolphins swim faster than others. The fin whale is the fastest, capable of reaching almost 50 km/h in short bursts but usually about 30 km/h. Fish swim by moving their tails in a sideways motion.

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Whales and dolphins are mammals, not ﬁsh.

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Make a ‘Whales and dolphins are not ﬁsh’ zigzag book. Draw pictures of whales and ﬁsh on alternate pages. Write sentences underneath such as, ‘Whales have lungs.’ ‘Fish have gills’.

Make a montage of pictures of whales and dolphins in a whale shape. Around the edge, write characteristics of whales and dolphins.

Play ‘Snap’, matching pictures of whales/dolphins and ﬁsh to written characteristics.

Resources: !

Whales: Killer whales, blue whales and more by Deborah Hodge

Orca song by Michael Armour

Humphrey, the lost whale: A true story by Wendy Tokuda

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Whal es an

d dolphins – 2

Cut out the boxes below and place them in the correct space on the Venn diagram. les and dolp hin s

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W ha

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do not look after young

look after young

live young

have lungs

have gills

have tails

move tail up move tail and down sideways

live in sea

lay eggs

have ﬁns

swim

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Seals, sea lions and walruses Concept: Seals, sea lions and walruses are related. Indicators: ! !

Reads information about each mammal. Matches pictures of each mammal to the correct facts.

Background information: !

! !

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Seals, sea lions and walruses all belong to the group of animals called pinnipedia, which means finfooted. Pinnipeds have a pair of front and a pair of hind flippers. Pinnipeds are carnivores. They do not chew their food but swallow it in large pieces. They have flat back teeth which they use to crush the shells of crustaceans. They have dense sensory whiskers (vibrissae) on the snout which help them detect prey. Pinnipeds are marine mammals. They are warm-blooded, breathe air, give birth to live young, nurse their young and have hair. Pinnipeds spend most of their lives in the water but come ashore regularly to bask in the sun and, once a year, to breed. Pinnipeds are insulated with blubber, a thick layer of fat which lies just beneath the skin. Seals - True seals have tiny ear holes without external ear flaps. - The front flippers are covered with hair and are short and blunt. There are claw-like nails on each of the five digits. - The hind flippers are also covered with hair and are short and paddle-like. The five digits are webbed and have nails. The flippers cannot be turned forward.

Walruses - The walrus has two large, ivory tusks, canine teeth, which can grow to 60 cm in the cow and 120 cm in the bull. The age of a walrus can be determined by counting the rings in a crosssection of the tusks. - The walrus can walk on its fins, capable of moving as fast as a man can run! - The skin of a walrus is extremely wrinkly. It serves as protection when ‘jousting’ with other walruses. - The walrus has air sacs in its throat which it can fill and use as floats, allowing it to stay at the surface and breathe while it sleeps. - The walrus changes colour depending on its temperature.When they are hot, blood is pumped to the blubber and skin where it is cooled by the water. This causes a pink glow. When they are cold, the blood flow is confined to the internal organs to reduce heat loss. At this stage, the walrus appears light brown.

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Sea lions (and fur seals) - Sea lions and fur seals have small external ear flaps. - The front flippers have no hair and are long and wing-like. The digits have no nails. - The hind flippers are also hairless with five webbed digits. The middle three digits have nails. The hind flippers can be turned forward for movement on land.

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Make a seal calendar with a picture of a different seal for each month. Make a display with a large picture of many types of seal and a walrus. Label all the body parts. Display a simple seal life cycle including how and where they feed, rest and breed.

Resources: ! ! !

Seals, sea lions and walruses by Ellen Rabinowich Seals, sea lions and walruses by John Bonnett Wexo Seals and sea lions by Charles Rotter

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Seals, 1. Read the sentences.

sea lio n

s and walruses

2. Match each picture to the correct sentences.

I have short, blunt front ﬂippers. r o e t s Bo r e p I have nails on all myodigits. u k S My hind ﬂippers are covered with hair. I have a sleek body. What am I?

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3. Colour the pictures.

I have small ear ﬂi aps. © R. I . C .Pu bl i c at ons I have no nails on front digits. •f orr evi ew pu r p os emy so nl y •

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I can turn my hind ﬂippers forward to walk on land. I have a very bulky body. What am I?

o c . cheI have two long tusks. e r o t r s super I have air sacs in my throat to help me ﬂoat while I rest. My skin is very, very wrinkly. I am heavier than a polar bear. What am I?

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Manatees and dugongs Concept: Manatees and dugongs are large, gentle creatures that spend their whole lives in the water.

Indicators: ! !

Recognises the differences between manatees and dugongs. Correctly labels each animal.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

Manatees and dugongs are large gentle mammals that spend their whole lives in the water. Adults can grow to four metres in length and 1600 kg in weight. Their tough, grey, wrinkled skin is covered with bristles and their snouts with thick whiskers.

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Manatees and dugongs are members of the Sirenians species. Until the mid-eighteenth century, when the Steller’s sea cow became extinct, there were ﬁve members of this species. The four remaining members are: the dugong, the West Indian manatee, the West African manatee and the Amazonian manatee.

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They have very small eyes and no external ears, yet they see and hear very well. They use the two ﬂippers at the front of their bodies for steering and for scooping up food.

The upper lip of the manatee and dugong is split down the middle, allowing each side to work independently. The lower lip and jaw has horny pads, helping it to pull plants. As sand in the plants causes the teeth to wear away, new ones develop in their place.

The major physical differences between manatees and dugongs are:

- manatees have paddle-shaped tails while dugongs have pointed ﬁsh tails. Both use their tails for swimming.

- dugongs have one pair of tusk-like teeth.

Manatees and dugongs swim between one and three metres below the surface of the water. When resting, manatees may ﬂoat on the surface or lie on the bottom. Dugongs generally rest in the deep water during the day and at night swim closer to the shore to feed.

Manatees and dugongs are plant-eaters and can consume up to 45 kg of vegetation in one day. They eat more as winter approaches as they require more energy to maintain their body temperature as the water cools.

Manatees and dugongs migrate to warmer seas for the winter months. They often use the same routes followed by their parents. In a season, manatees can travel up to 800 km. Dugongs do not travel so far.

Manatees and dugongs generally have one calf every four years. The calf can graze on plants immediately but it suckles from and stays with its mother for about two years.

Manatees and dugongs have no natural enemies so there is no need for them to travel in herds. They are generally found alone or in small groups.

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As they are mammals, manatees and dugongs need to breathe. They can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes, but usually surface to breathe about every ﬁve minutes.

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On a world map, ﬁnd areas where manatees and dugongs are found.

Draw a picture of a manatee and a dugong. Write three sentences about each.

Use a graphic organiser to present information about manatees and dugongs.

Resources: !

Manatees by Patricia A. Fink Martin

Dancing with manatees by Faith McNulty

Sam the sea cow by Francis Jacobs

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Mana

tees and dugongs

1. (a) Label these parts of each animal. tail

ﬂippers

snout

eye

ear

mouth

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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(b) Name each animal.

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This is a

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This is a R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

What are sponges? Concept: Sponges are primitive animal forms. Indicators: !

Learns that sponges are animals and not plants.

Uses descriptions to name sponges.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information: !

Sponges are found only in the oceans. They may look like plants but are actually the simplest of multicellular animals, belonging to the group Porifera, which means, ‘bearing pores’.

A sponge is covered with pores called ostia, which lead inwards to a labyrinth of canals, ﬁnally arriving at larger holes called oscula, around the edge of the sponge.

There are two basic types of sponge:

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Sponges feed by drawing a current of water in through the ostia, ﬁltering out the nutrients as it passes through the canals, and then ejecting the water through the oscula.

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- encrusting sponges which cover the surface of rock,

- free-standing sponges which have greater internal space and can grow into many shapes, reaching huge proportions.

The tube sponge can be blue/purple or grey/green in colour. It looks like a mass of cylinders grouped together in a bunch.

The yellow sponge grows in small clumps, encrusting rocks close to the surface of the water. Orange or bright yellow in colour, it looks like a group of beehives.

The red tree sponge can grow to about 20 cm in height. As its name suggests, it looks like a bright red tree with branches leading off the main ‘trunk’.

The barrel sponge is shaped just like a large barrel. It can grow large enough to ﬁt an adult human inside.

Show students some examples of natural and synthetic sponges. Explain that the natural sponges are the skeletons of once-living sponges.

Living sponges are harvested and the living tissue is left to decompose. The skeleton is then dried, washed, bleached and sometimes dyed. This process leaves the sponge smooth, soft and absorbent.

Natural sponges have many uses, at home in the bathroom and kitchen, for the restoration of art, in pottery, woodwork and leather crafts.

Of the 15 000 known species of sponge, only six are used in the sponge industry.

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Answers: 1. (1) simple

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(2) ocean

2. (a) red tree sponge

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(3) holes

(4) suck

(b) barrel sponge

Additional activities:

(5) pores

(6) water

(7) push

(8) bigger

(d) yellow sponge

Make a collage of different, colourful sponges. Use a variety of materials to give texture.

Make a montage of different sponges.

Use modelling clay to make different sponges.

Resources: !

Amazing facts about marine life by Pat Slater and Steve Parrish

In one tide pool: Crabs, snails and salty tails by Anthony D. Fredericks

A swim through the sea by Kristin Joy Pratt-Seraﬁni

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

What are ponges? s 1. Copy the words to complete the sentences about sponges. push holes bigger suck pores water simple ocean

r o e t s Bo with tiny r e . Sponges are covered p ok u sea S called pores. They (1)

Sponges are very

animals. They are found

(2)

(3)

water in through their

taken nutrients from the

it back out through a

(4)

(5)

. When they have

(6) (8)

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in the

, they

hole.

(7)

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(b) I look like a barrel.

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2. Match each picture to its description.

o c . che e r o t r s super (c) I look like a bunch of cylinders.

(d) I look like a group of beehives. R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Make a sea turtle Concept: Turtles live in the ocean. Indicators: !

Colours turtle body parts carefully.

Cuts out and assembles turtle.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

The female turtle comes ashore only to lay her eggs. Using her powerful front ﬂippers, she digs a large hole into which the eggs are laid. She covers them with sand for protection against predators and the elements before returning to the water. Her role of mother is now over.

If the eggs survive until they are ready to hatch, the hatchlings break their way out of the shells and the layer of sand concealing them. Instinct drives them to the water’s edge. This journey from the nest to the sea is one of the most treacherous the turtles will experience. Many do not survive, falling prey to seabirds and other animals roaming the beaches.

The upper part of the turtle’s shell, the carapace, is connected to its spine, protecting it from predators and abrasion. The carapace is covered with a layer of horny plates called scutes. Individual turtles can be identiﬁed by the number and pattern of these scutes.

The plastron is the lower part of the shell, which protects the underside of the turtle’s body.

The limbs are flipper-shaped for swimming and steering. The turtle uses its long front flippers as paddles and its shorter hind flippers as rudders. On the front side of each flipper are two tiny claws.

Turtles have no teeth but their beak-like mouth catches, holds and slices through their food.

The turtle’s nostrils are high on the head so that it can breathe without having to lift its head too far out of the water.

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Sea turtles are reptiles who spend most of their lives at sea. They are excellent swimmers and divers.

There are no external parts to the turtle’s ears.

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Unlike the land turtle, sea turtles do not have retractable heads and legs.

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All species of turtle are endangered because of human inﬂuence. Many are caught in ﬁshing nets and drowned, while others are killed for their meat and body parts. Development of the turtles’ natural breeding grounds has also affected their numbers.

Additional activities: !

Display and label a collection of coloured pictures of different sea turtle species.

Make a zigzag book about sea turtles. Draw and colour a picture and write one or two sentences for each.

Make turtle shell pattern pictures using different colours.

Resources:

The remarkable, adaptable turtle by Susan McClosky

Green turtle by Greg Pyers

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Make a sea turtle

1. Colour the parts of the sea turtle.

2. Cut out the parts along the dotted lines. 3. Glue the body to the underside of the carapace.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S a

r ca

as pl

c pa

tro

scutes

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4. Glue the plastron to the underside of the body.

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tail

front ﬂippers

back ﬂippers R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Magniﬁcent manta ray kite Concept: Manta rays are the largest rays that live in the sea. Indicators: !

Reads information about rays.

Creates a manta ray kite by colouring and cutting.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

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Rays are thought to have evolved from sharks. Like sharks, rays have no bones. Their skeletons are made of cartilage—a strong, fibrous substance which is softer than bone. Rays may be disc-shaped, circular, oval, wedge-shaped or triangular. This helps them to live on the ocean floor or to swim continuously. Their tails may be short and stubby or long and whip-like. Many rays have spines on their tails to poison other animals. Some have thorns as a means of defence. Rays may be many different colours and can vary in size from ten centimetres to over six metres. Rays are some of the largest fish in the sea. There are about 500 different species of rays and skates.

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Rays are carnivores that like to eat fish, crustaceans, molluscs and worms, which they gather from the bottom of the ocean. Rays eat their food in a variety of ways. Manta rays filter plankton, small fish and crustaceans as they swim. Others scoop up food from the sea floor, grab it then crush it with their teeth. Electric rays use electricity to stun their prey.

Rays are thought to be very intelligent as they have a large brain compared to their body. Rays swim by forcing themselves through the water with their large pectoral ﬁns, which act like wings. Rays sink to the ﬂoor of the ocean once they stop swimming.

Rays are usually very curious ﬁsh who do not attack people. They will camouﬂage themselves rather than attack.

Manta rays (giant manta) can be 6.7 metres across their wings and weigh up to 1300 kgms. They are usually black on top and white underneath. They live in tropical seas around the world, usually near coral reefs. They have horns called cephalic ﬁns on each side of their head which direct plankton into their mouths. They also have eyes at the base of these horns. Manta rays like to live alone but are very friendly to humans. Baby manta rays are called ‘pups’. Mantas reproduce either by laying eggs or by developing inside female mantas and delivering live young. Rays have a long gestation period and produce only a few young. The young grow very quickly.

Enlarge the worksheet to A3 size and photocopy or glue onto card if possible to make it more durable for ﬂying. Students may add strips of paper for decoration on the points of the pectoral ﬁns to brighten their manta ray kites.

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As a class, measure and construct a manta ray to the actual size for display in the room.

Students move like manta rays, ﬂapping and curling their ‘wings’ to glide through the water.

Construct a variety of rays using circles, ovals and triangles traced onto brightly coloured paper.

Resources: !

Wings in the water: The story of a manta ray by Hope Irvin Marston, Steven Petruccio

Commotion in the ocean written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by David Wojtowycz

Rub-a-dub sub by Jeff Mack

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Magni ﬁ

cent ma nta ray kite

Rays are very flat fish which are related to sharks. They have long tails. Sometimes, they use a sting on their tails to poison other animals. Rays are some of the largest fish in the sea. Manta rays are the largest rays. They have wide fins which look like wings.

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r o e t s Bo r e 1. Colour and cut out the manta ray. p ok u 2. Join stringS to the head and ﬂy!

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cephalic lobes

eye

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pectoral ﬁn

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

E-e-e-k! Eels! Concept: Some eels live in the sea. Indicators: !

Reads or listens to information about eels.

Completes sentences about eels.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

Eels are bony ﬁsh which have a body like a snake. There are over 400 species of eels. Many live in fresh water but some live in the ocean. Eels range in size from about 10 centimetres to three metres and may weigh up to 65 kilograms.

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Some eels will migrate over long distances to breed and eat.

A young eel is called an elver. Female eels lay eggs which hatch into transparent, leafshaped larva which ﬂoat along with the ocean current. Gradually, the body of the larva changes until it becomes a small, transparent cylindrical-shaped eel called a glass eel. It continues to develop and change colour to become an elver. An elver changes once more into an adult eel.

Eels are a common food in Japanese, Cantonese and Shanghai cuisine, as well as being eaten in Europe and the United States. Jellied eels are a traditional food eaten in London.

The blood of the eel is toxic but the toxic protein is destroyed during the cooking process.

Eels eat aquatic insects, snails, worms and ﬁsh. Eels may be eaten by other ﬁsh and humans.

Read the information with the students. Allow students time to identify and copy each word in each sentence before progressing to the next sentence.

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1. Teacher check

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2. (a) ﬁsh

(e) snails

(b) snake

(f) blood

(g) people

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(d) elver

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Answers:

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Students draw eel heads and attach long, fan-folded bodies. Accompany with text telling an interesting fact about eels.

As a class, write a recipe for eel stew.

Students move like an eel swimming under the sea, catching worms or hiding in a hole in rocks.

Resources: !

Story

– Saburo the eel catcher (Japanese children’s favourite stories) by Florence Sakade – Wolﬁe the Wolf Eel by Jacqueline Vickery Stanley

– Think of an eel big book (Read and Wonder) by Karen Wallace and Mike Bostock

Book

Action rhyme – Sea animals by Meish Goldish http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems21.html

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

E-e-e-k! Eels!

1. Read the information with your teacher.

Eels are bony ﬁsh which have a body like a snake. They lay eggs. A baby eel is called an elver. Eels eat worms, ﬁsh, snails and insects in the water. Eel blood is poisonous. Some people like to eat eels.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

(a) Eels are bony f

(b) Eels have a body like a s

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2. Copy words from the text to ﬁnish the sentences.

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(d) A baby eel is called an e

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o c . cshe (e) Eels eat , worms and ﬁsh. e r o r st super (f) Eel b

(g) Some p R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

is poisonous.

like to eat eels. Early themes — The sea

Coral cut-out Concept: Coral can be found in reefs under the sea. Indicators: !

Understands what makes a coral reef.

Completes a simple jigsaw puzzle.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

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Coral polyps, also called ‘corals’, are invertebrate animals belonging to the group Cnidarians, which include jellyfish and sea anemones. Corals have a tubular body with a ring of tentacles. The tentacles are used to help the animal eat plankton and small fish. Corals can reproduce sexually and asexually. Their predators include parrotfish, butterfly fish, sea slugs and the crown-of-thorns starfish. Most corals live in colonies, which can take on many different shapes. Some corals are brightly coloured. Corals can lose their colour and turn white (known as ‘coral bleaching’) as a result of stressful environmental conditions.

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There are two main types of coral—hard and soft. Hard corals are reef-building corals. They secrete limestone which forms a cup shape around part of their bodies as a form of protection. When a coral dies, other corals build on top of their limestone ‘skeletons’. Over thousands of years, these skeletons cement together to form a coral reef. Coral reefs are found in warm, shallow waters and are extremely slow-growing—they only grow about two to three centimetres a year. The Great Barrier Reef, along the northeast coast of Australia, is the largest group of coral reefs in the world. It contains more than 350 species of coral.

Most of the world’s coral reefs are under threat due to human activity, including water pollution and overﬁshing. Outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starﬁsh have also been a concern on the Great Barrier Reef for over 40 years.

Pictures of a coral reef could be shown to the students before they begin the activity so they can see the different colours.

Additional activities: !

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View photographs of coral reefs and some of the animals which live in and around them. Paint a large coral reef mural to display on the wall of the classroom.

Resources: !

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Books – DVD

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Coral reef by Donald M Silver and Patricia Wynne

–

Curiosity of a clownﬁsh by Steve Parish

–

Finding Nemo by Pixar

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Coral cut-out Coral reefs are found in warm parts of the sea. The coral is made by tiny animals called ‘polyps’. Polyps look a bit like jellyﬁsh. Coral can be brightly coloured. It can be different shapes. There is ﬁnger coral, fan coral, bubble coral and even brain coral!

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Teac he r

r o e t s Bo r e p oto make a coral 1. Cut out theu puzzle pieces. Glue the piecesk SLet it dry. reef picture.

2. Can you see ﬁnger, fan, bubble and brain coral? Colour your picture.

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Strange seaweed Concept: Seaweed and other plants grow under the sea. Indicators: !

Understands that seaweed is a type of plant.

Draws and writes about an imaginary creature.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

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Seaweed belongs to the red, brown and green algae groups. Like all algae, seaweed lack true roots, leaves, stems and ﬂowers. Instead, seaweed have a root-like structure called a ‘holdfast’ that they use to attach to a surface and a ‘blade’, which may be divided into fronds. Seaweed absorb nutrients from sea water through their blades.

Teac he r

Before the students begin the activity, discuss what seaweed could be used for on their monsters; e.g. hair, legs, ears etc. Pictures of different types of seaweed could also be shown to give them further ideas for their pictures. Remind the students to only use shades of red, brown or green for their pictures. When they have ﬁnished drawing, they can complete Question 2, using single words or short phrases to complete each sentence.

Additional activities: !

Make paper seaweed from streamers or other materials to use in drama activities.

Investigate other sea plants, such as seagrasses. List some of their features.

Create a class story about one or more of the ﬁnished sea monsters.

Down at the Seaweed cafe by Robert Perry and Greta Guzek

Seaweed soup by Stuart J Murphy and Frank Remkiewicz

The seaweed book: How to ﬁnd and have fun with seaweed by Rose Treat

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Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Strange seaweed Seaweed grows under the sea on rocks, shells or on the sea ﬂoor. It is a strange plant. It doesn’t have roots, leaves or ﬂowers! Seaweed is always a shade of red, brown or green.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Teac he r

1. There are lots of stories about seaweed monsters. Imagine one of your own. Draw and colour it correctly.

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My seaweed monster is

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2. Write about your monster.

. teIt moves like o c . It sounds chelike e r o t r s su er It eats p

. . . .

It lives

It likes

It dislikes

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Seafood Concept: We eat food from the sea. Indicator: !

Understands some differences between ﬁsh and shellﬁsh.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

‘Shellﬁsh’ is a collective term for molluscs and crustaceans found in the sea.

Shellﬁsh have shells or hard coatings to protect their soft, boneless bodies. They never have ﬁns or scales.

Teac he r

Fish don’t have shells or hard coatings. They have a backbone instead. All ﬁsh have gills to breathe with.

Look at each picture in Question 1 carefully with the students and read the clues given above. The students should be able to identify each animal as either a shellfish or fish. They can then complete Question 2. Some students may like to draw edible fish or shellfish not shown on the page.

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Answers:

Fish: tuna, salmon, sardine

Role-play seafood restaurant scenes, with students ordering different dishes.

If possible, hold a seafood day in the classroom, where the students try different types of seafood prepared by parents.

Resources: ! !

Poems – A baby sardine by Spike Milligan

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– A ﬁsherman living in Deal by Charles Connell

Game

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– Make a simple ﬁshing game by cutting out or drawing pictures of different types of seafood and writing their names or other sea vocabulary on the back. Attach a paperclip to each and make a ﬁshing rod from a stick and a length of string. Attach a magnet to one end of the string to make a ‘hook’. The students can attempt to ‘catch’ seafood using the rod and then read the word on each picture.

o c . che e r o t r s super

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Seafood Many people like to eat seafood. Most of these foods are animals we call shellﬁsh or ﬁsh.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

tuna

oyster

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Teac he r

1. Look at each sea animal. Write ‘s’ if it is a shellﬁsh or ‘f’ if it is a ﬁsh.

salmon

crayﬁsh

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sardine

2. Draw two ﬁsh and two shellﬁsh on the plate to make a seafood platter.

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

All kinds of sea craft Concept: Many different types of craft use the sea. Indicators: !

Reads information about sea craft.

Cuts and glues words in the correct place in each sentence.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information:

Read the sentences below with the students. Identify each type of sea craft on the worksheet.

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Many different types of craft use the sea.

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An ocean liner takes people travelling across the sea.

A ﬁshing trawler takes anglers to catch ﬁsh, crabs, prawns, lobsters or squid. A yacht and a speedboat race or sail on the sea. A canoe, a kayak and a rowing boat glide across the sea.

A tanker and a freighter carry things. A hovercraft and a ferry carry people.

Sailing boats are blown by the wind.

Tugboats pull big ships in and out of the harbour. People have fun on a jet ski or sailboard. But a submarine goes UNDER the sea.

Students cut out the words at the bottom of the page and place each in the correct place. After teacher checking, students glue them in place.

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Additional activities:

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Cut pictures of different types of sea craft from magazines. Glue onto a large sheet of blue cardboard and label with the names of each type of sea craft.

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Read the names of different types of sea craft by initial and ﬁnal sounds.

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Classify pictures of sea craft into groups—sea craft for work, sea craft for leisure etc.

Resources: !

Big book

– Who sank the boat? by Pamela Allen

Book

– Boats by Anne Rockwell

Finger plays – Here is the sea http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/funfingerplay.cfm?fingerplayid=292 – All kinds of boats http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/funfingerplay.cfm?fingerplayid=326

Song

– Row, row, row your boat (Traditional)

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

All kin

ds of sea craft

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Cut and paste the words under the correct picture.

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submarine

tanker

ocean liner

ﬁshing trawler

yacht

jet ski

rowing boat

hovercraft

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Rub - a - dub - SUB Concept: Submarines go on top of and under the sea. Indicators: !

Reads information about submarines.

Creates a submarine by colouring, cutting out and joining.

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Background information:

Enlarge the bottom section of the worksheet to enable students to colour or paint a larger version.

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Students may need assistance to cut the slit to insert the periscope and split pins to connect the propeller to the submarine.

A more durable submarine will be achieved by gluing the pieces onto light card.

Submarines can be up to 200 metres long and maintain a crew of 150 people, but many smaller craft are also suitable for one or two people. There are specialised submarines for rescue, competitions, exploration, salvage and construction. There are also submarines exclusively for tourists. Many submarines are powered by nuclear power.

Submarines were ﬁrst used during World War I and are used by most navies today.

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Submarines are able to control when they rise, sink or float by changing the amount of water and air in their ballast tanks. When the tanks are full of air, the submarine weighs less than the volume of water it displaces—so it floats. When the tanks are flooded with water, the submarine weighs more than the water it displaces—so it sinks.

Students build a model of a submarine from recycled materials.

Mime being a submarine ﬂoating, sinking and diving.

Use two large packing cases joined together to create a ‘play’ submarine. Add a wheel, a periscope from plastic drainage pipe and windows made from blue cellophane.

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Resources: !

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Story – Rub-a-dub-sub by Linda Ashman and Jeff Mack

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– Little orange submarine by Ken Wilson-Max

Song – We all live in a yellow submarine by Lennon/McCartney

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Rub a-

1. Read the sentences with your teacher.

dub - SUB

A submarine moves on top of and under the sea. Submarines can stay under water for a long time.

r o e t s Bo r e p omove the ‘sub’ They have a rudder and a propeller to u k through Sthe water.

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Teac he r

Submarines have thick hulls where the crew works and lives.

They have a periscope to help the captain see what is happening on top of the water. Submarines can explore deep parts of the ocean.

2. Colour, cut out and join the pieces together to make a submarine.

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cut

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Diving in the deep Concept: People dive under the sea. Indicators: !

Reads a poem about diving.

Circles words in a poem.

Colours diving pictures.

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Background information:

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Most divers require some form of breathing apparatus to help them stay under the water for long periods of time. People who snorkel usually stay in relatively shallow water, coming up for air often. The main equipment needed to snorkel includes ﬁns (to propel the diver through the water), a mask (to see clearly when eyes are immersed in the water) and a snorkel (to breathe comfortably when the diver’s face is in the water).

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SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) allows divers to stay under the water for long periods of time. SCUBA gear includes one or two tanks of compressed air. SCUBA divers usually choose to wear a rubber suit to keep themselves warm and to protect themselves from injury.

Workers in the deepsea diving industry ﬁsh for sponges, coral and pearls, repair or build the underwater sections of bridges, docks, jetties or other structures, repair parts of ships underwater, salvage ships or valuables from sunken ships and may also be involved in military operations where sabotage or reconnaissance is needed.

Traditional deepsea divers wear a waterproof one-piece suit made from canvas and rubber which protects the entire body apart from the hands and feet. Thick rubber bands seal the suit at the wrists and leaded boots weighing about 18 kilograms go on the feet. Lead weights are fastened to the chest. The metal helmet has side and front windows and covers the entire head. A pipe connects the diver to an air supply and a lifeline attached to the diver is used to pull the diver to the surface.

The poem provides information about diving for leisure and people who work under the sea as well as some basic information about the gear required for each.

Read the poem with the students while they follow the words. Identify and discuss equipment words and the two types of diving—diving for pleasure and work.

Assist students to circle any ‘equipment’ words if necessary and allow them to colour the pictures.

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Answers:

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Students should have circled: ‘face mask’, ‘ﬂippers’, ‘snorkelling breathing tube’, ‘diving suit’, ‘helmet’, ‘boots’, ‘lifeline’ and ‘hose’.

Additional activities: !

Create a picture of a diver using basic shapes—triangles for ﬂippers, oval for face mask, a series of small rectangles for a snorkel.

Make a face mask using a frame from an old pair of glasses and blue cellophane, and attach small pictures of ﬁsh as though underwater.

Resources: !

Story –

Alistair underwater by Marilyn Sadler

Song –

Octopus’s garden by The Beatles

–

Under the sea from The little mermaid

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Diving in the deep 1. Read the poem with your teacher.

r o e t s Bo r e I put a face mask onto me. p o u k I put on ﬂippers soft and strong S To help propel myself along. A snorkelling breathing tube sure helps To keep me down among the kelp. When I go diving for my leisure I might even ﬁnd some treasure.

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When I go diving in the sea

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My boots are heavier than lead.

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I have a lifeline and a hose I couldn’t survive without those!

. te o Or look for pearls, sponges or wrecks. c . che e r o t r s Sometimes I wish I was s a ﬁu shp er I work to ﬁx the ships or docks

So I could dive whenever I wish.

I wouldn’t need to wear that gear I’d belong in the wonderful world down here! 2. Circle the words which tell about diving gear and colour the pictures. R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Sea fun – 1 Concept: We use the sea for many different leisure activities. Indicator: !

Creates a viewﬁnder to read information about leisure activities in, on and around the sea.

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Background information:

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People use the sea to ﬁsh, surf and swim in, to dive into and under, to sail on and to ride on and over during their leisure times. Just as many activities can take place on the beach and shore—playing beach volleyball and cricket, kite ﬂying, shell collecting, building sandcastles and investigating rock pools and debris left on the shore!

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Discuss and list activities which students like to do, or may have seen in, on and around the sea.

Discuss safety precautions which need to be taken to enjoy the sea (swimming within ﬂags, swimming with an adult, wearing protective clothing and sunscreen etc.).

Additional activities: !

Create a pictograph of the most popular sea activities which students like to do.

Make a collage of water leisure activities using pictures cut from magazines.

Write sentences as a class about being safe near the sea.

Story

– Stella, star of the sea by Marie Louise Gay

– DW all wet by Marc Brown

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– Magic ﬁsh by Freya Littledale

– Not a nibble by Elizabeth Honey

Song

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– Sally goes to the beach by Stephen Huneck

– Down by the shore http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/seaanimals/songs.htm

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Fingerplay – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 once I caught a ﬁsh alive ... (traditional)

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

S ea fun – 1

pull

Sea fun

1. Cut along the dotted lines on the outside of the viewer and the viewing strip. 2. Fold the viewer along the fold line and cut along the dotted lines.

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r o e t s Bo r e p 3. Put the strip into the ok slits of the viewer. u Sin I can swim 4. Pull the strip to read the words.

cut

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fold

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cut

viewing strip

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the sea.

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I can row on the sea.

I can even build with the sea!

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

viewer

Early themes — The sea

Sea fun – 2 Concept: We use the sea for many different leisure activities. Indicator: !

Sorts pictures of sea activities.

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Background information:

Look at the pictures and discuss what each activity is and where it takes place — in, on or around the sea.

Students colour the pictures then sort them into groups.

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Additional activities: !

Photocopy two copies of the worksheet for each student and use to play games such as Snap or Concentration.

Place the pictures into new categories; for example, sea activities needing equipment or with no equipment etc. Students may wish to give suggestions.

Students use brightly coloured crayons or pastels and a large sheet of paper to draw pictures of their favourite sea activity. Write or tell sentences which can be displayed with the sea activities artwork.

Resources: !

Story

– Beach by Elisha Cooper

– Hamlet and the magniﬁcent sand castle by Brian Lies

– On the edge of the sea by Betty Paraskevas

– Watch me build a sand castle by Jack Otten

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– All you need for a beach by Alice Schertle

– Corduroy goes to the beach by Don Freeman

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– At the beach by Anne Rockwell

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– Sand castle by M Robertson

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Fingerplay – Here is the sea http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/funﬁngerplay.cfm

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Sea fun – 2

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Sort the pictures into groups to show whether the activity happens ‘in’, ‘on’, ‘under’ or ‘around’ the sea.

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

The ocean has high and low tides Concept: The ocean has a high and a low tide. Indicator: !

Demonstrates an understanding of the ocean’s high and low tides.

Background information: !

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Students will require only a simple explanation of what tides are and how they occur. Tides are the rise and fall of sea level on the coastline.

Each day, most coasts experience two high tides when the sea comes high up on the beach or harbour, and two low tides, when the water goes out to sea.

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Sometimes, the high tide is very high. This is called a spring tide.

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Sometimes the low tide is very low. This is called a neap tide.

Tides are caused by the moon.

The moon and Earth are like two teams in a tug of war, always pulling each other. They are both very strong and one will never pull the other out of place.

But, Earth’s oceans do get pulled by the moon as they ‘slosh around’ on the planet. This pulling by the moon causes the tides each day.

The difference between the heights of water at high and low tides is called the tidal range. In different places all over the world, the tidal range varies. In some places, it is huge; in other places, it is not very much.

Answers: 1. (a) true

(b) false

Additional activities: View pictures of a beach at high and low tides.

Make a model to demonstrate water rising and falling away from a coastline.

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Resources:

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2. Teacher check

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Bill Nye the science guy’s big blue ocean by Bill Nye

Oceans for every kid: Easy activities that make science fun by Janice Van Cleave

How to be an ocean scientist in your own home by Seymour Simon

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

The oc ean h as h

igh and low tides

1. Colour true or false.

r o e t s Bo r e p o u k true At low tide, the sea level rises ................... S

false

(b)

false

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(a) The moon causes ocean tides on Earth .. true

2. Draw and colour a boat in a harbour at: (a) high tide.

false

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Look into a rock pool Concept: A rock pool is home to a number of creatures that have adapted to the conditions of each zone.

Indicator: !

Demonstrates an understanding of different habitats of an ocean rock pool.

Background information:

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Rock pools are pools of sea water left behind on the shoreline after the tide recedes. The plants and animals inhabiting these small ecosystems have adapted to surviving the harsh conditions. The major threats to their survival are being washed away at high tide, drying out at low tide and predators.

Rock pools can be divided into ﬁve distinct zones:

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– the spray zone is mostly only reached by the salty spray of the ocean but it may be covered by the spring tides. Periwinkles, limpets and barnacles live in this zone.

– the high tide zone is splashed by the waves as the tide comes in, resulting in a wider range of life than the spray zone. Creatures here are exposed to equal periods of rough waves and drying out. Barnacles cement themselves to the rocks to withstand the onslaught from the waves and close up when the tide recedes so they retain moisture. Sea lettuce, rock weed and other algae offer protection from the sun. Crabs, anemone, mussels, chiton, limpets, snails and whelks live in this zone.

– the mid-tide zone is covered and uncovered by the tides, twice each day. Creatures in this zone have adapted to being fully immersed in water for half of the day and completely out of the water for the other half. Anemones and mussels close up tightly at low tide and open again to feed as the tide comes in. Barnacles, anemone, crabs, mussels, limpets, whelks, snails, sea lettuce and sea palm live in this zone.

– the low tide zone provides a more stable habitat for many creatures as it is only uncovered and exposed to air at very low tides. A number of seaweeds grow here, giving shelter to crabs, shrimp, small ﬁsh and many other small creatures. Sculpin, anemone, crabs, sea urchins, limpets, chitons and surf grass live in this zone.

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– the sub-tide zone is rarely exposed to the air and its inhabitants are more sensitive and less tolerant of the air and sunlight. Sunﬂower star, red sea urchins, ochre star, hydroid, anemones and sponges live in this zone. !

Note: Creatures may not live exclusively in one zone.

Write the names of each zone as a heading. Under each, list the plants and animals which belong in each zone. Allow students to decide where to glue those which belong in more than one zone. For best results enlarge rockpool picture to A3 size.

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Additional activities:

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Present a list of creatures in a large Venn diagram to show that some creatures may be found in more than one zone.

Create a rock pool in a shallow tub or water trough. Include plastic animals or plants.

Resources: !

http://library.thinkquest.org/J001418/index.html

Life in a tide pool by Allan Fowler

Life in a tide pool by Clare Oliver

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Look i nto a rock pool If you look into a rock pool, you will see many interesting plants and creatures. 1. Cut out the creatures and plants. 2. Place and glue them in the correct zone.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S high tide zone

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spray zone

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sub-tide zone

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low tide zone

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limpets

barnacles

crab

anemone

whelk

urchin

sea lettuce

sea palm

sea star

sculpin

hydroid

surf grass

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Seashells Concept: Seashells are the coverings of sea animals. Indicators: !

Reads information about shells.

Creates a seashell by colouring, cutting and fanfolding.

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Background information:

Seashells are made up of three layers—a hard outer layer, an intermediate layer and a smooth inner layer.

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A conchologist is a person who studies molluscs and their shells.

A mollusc is an animal with a soft, unsegmented body and a protective shell.

Some animals have a spiny shell on which organisms grow. This helps the animal to camouﬂage itself and blend in with its environment. Some molluscs use their tapered shells to dig through mud for food.

The colours of the shell are often inﬂuenced by the diet of the mollusc, but sometimes the colour pigments actually help to reinforce the shell.

The shape, size and colour of a shell depend on the animal that made it and the purpose it serves.

The shell on the worksheet will look more effective if some sections are coloured in oil pastels and the main section left blank. Then the entire shell may be covered with runny paint or vegetable dye and allowed to dry before cutting out and folding.

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Additional activities: !

Write alliterative phrases or sentences about shells using lots of words beginning with ‘sh’.

Move like a little animal crawling into and out of a shell or carrying a heavy shell on its back.

Resources: !

Rhyme – –

Book

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Hermit the crab by Gail Nettles and Kitty Ainsworth http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems21.html

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Use a variety of painting techniques to create a range of shell coverings.

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5 little sea shells http://www.angelﬁre.com/ﬂ/preschoolfunzone/sealife.html

–

Ocean shell http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/funﬁngerplay.cfm?ﬁngerplayid=221

–

Seashells by the Seashore by Marianne Berkes

–

What lives in a shell? (Let’s-read-and-ﬁnd-out science 1) by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Seashells 1. Read the information with your teacher. Shells are the hard covering of molluscs such as sea snails and clams. Shells protect the soft bodies of the animals inside.

r o e t s Bo r e Shells grow to p ﬁt the animal inside as it grows. ok u S Sometimes, grains of sand or other objects get inside a shell, which irritate the animal inside. The animal covers it with layers. This is how pearls are made.

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Teac he r

They help some animals burrow in the sand to ﬁnd food. They help an animal to move or keep the shape of its body.

Shells can last a long time, even after the animal inside is dead.

Shells on the beach are called seashells.

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2. Colour, cut and fanfold the seashell.

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea

Protecting marine creatures and their homes Concept: The sea, and the animals who live there, needs to be protected. Indicators: !

Reads information about two marine things which are being destroyed.

Draws or writes solutions to problems.

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Background information:

Even though the ocean is a very big place, a lot of marine life tends to congregate along the coasts and shelf edges. This is also where a lot of runoff from rivers occurs and where most ﬁshing takes place. The coasts are also an area where most human development and marine recreational activities occur.

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Marine destruction and degradation occur because of human interference. The main causes include pollution, over-ﬁshing, over-exploitation of marine resources, habitat destruction and human recreational activities. Global warming is suspected by some people to have damaged or killed large areas of coral reef, which is very sensitive to unusually warm water.

Many marine animals are either endangered or threatened. These include species of sealion, whales, seals and salmon, sea otters, sea turtles, manatees, sawfish, the great white shark and the sea horse. Huge numbers of other fish, birds, turtles and dolphins are killed inadvertently during commercial fishing.

Coral reefs have very specific needs for light, temperature, salinity and oxygen. This means that they are easily damaged. Climate change has increased the temperature of the sea in some areas and decreased it in others. This affects coral reefs. Other damage is caused by housing developments which erode the land and dump soil over reefs or by dredging rivers and bays which feed into reef areas. Some people blow up reefs and illegal collectors poison reefs to collect fish for the aquarium trade. (Cyanide and other toxins are used to stun fish so that they can be easily collected.) Boats and scuba divers can also damage reefs accidentally. Coral is sold for jewellery or decorations.

All eight species of leatherback sea turtles are threatened or endangered. Their main food is jellyfish, although they also eat fish, molluscs, squid, sea urchin and other marine creatures. Hatchlings are eaten by predatory mammals, seabirds, sharks and large fish. Leatherback sea turtles return to the same beach where they hatched to breed. Many of these beaches are becoming highly developed and populated. Turtle eggs are eaten by people and animals such as domestic dogs. Turtles are used for soup, souvenirs, jewellery or are stuffed. Many are killed when they are caught in fishing nets.

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Discuss the problems and what students can do to help. Suggestions may include being careful near reefs, trying to save electricity, disposing of rubbish properly etc.

Additional activities: !

Read about other endangered or threatened marine creatures.

Collect plastic refuse over a week in the classroom to see how much there is.

Visit a large aquarium to view and appreciate marine life.

Resources:

Cap’n Smudge by Stephen Cosgrove

Baby Whale’s journey (Endangered species) by Jonathan London

Oil spill! (Let’s-read-and-ﬁnd-out science 2) by Melvin Berger

Early themes — The sea

R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Protecting marine

creatu res a

nd their homes

1. Read about two marine things which are being destroyed.

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The coral reef is home to lots of marine creatures. Reefs are damaged when the water gets too warm. This may happen because people have harmed the atmosphere by using too much coal, oil and gas. (Oil is used in cars. Coal is burned to make electricity.) The Leatherback sea turtle

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Coral reefs

Leatherback turtles like to eat jellyﬁsh. Sometimes they eat plastic bags, balloons, bits of plastic milk bottles or cellophane because these look like jellyﬁsh. This type of pollution can kill them.

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2. Draw or write about one thing you could do to help ﬁx each problem.

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R.I.C. Publications® – www.ricgroup.com.au

Early themes — The sea