THEMATIC UNIT OCEANS Written by Mary Ellen Sterling Illustrated by Paula Spence, Keith Vasconcelles, and Blanca Apodaca Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 6421 Industry Way Westminster, CA 92683 www.teachercreated.com ISBN: 978-1-55734-284-3 1990 Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Reprinted, 2009 Made in U.S.A. The classroom teacher may reproduce copies of materials in this book for classroom use only. The reproduction of any part for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, or recorded in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................... 3 "The Crab that Played with the Sea" from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. (Published by Penguin, USA. May, 1990.) Summary Sample Plan Overview of Activities Book Reviews About the Crab Research Projects Time Line Words Polar Opposites Pau Amma Gameboard A Sandy Scene Ocean Blocks Geographical Features Plants of the Ocean Ocean Plant Facts Tides Come and Go The Cay by Theodore Taylor (Avon Books, 1969)....................................... 25 (Available in Canada, Avon; UK and Australia, Transworld Publishers) Summary Sample Plan Overview of Activities Daily Writing Activities On the Map Mental Images Sequencing Dat Be True Sea Life on the Cay Island Math Polar Opposites Simulations Place Mats Sharks Informational Scavenger Hunt A Tiny Book Sea Beasts Cause and Effect Poetry........................................................................ 46 Ocean Chants Ocean Poetry Ocean Chant Three Demensional Diorama Make Your Own Puzzles Daily Writing Activities.......................................................... 52 Animal Webs A Strange Beginnings Notebook Name It! Animal Web Outline Across the Curriculum........................................................... 55 Language Arts: Oceans Word Banks Starfish Crossword Puzzle Mermaids A Three Choice Story Math: Lengthy Questions Plot the Answers Ocean Facts Science: Water Cycle A Water Cycle Flow Chart Water Experiments Experiment Form Tides Puzzle Whales and Fish Diagram Social Studies: Oceans and Seas An Ecological Issue Art/Music: Easy Art Projects Science Art Life Skills: Seafaring Recipes Ocean Careers Culminating Activity............................................................ 74 An Ocean Filmstrip Unit Management............................................................... 7 6 Easy Bulletin Boards Awards Answer Key.................................................................... 78 Bibliography................................................................... 80 #284 Thematic Unit Oceans 2 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
A Just-So Story by Rudyard Kipling In the beginning, the Eldest Magician was busy giving commands to all animals and making them obedient to Man. But stubborn Pau Amma the Crab escaped the Magician s sight and scooted off to the Sea. Meanwhile, the Magician traveled the world to check on the animals. Everything was fine except that the Sea was causing tides four times a day. The man launched a canoe to help the Magician find the cause for this. One by one, animals were questioned, but none was playing with the Sea. Finally, little girl-daughter, also in the canoe, told about the crab that had naughtily gone into the ocean. Off they went to find Pau Amma. At first, the Crab was uncooperative, and the Magician took away his shell. Pau Amma was so frightened that he accepted offers of a safe home, scissors, and a shell for 11 months a year. The power to cause tides was given to the Fisherman of the moon. Throughout this adventurous tale, whimsical logic is of fered to explain the cycle of tides, along with reasons for the crab s soft shell and pincers (scissors). Below is a suggested plan for the activities presented in this unit. Adapt the plan to fit your own classroom. Day 1 Daily Writing Activities: Animal Webs (page 52) Crab background information (page 11) Predict story events and read The Crab that Played with the Sea. Homework (page 8). Day 2 Continue Daily Writing Activities. Use Homework to make an Ocean Alphabet. Make chart of predictions & actual events (page 7). Pictures of Events and Time Line (pages 7 & 8) Art: A Sandy Scene (page 18) Day 3 Continue Daily Writing Activities. Continue Ocean Alphabet. Words work sheet (page 14) Polar Opposites (page 15) Geography: Features (page 12) Follow-up: Geographical Features (page 21) Sample Plan Day 4 Continue Daily Writing Activities. Science: Plant Index File (page 9) Math: Ocean Plant Facts (page 23) Tides Come and Go (page 24) Pau Amma Game (pages 16 and 17) Day 5 Culminating Activity: Ocean Blocks (pages 19 and 20) Internet Extender The Kipling File http://www.kipling.org.uk/kip_fra.htm Activity Summary: Follow the links at this Web site to read interesting histories of Kipling s life, including pictures and excerpts from his work. Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 5 #284 Thematic Unit Oceans
Overview of Activities SETTING THE STAGE 1. Prepare your classroom for an Ocean Theme. Set up an appropriate bulletin board backing (see page 76) for students to complete and add to as the unit progresses. Display ocean books, shells, sand, animals, and any other appropriate objects at a special Oceans Learning Center. See page 80 for a list of suggested books to use. 2. USSR. Set aside a 15-minute block of time each morning (or right after a break or lunch) to do some Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading. Students should read from the ocean books available in the classroom or from a library. When they have completed a book, have them write a Book Review. Complete directions and a sample form to use can be found on page 10. Keep the Book Reviews in a plastic or metal file box for students to use before they choose another book to read. If your classroom is equipped with a computer, you may want to store the Book Reviews on the data base system. 3. If possible, set up an aquarium in your classroom, visit an aquarium, or show a film on sea life. Assign a different sea creature to each pair or group of students. Have them research to find out about their creature. They can make a web (see pages 52 and 54) from their information (see sample below). Then make a class book of webs to display at the Ocean Learning Center. is an invetebrate has 3 hearts has a beak has 8 tentacles Octopus eats shellfish is a mollusk can change color can squirt inky liquid 4. Begin Daily Writing Activities. Choose from the three projects described on pages 52 to 55. 5. Introduce from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. You can locate copies of the story at various web sites. To do this, type The Crab that Played with the Sea into a search engine such as Google.com. Display a picture of a crab. Ask the students to identify it. After it has been correctly identified, ask what they know about crabs. Record their responses on chart paper or the chalkboard. (Save for future activities and reference.) Learn about real crabs (see page 11). Follow up by directing students to draw pictures of crabs and label the following parts: claw, arm, antenna, eye, abdomen, fixed finger, and movable finger. #284 Thematic Unit Oceans 6 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Overview of Activities (cont.) SETTING THE STAGE (cont.) 6. If students are not already familiar with Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, you may want to spend some time exploring the background and basic premise of these tales. Once you have established that Kipling s stories offer explanations for the beginning of things ( How the Camel Got His Hump ; How the First Alphabet Was Made, etc.) ask students what characteristics of a crab Kipling might try to explain in a story. Record their responses on chart paper or the chalkboard. Save for comparison after the story has been read. 7. Predictions. Tell students you are going to read a Just So Story to them The Crab that Played with the Sea. Discuss their ideas about possible story events based on the title. Show them the pictures from the story; have students predict some things they think will happen in the story. Record their ideas for comparison after the story has been read. ENJOYING THE BOOK 1. As you read the story, stop frequently to determine with students whether they think things actually began the way Kipling portrays them in his tale. Make a list of these events and their locations. Find the locales on a map or a globe. (See Mapping project, page 12.) 2. After the story has been read, brainstorm with the class. Have them recall events from the story (not necessarily in chronological order) and record them. Compare these with the predictions they made before the story was read. Then recall the gifts that Pau Amma received from the Man, his daughter, and the Magician. How do they compare with the students predictions of what Kipling might try to explain? In small groups students can make charts of these predictions versus what actually happened. 3. Essential Comprehension Activity. Reread the story to the class. With the whole group, brainstorm and record some events of the story. Group the students and have each group choose one event. Direct them to copy the text onto a sheet of lined or construction paper and then illustrate it. When all the events are written and illustrated, have the students arrange the frames in chronological order. Display them on the chalk tray or tape the pictures end-to-end on a wall. Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 7 #284 Thematic Unit Oceans
Overview of Activities (cont.) ENJOYING THE BOOK (cont.) 4. Follow up with a time line. Draw a line on the chalkboard or attach a length of masking tape to the wall. Write 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. on the line. Arrange the picture events along the line. Have students work in pairs to complete the Time Line worksheet on page 13. 5. Homework Activity. Assign students to make a list of 15 ocean animals, plants, terms, or features. The next day in whole group, record the words on the chalkboard or graph paper. Group the students in pairs and have them choose words to work on. Direct the groups to write one word per page or per index card. Have them research each word and write a definition of it on the page or index card. They can illustrate the words or cut out pictures from magazines to attach to the pages. As you go along, alphabetize them and store them in a loose-leaf binder or file box for easy reference use. New words should be added as the study of oceans progresses. 6. In one of your re-readings of The Crab that Played with the Sea, focus on the colorful and unusual language that Kipling employs. As you go through the story, make a list of all the unfamiliar or unusual words and descriptions. Have students copy these and write a brief description of each character or expression. Follow up with the Words, Words, Words worksheet on page 14. 7. Polar Opposites. In this critical thinking activity story characters and events are rated on a scale. Complete procedures and directions can be found on page 15. 8. Pau Amma Gameboard. Review story events with this gameboard. Directions, task cards, and the gameboard can be found on pages 16 and 17. If you want to make the game self-correcting, number each task card and write corresponding answers on an Answer Key. As an extension activity, assign a group of students to write new task cards for this game. 9. Continue working on the Daily Writing Activities. Set aside time for students to share their writing within small and large groups. #284 Thematic Unit Oceans 8 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.