Thematic Unit Plan

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Thematic Unit Plan

• Sharks and the Ocean

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Theme/Rational

• This unit will focus on Sharks and the Ocean and
  is designed for a fourth grade classroom. I feel
  that most children have an incredible interest in
  sharks and the oceans in which they swim because
  of the mysteries they hold an how little
  students actually know about the subject. I would
  guess the majority of my students have never even
  been to the ocean and any past experience they
  have on the matter has been gained from movies
  and TV.

3
Fun for all

• By making this an inquiry-based and hands-on
  learning process I feel this will be a great
  student-centered unit by getting the children
  involved in something that is interesting to them
  outside of school.

4
Misunderstood Creatures

• Sharks are magnificent creatures that are
  descendents of the dinosaurs and have been
  swimming the earths oceans for millions of
  years. Even with this history, sharks are highly
  misunderstood due mainly to fictiscious movies
  and a fear of the unknown. By involving Language
  Arts, Math, Science, Creative Arts and even
  Physical Education students can learn more about
  sharks and how they are an integral part of the
  oceans survival.

5
Goaaaaalllll!!!!!

• My goal is to use the students imagination and
  fascination with these creatures and our oceans
  to teach them life skills without them feeling
  forced to learn.

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• Students will learn the names of the 4 oceans and
  the major seas
• Students will state what they know about sharks
  and the ocean
• Students will build a life-size paper mache shark

• Students will state what they would like to learn
  about sharks and the ocean
• Students will share their ideas with the entire
  class
• Students will write poems about sharks and the
  ocean

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Advanced Prep

• I will use chicken wire to have pieces of our
  paper mache shark already formed and a wooden
  stand on which we will build our model
• I will bring a 12 by 9 color map of the world
  which I will place on the wall and that we will
  use to plot shark movements and learn about the
  oceans they inhabit

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Film and Video

• At the beginning of every day we will watch 30
  minutes of video I have recorded from the
  Discovery Channels airing of Shark Week
• We will then take several minutes where I ask
  students to add to the Sharks and their
  environment Fact Sheet on the board
• Check this out for a preview of what well be
  viewing in class -- Nigel's Wild, Wild Shark Week
  -- Discovery Channel -- Shark Week
• These videos are great for capturing the
  students attention first thing in the morning

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Social Studies/Geography

• Objectives
• Know how much of the world is covered by water
• Name the four oceans and major seas
• Students will have a concept of environmental
  issues affecting the ocean and its organisms

• Materials
• 12 x 9 color map of world and oceans
• Non-permanent markers for tracking sharks
  movement
• Internet Resources

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Social Studies/Geography

• Ask students What do you know about the ocean?
  
• Accept all answers without making corrections
• Give students a chance to discuss any personal
  experiences relating to the oceans
• Ask students What would you like to learn about
  the oceans?
• Record responses on a chart and display it for
  future references

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Math Lessons--sample questions--

• A Great White Shark is 23 feet long. A Nurse
  Shark is 10 feet long. How much longer is the
  Great White Shark?
• A Hammerhead Shark eats 75 pounds of food a day.
  How much will it eat in a week?
• There are 8 Blue Sharks in a school. Blue Sharks
  weigh 250 pounds. How much does the entire school
  weigh?
• An average Mako Shark can swim 35 mph. How far
  could it swim in 3 hours?

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Math Lessons

• Students use a side wall in the classroom to
  measure out various shark lengths
• Students use a piece of yarn to make sure line
  measurements were accurate and tape to label each
  shark

• Counting by 3s is an objective, so we measured
  in yards, then counted by 3s to determine how
  many feet long they were
• The students can also lay down head-to-toe to
  measure how many of them is takes to make up a
  certain shark

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Science Lessons

• This is my shark fact page. GREAT WHITE SHARK -
  Enchanted Learning Software. From this site
  students will work in groups of 2 and be asked to
  choose a particular shark and gather facts about
  that species
• I will make it clear that only one group can do
  Great White Sharks, and only one group can do
  Hammer Head Sharks, etc. NO REPITION. I will
  allow them to resolve this amongst themselves,
  but let them know I will make decisions if they
  cannot find a resolution quickly

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Science Lessons

• MATERIALS
• Various shark teeth for students to get the feel
  of and relate to the actual size
• Large sheets of art paper for listing shark facts
• Markers
• Sandpaper for students to get a comparison of
  what a sharks skin feels like
• Discovery Channel videos of Shark Week

• ASSESMENT
• Teacher observation
• Student participation
• Shark fact sheets
• Student presentation of their shark facts

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Science Lessons

• Suggested Reading
• Why the Sea Is Salt
• Oceans chapter The Water Cycle

• Materials Required(by each group)
• 2 glass jars
• 4 tablespoons of Kosher Salt
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• Fill both jars with water

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Salt Water Test

• Dissolve 3-4 tablespoons of slat in one jar of
  water. Label this jar Salt Water
• Compare what happens when an egg is placed in
  each jar
• Continue adding salt to the salt solution until
  the egg floats in the middle of the jar

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Discussion Questions

• Why is the ocean salty?
• Why did the egg float in the salty jar?
• Would you rather swim in slat or fresh water?
  Why?

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Language Arts

• MATERIALS
• Writing journal
• Pencil
• Big, overstuffed chair from home

• ASSESMENT
• Student participation in the Authors Chair

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Lesson Plans--poetic writing--

• I will give students one minute to list as many
  words they can think of to describe the ocean
• After this, they will break up into groups of
  two, comparing lists and trading words they dont
  have
• After combining their lists, will go back to
  individual seats and I will instruct them to take
  a few minutes and use the words on their lists to
  write something poetic about the ocean without
  using the word ocean
• When the time is up I will share my writing with
  the class

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The Authors Chair

• I have brought an old overstuffed chair from home
  and placed it at the front of the class,
  introducing it as the Authors Chair
• In order to sit in this very comfortable chair,
  students must read their poetic writing to the
  class

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Rules

• When a student sits in the Authors Chair,
  everyone in the class must applaud wildly and
  with great enthusiasm
• I will hush the crowd with raised arms and a
  stern look
• Instruct the class that after the reading, for
  any comments they have they must give ONE example
  if it is something they liked and must give TWO
  examples if it was something they disliked
• I tell them there will be no fighting, running,
  pushing or pulling while going to the chair
• When the reading and comments are done, we will
  applaud wildly again as the reader takes a seat

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• Those who have been in the Authors Chair cannot
  be in it again until everyone else has sat in the
  chair
• This technique can be used well as Authors
  Friday for any type of writing
• Anytime during the writing block (1 hour),
  students can go to the writing chair, and
  announce their purpose

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Positive Critiques

• As the teacher, guide the class by asking what
  they liked about the Authors writing, never what
  they didnt like
• Tell Authors, If you were to rewrite that, how
  would you do it?
• Also, What would happen if you put a period
  where every and was?
• Kids use lots of bed-to-bed stories by using
  lots of and, so, very, etc. as descriptors.
  The Authors Chair gets them to use more
  descriptive words
• This is teaching a writing strategy. Every kid
  becomes engaged in this Time-on-Task
• This lets you watch the way kids write and they
  begin to think of themselves as writers, thus
  becoming better readers and starting to feel
  smart

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Culminating ExperienceBuilding our Shark

• MATERIALS
• Lots and lots of newspaper
• Wheat paste
• Water
• Wood frame/stand
• Chicken wire
• Staple Gun

• Tempera base paint mix with water and glue
  prevents paint from cracking
• Flame retardant spray
• Paint brush and drop clothes
• Large drawing paper to sketch our design

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Objectives

• It doesnt get any better than this. Hands-on,
  dirty workkids love it.
• Plus, this is a project our class can show to the
  entire schoolgives sense of pride in their
  accomplishments.
• Making this life-size, paper mache shark allows
  students to get an appreciation for how
  fascinating these creatures are.

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Lets Build! Steps Involved

• Initial frame and body of shark are built with
  chicken wire by teacher to save time
• A wood frame/stand to place the shark on is also
  built before hand
• Sketch out a plan on board or large paper hung on
  wall
• Wad up balls of newspaper to fill holes in
  chicken wire frame

• Mix wheat paste and water, dip newspaper sheets
  in and start layering for the skin
• Leave a couple of holes on top to use as hangers
  will hang finished shark from ceiling
• Spray with flame retardant spray when skin is
  dry
• Paint and present!

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Other Internet Resources

• The Jason Project
• Ocean Planet/Smithsonian
• Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
• The Florida Aquarium
• Waikiki Aquarium - great for kids!
• The Great White Shark Facts

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Other Suggested Readings

• Sharks by Rhoda Blumberg (Avon Books 1976)
• Sharks in Questions The Smithsonian Answer Book
  by Victor G. Springer

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Reflection
This has been an incredible experience for me. I
was able to take a topic that has been a personal
interest of mine since about the age of seven,
and still captures my imagination today, and
share that will my students. To see the
fascination in their eyes as they learned about
these mysterious creatures and the environment in
which they live was worth the complicated
planning of this unit. And, oh yeah, the students
dont know this, but they learned a lot more than
just information about sharks and the ocean. The
introduction of internet sources to the class is
something that must continue if our students are
to be ready for an ever changing technological
world. I hope this unit gave them a glimpse of
all that is out there and has given them a thirst
to explore more topics. One of my proudest
achievements is the introduction of the Authors
Chair to the class and the way it drives
students to want to write creatively and share
their efforts with the class. Although I realize
the importance of the other core subjects, my
main goal in my philosophy of education is for
students to leave my classroom with the
confidence that they ARE good writers and reading
is no longer a chore, but a fun activity.