Teaching Day-by-Day: Oceans of Fun

1. Fishy tale. Leo Lionni's book Swimmy (Dragonfly Books, reissue, 1973) tells the tale of a lonely little black fish who learns survival skills. Much of the book was created with stamps. Make your own stamps by carefully cutting out different shapes from sponges. Design your own Swimmy story.
2. NOAA's ark. Explore the oceans, animals, coasts and habitats at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's website, www.noaa.gov Research one topic, then write about it.
3. Create a creature. Scientists have recently found new forms of life in the Arctic Ocean. Imagine that you are a scientist who has just discovered a new type of ocean animal. What does it look like? Sketch your discovery on paper.
4. Find the five. What are the world's five oceans? (For the answer, see day 21.) Pick two of the five. Use the Venn diagram at www.weeklyreader.com/tresources to make comparisons between the two oceans you chose.

5. A fish-eat-fish world. Have you ever seen a cartoon where a fish eats a smaller fish – only to be eaten by a fish larger than itself? Research the eating habits of some ocean animals. Then draw a diagram of a food chain.
6. Create a marine mural. Research a few ocean species. Then turn your knowledge into a picture! Add plant life and small descriptions of each living thing. Ask your friends to add more animals or plants.
7. Be a sea creature. If you could be any ocean animal, what would you be? Why did you choose that one? Write a diary entry from the perspective of that animal. Include your creature's daily activities and feelings.

8. Manza meets the ocean. Go to www.weeklyreader.com/safrica to read a South African folktale about how the ocean helped a woman named Manza.
9. "Sea" you later. Plan a voyage around the world! Pick the sea coasts you would most like to visit, and plot your route on a world map. Write a guide to your voyage. Be sure to explain why you chose each place.
10. Wailin' whales. Humpback whales belt out squeaky sounds called "songs." Scientists have found that some of those songs even rhyme! Use your imagination to write a whale song. Put into words what the giant sea creatures might be saying.
11. Sea zones. The ocean is divided into three areas called zones. From top to bottom, they are called the sunlit, the twilight and the midnight. Investigate how far each zone extends and which creatures live there. Discuss how each zone might have gotten its name.

12. Coral in peril. Coral reefs are made up of plants and animals. To get the facts about this undersea habitat, visit www.weeklyreader.com/coral Use that info to make a presentation explaining why protecting coral is important.
13. Extra, extra! Imagine you're a reporter who is interviewing a famous ocean explorer, such as Sylvia Earle, Bob Ballard or Jacques Cousteau. Make a list of questions that you would like to ask that person.

14. SHARK! Great whites are the top ocean predators. How are humans a threat to them? What might happen if great whites became extinct? Write your opinion on the Make a Point reproducible at www.weeklyreader.com/tresources
15. A spell at the shore. The word seashore may only have eight letters, but you can spell more than 60 words with them. Try it!

16. Good reef! The Great Barrier Reef stretches about 1,250 miles along Australia's northeast coast. It is the world's largest coral reef and is home to thousands of plants and animals. Design a travel brochure enticing travelers to visit the reef.
17. Why are fish so smart? Because they live in schools! Work with a friend to write jokes about ocean creatures. Compile a joke book about the ocean.

Green and clean. What are some ways to keep our beaches and oceans clean? Go to www.weeklyreader.com/tresources and plan a poster persuading people to protect the oceans.

18. Sea or see? Blue or blew? With a friend, brainstorm a list of homophones (words that sound alike, but have different meanings). Then hang the list on the wall to share with others.
19. Watery planet. We live on land, but about 71% of Earth's surface is covered with water. Research what percent of Earth's surface is saltwater, freshwater and land. Make a pie chart displaying your findings.
20. Five-ocean notion. A mnemonic can help you remember information. Make up a funny sentence to remember the five recognized oceans. From smallest to largest, they are: Arctic Ocean, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. For example: All Silly Insects Are Purple.
21. Big blue. Blue whales are the largest living mammals. They can grow to be 110 feet long. Bring your rulers to the playground. Measure out 110 feet and draw a big blue whale in chalk. Take a picture of your big blue.

22. Neigh! Not all horses move on hooves; seahorses are fish! The dwarf seahorse is only about one-inch long. Write a poem about a dwarf seahorse.
23. Current events. Gyres are ocean currents that swirl around a relatively stationary center point (like huge whirlpools). Take a high-sided dish and fill it partway with water. Then place a floating object in the center and spin the dish. What happens to the object?

24. Now hear this! Hold a seashell up to your ear. What do you hear inside? Is it the ocean? Draw a picture of the seashell and make a speech balloon showing the sounds you hear.
25. Explore the floor. Deep-sea divers sometimes use small ships called submersibles to help them search for shipwrecks or deep-sea creatures. These vehicles protect the divers from water pressure. Imagine a trip in a submersible. What do you see? Write a story.
26. Puppets under water. Make fish and ocean animal shapes on thick paper. Glue them onto craft sticks. Invite your friends to do the same. Hang up a sheet with a bright light behind it. Then perform an underwater puppet show.
27. Seashore twisters. Do you know the popular tongue twister, "She sells seashells by the seashore?" Or how about "Six slippery seals should swim?" Try making up your own sea-centered tongue twister.
28. What a collection! If you visit the seashore, make a collection of shells, rocks and sea glass that you like. Rinse them well and place them in a jar or bowl. Use them as decorations in your bedroom, with your parents' permission.
29. BRRR! The oceans never completely freeze during the winter, but lakes and ponds freeze hard enough for us to ice-skate on them. Why might that happen? Fill two bowls with water. Put salt in one of the bowls. Place both bowls in the freezer. Wait two hours. What happened?
30. Trading cards under the sea. An incredible number of species live underwater. Choose an ocean animal to investigate. Where does it live? What does it look like? Go to www.weeklyreader.com/tresources to download a Trading Card reproducible and make a trading card for your animal.

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May, 2007, Vol.37, No.8