Second Grade
Geography

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this unit is to reinforce map-reading skills; especially those involved with physical map reading by using those skills to view the oceans of the world. The unit will teach the learner about the locations of the oceans as well as the characteristics of each ocean. It will also make connections between the presence of the oceans and the culture and industries of the people who live near the ocean.

CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:

1. Knows and understands how to use maps, globes and other graphical tools to acquire, process and report information. Maps and globes, both on paper and on the Internet will be used to find and evaluate the oceans and the land masses surrounding them.
4. Knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places. Students will learn about how people interact with the ocean, the coast, and with ocean life.
14. Knows and understands how the earth's physical and human systems are connected and interact.
18. Knows and understands how to apply geography to the present and future. Students will learn about the events of the past that caused geographical features (such as the Mid-Atlantic Range) to exist.

APPLICABLE TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Grade 2

The student uses simple geographic tools such as maps, globes, and photographs.

The student understands the locations and characteristics of places and regions.

The student understands how physical characteristics of places and regions affect people's activities and settlement patterns.

The students will demonstrate their ability to:
1. Find the five oceans on a globe and on a world map.
2. Relate their knowledge of mountains and other physical characteristics of land masses to the physical characteristics of the ocean floor.
3. Understand how the oceans are related to and affected by people.
4. Understand how the people are related to and affected by the oceans.
5. Find information and analyze an Internet site.

The unit will focus on various aspects of the oceans of the world. First, the students will explore and learn about the physical aspects of the oceans such as depth, underwater mountain ranges, coastal areas and how to locate the oceans. This will be done through the use of maps and globes, books, videos and Internet experiences. A visit from a scuba diver will introduce the way that humans interact with the ocean and the animals that live there. Throughout the unit, the size of animals, depth of the oceans and other facts will be used to reinforce and practice math, reading and writing skills.

Every day as the students come into the classroom, the first fifteen minutes will be used as Drop Everything And Read or DEAR time. This will be a time of quiet reading by all students. Resource as well as fiction books will be provided both in the classroom and in the school library on different aspects of ocean life and human interaction with the oceans to be used for DEAR time.

Opening: Begin by telling the students about some experiences with the ocean and open up the floor for discussion by everyone. Encourage students to share any experience whether by actually being there or seeing on TV or in movies.

Guided Practice: Use the discussion as a starting point for the K-W-L method. Put up three posterboards. Label one KNOW, one WANT TO KNOW, and the last one LEARNED. Have the students brainstorm all the things they already know about the ocean and write them on the first poster board. Then have them brainstorm and list all the things they want to know or wonder about the ocean. Explain that as the unit progresses and they learn new things, they will be added to the third poster board.

Independent Practice: Put the students into pairs or cooperative learning groups. Give each pair or group a world map and a globe. Their assignment is to use those two items to discover at least five facts about the ocean. They will probably need help getting started. Point out the fact that all the seas and oceans on earth are connected. Point out that every ocean has land up against it called coast. Point out that the "East Coast" of the United States is against the Atlantic Ocean. Monitor the students carefully as they work so that their discovery can be guided when necessary.

Closure: Have each group report their five facts.

Evaluation: Evaluation will be done while monitoring the group activity as well as during the presentations of facts.

Extension: Use Art time for making decorations for the room. Cut a triangular piece out of a paper plate and staple to the other end to resemble a fish. Cover it with tissue paper. Using a large sheet of butcher paper, have the whole class collaborate on an underwater mural.

Opening: Talk to the students about the different kinds of resource materials they have learned to use such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. Then remind them that one resource they have is the computer.

Guided Practice: Using an overhead projection unit for the classroom computer, explore with the class some Internet sites with photos of ocean scenes and ocean animals. (Two very good ones are Iceberg photos,  http://www.skynet.be/deneyer and Undersea Explorer, http://www.justlove.com.) Talk about the ocean scenes as well as refreshing them on how to use the Internet.

Independent Practice: Take the class to the Computer Lab and have them use the Internet to fill out a sheet of questions. (See worksheet.)

Closure: Upon returning to the classroom, debrief about what they found out and allow them to tell if they found any other sites.

Evaluation: Discussion and worksheets.

Follow these directions carefully. Ask for help if you need it.

1. Go to the National Geographic Website using this address: http://www.nationalgeographic.com
2. Click on Resources.
3. Click on Map Machine.
4. Click on Physical Maps.
5. Click on each of the 5 oceans and fill in the blanks. Click on the picture if you want to see a bigger view. Click BACK on the toolbar as you finish with each ocean until you see the globe again and then click on another ocean. When you finish click on HOME on the toolbar.

  FILL IN THE BLANKS

The largest ocean in the world is _____________________________________.

The second largest ocean in the world is _______________________________.

The third largest ocean in the world is _________________________________.

The Pacific Ocean covers about ________ of the globe. The world's deepest

point is called_____________________________________.

The Atlantic Ocean has an underwater mountain range called the___________

 ______________________________________.

The Indian Ocean makes up _________ of the world's total ocean area.

The__________________________Ridge constitutes an area of seafloor spreading.

The Arctic Ocean is relatively deep/shallow.(circle one) Floor depths are ____ miles.

The Ocean around Antarctica is sometimes called _______________________.

These cold waters form a distinct _____________________________.

 
For extra credit click on each of the continents and record one fact about each one on the back of this worksheet.

________________________________________________________________

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Day 3

Opening: Ask the students what they would expect to see if they went underwater in the ocean. On the whiteboard record their answers. (This can be extended if necessary just in case the guest speaker is late or needs time to set up his presentation.)

Guided Practice: Invite a scuba diver to come in and share his experiences. Have him bring and explain his diving equipment. Ask him to talk about any problems with pollution, animals, etc. that he has encountered. If he has them, ask him to bring photos or slides.

Independent Practice: Have the students imagine scuba diving. Have them write one page of creative writing about what they think might occur or hope would occur while they were underwater. Have them illustrate their story. Tell them that you will put all of the stories and pictures together into a class book.

Closure & Evaluation: Look at the list of the predictions they made about the scuba diver on the whiteboard. Evaluate with them those things that they predicted correctly and the ones they were wrong about. Let each student tell the ONE favorite thing they heard from the scuba diver.

Opening: Remind the students of all the animals they have encountered in their reading, Internet photo experience and the stories of the diver.

Guided Practice: Gather many picture books of sea animals. Have the class look at all the picture books as one small group at a time is called up to work with the teacher for 10 minutes. Using the book Nature Hide & Seek, Oceans by John Norris Wood, play the hide and seek game with each small group and then talk about the characteristics of the different fish in the book. Also give them time to tell what they have seen in the picture books in the room. Point out that a whale is not a fish but a mammal. Tell them that the largest whales can grow to be 60 feet long.

Independent Practice: Write a list of creatures with strange names on the board:

Clown Triggerfish                 Angelfish                             Hawkfish
Longnosed Butterfly Fish     Hogfish                                Flashlight Fish
Football Fish                         Tiger Shark                         Swordfish
Sea Dragon                           Sailfish                                 Sawfish
Christmas Tree Worm         Sea Cucumber                     Bottlenose Dolphin

Have the students draw a picture of what they think one of these animals would look like. Have pictures on hand to show them the real thing when they are finished.

Closure: Put the student's pictures on the bulletin board as you allow them to discuss the differences in how the fish really look and their rendition of the fish.

Extension: At playground time, measure off 60 feet and put down a piece of masking tape so that they can see what 60 feet looks like. Have the students lie down end to end and see how many kids it takes to equal 60 feet.

Culminating Activity - Ocean Day
This day is intended to give closure to the entire unit.

Guided Practice: Show the class book made on Day 3 of the unit. Look at the chart marked LEARNED. Note any facts that may have been added throughout the week. Brainstorm with the students to add all of the new facts they have learned about oceans and ocean life they can think of. Encourage them to remember the geographic facts, the fish facts, the Internet experience and the books they have read to pull up their new knowledge. There will probably be too many facts to fit on the poster board. Point out that they have learned an abundance of new things as a new piece of poster board is brought out and the list continued.

Have parents send "ocean" snacks such as Sprite with blue food coloring, fish shaped crackers, a cake decorated appropriately, etc. At school, put together some blue Jell-O with gummy worms and gummy fish in it. As the day ends, allow extended time in centers and let them go in small groups to the computer room to work on the Internet. (Of course, the computer specialist will have to be consulted beforehand.) Show the National Geographic Video; Deep Sea Dive while everyone enjoys the snacks.

*Ocean Life by Lisa Jo Rudy, Scholastic Professional Books, 1994.

*Ecology, Creative Teaching Press, 1995.

*The Seas, Instructional Fair, Inc.  A teacher resource book with activities and literature across the curriculum.

Iceberg Photos, URL http://www.skynet.be/deneyer (April 10, 1998)

Undersea Exploration, URL http://www.justlove.com (April 10, 1998)

  Books: 

Barrett, Norman. Coral Reefs.  Explains the formation of coral reefs and looks at the various creatures, such as crabs, eels, and sponges that inhabit them.

Behrens, June. Dolphins! Describes the appearance, reproduction, infancy, social behavior, and intelligence of this remarkable sea animal.

Behrens, June. Whale Watch!Text and photographs the experience of a group of school children on a whalewatch off the California coast and what they learn about the habits and behavior of the Pacific gray whale.

Bush, John and Korky, Paul. The Fish Who Could Wish. An imaginative fiction story about a fish who can make wishes.

Carle, Eric. A House for Hermit Crab.  A book about a year in the life of a hermit crab.

Carter, Katherine Jones. Oceans.  An introduction to the world’s four largest bodies of salt water, the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Indian Oceans.

Carlisle, Madelyn Wood. Slippery, Splendid Sea Creatures. Presents the lives and characteristics of such sea creatures as whales, sharks, seals, and corals.

Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor. On another special field trip on the magic school bus, Ms. Frizzle’s class learns about the ocean and the different creatures that live there.

Conley, Andrea. Window on the Deep. Describes the underwater exploration of Syliva Earle, the woman who has set many of the current diving records in the sea.

Fowler, Allan. The Earth is Mostly Ocean. Describes the ocean, including what causes the tides, what is found under he water, and what types of plants and animals live there.

Gibbons, Gail. Boat Book. Introduces many kind of boats and ships, including rowboats, canoes, sailboats, speedboats, cruise ships, tugboats, and tankers.

Jacobs, Francine. Sam, the Sea Cow. A book about a manatee named Sam.

Johnson, Sylvia A. Coral Reefs. Text and photographs examine the different kinds of coral reefs and their composition and describes the variety of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and other animals that live in the reef environment.

Johnson, Sylvia A. Hermit Crabs.  Describes the physical characteristics, habitats, and natural environments of the hermit crab.

Kraus, Robert. Herman the Helper. A book about an octopus who likes to help his family and friends. Is a book about responsibility.

Lionni, Leo. Swimmy.  Swimmy tell his friends how to survive from other dangerous fish.

Lye, Keith. The Ocean Floor.  Describes the origins and evolution of the ocean, the characteristics of the ocean floor, underwater exploration, and the many resources found in the ocean.

Maddern, Eric. Curious Clownfish.  A book about a clownfish who decides to leave his safe and familiar home to explore the ocean.

Malnig, Anita. Where the Waves Break: Life at the Edge of the Sea. Examines the various main animals and plants found along the edge of the sea.

McCloskey, Robert. Burt Dow, Deep - Water Man.  A retired fisherman who still likes to spend his free time fishing, catches a huge fish, on his boat with his friend the sea gull.

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. All About Whales.  An introduction to the biggest animal that ever lived, discussing what it eats, how it communicates, and the kinds of whales.

Pearce, Q.L. Tidal Waves and other Ocean Wonders. Describes some of the biological and geological wonders found in the ocean depths, including electric creatures, poisonous fish, swimming reptiles, the longest mountain chain, and a river in the ocean.

Pfster, Marcus. The Rainbow Fish. A story about a beautiful fish who learns to love himself, for who he is, not what he looks like.

Robbins, Ken. Boats. Describes in text and photographs, the characteristics, features of seventeen different ships and boats, including tugboats, submarines, icebreakers, and fishing boats.

Robinson, W.W. Incredible Facts About the Ocean: The Restless Blue Water.  An informational book about Oceans.

Rudy, Lisa Jo. Ocean Life.  Teacher resource book with activities and literature across the curriculum.  

Selsam, M.E. A First Look at Seashells. Looks at various types of seashells found in the ocean, giving its location, size, shape, and characteristics.

Simon, Seymour. Oceans. Text and photographs explore the physical characteristics, life forms, and fragility of the world’s oceans.

Created April 15, 1998

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