Sea Turtle Adventure

A WebQuest for 2nd Grade (Science, Reading/ Language Arts)

Designed by

April Friar
Amber McDonald
Aubrey Sullivan
Ebony Thompson


 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page


Introduction

   Toni the Turtle needs your help! Toni is a Loggerhead Sea Turtle who can't remember where she is supposed to lay her eggs. To help her, read the following information about Loggerhead Sea Turtles.Determine which habitat is best for the health of the baby turtles. 
 

     Neat stuff about Loggerhead Sea Turtles:

  • Loggerhead turtles live in the warm, calm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean. 
  • Loggerheads eat jellyfish, sea urchins, clams, and other shellfish. 
  • Female Loggerheads crawl out of the ocean onto the beach. They look for clean, quiet spots to lay their eggs. Once they have dug their nest and layed their eggs, they return to the ocean.
  • Female Loggerhead Turtles lay about 105-120 eggs each time they nest. 
  • Loggerhead turtles can weigh up to 350 pounds!

The Tasks
  • Locate and color a picture of your choice on the Turtle Trax website.
  • Pick which beach Toni the Turtle should choose to build a nest and lay her eggs on. 
  • Write a paragraph giving the reasons why you chose this beach. 

 
 

The Process

     1. Go to http://www.turtles.org/colour.htm and pick out your favorite sea turtle picture.  Print out this picture and color it. Have fun!
     2. In groups of two or three, go to http://www.cccturtle.org/behav.htm#nest  . Read this whole section. Stop when you get to the heading Migration and Navigation Abilities. 
      3. After you read this information, talk to your group about what you have read. Some things to talk about:

  • Does the male or female turtle lay eggs?
  • Where do they lay their eggs?
  • When do they lay their eggs?
  • Does it matter to the mother turtle if there are houses and people nearby when she is laying her eggs? Why?
  • Does the mother help her babies make it to the ocean?
   4. Toni the Turtle is having trouble finding the beach where she is supposed to lay her eggs! Why don't you help her decide which beach she should lay them on. Think about what you already know about sea turtles and where they like to lay their eggs. 
 
 This is Crowded Beach, USA.  Look at all of the people and houses around. The people  sure will make a lot of noise, and the houses sure will be bright at night with all their lights on. Should Toni the Turtle lay her eggs here?
This is Peaceful Beach, USA.  Do you see any people or houses around? The beach looks quiet and clean, doesn't it?  Should Toni the Turtle lay her eggs here?

   5. Write a paragraph about the beach you chose for Toni the Turtle. Did you choose Crowded Beach, or Peaceful Beach? Why did you choose this beach? Why do you think Toni will like this beach, and why will it be good for her babies? 


Evaluation
 
 
Individual Performance Beginning

1

 Developing

2

 Exemplary

3

 Score
Participation in Group Discussion

 
Student did not interact with group members or add to discussion.
Student did interact with other group members, but did not participate in discussion.
Student interacted well with group and participated in discussion. 
  
Paragraph supporting the student's decision based on information they learned about turtles








 
Student did not perform task.
Student completed task, but did not use information to support their decision.
Student completed task using information learned from websites to suport their decision.
  

Conclusion

   Don't you feel smart now? You have learned about the habitat, nesting, behavior, and life cycle of a Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Now when you go to the beach and see signs that say "Turtle Nesting Site", or see a show about sea turtles on TV, you can wow your family and friends with all the neat stuff you know about sea turtles! 
   Did this activity cause you to think more about how humans affect the environment and the animals that live in it? If it did, maybe you could look up some more information about conservation and marine life. There are many excellent sites out there. For instance, a lot of information about the protection  and conservation of sea turtles can be found at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR3/Turtles/turtles.html
   If you are interested in learning more about sea turtles, you should take a look at the Turtle Trax website. They have a section just for kids. It can be found at http://www.turtles.org/kids.htm  .


Credits & References
http://nature.org/images/texas_pr_5.jpg
www.seaturtles.org
www.cccturtle.org
www.capitolachamber.com/images/beach.jpg
www.chincoteaguechamber.com/dir-beach.jpg
www.turtles.org/kids.htm
www.turtles.org/colours.htm

Teacher "Stuff"

   The activities in this lesson satisfy South Carolina Curriculum Standards for Science, and for Reading/Language Arts for Grade Two.  The specific standards met are:
  Science
      I. Inquiry
        A. Process Skills 
           4. Communicate

  • Use drawings,tables, graphs,written and oral language to describe objects and explain ideas and actions.
        B.Inquiry
            1. Plan and conduct a simple investigation. 
  • Communicate investigations and explanations.


   Reading
     I. Reading/Literature
          D.  The student will read fiction, non-fiction, and poetry using a variety of strategies independently.

  • Preview the selection
  • Set purpose for reading
  • Use pictures, phonics, meaning clues, and language structure to comprehend text.
          E. The student will demonstrate comprehension of fiction and nonfiction selections.
  • Locate information to answer questions.
  • Paraphrase information found in nonfiction materials.
   III. Speaking
         C. The student will use oral communication skills.
  • Participate as a contributor and leader in a group.
  • Paraphrase information shared orally by others.
Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page