Leatherback sea turtles and their special compasses
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09/gk2/migrationturtles.html
A lesson plan for grades K–2 Science and Social Studies
In this lesson from Xpeditions, students will learn some basic information about leatherback sea turtles and hypothesize why individual leatherbacks were able to find their way from Costa Rica to the Galapagos Islands without any obvious navigational aids. They will learn to use compasses and hear about research indicating that leatherbacks might have their own internal compasses. Finally, students will draw pictures of people and leatherbacks navigating the ocean and write paragraphs to explain their drawings.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 2
- Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations and build an understanding of animal life cycles.
- Objective 1.01: Describe the life cycle of animals including:
- Birth.
- Developing into an adult.
- Reproducing.
- Aging and death.
- Objective 1.01: Describe the life cycle of animals including:
Kindergarten
- Goal 1: The learner will make observations and build an understanding of similarities and differences in animals.
- Objective 1.02: Observe how animals interact with their surroundings.
- Objective 1.03: Observe the behaviors of several common animals.
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 2
- Goal 5: The learner will understand the relationship between people and geography in various communities.
- Objective 5.02: Describe the role of a geographer and apply geographic tools, such as maps, globes, compasses and photographs, in the understanding of locations and characteristics of places and regions.
