Operation beach teach

This lesson is the introduction to an integrated marine science unit which culminates in an early fall trip to Hammocks Beach State Park. (See attachment: Pre-Activity). The unit is designed to hook students into science and provide joyful learning experiences across the curriculum.

A lesson plan for grade 4 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies

By Math Science Education Network

Learn more

• Bear Island Photos Contains photos of a wide variety of coastal locations including Bear Island
• Ocean Ideas Profiles of many sea animals
• Hammocks Beach State Park Park information and directions
• Fish Info and Fun Common questions and answers about fish

Related pages

• MarineQuest: Ocean education and marine environmental education programs providing "hands-on, feet-wet, high-tech" experiences for K-12 students.
• Discovery Place and the Charlotte Nature Museum: Discovery Place offers hands-on activities in all areas of science for students at both the Discovery Halls and Charlotte Nature Museum.
• Currituck Banks: One of the four North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserves, Currituck Banks operates as a living laboratory for research, education and management.

Related topics

• Learn more about biology and life science, oceanography, and science.

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Learning outcomes

This lesson will provide an overview of the unit. Students will be introduced to the variety of concepts they will learn in the coming weeks. Enthusiasm will be generated as well as a positive attitude towards science and other curriculum areas.

The unit will develop science manipulative skills early in the year and set the stage for future activities. Bonding will occur within the group as excitement builds and cooperative activities take place.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 week

Materials/resources

For this lesson: a computer with Hyper-Studio 3.0 or 3.1 and projection set-up (or networked computers) and the Hyper-Studio stack in the Pre-Activity attachment

For the rest of the unit:

• Science: sand, shells, fish (from market), secchi disk, marine thermometer(s), student-made hydrometers (straws, bb’s, clay), reference books (see Supplemental Resources), student-made plankton nets (embroidery rings, old nylons, string), laminated shell photo sheets, oranges, stop watches, microscopes, science logs to record data in class and on the trip, pencils, models of earth and moon
• Math: calculators, rulers, yardsticks, tape measures, paper, pencils, classroom practice sheets for classroom activities as needed.
• Social Studies: a variety of maps, globes, etc. for map lessons as well as a pre-marked set of North Carolina DOT Highway Maps and laminated maps of Bear Island for the classroom and the trip.
• Language Arts: books (see Supplemental Resources), pencils, markers, paper, file folders and binder rings for making pop-up books, camera(s) and film, video camera and film.
• Art: real fish (use the ones from your fish morphology lesson), tempera paint with fabric medium, white T-shirts for each child (also chaperones, and school/park staff), a small matte board (about 8 or 9 inches square) for each child, several bottles of Elmer’s Glue, and sand (there will be plenty of that!)

Technology resources

Access to the internet will help students increase their technology skills as they do research on a marine animal and explore other marine science information.

Pre-activities

• This lesson is designed to be the pre-activity for the unit.
• It is conducted as a presentation and discussion for the whole class.

Activities

For this lesson: Students will view the attached Hyper-Studio stack and discuss the upcoming unit.

For the rest of the unit:

Science

Hydrometers

Why is the ocean salty? Discuss salinity. Make hydrometers. Use them to test school tap water. Predict what measurements these will show at the coast. Take students on trip and them test their predictions. (North Carolina Marine Science Manual Unit 2-Seawater.)

Microscopes

Familiarize students with use of microscopes before going to the coast.

Plankton

Use overheads to discuss and explain. Create plankton nets for use at the coast. (North Carolina Marine Education Manual Unit 3) Check Carolina Biological for specimens to use with microscopes.

Shells

Discuss life cycle, anatomy, etc. Using a large plastic storage bin filled with sand and the results of your own North Carolina coastal beechcombing, send students on a "Beach in a box" scavenger hunt. (My own activity—there are a variety of resources on shells etc.)

How to use a secchi disk

This instrument measures turbidity. Discuss what this means and how it relates to marsh life. Use a disk in a deep waste can outside your classroom. Predict the depth at which the disk will disappear at the Bear Island dock. Test predictions on the trip. You’ll need to mark every ten centimeters with permanent marker on your string for easy reading (WOW The Wonders of Wetlands).

What causes waves and tides?

Demonstrate the relationship of earth to sun using models. Predict the direction of littoral drift on the island. Discuss gravity. Use overheads to illustrate high and low tide (North Carolina Marine Education Manual Unit 2).

The food chain

Discuss the food chain, then particularly the wetland food chain. Play "Musical Nutrients" or a similar game(Wow! The Wonders of Wetlands).

Why do fish have certain shapes?

Discuss fin and body types. Do the "Build a Fish" activity (Sound Ideas: Elementary Project Estuary). Use real fish to examine and compare fish morphology.

Marsh, Barrier Islands, and ocean habitats

Overheads will help you with this. (Use North Carolina Marine Education Manual 3 or a variety of resources.) Students will see all these habitats on their trip.

Social Studies

Maps:

Use your social studies books and/or other resources to familiarize students with maps and their uses. Spend one lesson marking NC Dept of Trans maps with magic marker. Take these on the bus. Have students keep track of your journey, estimating how many miles are left, etc. Students also need to be familiar with landforms and topography along your route.

Preserving our coastal environment

A number of worthwhile activities can be found in Ripples or in Splish Splash. I usually spend several days on this issue.

Communities

You will be studying this as a part of your 4th grade curriculum already. On your trip, inform students of the different communities you pass through and how they are similar/different compared to yours. (Examples: Children in Goldsboro may be from military families. Families move more and fathers or mothers may be overseas. There are many farms-point out cotton and tobacco. Discuss tourism, fishing, and weather as they relate to coastal communities).

Language arts

Vocabulary:

Tie this in with other lessons or books you are reading with this unit.

Writing:

After doing coastal environmental activities as discussed in the Social Studies section, have students write essays on coastal issues. (What I Can Do for The Marine Environment, etc.) They can also write letters of concern. Partners research a marine animal using CD and internet resources. They then create a page for a class pop-up book. Students create thank-you cards for all chaperones, bus driver, park staff, and other appropriate people. Select a well-known song and substitute beach words. Read a variety of marine-related poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

Visual arts

Gyotaku

Create fish-print T-shirts to wear to the beach. Use the fish you had for the fish morphology lesson. (I do these on the same day.) Place cardboard inside the white shirts. Prepare a variety of paint. (Tempera mixed with textile medium works well.) Brush paint onto one side of the fish-don’t make it too heavy or scales etc. won’t show. Place fish paint-side up on clean newsprint and place shirt on top of fish, taking care to get fish in correct position on front of shirt. Lift shirt carefully off and voila! (Practice this with paper or old shirts first!)

Sand art

As a beach station, have students draw a simple ocean-related picture on colored matte board and go over the outline with Elmer’s glue. (Try a frame shop for discarded matte board.) Drizzle sand over the picture and let dry flat. Shake off excess sand and you’ll have nice pictures to take home. Draw illustrations for writing projects.

The trip

Children will wear their fish-print shirts. Leave in time to make the ferry. (Of course you will have made arrangements with the park staff in advance.) Plan a rest stop on the way with juice, fruit, etc. On the ferry, explain the relationship of the White Oak River, marsh, and ocean. On the island dock, drop your secchi disk to test predictions. Have students measure and record their findings in a small notebook log. Collect plankton and place in water from the same location in a thermos. Hike together from the marsh to the ocean side, noting plants, dunes, etc. Use nature guides to identify things. Arrive at the pavilion and view plankton in the microscope(s) you brought. Listen to the "Turtle Talk" and then eat bag lunches. Have a serious discussion about trash! On the beach, set up stations. (Parents can do this during lunch.)

1. Take ocean temperature. (Wading only) Record and check predictions.
2. Use hydrometers to check salinity. Compare to predictions. Record in logs.
3. Have each group throw an orange to check the littoral drift against predictions. Oranges can usually be retrieved.
4. Gather, identify, measure, and record shells.
5. Each group will dig in the swash zone for critters such as coquina clams and mole crabs. Identify and note findings. Build sand castles when finished.
6. Trace the dimensions of a blue whale in the sand using a variety of measurement tools.
7. Sand Art.
8. Relay races with shells are a good way to use extra time at a station.

We usually take the ferry back at 3:00—check the schedule. On the trip home, stop at a fast food restaurant in Kinston. Have children estimate the cost of their meal and check their budgets. Bathroom needs should be taken care of at this time. I plan another bathroom and cookie stop on the way home. How you schedule stops will of course depend on where you are coming from. Our trip takes from 6am to about 8:30pm, so I plan it for a Friday.

Assessment

For this lesson: assessment will be accomplished through class discussion.

For the unit: assessment will be accomplished through discussion, observation of student activities, and examination of student work products.

Supplemental information

• North Carolina Marine Education Manuals: Unit Two, Seawater and Unit Three: Coastal Ecology, both by Mauldin L. and Frankenberg, D. (NC Seagrant Publications.)
• Sound Ideas: Elementary Project Estuary, Jones, M. Gail.(NC National Estuarine Reserve Program)
• Ripples: A Big Sweep Elemntary Activity Guide, various contributors. (The North Carolina Big Sweep)
• Splish Splash: A Big Sweep Aquatic Primer, various contributors. (The North Carolina Big Sweep)
• Sea Shells Common to North Carolina, Porter, Hugh J. and Tyler, Jim. (A NC Seagrant Publication)
• A Guide to Ocean Dune Plants Common to North Carolina, Kraus, Jean Wilson. (UNC Press)
• The Seaside Naturalist, Coulombe, Deborah. (Simon and Shuster)
• Tideland Treasure, Ballantine, Todd. (University of South Carolina Press)
• WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands, Slattery, Britt Eckhardt. (Environmental Concern, Inc.)
• The Ocean Book, various contributors. (Center for Marine Conservation, John Wiley and Sons)
• Chadwich and the Garplegrungen, Cummings, Priscilla. (Tidewater Publishers)
• The Young Scientist Investigates the Sea, Jennings, Terry.(Children’s Press)
• Life in the Oceans, Baker, Lucy. (Scholastic)

Comments

This curriculum resource was created in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for Mathematics and Science Education in June of 1998.

Thanks to Alec M. Bodzin for allowing the use of the Bear Island photos and map as part of the attached hyperstudio stack.

Don’t be afraid to do a coastal trip with your class. Marine science and the beach will excite children beyond your expectations. They will want to do activities! You must, however, plan thoroughly and carefully. Here are some tips:

• Schedule your trip so that the tide will be low at mid-day.
• Do the trip yourself a week or 2 before the date to check the beach profile, travel the route, make arrangements with fast-food restaurants, find bathroom stops, and gather shells to seed the beach on your trip and to use in the classroom. (Get sand as well to make a "beach in a box.")
• Keep close track of weather patterns.
• Develop a phone tree to contact parents in the event of a schedule change.
• Count heads constantly!
• Choose chaperones carefully and remember that only 36 people are allowed on the ferry. Try to have an EMT or First Responder as a chaperone. It is better to be on the safe side!
• Provide quiet activities for bus-time.
• Put children in groups in advance and have them practice working together.
• Provide many details regarding the trip and activities to parents. You can help the children create a newsletter. Also consider having a parent meeting before your trip.
• Take an airhorn to signal changing science stations on the beach.
• Take lots of pictures! You might get parents to donate a disposable camera for each group.
• Make rules and behavior expectations very clear from the beginning. This is very important from a safety standpoint.
• If I can help, email me. Have fun!

The Hyper-Studio stacks in the attachment work fine with a Macintosh platform, however when using a PC, scrolling and sound do not work well.