Wildlife Conservation Center Aquarium 10th Grade:
Grade
Levels:
·
Learning Standards:
NYS
Standards 1, 4, and 6.
·
Topics Covered by This Lesson:
This
lesson is intended to be a comprehensive examination of sharks on a physical
(sensory, reproduction, mobility), behavioral, and evolutionary level. While
this lesson concentrates on sharks, comparison with the physical characteristics
of other exhibited marine life at the aquarium will also be encouraged.
·
Time Requirements:
Approximately
8-10 hours independent Preparation Time and 2 hours Class Time, in addition
to 1 hour for Post-Visit Assignment.
·
Pre-Visit:
Purpose:
To familiarize students with sharks and their similarities or differences
with other marine animals (especially other fish)
Objective: This trip is to be planned at the conclusion of “Shark Week” (as is annually shown on The Learning Channel). Students will be expected to view specified portions of this educational programming and the class will discuss what was viewed, providing a comprehensive introduction to the world of sharks .
Materials:
Cable Television with “The Learning Channel”.
Visit:
During the Visit, students will be expected to explore all of the aquarium’s exhibits. They will, however, need to pay specific and detailed attention to the shark exhibit, noting the various displayed species and their observably different traits – both behaviorally and anatomically.
·
Post-Visit:
Each
student will be expected to prepare a 2-3-page paper detailing the differences
among the observed species as well as their shared characteristics. This composition
should incorporate both the live observations from the visit as well as documented
information (supplied by the aquarium and/or independent research).
Possible Questions:
Which
of the shark species is the most aggressive? The most dangerous?
Is
it true that sharks sense their prey mostly by smell?
What
structural features contribute most to a shark’s mobility in the water?
Despite
the obvious danger of sharks, does their presence benefit human beings in
any way?
MSTEP
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