As we highlight the
accomplishments of women in March, we thought it would be fun to take a look at
our oceans, where so many female scientists have done amazing work. But before
talking about these women*, begin by introducing your children to what an ocean
is and how it can be studied. In this
lesson, you can emphasize concepts such as weather, transportation, and special
clothing, which are a natural part of the curriculum for young learners.
First show your class a globe.
Spin it around and show children that oceans make up a lot of our world. Ask
children to point out all the water on the globe. Realizing that the oceans are
colored blue helps them to develop an understanding of how to use text features
in the future.
Explain to children that
today you will be finding out more about oceans, their water, and what lives in
them. Show children several pictures of different ocean scenes (easily
available on the Internet). These should include: the Arctic as this is a good
example of cold water, a warm ocean area near the equator, and a picture of a
storm on an ocean. Hold a “grand conversation” about the many differences they
can observe about oceans.
Next talk about the type of
water that is found in oceans. Show two containers of water and a container of
salt. Put the salt into one container and stir it. Explain that ocean water is
salty. Ask children to ‘turn and talk’ in response to the question: Can people
drink ocean water? Ask children to imagine what this might taste like. Some
children who have been swimming in an ocean might share their experiences.
Then talk about people who
study oceans. Show pictures of a submarine and boats. Discuss how these can be
used as transportation to help scientists reach places in the ocean they
need/want to learn more about. Discuss the special equipment a scientist needs
to wear when swimming in the ocean. Show pictures of scuba divers.
Finally, have children make
their own depiction of a scuba diver. You can pre-cut materials as shown below
so children can create a scientist who learns more about the ocean habitat. You
can even encourage them to make up a story about what their scientist
discovered about an area of the ocean.
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC – 2.G. & 2.J.05.
Head Start – III.C.1 &
3., XI.B.1.
*Next week we will share some female oceanographers.
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