kindergarten Teacher Resource Guide Humans must help keep the earth clean so that animals can Theme: also thrive in their natural environments. Marine Debris, Plastic Pollution Critical Issue: Lesson 1: What Is a Habitat? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Contents: Lesson 2: What Is a Shark? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Lesson 3: Six Senses of a Shark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Lesson 4: Where Does Trash Go? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 a division of Embarcadero at Beach St, San Francisco, CA 94133 | 415.623.5300 | aquariumofthebay.org 1 Aquarium of the Bay’s Education and Conservation mission statement: Department’s mission is to promote literacy in ocean and watershed health, climate change issues, and science career development through the lens of critical issues such as sustainable seafood, marine protected areas, marine debris and plastics, climate change and fresh water flows. Aquarium of the Bay thanks the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation acknowledgements: for their generous support for our K-12 programs and development of this Teacher Resource Guide. 2 What Is a Habitat? Enduring Understanding: Habitats are distinct lesson 1 natural environments with their own unique features, including landforms, plant life, and animals. Materials Setup: • “My Favorite Habitat” 1. Make copies of “My Favorite Habitat” drawing worksheet. drawing worksheet 2. Provide drawing supplies for each student. • Chart paper or white 3. Prepare habitat and animal images for chart. board • Drawing supplies (crayons, colored pencils, program outline: markers, etc.) • Images of forest, desert, Review the concept of a habitat. and ocean habitats • A habitat is the natural home or environment of an animal, • Images of animals from plant, or other organism. forest, desert, and ocean • Habitats provide animals with all they need to survive, habitats including food, water, and a space to live and move. • Images of landforms, • Different types of animals live in different types of habitats. plants, and earth materials from forest, desert, and Habitat overview ocean habitats • Show students examples of different habitats (forest, desert, ocean) and ask them to describe what is different about the way each of these habitats looks. - In a forest you might see soil, grass, flowers, tall trees, rocks, and bodies of water (stream, creek, river). - In a desert you might see sand or sand dunes and desert plants (cacti). You probably won’t see any bodies of water. - In an ocean, a huge body of water, you might see seaweed, sand, rocks, or coral. Landform overview • A landform is a natural feature of the earth’s surface. • Examples of landforms include valleys, hills, mountains, dunes, and volcanos. - For instance, a forest might be located on or near a mountain landform or you may see a dune in a desert. 3 program outline continued: • Landforms are different from earth materials. Earth materials are resources that come from the earth, such as rocks. Animals in habitats overview • Show students pictures of different animals. Tape them onto the chart under the correct habitat column (see sample chart below). - In a forest you might see spotted owls, blackbirds, mountain lions, black bears, porcupines, or elk. - In a desert you might find coyotes, rattlesnakes, bats, hawks, jackrabbits, or tortoises. - In an ocean you might see fish, turtles, sharks, dolphins, whales, sea stars, sea snails, oysters, crabs, sea otters, squid, or jellies. • Certain animals live in certain habitats for many reasons - Animals live in a certain habitat because they need a specific type of environment and food to live. - The right habitat provides an animal with the food and environment it needs to live. - An animal (or plant) in the wrong habitat would not be able to live. o For example, a fish needs water to live. It cannot live on land. The ocean is the best habitat for a fish. It would be difficult for a fish to live in the desert because there are usually no bodies of water there. Sample Chart (Include images of animals, landforms, plants, and earth materials so students can refer back to the chart. Forest Desert Ocean What plants, landforms, or other What plants, landforms, or other What plants, landforms, or other things might you see? things might you see? things might you see? - soil - sand - water - grass - sand dunes - seaweed - ferns - desert plants (cacti) - sand - flowers - rocks - tall trees (redwoods) - coral - rocks - bodies of water (stream, creek, river) - mountains What animals might live here? What animals might live here? What animals might live here? - spotted owl - coyote - turtles - blackbird - rattlesnake - dolphins - mountain lions - bat - sharks - black bear - hawk - fish - porcupines - jackrabbit - whales - elk - tortoise - sea stars - crabs - squid - sea otters - sea snails - octopuses 4 program outline continued: Drawing your favorite habitat • Explain that students will draw their favorite habitat. - They must include at least five different things. For example, an ocean could have a fish, whale, seaweed, rocks, and coral. - The habitats (specifically, the colors of animals, plants, landforms) should look as realistic as possible. - Students can refer to the chart for help. Sharing Results • Students share their drawings and explain why they chose that habitat. • Students can share with a buddy, in groups, or as a class if time allows. 5 teacher background: Habitats Learning about habitats can help students develop a great understanding about the organisms that live in them. There are many types of habitats around the world. Each has unique vegetation, wildlife, landforms, and climate characteristics. Some examples of habitats include grasslands, tundra, oceans, ponds, deserts, and wetlands. Knowing about different habitats can help people understand how to avoid environmental damage and protect wildlife. It also builds a more well-rounded sense of place and a sense of how nature interconnects. Desert Habitat Desert habitats are dry areas with little rainfall. While deserts are extremely hot during the day, they can become very cold at night, as they have few clouds and low humidity to keep in heat. Organisms that live in desert habitats have special adaptations that allow them to survive in this harsh climate. For example, desert plants, such as cacti, are able to absorb and store water for later use. Animals may also store water in their bodies. They may also come out at night to avoid the hot daytime temperatures. Some desert animals include armadillos, camels, coyotes, hawks, rattlesnakes, and jackrabbits. It is important to take care of desert habitats because, if harmed, their land and soil take a long time to return to normal. Damage to the land also negatively affects organisms living in desert habitats. The Mojave Desert, located in Southern California, is ecologically and geographically diverse. It is home to sand dunes, the Joshua tree forest, mountain ranges, and volcanic cinder cones. In fact, the Joshua tree, which can live for about 150 years, has become a well-known symbol of the Mojave Desert. This desert also has a wide variety of amphibians, birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals. Many of the animals are nocturnal—they come out at night—to avoid hot daytime temperatures. Some animals that can be found here include red-spotted toads, Pacific tree frogs, ravens, roadrunners, hawks, black-tailed jackrabbits, coyotes, and bats. The Mohave tui chub can be found in the Mojave River basin. It is the only fish found in this area. Forest Habitat Forest habitats are home to a variety of plants, animals, and other organisms all over the earth. Their trees provide the planet with great amounts of oxygen, which is necessary for many plants and animals to survive. Forests have three layers: the forest floor, the understory, and the canopy. On the forest floor, one can find soil, dead animals and plants, grass, and small plants. The understory comprises small trees and bushes. The canopy contains the leaves and branches of various trees. Animals living in forests vary around the world. The Sierra Nevada is a diverse forest habitat in California. It contains a variety of landforms, plants, and animals. The Sierra Nevada is so diverse that the west and east sections of the forest have their own unique species of plants and animals. While the plants and animals in the west are adapted to a wetter climate, those living in the east are prepared for drier conditions. 6 teacher background continued: The redwood forest, found in Northern California, is another important local habitat. It is home to a variety of life, including the great redwood trees, which can live to be 2,000 years old. Some animals that can be found in the redwood forest include black bears, Douglas squirrels, porcupines, elk, and spotted owls. Plants that are native to the redwood forest include deer fern, sword fern, bigleaf maple trees, salal, and evergreen huckleberry shrubs. Finally, the California oak woodland habitat, spread across coastal California, contains oak trees, a variety of grasses, herbs, and other coniferous trees. The oak woodlands of Northern and Southern California consist of many types of oak trees, such as live oak, valley oak, canyon live oak, and California black oak. Ocean Habitat Ocean habitats are diverse. They include various plants, animals, and organisms. Ocean life is separated into the benthic environment (the sea floor) and the pelagic environment (the ocean waters). Because the ocean is so vast, it has a number of smaller habitats, such as coral reefs, kelp forests, and sea- grass beds, with many different types of plants and animals living there. Marine animals found in ocean habitats include fish, dolphins, seals, sea lions, whales, sharks, turtles, manatees, octopuses, crabs, sea snails, sea stars, corals, oysters, and jellyfish. Ocean habitats are currently suffering from many types of pollution, including oil spills, plastic debris, and carbon dioxide level imbalances, which affect wildlife and can even lead to species endangerment or extinction. California contains some of the most diverse ocean habitats on Earth. Monterey Bay is one local habitat that contains distinct landforms, marine animals, and plants. One special landform found here is the undersea canyon, which is deeper than the Grand Canyon and one of the largest in the world. Marine animals that thrive here include whales, krill, Humboldt squid, mola mola (the world’s largest bony fish), otters, and jellyfish. Sea urchins and kelp also thrive here. Overfishing has affected the ecosystems living in this habitat, but conservation laws have been enacted to help protect this area. 7 glossary: Desert: Dry region with little rainfall, water, or vegetation and extreme temperatures Forest: Large area covered with trees, plants, and underbrush Habitat: Type of natural home or environment in which an organism or group of organisms typically lives Ocean: Large expanse of saltwater that covers nearly three-fourths of Earth’s surface Sand Dune: Mound or ridge of sand or other loose sediment formed by the wind kindergarten standards: California Science Content Standards • 3.a. Students know characteristics of mountains, rivers, valleys, deserts, and local landforms. California Next Generation Science Standards • K-ESS3-1. Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live. • ESS3.A: Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need. California Visual and Performing Arts Standards Artistic Perception: Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary • 1.2. Name art materials (e.g., clay, paint, crayons) introduced in lessons. Creative Expression: Skills, Processes, Materials, and Tools • 2.1. Use lines, shapes/forms, and colors to make patterns. program materials: • “My Favorite Habitat” drawing worksheet 8 Name: ___________________ My Favorite Habitat My favorite habitat is ___________________________________. Here is a picture of a _____________________________ habitat. 9 what is a shark? Enduring Understanding: Sharks are fish that have special attributes and unique physical characteristics lesson 2 that make them different from other fish and help them to survive. Materials Setup: • Chart paper or white 1. Prepare paintbrushes and paint for students. board 2. Gather images of different types of sharks. • Paint • Paper • Paintbrushes program outline: • Images of different types of sharks What is a shark? • A shark is a type of fish that lives in water. • There are many types of sharks of different sizes and colors. • Show students images of different types of sharks and discuss similarities and differences. Different kinds of sharks • Show students pictures of different kinds of sharks. Discuss special features about the shark’s body that they see. • What is special about a shark’s body? - Sharks have special skeletons. While other fish have bones, a shark’s skeleton is made of cartilage, which is softer and helps them move better. o Feel the cartilage in your ear. You can bend and move your ear easily without hurting it. You can’t bend and move the hard bone in your forearm the same way. - Sharks have sharp teeth for eating. - Sharks have many gill openings on either side of their head to help them breathe underwater. Other fish only have one opening on each side. - Sharks have eyes to help them look for food. - Sharks have a snout to help them smell food. - Sharks have fins and a tail to help them swim fast. The dorsal fin (on top of the body) helps them stop and turn. 10