NEPTUNE Canada

Exploring the Ocean (Grade 3)

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Learning Objective(s)

To understand how life changes as we go deeper below the ocean.

Introduction

Introduce the three distinct zones of the ocean: the sunlight zone (euphotic), the twilight zone (dysphotic) and the midnight zone (aphotic). Tell students that different animals live in different zones of the ocean, for example phytoplankton live in the sunlight zone because it needs the sun to survive, dolphins and sharks are in the twilight zone but can move between the sunlight and the twilight zones. Lobsters and oysters are in the midnight zone because they can survive without light.

Materials

Activity

• Explain to students that they are an exploring SCUBA diver.
  
• What will you see as you descend below the sea?
  
• Ask students to research at school using the NEPTUNE website to discover the various animals and creatures that live below the sea. Keep a journal of your findings from the internet.
  
• Ask students to write a story about the adventures they might have as a SCUBA diver diving below the water. What does he/she see? Can you incorporate the idea of food chains into your story? Give an example “I saw a killer whale eating a seal”
  
• Explain that credit will be given to those students who can incorporate specific animals at specific depths into their stories.

Extension

• Have students end their story with a picture dividing the three different zones and in each zone have two examples of what type of animals or creatures may be found there (If the animal migrates between two zones, points may be awarded for either zone or if they have shown awareness of it being between the two zones).

Assessment

• Do students correctly position the creatures?
  
• Are they in the right order of the food chain?

Related Website

Tags

sunlight zone, euphotic, twilight zone, dysphotic, midnight zone, aphotic, phytoplankton, dolphins, sharks, lobsters, oysters, creatures, a killer whale, a seal, zooplankton, jellyfish, eels, squid, starfish, smails, veperfish, giant squid