SEA TURTLE LIFE CYCLE - Children ages 5-8

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1 SEA TURTLE LIFE CYCLE - Children ages 5-8 Into the Sea by Brenda Z Guiberson, Henry Holt, 1996 ISBN: Tap, tap. Scritch. The tiny sea turtle is the last hatchling to break out of her leathery egg and so begins the life of the sea turtle. This beautifully illustrated book describes in great detail the sea turtle s life cycle as well as it s habitat, the food it eats and the other sea creatures that it lives among. Before the story There are many ways to introduce the topic of Sea Turtles; however, with young children, it is often helpful to begin with how it relates to their lives. Begin by reading the title of the book and get the conversation started by asking some or all of the following uestions: Has anyone here ever been to the ocean or the beach? What did you see when you were there? Did you go in the water? What did the sand, water and the bottom of the ocean feel like? Did you play in the sand or dig holes and make sand castles? Did you see any fish or crabs or other sea creatures? Has anyone ever been on a boat out in the ocean? What kinds of things did you see from the boat? What did it feel like to be on the boat? Show the children the cover of the book and ask them about the picture. Point out that the illustration is of an underwater scene and that the sea creature they are looking at is a Sea Turtle. Begin reading the story, but try not to skip showing the title page, you may want to come back to it after the story and ask the children to talk about it! During the story The first page mentions that the baby sea turtle is not much bigger than a bottle cap, if you do not have a bottle cap handy, hold up your fingers to show how small the sea turtle is when it is first born. Each page tells of an interesting fact about the sea turtle, with the children s help try to find and record a fact from each page either while you are reading or once you have finished the story. There are many other sea creatures mentioned or shown in the story, talk about what else the kids see on each page. The pictures in the story illustrate great details about the sea turtle to point out as you read, such as: the view of the turtle floating on the surface slightly camouflaged by the sunlight that is hitting the water, or the tiny pink tag on the turtle that is used by researchers, or even the tracks made in the sand when the sea turtle comes up on the beach to lay her eggs. As you read, use the illustrations to emphasize the descriptions by the author. After the story Into the Sea has so many wonderful details about the sea turtle it may be hard to retain all of them from one read through, you may want to go back after you have finished reading and take a closer look at each page. Use large chart paper to write down all the facts about sea turtles that you and the children can find. While you are going on your fact finding hunt, check out some of the books from the additional titles list. Sea Turtles are reptiles. Reptiles are cold blooded vertebrates (animals with a backbone) who breathe air. Most have scaly skin (the turtle s scales form a shell), which allow the reptiles to retain water and avoid drying out. Discuss what other creatures fit into this reptile category and find out what they do or do not have in common with the sea turtle.

2 Each species of sea turtle looks and behaves differently, but they share several common characteristics: their shells consist of an upper part (carapace) and a lower section (plastron), the ribs of all turtles are blended to their shell, making it impossible for turtles to leave their shell. Sea turtles, unlike other turtles, cannot withdraw their heads and limbs into their shell. They do however, have four paddle shaped limbs called flippers that enable them to fly through the water. They do not have teeth, but their jaws have beaks that are tailored a particular way depending on what they eat, you cannot see the sea turtle s ears when you look at them, but they have eardrums covered by skin, they hear best at low freuencies and their sense of smell is excellent. Their vision underwater is good, but they become nearsighted when they leave the water. A Day in the Life.. Make a mural of A Day in the Life of a Sea Turtle! Gather some large bulletin board butcher paper and divide it up into sections of the turtle s day. Ask the children which facts they think would be important to include in the mural and write them in next to the children s accompanying illustrations. Having the sea turtle books handy will allow the children to use them as resources for their project. What s in a name? At the very end of the book, Into the Sea, there is a page titled Fast in the Sea, Slow on the Sand that discusses the slow and steady decline of the sea turtle population and which also depicts seven different types of sea turtles. Several of the other sea turtle books on the additional titles list also provide helpful descriptions of the different species of sea turtles. Using the illustrations and the descriptions in the books, ask the children to draw the various kinds of sea turtles that still exist today. Create books or posters from the drawings featuring the endangered species or use the information from the Sea Turtle Survival League s web site to discuss how the turtle s got their names as well as many other interesting facts about the turtles. Step up to the scale! One of the neat aspects of the featured story, Into the Sea, is that it chronicles the growth of the sea turtle both in the text and in the pictures by comparing it to the size of other sea creatures. Revisit the book and use your fingers, arms and legs with the children in order to get a sense of the size of the sea turtle at each stage of its life. Have the children compare their weight (or length) to that of the various kinds of sea turtles. Bring in a scale and see how many children it takes to eual the weight of an adult size turtle. Family Involvement If you live near an auarium go on a family visit to see the fish! Depending on the size and scope of the auarium, it may or may not have sea turtles, but you can certainly get a feel for sea life and check out all the cool fish and coral. If you cannot get to an auarium, try a local pet store, although they may not have sea turtles, they will probably have small land turtles that the children can take a look at and hold. The pet store owner might be helpful in finding out what it takes to care for a turtle. Community Connection Invite a local veterinarian, conservationist or marine biologist to talk about an aspect that may be related to sea turtles, either the care of them or perhaps the preservation of their environment.

3 Additional Titles Sea Turtles by Gail Gibbons, Holiday House, 1995 ISBN: X In her usual simple and straight forward format, Gail Gibbons describes good solid information about sea turtles as well as some of the dangers to their survival. Turtles and Snails (First Discovery Books) by Gallimard Jeunesse, Scholastic Trade, 1998 ISBN: Colorful, transparent pages offer lots of interesting information about different types of turtles and snails. Look Out for Turtles by Melvin Berger, HarperCollins, 1992 ISBN: Look out for turtles, all kinds of turtles! Melvin Berger introduces the young reader to different species of turtles with fun detailed illustrations. The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet: A Book About Warm and Cold - Blooded Animals by Tracey West, Scholastic Trade, 1997 ISBN: Liz, the classroom lizard, is missing and all the children think she has been kidnapped, but Ms. Frizzle knows the truth! Instead of telling the children where Liz has gone, she lets the kids figure it out the scientific way. Follow the Moon by Sarah Weeks, HarperCollins Juvenile Books, 1995 ISBN: Bright beach front lights can easily disorient a baby sea turtle on her way to the ocean. The story by Sarah Weeks tells of a young boy who helps a little lost sea turtle back to his natural habitat. The Turtle and the Moon by Charles Turner, Penguin, 1996 ISBN: A nice story about a turtle that plays with the moon s reflection in the water, beautifully illustrated. Turtle Bay by Saviour Pirotta, Farrar, 1997 ISBN: A story of friendship between an old man and a young boy that involves the nesting of sea turtles in Japan. What Newt Could Do for Turtle by Jonathan London, Candlewick Press, 1996 ISBN: A turtle and a newt may make an unlikely pair but they become best of friends. Shy Little Turtle by Howard Goldsmith, McGraw-Hill, 1997 ISBN: X Coming out of his shell helps shy little turtle discover the world around him.

4 SEA TURTLE LIFE CYCLE - Children ages 8-12 The Boy Who Talked with Animals from The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More by Roald Dahl, Viking Press, 1988 ISBN: Roald Dahl is an incredible story teller well know for many of his stories like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and Matilda to name a few, but in this book, he shares several short stories that are a combination of fact and fiction. One of the stories, The Boy Who Talked with Animals, is about a little boy who saves a sea turtle from consumption by the local tourists of the West Indies. The boy is believed to be able to talk to animals, perhaps that is how he saved its life. Before the story Many of the children will not only be familiar with Roald Dahl s stories but will be eager to dive right in and start reading. Introduce the story as part of a collection of short stories and either read aloud to the group or have them read along as you read. Because the title does not give away the subject of sea turtles, you may not want to mention it at all. Simply start reading and address the topic using the uestions in the after the story section. During the story The narrator begins by telling the reader of his visit to Jamaica, an island in the West Indies. If the children are not familiar with the location of the island, pull out a map and point it out. Briefly discuss the climate, local population and ask if anyone in your group has ever been to the West Indies. The guests on the hotel s beach are fighting about who will get the turtle and what they will do with it, ask your readers how they feel about all the characters being described. Point out the language that Dahl uses to paint a picture of the scene and its inhabitants. (His writing seems to show a bit of disdain for the tourists.) Ask the group why they think the hotel manager agrees to sell the turtle to the little boy s father, is it for the money or is he captured by the fact that the boy can calm the turtle by talking to it? After the story There are many ways in which to begin talking about sea turtles from this story, but the first is to mention that the turtle in the story is probably a sea turtle. Explain to the children that although the story is most likely fictional, you are fairly confident that the main character is a sea turtle because of several details that were mentioned in the story. A Fact Finding Mission. Before asking the group what clues were given to make you think that it was a sea turtle, have them do a little detective work. Gather some of the books from the additional titles list and ask them to collect a few major facts about sea turtles, then call their attention to the story and ask what they think drew you to your conclusion. Migration location of the West Indies, ocean habitat, its large size, the description of thick flippers, not claws, and the mention by the author of the turtle s probable old age are a few of the details that seem to point to the fact that it is a sea turtle that s described in the story. If your group is still curious after they have done a little sleuthing, have them become scientists and find out how sea turtles are classified. Are you a believer? Older children are usually aware of the difference between reality and fantasy and have a better sense of where they are in time. Roald Dahl s story of The Boy Who Talked with Animals is an interesting place for older readers to begin discussing the subject of sea turtles because of their more advanced

5 comprehension level. However, it can also be a good opportunity for some creative writing to take place. Ask the kids to imagine that they are either the little boy or the turtle. Either on their own or in pairs, ask them to script a conversation between the two characters. What would the turtle say? What would the young boy say to the turtle? If you have a chance, have the group act out their dialogues. Family Involvement Roald Dahl has written so many fantasy filled, silly stories, some of which have been made into movies. Rent Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or James and the Giant Peach and sit with some popcorn and enjoy the adventure with the whole family! Play Sea Turtle-Pictionary! Download the game from the Sea Turtle Survival League s web site Community Connection If you live near an auarium go on a visit to see the fish! Depending on the size and scope of the auarium, it may or may not have sea turtles, but you can certainly get a feel for sea life and check out all the cool fish and coral. Write away for some additional information on sea turtles. Contact the Florida Department of Natural Resources, Division of Marine Resources, Florida Marine Research Institute, 100 Eigth Avenue, S.E., St. Petersburg, FL 33701, or try the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, 300 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133, (800) 859-SAVE. Additional Titles Honu by Marion Coste, University of Hawaii, 1994 ISBN: A good book for somewhat older readers that offers details about a green sea turtle. Sea Turtles by Jeff Ripple, Voyageur Press, 1996 ISBN: Recommended as a fantastic introduction to sea turtles, the book has amazing photographs to capture the reader. Turtles by Anita Baskin-Salzberg & Allen Salzberg, Watts Franklin, 1998 ISBN: Great photographs and clear, concise information about different types of turtles make this a great resource book for all readers. Sea Turtles by Lorraine A. Jay, Creative Publishing International, 2000 ISBN: Lorraine Jay provides the reader with the most recent research findings on sea turtles as well as a helpful index and an internet site list.