Diving In Deep!!!

Well, now that we are finally wrapping up on our Habitats Unit, let me share with you our Ocean Exploration Adventure that lasted ALOT longer than expected, but we learned alot and got to make alot of fun projects!  Get those googles and snorkels, because we are diving in!!! :)

We opened up the Ocean Unit with doing a KWL chart.  A KWL chart is a three-column chart, with three different areas.

K = What you already know

Some things we knew about the ocean:  The water is salty, there are lots of different sharks, there are coral reefs, and many, many more!

W = What you want to learn

Some things we wanted to learn about the ocean:  Are there different layers like the rainforest?  How many types of sharks are there?  How many types of fish are there?  And many, many more! :)

L = What you learned

Some things we learned....well, keep reading and you will find out!

The first thing I had the students dive in and study was the different layers of the ocean!  Did you know there were layers in the ocean....because I didn't, and I definitely learned the ins and outs of the different layers throughout this ocean unit!   Keep reading to find out the different layers, and to see which animals live in what layers! :)

Ocean Zones: (Starting from the surface)

Sunlit, Twilight, Midnight

And...the student's creations!!! SO CUTE! :)

The second thing I had the students dive in and study was ocean animals and the facts about them.  In groups of three, I had the students research a specific ocean animal on the laptops through a WebQuest that I found on-line.  After researching their animal and taking notes on specific areas that I wanted them to research, they then had to seperate from their group and write their own animal research report.  After writing their rough draft, I conferenced with them to help them correct their writing, spelling, etc.  After making corrections, I then let the students type their writing onto a Microsoft Word document so they could get that exposure to technology as well as create their final draft for their animal research project.  After completing their writing....and because of all their HARD WORK, I had to reward them by letting them make their ocean animal out of construction paper ONLY!  :)  Their ocean animal creations came out absolutely ADORABLE and I was so proud of them! :)  They are so creative!

First Step:  Researching the facts!

Second Step:  Writing those sentences! :)

 Third Step:  Be CREATIVE! :)

The third and final thing I had the students dive in and study was scuba divers and what scuba divers do in the ocean!  We had a short lesson about scuba divers and then we created our OWN scuba divers by using construction paper, a scuba diver mask template, and plastic baggies for their masks! :) The kids LOVED this!  After making their scuba diver, they had to do a quick writing to show what scuba divers might see in their scuba diving adventure and it gave them a way to connect their picture to their writing!

I had to include three of these because they are THAT cute! :) 

Overall, the ocean unit was such a fun unit to teach because there is SO MUCH you could do within the unit.  I absolutely loved teaching this unit and could have taught it for so much longer....but I only have so many days with these kiddos and a whole lot more curriculum to teach!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the Diving Deep adventure, learning new things as well as enjoying my students' creativity that I am blessed to be around everyday!  I truly love my career, even if I do get worn out sometimes (aka: right now!)  :)

Thank you all for listening and until next time, stay safe. <3