Teacher Toolbox - Sea Turtles

Welcome to the Teacher Toolbox! Here you will find a broad variety of instructional resources to compliment your students' viewing of Saving a Species: Sea Turtles. Use these materials to construct lesson plans, spark discussion, and inspire your students to become active participants in preserving the world we share with wildlife.

See Sea Turtle Video Series

Reference

• Sea Turtles Infobook
• Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Infobook
• Zoological Park Careers Infobook
• NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources - Sea Turtles
• IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group

Vocabulary

• Bycatch: animals unintentionally caught during fishing operations
• Carapace: in turtles, the dorsal (top) part of the shell
• Carbuncle: the egg tooth of a sea turtle hatchling, which it uses to break out of the egg
• Dorsal: pertaining to the back or top surface of the body
• Ecosystem: a unit of plants, animals, and non-living components of an environment that interact
• Ectothermic: cold blooded. Body temperature varies with the temperature of the surrounding environment.
• Endangered: a population of organisms that is at risk of becoming extinct.
• Environment: one's surroundings
• Food web: diagram that shows the many complex interconnections of "who eats whom" in an ecosystem
• Habitat: the normal, usual, or natural place where a plant or animal lives
• Hatchling: a newly hatched sea turtle
• Invertebrate: any animal that lacks a backbone / spinal column
• Juvenile: a young animal that has not reached adult size or maturity
• Marine: related to the seas or oceans
• Plastron: the ventral (bottom) part of a turtle's shell
• Predator: an animal that eats other animals
• Prey: an animal that is eaten by another animal
• Reptile: a class of vertebrates that includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and turtles. Reptiles are cold-blooded, have scales, breath air, and most lay eggs.
• Threatened: populations of organisms that are vulnerable to extinction in the near future
• Ventral: pertaining to the underside or bottom surface

Resources

Activity Descriptions

• The Ocean and You (K-4)
• Pollution Percentages (4-8)
• Sea Turtle Dilemma (4-8)
• Bycatch Game (4-8)
• Hatching a Plot (4-8)
• Nesting Analysis (4-8)
• A Calculating Turtle Tale (6-8)
• Line Up for Recycling (6-8)

Movies & Videos

• TED ED: The Survival of the Sea Turtle
• Julie's Journey: Saving Sea Turtles in Nicaragua

Games and Worksheets

• Sea Turtle Coloring Page (K-3)
• Race to the Sea Maze (K-3)
• Food Chain Coloring Page (K-8)
• Sea Turtle Word Search (4-8)
• Scramble and Word Search (4-8)
• A-Maze-ing Sea Turtle Hatchling (4-8)

Pre & Post-Viewing Questions

Under the Shell

• Name as many kinds of sea turtles as you can. What do they all have in common?
• How are sea turtles adapted to live in the ocean? Describe some adaptations for moving through water and avoiding predators.

Against the Odds, Part 1

• Even before they hatch, sea turtles face tremendous odds against surviving to maturity. What are some of the threats they confront?
• About how many sea turtles from a single nest can be expected to survive to adulthood?

Against the Odds, Part 2

• Sea turtles travel thousands of miles from the time of hatching to when they return to land to lay their own eggs. Describe this nesting process.
• What are some challenges female sea turtle must overcome during the nesting process?

Turtles, Turtles Everywhere

• Sea turtles are cold-blooded. Describe how water temperatures affect sea turtles. What are the symptoms of a cold stunned sea turtle?
• Why is it important to help sea turtles in need?

Sea Turtle Conservation

• Sea turtles are found in oceans around the world. What are some of the challenges they face in different regions of the world?
• List ways people can help save endangered and threatened sea turtles.