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.
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
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.