What has fifty football field-long tentacles, pink, glows, and lives in the ocean? It’s a . . . siphonophore! One of the largest, unique, interesting creatures in the sea. One of many extraordinary animals we will be learning about in our Oceanography science unit.
We wondered why we study Oceanography so we had a conversation with Mr. Keohane, our science teacher. He explained that oceans are important to all life on Earth. Oceans need to be protected because they are a valuable resource for life.
“Ooh! It’s so scary!” and “Look at this … it’s the craziest creature you have ever seen!” Are exclamations Mr. Keohane hears while his students begin researching their sea creature science project. Students are amazed by the adaptations made by the creatures from the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean.
We were curious to know how long Mr. Keohane has been teaching Oceanography and if the unit was assigned. He shared with us that he has been teaching Oceanography for 5 years and that he inherited the unit from the teacher for whom he took over. When he taught 3rd grade, the science topic was the Solar System. We were interested to know, if he could pick any science unit, what would it be. He stated he would like to teach engineering because he loves to build things. But he also loves Oceanography, too.
Do you have a favorite creature which relies on the ocean for its survival?
We got to choose and research our favorite creature that depends on the ocean. From Clownfish to Manatees, Mr. Keohane let each student use a number-assigned laptop and let us research our wonderful animals along with their habitats, adaptations, and other fun facts. Then the students would go and type their reports using the information they gathered from various websites about predators, how humans impact the creatures life, diet, and the effects of climate change. It was a blast to learn all about the incredible creatures which do live in and/or rely on the sea!
Reported by: Katana, Olivia, Cyrus, and Zach
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What great photos to compliment your article! I loved learning about who, what, where and why you all are learning about oceanography! Great collaborative work and fun to read!
What great research and reporting ! I learned a lot about oceanography from your article. It was well written and easy to read!
Hi Katana, Olivia, Cyrus, and Zach
I love this unit too! There is so much to learn about the ocean and its animals.
Your post had a great introduction and excellent details. Well done!
Great reportage. Beautiful photos. Nice to see the kids working together. Congratulations!
We loved the photos that you used and the descriptive words. The quotes really made us feel like we were actually in the classroom. Great job!