Sea Horses
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                                Qcc Standards                             
Grade Levels: 
Kindergarten - First Grade
Grade: Kindergarten 
Subject: Life Science
Topic: Living Things & The Living Wor ld
Standard: Recognizes basic need of most living things. 

Grade Levels: 
Second  Grade - Third Grade

Grade:Third
Topic: The Living World & Living Things
Standard: Recognizes and describes basic life processes,
 such as reproducing




Dive deeper for some interesting websites about Seahorses

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Click here to find many interesting "secrets about the seahorse"
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Hey! Click on me and we'll take a swim to find some cool coloring pages!





For all you older kids, visit this site for facts about seahorses




  Dive down under in  Austraila to discover how special the seahorse is!






                                           
Take a trip with Little Seahorse to find coloring pages you can color together!







                                                          
Come, go with Dilly the Dolphin and you are sure to find more seahorses!












                Olley the Octopus  knows this place by heart,
                                            he will show you where to find those seahorse friends of his!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
                            
                                                        


                                                                            
Visit the Columbus Zoo for some interesting facts about seahorses and other animals.








Wow! Seahorses!
The purpose for this lesson is to introduce students to a new animal, the seahorse,
while integrating technology, literature, and original art.

 
 Grade: Kindergarten  
 Subject: Language Arts / Oral communication
 Topic: Listening / Speaking 
Standard: Follows one and two part oral directions. 
 
                                                  
                                                    
           
              Lesson 1            
This lesson uses the webpage titled: Seahorses for Kids
This page creates a fun science unit for kindergarten students
(To view the webpage click on the fish above, they'll take you there)

Procedure

Introduction:
- Today we are going to learn about Seahorses.
          - Can anyone tell me what a seahorse is?
     - Does anyone know where they live?

Step one:
a.) Ask students to go to their assigned computers
(hint: have webpage already up before students get to computers)
b.) Read page aloud to students
c.) Allow for response then ask students to click on the purple sentence and read it to them
d.) Go over each section thoroughly
- IS  IT REALLY A SEAHORSE?
- A SEAHORSE'S BODY PARTS
(Print off copies of this seahorse and ask students to label the body parts at the end of the lesson)
- A SEAHORSE'S SIZE
- SEAHORSE DADS
- SEAHORSE SURVIVAL
(Print off copies of the last section MY SEAHORSE and allow students to draw their own seahorse and answer some questions)
~ Allow for questions ~

Step two:
a.) Read Mr. Seahorse (story)
b.) Discuss the differences between Mr. Seahorse in the story and the real seahorses we looked at on the webpage
                b.) Have poster of seahorse up and labels ready.
                c.) Review seahorse body parts while allowing students to come up and place labels
                d.) Pass out sheet from webpage A SEAHORSE'S BODY PARTS and  ask students to label
(they may color seahorse if time allows)
e.) Ask students to make sure their seahorse is labeled correctly and looks like your example.
~ Allow for questions ~

Step three:
 a.) Pass MY SEAHORSE sheet out
b.)  Ask students to draw their own  seahorse (allow time)
c.) Read aloud questions at bottom of sheet
d.) allow time for students to answer
e.) Review answers
~ Allow for questions ~
 

Students Will:
Learn four basic body parts of the seahorse
Compare and contrast a real seahorse and a fake seahorse
Make comparisons of the size of the three species
Create their own seahorse and identify important fact of the seahorse


Assessment:
Students will be able to ( independently) label four basic body parts of seahorse
Students will be able to answer questions from the story
Students will able to answer questions about material given from webpage
(From MY SEAHORSE sheet, teacher will get an idea of how much students have learned)





Under Water Super Dads!
The purpose for this lesson is to introduce students to a new concept
of reproduction while integrating technology


Grade:Third
Subject: Language Arts / Oral communication
 Topic: Listening /Speaking
Standard: Follows multiple oral directions.


  Lesson  2
This lesson uses the webpage titled: Father Knows Best
This page creates an interesting look at the seahorse father and his unique characteristic of birthing
(Click seahorse above to view webpage)

Procedure

Introduction:
Today we are going to learn about reproduction
but not just the usual, when Mommies give birth,
we'r e going to learn about Daddies that give birth!
Seahorse Daddies

Step one:
a.) Ask students to go to assigned computers
(hint: have webpage already up before students get to computers)
b.) Introduce key vocabulary (embryo, incubation, life cycle, pouch)

Step two:
a.) Ask student to read the first page aloud and discuss
(go on to next page)
b.) Ask another student to read second page aloud
c.) Tell students to click on the other three links below and read them carefully
(go on to next page)

Step three:
a.) Ask students to answer the questions on this page
b.) Tell students to be sure they check their answers at the end
c.) Ask students to go to next page and complete the writing assignment
(Allow students to go back and explore other parts of the site again if time allows)

Students Will:
Use vocabulary related to the seahorse
Learn about the seahorse's life cycle
Write an information card about the seahorse's life cycle

Assessment:
Students will be able to describe the life cycle of a seahorse
Choose facts that are suited to purpose
Make connections (verbally) during discussion
(From the information card sheet the teacher will get an idea of how much students have learned)




Software Reviews

  

         

Title of software program: Stationary Studio (SuperKids Software)
Published by: Knowledge Share
The purpose: To encourage and support students' writing skills.
 Problems: None, everything was self explanatory and the program was easy to use.

Stationery Studio is a unique tool that allows teachers and students to create and print themed writing papers and templates for reports, letters, shape books and creative writing projects. The program is designed to support the typical classroom where access to computers is limited, and most writing projects and test taking are done by hand. Created to encourage students doing handwritten projects, Stationery Studio is not meant to replace word processing programs. The program does include basic text so that teachers can make story starters and handwriting practice sheets.

Evaluate: I like this program, personally it makes a difference to me when a writing project is enhanced in some way.This  makes it more interesting and creative. This will attract student attention and may even allow them to be  more imaginative while writing. I really wish we had a program like this when I was in school.




Title of software program: Data Management and Probability K- 3  (Gamco)
Published by: Siboney Corporation
The purpose:To liven up learning which includes highly interactive, graphic tutorials and age-appropriate activities to help students understand key concepts in math
Problems: None, the program was very thorough and the illustrations were wonderful.

Gamco allows eager students enter an engaging toyland filled with over 100 activities.  Each of the developmentally appropriate activities guides and assesses student understanding and mastery of key math concepts. This mix of highly animated environments, problem-solving activities, voice-driven help, time-on-task learning, teacher management, and complete teacher support materials is sure to be a winner in your classroom.

Evaluate: I really like this program, it allows students to explore with Fibonacci bear. It also has a teacher support system that allows teachers to track progress and that's a really nice feature. I also like the illustrations, they are lively and I'm sure children  in any grade will love this software.
               


Title of software program: Science Court
Published by: Tom Snyder Productions
The purpose: To Introduce core science concepts and model good scientific practice
Problems: None, It was simple to operate the program and had very elaborate colors

Science Court is a program that keeps students' attention. As each case unfolds, students examine the facts and perform hands-on experiments to help them predict the verdict. By discussing their findings in groups and as a class, students are able to articulate and comprehend challenging science topics.

Evaluate: This program is perfect for students grades 4-6. It allows each students to have an important view with important information to share with the group. I think they will love performing the experiments and using the program to predict the outcomes. This is a great program that will benefit students a great deal.



Student Evaluations:
What is your favorite part of the lesson?
"I really love your seahorses Ms. Dowling!"
"The bubbles are my favorite part!"
"Look at those dancing men, they are my favorite!"
"I like seahorses and dolphins!"
What is the most interesting thing  you learned?
"My favorite thing I learned was about the daddy seahorse."
"The daddy seahorses have the babies!"
"The mommies  don't have the babies."
"Seahorses look like reall horses a little."
Which Seahorse lesson was your favorite?
"My favorite lesson was number one."
"Number two!"
"The one about the daddies."
"The colorful one!"

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