Hunting Trips in the Classroom
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
GREAT WHITE SHARK
DESCRIPTION
Type: Fish
Group Name: School or shoal
Weight: 5,000+ lbs. or more
Length: 15 -20+ feet
Color: Grey on top and white underneath
Intelligence: Yes, they are intelligent.
Body: Torpedo shaped
Tail: Long and powerful
Mouth: Has 300 serrated, teeth that are in the shape of a triangle.
Nose: They do have a nose, but it’s to track blood, not for breathing.
Gills: Used for breathing
Texture: Scales which are rough like sandpaper
Moves: Swims with its tale propelling them at approximately 15 mph.
Fins: They have 6 fins (first dorsal, second dorsal, caudal, anal, pelvic and pectoral)
Smells: Remarkable sense of smell.
Hearing: They can hear, but it is not considered an important sense.
Sight: They can see, but it is not considered an important sense.
Lifespan: 30 – 100 years
HABITAT
Found: All over the world, except for Antarctica
Terrain: Oceans and seas
Climate: Warmer waters.
Sleep: Fish do not sleep like humans. They have, what are called, active and inactive periods. They may stay motionless or they may keep moving, it depends on the fish and how its breathing is affected.
Other Animals: Manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales
PREDATORS
Other than humans, sharks really aren’t afraid of anything. It is a misunderstanding that sharks are afraid of dolphins. Dolphins will fight a shark and even kill it to protect their young, but other than that, they live very peacefully in the waters together.
DIET
Carnivore (Meat eater)
Great Whites are known to be the biggest predator on earth, as far as fish are concerned. They will eat sea turtles, sea lions, seals and carrion (dead animals). There are times that you can see a shark attack its prey from underneath it. Sharks have also known to breach, which means that they are moving so fast that they come out of the water to get its prey.
BABIES
Females will migrate to warmer waters in order to give birth to their babies, during the fall season. They are considered ovoviviparous, which means the eggs develop inside the mom until they are born. The pups have very strong jaws within the first month after birth. The stronger pups will eat the weaker pups. They are usually born in the spring and summer months. They are on their own from birth
INTERESTING FACTS
- “Great whites can detect one drop of blood in 25 gal (100 L) of water and can sense even tiny amounts of blood in the water up to 3 mi (5 km) away.” (National Geographic.com)
- "They get their name from their universally white underbellies.” (National Geographic.com)
GREAT WHITE SHARK HUNT
This hunt is going to take place in Crete Island, Greece (Europe). All information and statistics come, verbatim, from the World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency) website in September 2010:
Continent: Europe
Conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
Conventional short form: Greece
Population: 10,737,428 (July 2010 est)
Capital City: Athens
Languages: Greek 99%, other 1% includes English and French
Currency: Euro
Geographic coordinates: 39° 00’ S, 22° 00’ E
Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the
Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey.
Students close their eyes and explain what Crete Island looks like:
We are going to Crete Island during the month of August where the normal temperature is 88º, sunny and warm. Look around this beautiful island which is 155 miles long. There are caves, cliffs, beautiful blue waters and beaches. Listen carefully and you can hear the water lapping onto the beach.
Students open their eyes and the hunt begins
Let’s go on a Great White Shark Hunt….Ready?....Let’s make sure we have everything we need.
Boogie board? Check
Camera Check
Sunscreen on? Check
Ok….I am ready to go….
KICK…. STOP….Oh no….forgot something else….got to go back and kiss my mom….
KICK…. KISS….Alright….I’m sure I’ve got….everything now….let’s go….
KICK…. STOP….Look over there…..I see some Monk seals….I can tell….because they look like torpedoes….you know….like those BIG….HUGE….bullets that come….from submarines…..but with big eyes….let’s get closer
KICK…. Wow! look at them roll around….let’s roll like they are….
ROLL ….STOP….this one looks curious….Let’s see if it will let us pet it….
PET…. Oohh….it’s soft and fluffy….like a cat….
LAUGH….This seal just rubbed its whiskers against me….Let’s take a picture….
CLICK….Hey….where are the seals going?....Let’s follow them.
KICK…. STOP….What’s happening?....The seals are swimming back toward us…..fast….Wait a minute….what’s that big thing coming out of the water?....Did you see those teeth?....Oh my word….those teeth….belong to….a Great White Shark….yikes….let’s get out of here…..FAST!!
To end the hunt, lead the students, in repeating the movements that are highlighted backward and without talking – must be done quickly as if they’re afraid they will be caught.
Last thing – end safely back at start and give mom a BIG KISS.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Are you ready to go on a HUNT? I hope so! These hunts are a lot of fun, and they are educational. By spending fifteen to twenty minutes, you and your students will be able to do the following:
- Learn about animals, including their descriptions, habitats, predators, diets, and babies.
- Learn interesting facts about things, including geographical terrain and climate.
- Touch on several subjects and skill sets, such as social studies, literacy, visualization, Bi-Lingual (foreign languages), and more.
- Understand how you can apply classroom management to your classroom using the hunts for positive classroom behavior.
- See how the Texas state testing module is aligned to the hunts.
There are sixteen hunts ready for your classroom. Enjoy them!
HAPPY HUNTING!
Deborah A. Johnston
About the Author
Deborah A. Johnston has served in the education system for over eight years. Her passion is working in the special education department with elementary students. She enjoys looking for unique ways to teach children the skills they need, which led her to creating the Hunting Trips in the Classroom teacher’s manual.