Oceans Intro & Wk 1: Dolphins

Jellies, sharks, and dolphins.....OH MY! 

Last week, we ventured to our local Aquarium for a field trip surrounded around all things ocean related. We are kicking off our two month unit of Oceans. Here student will apply math, reading, and writing skills to fun aquatic animals. We will be covering dolphins, jellyfish, seahorses, sea turtles, sharks, crabs, and many more ocean animals. 

Three of my students enjoy an underwater view of the dolphins. I just LOVE this picture! 

Students learned all about dolphins from trainers in a live FREE show. 

The week following our big trip, we dove into a week long study of dolphins. 

On Monday afternoon, we gathered both Kinder classrooms for a short time to learn together about dolphins. 

We first talked about what we already knew: Our Schema. 

We wrote these on blue post it notes and posted them on our large anchor chart. 

I did not get a picture of this anchor chart completed, hence you cannot see our 'New Learning' post-it notes. 

Next I used a powerpoint presentation to teach the students about dolphins. Download a free copy of this HERE. 

Please note: Images are from Google Images. I am not the owner of these photos, simply using them to teach children. 

Over the course of the week we enjoyed many fiction and nonfiction books about dolphins. 

My favorite was: 

This book is worded beautifully. It explains mammals, dolphin families, and basic dolphin characteristics. 

We created a dolphin diagram mid-week and students did fantastic. 

Here is a copy of the diagram HERE. 

I forgot to take a picture of the student's completed diagram, but I will on Tuesday. 

Lastly, did you know the Orca or Killer Whale is a part of the dolphin family. I learned something new this year. 

We also read about the Killer Whale and created this super cute orca from Deanna Jump's  Ocean Unit. I love their unique personalities shown through their work. 

Did you know an adult orca is a long as 8 children stretched out from head to toe? We loved seeing how big orcas really are! 

Week 2 starts next week. My teaching partner will be teaching all our students about Jellyfish next week.