Nicholas R. Perrone
Lesson Details
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Time/Duration: 45min./1-2 Days
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Curriculum Focus: Technology/Science
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Topic: Sea turtle migration with magnetism
Lesson Summary
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Prior to this lesson, students should learn methods of mapping out a room including drawing paper maps with objects placed in appropriate locations and the use of computer drawing programs to create similar maps.
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In this lesson, students will wear blindfolds while partners lead them around a room to feel the placement of furniture to create a mental map. They will then attempt to draw out these mental maps using a computer drawing program. A comparison will later be made about sea turtle's ability to draw mental maps using only their magnetic senses of the earth's magnetic field.
Objectives: "Students Will Be Able To…" (SWBAT)
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SWBAT use a computer drawing program to create room layout maps
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SWBAT use technology to locate, evaluate and collect information from a variety of sources (adapted from the CT Computer Technology Competency Standards for Students) - the students will use Britannica Encyclopedia Online as well as kid-friendly search engines to research more information about sea turtles and their navigational skills
Materials
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Blindfolds/Handkerchiefs (one per student)
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Computer with projector
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Desktop computer w/ Internet access for each student
Motivation/Engagement
Imagine wandering from your doorstep here in New Haven, CT and traveling all the way to New Orleans, LA, a total distance of 1387 miles. And after a few months of eating at a series of excellent restaurants, you are then told to walk home. Could you find your way?
A certain group of green turtles feed off the coast of Brazil where they eat for many months, and every two or three years, swim directly to Ascension Island, 1400 miles away in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, to lay their eggs (Maier 1970). The turtles do not have any landmarks to guide them, no GPS navigation systems purchased from the local electronics store, and certainly no road signs; so how do they do it?
Instructional Input/Explanation
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Pair each student up with a partner; give each pair a blindfold; have one partner blindfold the other. Instruct the seeing partner to make sure the blindfolded partner is safe at all times.
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Have seeing partners lead the blindfolded ones into another room and have them walk them to the furniture pieces and feel them with their hands; OPTIONAL: allow blindfolded participants to navigate their way back to a certain area (carefully). At the end, the seeing partners should walk the blindfolded partners back into the original room.
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Take the blindfolds off and have blindfolded partners attempt to draw maps of the room they explored using a computer drawing program with which the students are familiar; seeing partners should log on to http://www.meandmephoto.com/Extras/UWPuzzle/PuzClTurt.html and complete the online sea turtle jigsaw puzzle while their partner works on the map
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If time permits, switch the roles and lead blindfolded participants into a different room.
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Review the maps drawn and compare them to the actual room layout (this should be prepared by the teacher and should show an accurate representation of the room's layout)
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Have students answer the journal question: Who is a better navigator: you or a sea turtle? Explain your answer with details from your research.
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Explain that sea turtles use many senses to navigate from one area of the ocean to another, but magnetism is their most important sense. Ask students to search for information on sea turtle migration using a kid-friendly search engine. This information should lead the class to websites that explain how sea turtles use magnetism to create mental maps of their location allowing them to migrate over thousands of miles.
Guided Practice/Exploration
Whole Group
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Discuss sea turtle's amazing ability to navigate and migrate using magnetism
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Debrief various examples of room maps - compare and contrast these examples
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Individual/Small Group
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Blindfold activity
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Mapping activity on computers or paper
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Research information on sea turtle navigation
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Assessment/Evaluation
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Student room maps printed from computers should showcase their ability to
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create and manipulate objects using a computer drawing program
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Journal responses on the back of the classroom maps
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Closure/Conclusion
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Students will state their most amazing discovery from their research or from class to a person sitting next to them.
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Extension/Enhancement
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The students will continue researching sea turtle navigation and its use of magnetism in its brain. The presence of magnetite in a sea turtle's brain will also be covered. A lesson with magnets will help emphasize their conceptual understanding of magnetism.
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