Sea Creatures: Across The Curriculum

Sea Creatures
Across the Curriculum
R I D G E S
B O UT
BR E A K
Excerpts From Bridges in Mathematics
©2001, The Math Learning Center
Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum
A Math Learning Center Publication
by Donna Burk & Allyn Snider

illustrated by Tyson Smith
Bridges Breakout Units

Bugs Across the Curriculum
Crossing the Pond: A Probability Game
Exploring Money: Adding, Counting, Sorting and Patterning
Exploring Time: Hours, Minutes and Paper Clocks
Frogs Across the Curriculum
Geometry: Pattern Blocks, Polydrons and Paper Quilts (Grade 1)
Geometry: Shapes, Symmetry, Area and Number (Grade 2)
Math Buckets: Sorting and Patterning
Math with a Sock: Probability and Fractions
My Little Farm: Money, Place Value and Mapping
Penguins: Measuring, Sorting, Computation and More
P0201
Copyright © 2001 by The Math Learning Center, PO Box 12929, Salem, Oregon 97309.
Tel. 800-575–8130. All rights reserved.
The Math Learning Center grants permission to classroom teachers to reproduce blackline
masters in appropriate quantities for their classroom use.
This project was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation. Opinions expressed
are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.
Prepared for publication on Macintosh Desktop Publishing system.

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Science, Literacy, Art, Social Studies & More Math Activities 1
What Do You Know? What Do You Wonder? 1
Live Visitors: A Hermit Crab 2
Eyes-On Experiences: Picture Walks 3
Eyes-On Experiences: Labeled Diagrams 3
Minds-On Experiences: Songs, Poems & Books 4
Retelling a Story: A Four-Part Chart 5
Guided Writing 6
Interactive Writing 6
Independent Writing 6
Pocket Chart Poetry 7
A Graphic Organizer: Likenesses & Differences 8
Good Books About Sea Animals 9
Blackline Masters
Crab Poem 1
Sea Star Poem 2
Lobster Song 3
Whale Song 4
Crab Top View 5
Crab Bottom View 6
Crab/Sea Star 7
Lobster/Whale 8
Seals pocket chart poem 9
Shark pocket chart poem 12
Whales pocket chart poem 15
Bridges Breakouts

These integrated activities are intended to enhance your use of the bucket of
sea creatures, and may also be used as part of a larger unit on sea life.
Manipulatives and materials included in the breakout are listed below.
You’ll need Deluxe Breakout includes

H optional materials are listed in the H bucket of sea creatures
text H Sea Creatures poems and songs*
*also included in Economy Breakout

INTEGRATED THEMES
Science, Literacy, Art, Social Studies & More Math

Activities
Overview
Because young children engage eagerly
when things are framed in a context
that is familiar and intriguing, we use
sea animals as a vehicle for teaching
sorting, patterning, graphing, counting,
and computation. The study of these
sea animals is a fascinating topic in its
own right, and you might choose to
make it an integral part of your curricu-
lum. What follows is a collection of
ideas we’ve used in our own classrooms
to extend learning about sea creatures.
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What Do You Know? What Do You Wonder?

We open any new study by finding out what our children already know about
the topic. There is rarely a school year that we don’t have a student who is
quite knowledgeable about one or another of these animals. Since many chil-
dren have watched nature programs on television, nearly all of them know
something about these creatures, even if they live far from any ocean. It’s im-
portant to acknowledge the things your students have learned by asking them
what they already know. You might enter their ideas on a large class chart.
What do you
What do you
already know
already know
about sea stars?
about crabs?
They live by the ocean.
Crabs live in the ocean. Sometimes they’re on rocks.
Crabs have pinchers. Lots of people call them starfish.
They have hard shells. Dead sea stars feel all bumpy.
They have lots of legs. You can see them at the aquarium.
They walk sideways. They’re pretty colors.
Some people eat crabs. Some are bright red or orange.
Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts • 1

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)
Sometimes we make a chart of questions ahead and ask our children if they
know any of the answers. (If they give us incorrect information, it can always
be corrected later.) Questions that can’t be answered provide a focus for fu-
ture investigation.
Sharks
What do they look like?
Where do they live?
How do they breathe?
What do they eat?
Why do they keep swimming?
How do they have babies?
Students’ answers often generate new questions. As these come up, we turn
them into “question bubbles” and post them. We then review these questions
with the group prior to reading books, watching videos, or looking at pictures
that have to do with sharks. In this way, we can alert our students to listen
and watch for information that will answer some of their questions.
Are there
different kinds
of sharks? Do they have
noses?
Can they see How big can

far away? sharks get?
ha Do t
ve hey
ea
rs?
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Live Visitors A Hermit Crab

Teachers tell us that hermit crabs make good classroom pets. You might want
to investigate that possibility if you enjoy having animals in your classroom.
Be sure to read Eric Carle’s A House for Hermit Crab even if you don’t want a
live creature in your classroom.
2 • Bridges Breakouts Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center


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Eyes-On Experiences Picture Walks

We like to set up picture walks in our classrooms. These walks provide oppor-
tunities to learn about a particular topic by studying illustrations and photo-
graphs. In order to set up a picture walk, we lay out a large photograph or
two at each table and set up clotheslines of pictures tied across a couple of ar-
eas of the room. We’ve used calendars that feature large, beautifully colored
photos of whales. (We usually wait until after the new year to find these cal-
endars on sale, and have been able to build up good photo collections over a
couple of years.) We’ve also scanned pictures from books about these animals
or set out the books themselves, clipped or banded to display particular pages.
Once we’ve set things up, we assign children to small groups or partners, and
ask them to examine the pictures and find out as much as they can. We start
a formal rotation in the beginning, but as interest wanes, we encourage ev-
eryone to be sure they’ve seen every picture. We occasionally ask for parent
volunteers or fifth or sixth grade volunteers to come in and serve as a scribes
to record children’s observations. We seat the scribes at a few key areas. As
each new group comes to a picture, they first examine the picture and talk to
one another about what they notice. Then the scribe reads the chart for that
picture to them and asks if they’d like to add anything. You’ll need to con-
sider the maturity of your group in terms of whether or not to use scribes. At
locations where there are no scribes, we trust children’s observations and
conversation to carry the day. We often go back to a set of pictures a second
and third day and elicit discussion.
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Eyes-On Experiences Labeled Diagrams

Sometimes we create pictorials or labeled diagrams with student help. Use
your overhead projector to make an outline of the drawings (see Blacklines
5–6). Show children the enlarged crab picture and ask if they can label some
of its body parts. Are there other things they want to include on the pictorial

such as special features or facts that intrigue them? They love the idea that
sea stars can grow new arms and that they spit out their stomachs to digest
their food. They try hard to imagine how those tube feet work to propel sea
stars through the water. Their fascination with crab eyes on stalks that can
turn around makes them wish their eyes would do that, and they often try
walking sideways on all fours pretending to be crabs.
cheliped mouth parts cheliped antenna

(pincer) eye
stomach mouth antennule
eyestalk
testes
gills
carapace
heart
intestine
abdomen
cartilage
hepatopancreas
swimming leg
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Minds-On Experiences Songs, Poems & Books

Books and videos, both fiction and nonfiction, add yet another dimension to
any study. There have been many excellent sea animals books published for
young children over the past few years. The best of them are simply written
and beautifully illustrated with full-color photos. We’ve included a list of our
current favorites on pages 9. You may find some of these in your school li-
brary or in the public library, along with others we haven’t listed. Many of
the most recent publications can also be ordered through Web booksellers. If
your school has a Reading Rainbow video collection, look for Seashore Sur-
prises and Humphrey the Lost Whale, A True Story.
Having lived through the frustration of not being able to find (or afford) good
factual books for our students, we’ve also included fact filled songs and po-
ems. You’ll find some printed on 11″ × 17″ sheets, which can either be bound
to make big books, or backed with construction or butcher paper to make
wall charts. You’ll find other poems on Blacklines 1–4.
These songs and poems pack a lot of data into small packages, are easy to
come back to several days in a row, and won’t go out of print. They do triple
duty in our classrooms, setting foundations for children to approach some of
the math lessons with greater depth and investment, teaching science con-
tent and research skills, and providing yet another source of literacy learning.

Seals & Sea Lions

(to the tune of “Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star”)
Seals and sea lions in the sea

Eating fish, sea birds, and squid.
They have sharp teeth but cannot chew,
Some have ears but not all do.
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Retelling a Story A Four-Part Chart

After a favorite story, fold a length of butcher paper into four sections and write
questions similar to the ones shown on the chart. What do children remem-
ber about the story? Make some simple drawings as they retell the story. Go
back to the drawings and add phrases or sentences that summarize the things
they remember. Ask students to help spell some of the words as you write.
Humphrey, San Francisco, He got mixed up and People tried to scare

Humpback California then left the ocean him by clanging pipes.
whale to swim up a river They played sounds
and he got kind of of whales eating. He
stuck.. finally swam back
to the ocean.
What was How was the

Who? Where? problem solved?
the problem?
Chart shown generated by a San Jose kindergarten class a day after

their teacher read Humphrey The Lost Whale, A True Story .


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Guided Writing
Once you’ve launched any sort of animal study, you’ll find children reporting
something new nearly every day. Perhaps some families made a trip to the
public library or children watched a nature program on television. If you live
near a coastal area, there may be some local news about whale watching or
shark sightings. If your children are sharing news in class, you might create a
news chart occasionally. Is there a large aquarium nearby that you might en-
courage families to visit? Children would definitely have some things to re-
port if that’s a possibility.
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Interactive Writing
If your class has discovered some interesting information, you might do a bit
of interactive writing, in which the children themselves share the pen and
act as scribes. In this sort of lesson, the group and the teacher help with the
ideas and spelling as students (and the teacher) take turns writing the words.
This works particularly well when children are excited about the topic and
the amount of writing is held to a single sentence. Be sure to post these very
short pieces of class writing beside a question that has been answered or be-
side the picture or book from which the information came.
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Independent Writing
We have found it useful to create a word bank to help support students’ ef-
forts at creating booklets and journal pages. These are most effective when
the words are brainstormed with the children. We ask for their help in spell-
ing. Many of our children utilize these charts for their own writing.

Who What are they doing? Where
whales swimming underwater

singing in the sea
diving in the air
breathing
blowing
leaping
splashing
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Pocket Chart Poetry

You’ll need
H Seals, Sharks, and Whales pocket
chart poems (Blacklines 9–17, run on
cardstock and cut apart)
H pocket chart
Many young children delight in simple poems that communicate and teach
in whimsical ways. We’ve included blacklines to help you produce the three
poems, and we certainly encourage you to create others. If you can find or
draw pictures to match, all the better. Once children are familiar with these
poems, they love mixing the words up, one line at a time, reading it the
mixed-up way, and then trying to fix it.
Whales
Swimming, diving,
Rising for air,
Rolling, rocking,
We’re glad you’re there.
In our own classrooms, we choose one poem at a time to display for several
days, getting all the learning mileage out of it that we can. As interest fades,
we replace it with another. The possibilities for teaching beginning reading

strategies with these poems are endless as children search for words that
rhyme or words that start or end with a particular letter or cluster, or even lo-
cate a word the teacher has named.
Words to Other Pocket Chart Poems

Seals Shark
Zooming through water Baby shark in a mermaid purse,
Searching for food, Eat the yolk to grow,
Resting on rocks. Chew your way out after a year,
Does the sun feel good? Now it’s time to go.
Some groups of students will also enjoy coming up with a poem of their own
about one of the sea creatures they’ve been studying.
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A Graphic Organizer Likenesses & Differences

If your children are excited about the new facts they’re learning and if some
students are beginning to read, a graphic organizer is a great way to compare
and contrast these sea creatures. To create a graphic organizer, take a large
sheet of butcher paper and fold it into columns. Label it with simple questions
to create a chart similar to the one shown below. The information in the boxes
will come from your students as they collect facts about each of these sea ani-
mals. Don’t try to have them enter too much information on the chart in one
day. It’s important to keep interest high, and shorter sessions seem to work best.
What? Where do they live? What do they eat? Special Features
sharks fish They are fish.

in the water
seals They are cold blooded.
They swim so they don’t sink.
seals and in the water fish They have fur.

sea lions on rocks octopus They are warm blooded.
on ice squid They have flippers.
birds They are mammals.
They come up for air.
whale in the water fish and large animals They are mammals.
krill They are warm blooded.
They come up for air.
The possibilities for teaching across the curriculum are endless. We hope
you’ll find that your students engage eagerly in the things you try.


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Good Books About Sea Animals

Whales
• Archambault, John. The Birth of a Whale. Parsippany, NJ: Silver Press,
Simon & Shuster, 1996.
• The Cousteau Society. Whales. New York, NY: Little Simon, 1993.
• Esbensen, Barbara J. Baby Whales Drink Milk. New York, NY: Harper
Collins Publishers, Inc., 1994.
• Gibbons, Gail. Whales. New York, NY: Holiday House, 1991.
• Golden Books. Whales. New York, NY: Golden Books Publishing Company,
Inc., 1999.
• Hodge, Judith. Animals of the Oceans, Whales. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s
Educational Series, Inc., 1997.
• Jeunesse; Delafosse; Fuhr and Sautai. Whales, A First Discovery Book. New
York, NY: Scholastic, 1993.
• London, Jonathan. Baby Whale’s Journey. San Francisco, CA: Chronical
Books, 1999.
• Ryder, Joanne. Winter Whale. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company,
Inc., 1991.
• Tokuda, Wendy and Richard Hall. Humphrey The Lost Whale, A True Story.
Torrance, CA: Heian International, Inc., 1992.
Seals & Sea Lions
• Catala, Ellen. Seals. New York, NY: McClanahan Book Company, Inc., 2000.
• The Cousteau Society. Seals. New York, N.: Little Simon, 1992.
• Hodge, Judith. Animals of the Oceans, Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses.
Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1999.
• National Wildlife Federation, June 2000, Ranger Rick. “Fin Footed, Furry,
and Fun!
Sharks
• Brocker, Susan. Animals of the Oceans, Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educa-
tional Series, Inc., 1997.
• Gibbons, Gail. Sharks. New York, NY: Holiday House, 1992.
General Sea Creature Resource
• Toft, Michelle and Allan Sheather. One Less Fish. Watertown, MA:
Charlesbridge Publishing, 1998.

Blackline 1
Crab Poem European Shore Crab
Under the water,

Deep down in the sand,
Dwell ten-legged creatures
With features quite grand! carapace eye
cheliped
They have two beady eyes,
Each one on a stalk,
They can look all around
Wherever they walk. walking
legs
They often walk sideways

And many can swim. abdomen
They molt and grow shells, cheliped antenna
When the old ones get slim. stomach mouth antennule
eyestalk
They breathe under water testes
Through gills in their sides.

They eat shrimp, clams, and mussels gills
Whatever the tides.

carapace
There’s a mouth in the front, heart
intestine
Two antennae help them feel, cartilage
Antennules help to smell and taste hepatopancreas
swimming leg
And find a juicy meal.
cheliped mouth parts
eye
Their five pairs of legs (pincer)
All have special features:

The pincers on the front,
Help them snatch other creatures,
Three sharp-pointed pairs
Help them walk here and there,
A pair of paddles behind
abdomen
Help them swim everywhere.
If they’re lucky enough
To avoid the crab pot,
They might live 13 years
And not be served hot.
There are 4500 kinds, Snow Crab
Many good to eat,
They have to be boiled and cracked,
Their meat’s a special treat.
by Donna Burk Spider Crab
© 2001, The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts

Blackline 2
Sea Star Poem

Under the water,
On rock or in sand,
Dwell five “legged” Sea Stars
With features quite grand.
Their skin is quite spiny,
Their skeletons have plates,
When they lose an arm,
The body regenerates.
They spit out their stomachs
To digest what they eat:
Mussels, worms, clams, snails—
While they move on tube feet.
The sea water enters
Through holes in their skin,
It reaches their tube feet
From pressures within.
left right
At birth they’re the same
On their left and their right,
The “eye spots” on the ends
Of their arms “see” light. eyes
Twenty inches per minute
They can move at high speed,
They pile up on each other
When one starts to feed.
Fish have a backbone,
And fish have a brain
Many folks call them starfish,
But that name’s down the drain.
Sea Stars are orange, red,
Blue, green, and more,
Take time at a tide pool
To find one near the shore.
by Donna Burk
Bridges Breakouts © 2001, The Math Learning Center

Blackline 3
Lobster Song
(to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O”)
There are some creatures in the sea
Who smell with four antennae.
They hide in holes or under rocks,
These creatures are crustaceans.
These creatures have two claws in front
To catch their prey and crush it.
Two claws to catch their prey,
These lobsters have eight walking legs
And two big claws in front.
8 + 2 that makes 10,
These creatures have two eyes on stalks
To search for food or danger. eyes
Eyes turning here and there,
A female carries thousands of eggs
Which then turn into larvae,
Very few of them grow up,
Some get caught in lobster traps,
And folks cook them for dinner.
They turn bright red when they’re cooked,
Would you eat one for dinner?
by Donna Burk

Blackline 4
Whale Song
(to the tune of “Did You Ever See A Lassie”)
Did you ever see a whale, a whale, a whale,
Did you ever see a whale with a fluke on its tail?
It uses those flukes to push up and push down,
Propelling through the oceans past country
and town.

Did you ever see a whale with flippers on its
sides—
To turn and to balance on top or down deep?
A whale breathes on the surface, awake or
asleep.

Did you ever see a whale without any teeth?
Plates in its mouth filter food like a screen;
Plankton, fish, and shrimp get caught in the baleen.

Did you ever see a whale whose teeth grab
and tear?
They eat fish and squid, a whole lot each day.
As much as ten elephants, is what one might
weigh.
Did you ever see a blue whale, a blue whale,

a blue whale,
Did you ever see a blue whale with a calf by
her side?
She gives birth to her calf and feeds it her milk,
A newly born blue whale is seven meters long.
by Donna Burk

Blackline 5
DATE
Crab Top View

NAME

Blackline 6
DATE
Crab Bottom View

NAME

Blackline 7
Crab
Sea Star

Blackline 8
Lobster
Whale

Blackline 9 Cut apart on thin lines.
Seals Zooming
through water
Searching for
Seals pocket chart poem

food, Resting
Does the sun

on rocks.

feel good?

mermaid purse,
Shark Baby
shark in a
Shark pocket chart poem

to grow, Chew
your way out
Eat the yolk

Now it’s time

after a year,
to go.

diving, Rising
Swimming,
Whales
Whales pocket chart poem

for air, Rolling,

rocking, We’re
glad you’re

there.

Sea Creatures
Poems & Songs
R I D G E S
B O UT
BR E A K
Excerpts From Bridges in Mathematics
©2001, The Math Learning Center
Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum Poems & Songs
A Math Learning Center Publication
by Donna Burk & Allyn Snider

Bridges Breakout Units

Bugs Across the Curriculum
Crossing the Pond: A Probability Game
Exploring Money: Adding, Counting, Sorting and Patterning
Exploring Time: Hours, Minutes and Paper Clocks
Frogs Across the Curriculum
Geometry: Pattern Blocks, Polydrons and Paper Quilts (Grade 1)
Geometry: Shapes, Symmetry, Area and Number (Grade 2)
Math Buckets: Sorting and Patterning
Math with a Sock: Probability and Fractions
My Little Farm: Money, Place Value and Mapping
Penguins: Measuring, Sorting, Computation and More
P0201
Copyright © 2001 by The Math Learning Center, PO Box 12929, Salem, Oregon 97309.
Tel. 800-575–8130. All rights reserved.
The Math Learning Center grants permission to classroom teachers to

reproduce blackline masters in appropriate quantities for their classroom use.
This project was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation. Opinions ex-
pressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.
Prepared for publication on Macintosh Desktop Publishing system.

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Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum Poems & Songs

Crab Poem 1
Sea Star Poem 7
Lobsters 16
Whale Song 22
Whales 27
Sharks 31
Seals & Sea Lions 37
Snow Crab
Crab Poem
by Donna Burk
n† 1 Crab Poem Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum: Poems & Songs © 2001, The Math Learning Center / Bridges Breakouts
Under the water,
Deep down in the sand,
Dwell ten-legged creatures
With features quite grand!
They have two beady eyes,

Each one on a stalk,
They can look all around
Wherever they walk.
carapace eye
cheliped
walking
legs
abdomen
They often walk sideways

And many can swim.
They molt and grow shells
When the old ones get slim.
They breathe under water
Through gills in their sides.
They eat shrimp, clams, and mussels
Whatever the tides.
cheliped antenna
stomach mouth antennule

eyestalk
testes
gills
carapace
heart
intestine
cartilage
hepatopancreas
swimming leg
There’s a mouth in the front,

Two antennae help them feel,
Antennules help to smell and taste
And find a juicy meal.
Their five pairs of legs
All have special features:
The pincers on the front
Help them snatch other creatures,
mouthparts
cheliped eye
abdomen
Three sharp-pointed pairs

Help them walk here and there,
A pair of paddles behind
Help them swim everywhere.
Spider Crab
If they’re lucky enough

To avoid the crab pot,
They might live 13 years
And not be served hot.
Snow Crab
There are 4500 kinds,

Many good to eat,
They have to be boiled and cracked,
their meat’s a special treat.
Sea Stars
by Donna Burk
n† 7 Sea Star Poem Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum: Poems & Songs © 2001, The Math Learning Center / Bridges Breakouts
Under the water,
On rock or in sand
Dwell five “legged” Sea Stars
With features quite grand.
Their skin is quite spiny,
Their skeletons have plates,
When they lose an arm,
The body regenerates.
They spit out their stomachs
To digest what they eat:
Mussels, worms, clams, snails—
While they move on tube feet.
The sea water enters
Through holes in their skin,
It reaches their tube feet
From pressures within.
left right
eye spots
At birth they’re the same
On their left and their right,
The “eye spots” on the ends
Of their arms “see” light.
Twenty inches per minute
They can move at high speed,
They pile up on each other
When one starts to feed.
fish
seastar
Fish have a backbone,
And fish have a brain.
Many folks call them starfish,
But that name’s down the drain.
Sea Stars are orange, red,
Blue, green and more,
Take time at a tide pool
To find one near the shore.
Lobsters
(to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O”)
There are some creatures in the sea
Who smell with four antennae.
n† 16 Lobster Song Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum: Poems & Songs © 2001, The Math Learning Center / Bridges Breakouts
These creatures have two claws in front
To catch their prey and crush it.
These lobsters have eight walking legs
And two big claws in front.
eyes
These creatures have two eyes on stalks
To search for food or danger.
A female carries thousands of eggs
Which then turn into larvae,
Some get caught in lobster traps,
And folks cook them for dinner.
Would you eat one for dinner?
Whale Song
(to the tune of “Did You Ever See A Lassie?”)
Did you ever see a whale with 2 flukes on its tail?
It uses those flukes to push up and push down,
Propelling through the oceans past country and town.
n† 22 Whale Song Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum: Poems & Songs © 2001, The Math Learning Center / Bridges Breakouts
Did you ever see a whale with flippers on its sides—
To turn and to balance on top or down deep?
A whale breathes on the surface, awake or asleep.
Did you ever see a whale without any teeth?
Plates in its mouth filter food like a screen;
Plankton, fish, and shrimp get caught in the baleen.
Did you ever see a whale whose teeth grab and tear?
They eat fish and squid, a whole lot each day.
As much as ten elephants is what one might weigh.
by Donna Burk, illustrated by Tyson Smith
Did you ever see a blue whale, a blue whale, a blue whale,
Did you ever see a blue whale with a calf by her side?
She gives birth to her calf and feeds it her milk,
A newly born blue whale is seven meters long.
Whales
(to the tune of
“Are You Sleeping?”)
Whales are swimming, whales are swimming,
They’re headed south, they’re headed south,
Seeking warmer water
To give birth to a baby,
Mothers and calves,
Mothers and calves.
ˇ† 27 Whales Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum: Poems & Songs © 2001, The Math Learning Center / Bridges Breakouts
Newborn whales, newborn whales,
Coming up for air, coming up for air,
Spouting out the old air,
Breathing in some fresh air,
Mothers and calves,
Mothers and calves.
Whales are swimming, whales are swimming,
Babies drink milk, babies drink milk,
Moms protect their calves from harm,
Swimming right beside them,
Mothers and calves,
Mothers and calves.
Whales have blubber, whales have blubber,
To keep them warm, to keep them warm,
Their noises sound like singing,
Their noises sound like singing,
Mothers and calves,
Mothers and calves.
Sharks
(to the tune of “Did You Ever See a Lassie?”)
Did you ever see a shark,

a shark, a shark,
Did you ever see a shark
with a fin on its back
And two on its sides
For balance as it glides?
with a fin on its back?
ˇ† 31 Sharks Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum: Poems & Songs © 2001, The Math Learning Center / Bridges Breakouts
a shark, a shark,
Did you ever see a shark that
was swimming quite fast?
Its tail helps it
Swim at a very high speed,
Did you ever see a shark that
was swimming quite fast?
NOSTRILS

a shark, a shark,
with nostrils on its head?
They’re not used for breathing,
They smell food instead,
with nostrils on its head?
a shark, a shark,
that was searching for food?
They eat mostly fish
But large ones eat seals,
that was searching for food?
a shark, a shark,
Did you ever see a shark in
an underwater cave?
It sinks to the bottom
Unless it keeps swimming,
Did you ever see a shark in
an underwater cave?
Did you know that sharks
have babies, have babies,
have babies,
have babies? Some give
live birth,
Others lay eggs in
“mermaid purse” cases.
have babies? Some give
live birth.
Seals & Sea Lions
(to the tune of “Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star”)
They have sharp teeth but cannot chew,
Some have ears but not all do.
ˇ† 37 Seals & Sea Lions Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum: Poems & Songs © 2001, The Math Learning Center / Bridges Breakouts
They can “walk” on ice or shore
With their flippers, they have four,
Two in front and two in back,
Along with stomach muscles strong.
They can “walk” on ice or shore,
With their flippers, they have four.
When males return to the rookery,
They roar and bellow and disagree.
They claim a space for their own place,
Then wait for the females to come on shore.
When males return to the rookery,
They roar and bellow and disagree.
The female gives fine care to her pup,
She gives it milk on which to sup.
Then she leaves to go to sea,
She has to eat when she’s hungry.
The female gives fine care to her pup,
She gives it milk on which to sup.

Sea Creatures: Across The Curriculum

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Sea Creatures

Across the Curriculum

by Donna Burk & Allyn Snider

Bridges Breakout Units

Prepared for publication on Macintosh Desktop Publishing system.

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum

You’ll need Deluxe Breakout includes

*also included in Economy Breakout

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum

Science, Literacy, Art, Social Studies & More Math

What Do You Know? What Do You Wonder?

Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts • 1

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

Can they see How big can

Live Visitors A Hermit Crab

2 • Bridges Breakouts Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

Eyes-On Experiences Picture Walks

Eyes-On Experiences Labeled Diagrams

Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts • 3

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

cheliped mouth parts cheliped antenna

Minds-On Experiences Songs, Poems & Books

4 • Bridges Breakouts Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

Seals & Sea Lions

Seals and sea lions in the sea

Retelling a Story A Four-Part Chart

Humphrey, San Francisco, He got mixed up and People tried to scare

What was How was the

Chart shown generated by a San Jose kindergarten class a day after

Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts • 5

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

6 • Bridges Breakouts Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

Who What are they doing? Where

whales swimming underwater

Pocket Chart Poetry

Rising for air,

We’re glad you’re there.

Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts • 7

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

Words to Other Pocket Chart Poems

A Graphic Organizer Likenesses & Differences

What? Where do they live? What do they eat? Special Features

sharks fish They are fish.

seals and in the water fish They have fur.

8 • Bridges Breakouts Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center

Sea Creatures Across the Curriculum (cont.)

Good Books About Sea Animals

Copyright © 2001 The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts • 9

Crab Poem European Shore Crab

Under the water,

They often walk sideways

Through gills in their sides.

Whatever the tides.

All have special features:

© 2001, The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts

Sea Star Poem

Bridges Breakouts © 2001, The Math Learning Center

© 2001, The Math Learning Center Bridges Breakouts

Did you ever see a whale, a whale, a whale,