The Power Of One
Learning Sequence 10
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Introduction With Gavin
In this lesson, students explore human-caused pollution’s effects on Antarctica’s ecosystem, emphasizing the global implications of warming oceans and melting sea ice. By focusing on the food chain, particularly the
Antarctic krill, learners gain insight into the interconnectedness of our planet. The culminating activity requires creating a picture book, fostering real-world understanding by highlighting an individual marine creature’s story, and driving home the global repercussions of environmental changes.
In this lesson, we’re going to talk about how pollution made by people is hurting Antarctica. Because of pollution, our Earth is getting warmer, and this is causing problems in our oceans. For example, big chunks of ice are melting in the sea.
We’ll look at how this warming and pollution is making it hard for animals in Antarctica to find good food. We’ll especially talk about tiny sea creatures called krill. There are so many krill in Antarctica, like 700 trillion!
At the end of this lesson, I have a fun challenge for you! You’ll get to make a picture book about a sea animal. This will help you show others why we need to care for these amazing creatures and their home.”
Weekly Navigation - Where Are We?
Every week, we will assist the children in comprehending the precise location we are in as we encounter the incredible sights and sounds of Antarctica.
As we mention new places and locations we will slowly add these to the map. Your children might want to replicate the map and monitor the expedition’s progress as we move through the course.
Hopefully, we can all relish the journey in unison, and your children might want to carry out additional research.
As we progress through the course, we will journey further south on the map and encounter more remote and colder regions. It’s important to keep track of the weekly location of the ship and take note of new landmarks added to the map as we move from one place to another.
You and your class may also want to carry out further research on these locations at a later time or during the week. Who knows, maybe one day you will even get to visit them yourself!
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Quote of the Week - Sir Edmund Hillary
Each week we will start by reading a quote, talking about what it means to further understand how we can use these words as lessons to learn from.
Read the following quote and discuss it with your class. You may even want to print it out and collate the quotes over the weeks to create a wall of discussion for future research projects.
Read this week’s quote and think about what it means and what we can learn from it to make the world a better place!
You may want to note it down in your notebook and draw a nice picture next to it!
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Weekly Keywords
Introduce the spelling word list and choose from this list of tasks that can be repeated and expanded upon if necessary.
Copy the words into a spelling list/Vocabulary book for later reference.
Put each of the new words into a sentence and underline the new vocabulary in red pencil
Place the words in alphabetical order in a list.
Use a dictionary to define each of the words and place them into a vocabulary book.
Try to represent each of the words using a picture or a symbol and play the guessing game. (which image is matched to which word)
Write a paragraph containing all of the new vocabulary.
Make a vocabulary wall containing all of the new words.
Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the words and create a synonym list.
These words will help you during this week’s lesson. You may already know some of these words however practice makes perfect!
First, read the words and then try to define them as simply as possible.
An example has been completed for you. You can write these into your books, and draw a picture to match or simply complete the task card.
Weekly Comprehension Activity - Food Webs
Each week, we will provide you and your class with a reading comprehension activity. This can be done independently or tackled as a guided reading activity with your students.
Once the children have read the relevant information, they can then work through the comprehension questions until they become too hard. The four levels of questions allow for your students to push themselves until they become too difficult. They may wish to use classroom resources to solve the questions they find too hard or they can be used as extension activities to be completed in free time or at home.
Read the information opposite on the killer whales and use the information gained from the video above and attempt to answer as many of the comprehension questions as possible.
You may talk to the people in the classroom and use any resources available in the classroom to get the answers. You may even wish to continue your research at home on the questions that you could not solve.
Remember to answer the questions in full sentences and make notes of any diagrams that may help you remember the facts at a later date!
SDG 14 - Let’s Review
As we near the conclusion of the course, it’s pivotal for the children to pause and acknowledge their achievements throughout this educational adventure.
Their path as marine activists extends beyond this course. Yet, as we approach the finish line, let’s steer their attention to the final objective. Crafting a plan and maintaining focus are crucial. The course might be wrapping up, but their dedication to marine conservation remains steadfast. Let’s inspire them to tackle this final hurdle with vigor and resolve!
As we enter week 10, let’s take a moment to review and celebrate the achievements of our young marine activists. With all the progress made so far, it’s important to reflect on the objectives met and to set our sights on any remaining goals.
Remember, your role doesn’t end here; the journey as a marine activist continues. For now, let’s recognize your hard work and dedication. You’ve done an outstanding job! Keep it up!
The Energy Pyramid
In this lesson, students apply knowledge from Pat’s earlier video on the food chain and web. Using a forest-based energy pyramid template for reference, students independently design an energy pyramid for the Antarctic Biome.
The emphasis is on understanding energy transfer, fostering creativity, and using specific vocabulary and creatures from Pat’s video. The lesson promotes both independent application and retention of prior knowledge.
As we learned earlier from Pat, the food chain and food web represent the transfer of energy from one creature to another.
Take a look at the template on the opposite page where we’ve designed an energy pyramid for a forest setting. Your task is to design your own energy pyramid based on the Antarctic Biome and write a paragraph to describe exactly what is happening there!
Be creative and make sure that you use the creatures and the vocabulary provided to you by Pat in the opening video.
Bringing Maths to Life - Biomass and Weight
In this activity, students challenge the assumption that larger animals have the greatest collective weight. The focus is on understanding weight and mass in the context of animal biomass.
Teachers will guide students in researching the combined estimated weight of various species. Using the provided task card, students will collaborate in groups to determine the total biomass of listed animals, offering a hands-on approach to understanding ecological weight distributions.
You might assume that the largest animals on the planet weigh the most, but that would be a misconception.
In this activity, which focuses on weight and mass, we’d like you to research the animals that inhabit our planet and estimate their collective weight if combined.
Please refer to the task card provided and collaborate with a group to determine the total estimated biomass of the animals listed.
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Bringing Maths to Life - Biomass and Weight
In this activity, students challenge the assumption that larger animals have the greatest collective weight. The focus is on understanding weight and mass in the context of animal biomass.
Teachers will guide students in researching the combined estimated weight of various species. Using the provided task card, students will collaborate in groups to determine the total biomass of listed animals, offering a hands-on approach to understanding ecological weight distributions.
You might assume that the largest animals on the planet weigh the most, but that would be a misconception.
In this activity, which focuses on weight and mass, we’d like you to research the animals that inhabit our planet and estimate their collective weight if combined.
Please refer to the task card provided and collaborate with a group to determine the total estimated biomass of the animals listed.
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Let's Sketch With Jordan
Every week, we will explore a fascinating animal from the Antarctic, and your class will get the chance to draw it using simple sketching techniques and just a pencil and paper.
We’re incredibly fortunate to have Jordan Brun from Young Art USA as our guide throughout this process.
Let your students take a look at the task card with Jordan’s example, and then they can use the video below as a guide to attempt to draw the same thing using Jordan’s techniques.
Once your students have mastered the technique, you might want to let them make a final version on special art paper, which could be used as a portfolio piece or framed and given as a present.
Every week, we will be exploring some amazing pictures taken in Antarctica. We want you to try and recreate them using simple sketching techniques and shading. Our friend Jordan will be helping you along the way, so don’t worry!
After 10 weeks, you will have a great collection of images that you can share with others. Maybe you can even frame them and give them as gifts to someone who could use a smile.
To help you get better at drawing, we have a task card that you can use. Once you become an expert at sketching, you can transfer your drawings onto nice paper and give them away as presents.
Remember, you don’t have to make your drawings look exactly like Jordan’s. Make them special and be proud of what you create!
Let's Create With Jordan - Full Video
Watch the video with your class and support them as they use the skills demonstrated in the video in their own work tasks.
Watch Jordan’s full video here before starting your creative art project and remember that your work does not need to match Jordan’s exactly. Use it as a guide and try to make your work unique and be as creative as you.