Format
The program will begin with introduction of the instructor and an explanation of where Dolphin Research Center is located.
We will provide a brief overview of the Dolphin Research Center family (dolphins and sea lions).
The instructor and students will discuss what the different social groups that dolphins live in are like.
The students and instructor will discuss how traits are passed down from parent to offspring and explain how this is similar in dolphins.
The students and instructor will discuss what a dolphin calf is like when it is developing in womb and how trainers and veterinary staff care for expecting dolphins.
The students and instructor will discuss the different adaptations that dolphin calves have that help them to survive.
The students and instructor will brainstorm the different challenges that dolphins face in the wild and how they can help.
Students will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Objectives
All Grades:
Learn and understand about the special adaptations that dolphins have to live and reproduce in this environment.
Observe and hear how mothers and calves go from pre-pregnancy to independence.
Learn about the care mothers and calves receive at Dolphin Research Center.
Learn about the challenges facing dolphins in the wild and what people can do to help.
1-2
Explain that while all dolphins have some characteristics that are the same; each one is a unique individual and they have distinguishing characteristics that allow us to tell them apart.
3-5
Discover the social structure of bottlenose dolphins and how it relates to reproduction and population stability and how those structures play a role in the animal’s survival.
Discuss the heritable traits that we see with dolphins and how they are passed from parent to offspring and characteristics of dolphins that might be affected by the environment
Discuss the behaviors that dolphin calves learn from their mothers.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
Next Generation Science Standards met or supported:
1-LS1-2. Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.
1-LS3-1. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.
3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.
3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.
5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
Common Core for English Language Arts met or supported:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. A. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). B. Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. C. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. A. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). B. Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. C. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. A. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). C. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. D. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. A. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. C. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. D. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.
Ocean Literacy Principles
5A Ocean life ranges in size from the smallest living things, microbes, to the largest animal on Earth, blue whales.
5D Ocean biology provides many unique examples of life cycles, adaptations, and important relationships among organisms (symbiosis, predator-prey dynamics, and energy transfer) that do not occur on land.
6D Humans affect the ocean in a variety of ways. Laws, regulations, and resource management affect what is taken out and put into the ocean. Human development and activity leads to pollution (point source, nonpoint source, and noise pollution), changes to ocean chemistry (ocean acidification), and physical modifications (changes to beaches, shores, and rivers). In addition, humans have removed most of the large vertebrates from the ocean.
6G Everyone is responsible for caring for the ocean. The ocean sustains life on Earth and humans must live in ways that sustain the ocean. Individual and collective actions are needed to effectively manage ocean resources for all.
State Standards
Florida
Florida Next Generation Science Standards met or supported:
SC.1.L.16.1 Make observations that plants and animals closely resemble their parents, but variations exist among individuals within a population.
SC.4.L.16.2 Explain that although characteristics of plants and animals are inherited, some characteristics can be affected by the environment.
SC.4.L.16.3 Recognize that animal behaviors may be shaped by heredity and learning.
SC.4.L.17.4 Recognize ways plants and animals, including humans, can impact the environment.
SC.5.L.17.1 Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycle variations, animal behaviors, and physical characteristics.
SC.5.L.15.1 Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new locations.
Language Arts Florida Standards met or supported:
LAFS.1.SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. A. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). B. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. C. Ask questions.
LAFS.2.SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. A. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). B. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. C. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.
LAFS.3.SL.1.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. A. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). C. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. D. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
LAFS.4.SL.1.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. A. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. C. Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others. D. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
LAFS.5.SL.1.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. A. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. C. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. D. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.