Format
This is a studio based program. Students will be able to interact with an educator in our studio as well as see pre-recorded video from around our facility.
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.
Students will compare and contrast the life cycle of a dolphin with the life cycles of other animals that they might be familiar with.
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
Learn 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.
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.
Describe the lifecycle of a dolphin and how it is similar to humans, but different from animals that they may be familiar with such as butterflies and sea turtles.
Discuss the behaviors that dolphin calves learn from their mothers.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
Next Generation Science Standards met or supported:
* 3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
* 3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
* 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 Next Generation Science Standards met or supported:
* 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.16.4 Compare and contrast the major stages in the life cycles of Florida plants and animals, such as those that undergo incomplete and complete metamorphosis, and flowering and nonflowering seed-bearing plants.
* 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.
ALIGNMENT WITH ADDITIONAL STATE STANDARDS CAN BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST