Elakha. Phtot courtesy of the Elakha Alliance.
Overview
Lesson 1: Introduction to Relationships between Humans and the Environment
Lesson 2: Sea Otters and the Food Web
Lesson 3: Sea Otters, A Keystone Species
Lesson 4: Native Americans and the Sea Otter
Lesson 5: Dangers to Sea Otter and Responsibility of People
Extending the lessons/Referencese
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
EL.03.RE.07—Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of grade-level informational and narrative (story) text.
EL.03.RE.32—Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information found in, and inferred from, the text.
EL.03.WR.01—Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions through various sources, including conversations with others.
EL.03.WR.26—Write letters, thank-you notes, and invitations.
CD Segments to Play
Background
Suggested Strategies
In preparation for today’s lesson, print out the letters from kids on at HYPERLINK “http://www.seaotters.org/Kids/index.cfm?DocID=90″http://www.seaotters.org/Kids/index.cfm?DocID=90.
Activities
1. Listen
Begin the class by reading the book, Baby Sea Otter. Give the class time to discuss the book
2. Discuss
There are many dangers to sea otters. Ask the students for some of the dangers. Make a list on the board.
Oil spills from huge barges are lethal to sea otters and other sea life
Commercial fishermen place nets out in the ocean and the sea otters get caught in them and die
Loss of habitat (the place where they live) and destruction to their habitat
Pollution
Chemicals
Ask: What can we do about these things?
When you go on a picnic or camping, always take your garbage with you.
Never dump anything into the water.
Save (conserve) water.
Ask your parents if they use chemicals for gardens, and tell them how chemicals get into the waters that sea otters live in; maybe they can figure out a different way to take care of their garden.
After it rains really hard, look at the water that runs down the streets, all that water eventually ends up in the ocean, the sea otter’s habitat, so never throw garbage out, not even gum.
When you help you parents wash their car at home (or if they wash it alone at home), the soapy water will end up going in the ocean; ask your parents if they use biodegradable soaps. These are the only safe kinds of soap, and even that will end up in the sea otter’s habitat.
Walk whenever you can. Every time we use our car, we are consuming gasoline which is what the oil barges are carrying across the ocean; oil to convert into gasoline.
Ask: Who should do these things to help the sea otter?
3. Read
Pass out copies of the letters that were written to Friend of the Sea Otter.
4. Writing exercise
Have the students write a letter to the Elakah Alliance and send to HYPERLINK “http://www.ecotrust.org/nativeprograms/elakha.htm”http://www.ecotrust.org/nativeprograms/elakha.htm.
