An Introduction Into the World of Marine Mammals

In this class, students will have the opportunity to learn about the amazing marine animals that exist in our environment.  Students will have the opportunity to learn about amazing creatures such as the polar bear which can exist in extreme cold conditions and can hunt on land as well as in the ocean.  We will also take a deeper look into their existence into why their habitat is diminishing and they are at risk of extinction.  Students will also learn about the extraordinary Orca whales and what makes them one of the ocean's strongest predators.   Or the bottlenose dolphin who has a history of being a friend and guide to humans.  Students will have the opportunity to explore marine mammals from all over the world and learn about their presence in the ecosystem they live in. Students will work with an interactive software program, nearpod, that allows them to take short quizzes, answer short questions, and watch short interactive videos pertaining to course material. 

Week 1: The Otarridae Family
Week 2: The Phocidae Family
Week 3: The Odobenidae Family & The Ursidae Family
Week 4: The Mustelidae Family & The Sirenian Family
Week 5: The Delphinidae Family

Students will complete a children's book research project throughout the duration of this class where they will choose a marine mammal of interest and, with the teacher's assistance, find reliable sources to research the marine mammal. The project will include identifying background information on this particular marine mammal, assessing changes in the marine mammal, and creating a storybook full of fun facts and information. More details will be provided once the class is started. 
Students will work with Nearpod, an interactive software program that allows students to participate in discussion boards, answer short quizzes, and watch interactive videos that pertain to course material.  
Students will also work with CK-12 an interactive learning platform, that allows students to answer practice tests, read articles, and work in interactive textbooks. Assignments will be assigned on this platform weekly. Each student will be provided with their own login information to access their assignments and readings, which the teacher will set up.  
In this 5-week course, students will have one recording per week and receive articles corresponding to those recordings. The recordings will be posted by the date the class is scheduled, so for example, if your class is on a Saturday the recordings will be posted by the end of the day on Saturday therefore the students can choose when they would like to view them. The length of the class can be extended if needed to allow students to have time to view recordings and access materials.