Substitute Teacher Kit

Social Studies – Earth's Oceans
Materials: map of the world, Earth's Oceans Activity Sheet

•	Display a classroom map or refer students to a map in a textbook.
•	Direct their attention to the water on Earth, explaining that water covers 3/4 of Earth's surface.
•	Point out that water from all the oceans is connected, but that we give separate names to each ocean.
•	Distribute Earth's Oceans Activity Sheet and have students work in pairs or small groups to label the map and answer the questions.

Science - Food Chains
Materials: reference materials, pencil, paper

•	Write the words "food chain" on the board. Explain that in a food chain several kinds of living things are linked because each uses the next as food. (Example: Wolves, owls, snakes, mice, and seeds make up a food chain.)
•	Use classroom books, reference books, or online references to help students find information about ocean food chains.
•	Encourage them to draw the food chains, adding arrows to show what each living thing eats.

Reading/Language Arts - My Life in the Ocean
Materials: paper, pencil

•	Work with the class to brainstorm an extensive list of ocean animals, such as shark, whale, dolphin, manatee, sea lion, squid, crab, lobster, and starfish.
•	Each student can select an animal and write a short story from that animal's perspective.
•	Prompt them by asking questions such as: Where do you live? What do you eat? What plants and animals are around you? What enemies do you have?
•	Have students use classroom or online encyclopedias to gather facts. Or encourage them to use their imaginations to write creative stories about their animals.

Math - How Deep Are the Oceans?
Materials: paper, pencil

•	Display the following information: Depth of Four Oceans (Average): Pacific: 13,740 feet Indian: 12,740 feet Atlantic: 12,254 feet Arctic: 3,407 feet Deepest Point in Four Oceans: Pacific: 36,200 feet Indian: 25,344 feet Atlantic: 28,374 feet Arctic: 17,881 feet
•	Invite students to write math questions related to the number facts. Examples: Which ocean is the deepest? How deep would the Arctic Ocean be if it were 1,000 feet deeper?
•	Invite students to exchange their math problems with a partner and challenge them to solve the problems. Once students have completed their problems, encourage them to switch partners and repeat the process.

Physical Education - Big Sharks and Little Fish
Materials: none

•	Take students outside or to a large open room.
•	Ask a child to stand on one side of the play area and pretend to be the big shark.
•	Have the other children stand on the opposite side of the play area and pretend to be little fish.
•	Identify a wall, tree, swingset, or other object as the "boat."
•	When you give a signal (such as clapping your hands), little fish try to "swim" to the boat without being tagged by the shark.
•	Little fish that get tagged become sharks in the next round.
•	Play as many rounds as it takes to have only one little fish left. He or she is the winner.

Art - An Ocean Mural
Materials: craft paper, art supplies

•	Lay a large sheet of craft paper on the floor and invite students to create an ocean scene. Their scene should include both ocean plants and animals.
•	Have them write labels for each item in the scene.
•	Guide them to title the mural.
•	Display the finished product on a wall or window.

Enrichment Activity