Spectacular Sea!
This TopicQuest was designed for Mrs. Hunt's Kindergarden Class at Dewar Elementary School
by Cicely Riley, a Valdosta Sate University Preservice Teacher

Introduction Have you ever wanted to visit the sea?  It is a very beautiful and mysterious place. There are thousands of creatures that live in the sea. Some of these creatures are friendly and some are very dangerous. Today we are going to visit the spectacular sea to see what sea creatures we can find that start with the letter S.  Let's put our scuba diving gear on and splash into the sea!  Ready, Set, Go!

	First lets visit the Sea Lions. These are fin-footed mammals who look like seals. They are salt water animals, and got their name from their call that sounds just like a lion's roar. The Northern Sea Lion is the largest of the sea lions.
	Look out!   We must be careful around the sharks. They shock, terrify, and startle us, yet no other creatures have the power to capture our imaginations in such a dramatic way. In American waters, the Sand Tiger Shark is considered to be unaggressive and fairly easy to catch, and so it is often used as an aquarium specimen.
	Do you see the beautiful starfish? Starfish usually have 5 arms, although some have as many as 44 arms and their skin is rough and leathery and usually has spines.  Lets see what else we can find.
	See the slilthering sea snake? We do not want to touch it. They inhabit the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific and are highly venomous and are air breathers.  They live every where except Atlantic Ocean, Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
	The sea horses are special. There are about 50 different species of them around the world. Sea horses have no teeth so they must swallow the food at once. They are found in many different sizes and colors and are very shy creatures, so lets not disturbe them.
	All sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act, which lists all species as endangered except the loggerhead, which is listed as threatened. Sea turtles can see well under water but are shortsighted in the air. They are not generally considered social animals, so we must be careful around them as well. Learn more about sea turtles in the encyclopedia.

Mission Activity Great! We've made it back safe. You have done such a good job that Time for Kids has asked you write and article for their magazine.   They want you to write about  your favorite sea animals and draw a picture. It's time to suit up again and explore sea creatures of the pacific. On your mark, get set, GO! Mission Steps 1. Explore sea creatures of the pacific with your teacher and find your favorite sea animal. 2. Gather all the information you need for your article. 3. Tell your teacher the facts you want to include in your article so she can write it down. 4. Draw your picture and color it. 5. Paste your picture underneath the information about the sea animal. 6. Give your article and picture to the teacher.

Cicely's Lily Valley

cfburns@valdosta.edu

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