Science
Objectives:
1. To familiarize students with the basic body parts of sharks.
2. To familiarize students with some of the common names of different shark
species.
3. To compare the structure of sharks with that of bony fish.
4. To identify the largest sharks, and estimate their physical size.
Shark Crossword Puzzle
Activities:
1. Do the crossword puzzle in this chapter.
2. Study and label the illustration in this chapter comparing sharks with
bony fish.
3. Ask students to research and identify the largest sharks, and list these
along with their maximum sizes (use metric). In an open area, use a tape
measure to mark off a 10-meter distance. Divide the class into four smaller
teams. The four teams will represent a tiger shark, a lemon shark, a basking
shark, and a dogfish shark respectively. Have one student from each team
walk the measured 10 meters while counting their steps. Have them divide
10 by the number of steps they took to walk the 10 meters. This will give
them a fairly accurate way to pace off the length of their shark. Using
other students as "markers", pace off the length of the (particular)
shark's body, spacing students evenly from beginning to end. Have the groups
start parallel to one another to compare the actual sizes when they finish.
Comparative Anatomies of a Shark and a Bony Fish
