Octopus Lesson Plans

First graders study personal space and movement. They move in these various ways skipping, leaping, running, twirling, sliding, and walking to reinforce their learning of alphabet sounds through dance. The remember the sound by using dance to set it in their minds.

Young scholars model regular and irregular polygons using geoboards and graph paper. Using magazines, they locate pictures of various shapes and design a polygon city. In groups, students identify shapes around the school, draw and label each shape.

Students use facts and imagination to invent imaginary deep sea creatures. They create a classroom museum exhibit on real organisms from the abyss and write creative stories about these animals. In addition, they write a story to explain the adaptations of an ocean animal.

Students look at pictures of Canstruction sculptures, then read a news article about the construction of these canned food sculptures. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with pictures of winning sculptures and a vocabulary activity, then students read the news report and participate in a class discussion. Lesson includes interdisciplinary follow-up activities.

Students view animals that camouflage at the Shedd aquarium website. In this camouflage lesson, students recognize that there are different types of camouflage, cryptic coloring, counter-shading, warning coloration and mimicry. Students complete a worksheet on the animals they've seen on the website and field trip.

Students explore organisms that are part of interconnected food webs.  In this food web activity, students choose an animal and research what the animal eats.  Students begin with the food chain and branch out into the interconnected web following the organism chosen.

Fifth graders research various topics related to bananas and complete a report.  In this bananas lesson, 5th graders find geographic locations where bananas are grown, as well as the characteristics of those countries.  Students illustrate a banana graph to show imports to the U.S. and play a concentration game.

Students explore sea life. In this cross curriculum fine arts, science, and P.E. "dolphins" lesson, students sing songs and play games about dolphins, perform water experiments, create mosaics, and use their five senses to explore sand and water play tables. Many project ideas are included.

Students study and research marine invertebrates.  In this marine instructional activity students create an illustrated report and help complete a class exhibit. 

Students explore seashore ecosystems.  In this marine animal biology instructional activity, students sort photographs of various sea creatures according to their eating habits and discuss each animal's identifiable traits.  Students draw and label pictures of predators, grazers, scavengers, and filter feeders.