Extension Activities  

Activity #1   |  Activity #2  |   Activity #3  |  Activity #4  |  Activity #5  |   Activity #6  |  Activity #7    |    Activity #8

Activity #1: Comparison Poem

Students select an animal to compare with a manatee. They need to research/brainstorm several ways the two animals are different. Writing three or four two-liners similar to the examples below will complete the poem. Venn diagrams are great organizers to prepare for writing this kind of poetry. The joy in this poem is not a rhyming pattern, but all the facts it contains!

                                        Manatees live in warm waters all year long,

                                                        But walruses search for waters that are cold.

                                        A manatee has a large paddle-like tail,

                                                        But you can hardly tell a walrus has a tail at all!

 

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Activity #2: Understanding Manatees

http://www.thewildones.org/Curric/manateeUnder.html

Have you ever wondered how many children it would take to equal the weight of an average manatee?  How much does a manatee eat in one day? This online activity will help to answer these and many other questions about manatees.

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http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Manatee/manawareact.html

Are people in your community aware of the plight of the manatee? This Sea World activity focuses on conducting a manatee awareness survey. Students will develop survey questions, create graphs, and interpret the data collected in their surveys.

 

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Activity #4: Facts, Just the Facts, Please!

http://www.savethemanatee.org/myths.htm

There have been many misconceptions regarding the true status of the manatees.   Read these myths and what the TRUE facts really are on this web page.  Develop a plan to present the facts to others via posters, letters, PowerPoint presentation, or skits.

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Activity #5: Save the Manatees Posters

Direct students to design an educational poster focusing on the plight of the manatees. Posters should contain a graphic, slogan, and a one-line fact. Technology software may be employed to complete a polished product.

 

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Activity #6: More Creative Writing

Using the Internet web sites to authenticate facts used in their writing, students can create a play/skit/interview between a manatee and another animal or a boater. A point-of-view paragraph can also be written involving a twenty-year-old manatee telling the changes that have taken place in its lifetime. Students can publish a newspaper with their own editorials and Letters-to-the-Editor.

Students can write letters supporting the plight of the manatees and future regulations to protect them. Addresses are supplied on the Save the Manatees web site in the What Can You Do? section.

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Activity #7: Create a Class Manatees Web Page

Create a web page in order to showcase student work on the Internet. Students can help scan their own artwork onto the page and type the text. They will enjoy showing off their work to everyone!

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Activity #8: Experiment: The Weight of Water

http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/manatee/weightwateract.html

Gather the necessary materials and conduct this Sea World saltwater and freshwater experiment to discover how manatees are able to float and sink as they travel the waterways.

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Manatee Home Page