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MARE  Grade 1 – The Rocky Shore

Table of Contents

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Introducing the Rocky Seashore

How to Use the MARE Guide

Literature Connections

Ocean Week

Teaching Strategies

Resources: Posters and more


Activity 1: A Snail’s Place
Students build a snail home in a cup and then observe a snail and its behavior in the home to discover the ways they are adapted to live in their home on land or at the seashore.

Activity 2: Seashore Charades
Students act out the adaptations of organisms at the rocky seashore at high tide and low tide using slides as prompts.

Activity 3: Seashore Bingo
Students observe the diversity of plant and animal life at the rocky seashore. They identify the names and pictures of plants and animals by playing a bingo game using drawings of rocky seashore organisms.

Activity 4: Who am I at the Rocky Seashore
Students work in small groups to teach each other about some important traits of tidepool creatures. They participate in a “game show” and a 20 questions type of guessing game to check for understanding.

Activity 5: Sculpin Hunt
Students color sculpin cutouts and place them on similar color backgrounds around the classroom. Other students play the role of predators, “catching” as many as possible in the allotted time.

Activity 6: A Crayfish Capers
Students work in small groups to create a habitat for crayfish. They observe the crayfish’s external anatomy and behavior to discover the ways a crayfish is adapted to live in a water home.

Activity 7: Seaweed Soup
Students compare seaweed to a tree to learn about the similarities and differences between ocean and land plants. They participate in guided imagery about seaweed and tides. Students also observe dried seaweed, then rehydrate some seaweed into a soup snack.

Activity 8: Trouble in the Tidepools
Students make a field trip guide to the rocky seashore that can be used for a real field trip or to help another class visit your classroom’s rocky shore. Some of the items included in the guide are safety rules, the best time to visit, and what they should look for. Students add evidence of people to their 3-dimensional classroom rocky seashore.

Activity 9: Adopt-a-Playground
Students investigate the effects of litter on animals living at the seashore and then conduct a clean-up of their playground. They sort and classify the material they find and make pollution posters to display.

Activity 10: Tidepool Boogie
Students listen to and talk about the song, “Tidepool Boogie.” Then they work together in small groups to act out the organisms in the song. The class can then stage a performance of the song.

Production Credits

Below, you’ll find helpful resources for use with the above activities.

Unit I: Resources

Activity 2 Seashore Charades
Seashore Charades slide show
Seashore Charades slide show script

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