Aug. 1-7, 2013, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
Researchers with OCEARCH, a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying and protecting sharks, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute recently set sail to study great white sharks. The researchers hope to tag and study from 10 to 20 great white sharks, one of the most dangerous–and important–animals in the sea. The researchers plan to catch the great whites using hooks designed to minimize harm to the animals. The sharks will then be reeled aboard the ship using a specially designed hydraulic lift that allows water to circulate over the sharks’ gills. Scientists will then tag the sharks with GPS devices, take blood and tissue samples, and conduct a number of other tests. The sharks will then be released. Scientists hope the tracking devices will help them learn more about the seasonal movements of the sharks and the health of the great white population in the North Atlantic Ocean. A 2009 survey by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that one-third of 64 surveyed shark species are threatened with extinction, mainly because of overfishing. Most of the sharks are targeted for their fins, which are used in soups popular in many Asian countries. An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year.
Objective:
Sharks are one of the most feared sea animals. All sharks are carnivores (meat-eaters). Most of them eat live fish, including other sharks. In fact, a shark’s most common natural enemy is a larger shark. Sharks have the reputation of attacking human beings. But fewer than 80 shark attacks a year are reported throughout the world, and most shark attacks do not result in death or serious injury. Sharks vary greatly in size. Whale sharks are the largest kind of shark and the largest of all fish. They may grow up to 40 feet (12 meters) long. Whale sharks may weigh over 15 tons (14 metric tons), more than twice as much as an average African elephant. The smallest sharks may measure about 6 inches (16 centimeters) long and weigh about 1 ounce (28 grams). The Behind the Headlines news stories and related World Book articles explore great white sharks and other shark species.
Words to know:
- Cape Cod
- Conservation
- Endangered species
- Extinction
- Fishing industry
- Great white shark
- Ocean
- Shark
- Whale shark
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name sharks other the great white shark. (Students might name the basking shark, hammerhead shark, mako shark, nurse shark, tiger shark, whale shark.)
2. Many species of sharks are threatened with extinction. Ask your students to name other endangered species. (Students might name American crocodiles, Asiatic lions, blue whales, California condors, cheetahs, giant pandas, orangutans, tigers.)
3. Ask your students to debate, “Humans have the responsibility to protect animals from extinction.”
4. Ask your students which animal they think is the most dangerous to humans. (The world’s deadliest animal, by a landslide, is the mosquito, which transmits malaria and other diseases. Some people estimate that mosquitoes kill from 1 to 3 million people each year, mainly in Africa and Asia.)