Sandy Shores
Concepts
Three different types of
sea turtle can be found
on Hawaii’s sandy
shores. Each one has
unique physical
characteristics that can
be used to distinguish
them from one another.
Standards Addressed
2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.3.1, 2.5.1
Duration
1 hour
Source Material
Maui Ocean Center
Vocabulary
Reptiles
Adapted
Scutes
Endangered
Threatened
Poaching
Marine debris
Honu
Limu
Hawaii’s Sea Turtle Observer
Summary Students make observations and identify the seven different types of
sea turtles in the world. They will also learn the name of and how to
identify the three types of sea turtle that can be found in Hawaii.
Objectives • Students will observe pictures of sea turtles of the world and
of Hawaii and record their observations on a datasheets
• Students will form questions about turtles based on their
observations
• Students will be able to identify the parts of a sea turtle and
their function
Materials Hawaii Sea Turtle Observation Cards
Background on Types of Turtles and Parts of a Turtle
Sea Turtles of the World Poster
Who Am I? Riddle Clouds
K-W-L Worksheet
Sea Turtle Observer Worksheets
Making Connections Students may recall personal experiences when they have seen sea
turtles on Hawaii’s sandy shores. Learning about the three different
types of sea turtles that can be found in Hawaii will help students
appreciate their importance to the sandy shore habitat.
Teacher Prep for Activity Activity 1: Sea Turtle Observer
Set up five work stations: 1 for each of the four turtle ID cards, 1
with turtle poster and riddle cards. Copy 1 of the K-W-L chart, turtle
observer, and who am I worksheets for each student. Each student
should receive a packet with three worksheets total.
Background Sea turtles are air breathing reptiles. Reptiles have a backbone, scaly
skin, claws on their toes, and lay eggs. Sea turtles spend most of
their life in the ocean and are very well adapted for life in the water.
They have four flippers that are used for movement. They use the
two front flippers to help them swim. The two back flippers are like
rudders and help them steer or move in the direction they want to go.
Their skin is protected by scales. The shell on their back is formed
by many bony plates called scutes that are fused together. There are
seven kinds of sea turtle in the world that we know about. All sea turtles are endangered or
threatened because they have to deal with a lot of threats. Some of these threats are human
disturbance, poaching, habitat destruction, and marine debris. We have only three species
of sea turtle in Hawaii. They are the Green, Hawksbill, and the Leatherback. The one we see
the most is the Green sea turtle. The Hawaiian name for the Green sea turtle is “honu.” The
honu can weigh up to 400 pounds and be 43 inches long. It likes to eat a kind of green algae
called limu that grows on coral reefs. This means that it is a vegetarian and eats only green
food. The honu has green fat on the inside from the green algae it eats. That is why it got the
name Green sea turtle.
Procedure Activity 1: Sea Turtle Observer
1. Give each student a K-W-L chart and work with them, making a larger chart on the board
or on chart paper, to complete the K & W portions. When finished collect the worksheets
and keep them all together in a safe place. You will need them at the end of the turtle
lessons to have the students complete the L portion. (~10 minutes)
2. Read the background information aloud to the students and discuss new vocabulary words
as needed. (~5 minutes)
3. Separate the students into five groups - one group per station. Pass out the sea turtle
observer worksheets. While you are passing out the worksheets, briefly explain what they
will be doing at each of the five stations. At stations 1-3 they are recording the name of
the type of sea turtle from the card and making observations about what it looks like, what
type of habitat they are found in, and other interesting things on the cards. At station 4,
they will be observing the pictures on the card and recording what they see and how they
feel about the pictures. At station five they will be working as a group to solve the riddles
for each of the seven sea turtles found in the world.
4. Ask students to make observations as a group and record observations on their individual
worksheets at each station
(HINT: If students have a difficult time making observations, ask helpful probing
questions to guide them. For example, what is the sea turtle doing in the picture?)
5. Rotate the groups through each of the five stations. Repeat step #4 at each station.
(HINT: the “Who am I” activity will most likely take the longest to complete. Use the
time it takes for the first group to complete the worksheet as a guideline for switching
stations.) (Steps 3-5 ~30 minutes)
6. Once each group visits all five stations, students should return to their desks and silently
review their recorded observations. Collect the completed worksheets.
7. To end the session, put the sea turtles of the world poster up on the board and work
through each riddle and answer with the students. There is a hint to figuring out each
answer within the clue – help the students identify the helpful hints and discuss how they
used those hint to figure out the answers. (~5 minutes)
Assessments Questions Formulated
Worksheets Completed
Resources www.chirpingbird.com
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/sea_turtles.htm
Literature Connections Turtles by Jodi Huelin (Session 1)
Baby Honu’s Incredible Adventure by Tammy Yee (Session 2)
The two books above are both excellent and highlight important aspects in the life of sea
turtles, specifically Hawaiian green sea turtles. The students will be learning about the
anatomy and life cycle of the Hawaiian green sea turtle in the next two or three sessions.
Reading these books aloud to the students will help introduce the information that will be
covered in the next 2-3 sessions. The books will provide a secondary source of information
on the Hawaiian green sea turtle for the students and reinforce the key concepts within their
science lessons.
I am the most secretive of all
the sea turtles in the world!
Scientists know very little
about me!
FLATBACKhttp://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html
My mouth looks like a bird beak! I
can weigh 100-200 pounds! My
shell is 30-36 inches long! I have
the prettiest shell of all the sea
turtles!
You can see me in Hawaii!
HAWKSBILLhttp://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html
I am the largest of all the sea
turtles! I am also the largest
reptile on Earth by weight! I
weight 1400-1600 pounds! My
shell is 6-7 feet long! My shell is
not hard like other sea turtles! It
is like hard rubber! I love cold
water, to swim far, and dive deep!
My favorite food is jellyfish!
LEATHERBACKhttp://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html
I am the smallest sea turtle! I
weigh only 80-120 pounds! My
shell is only 26-30 inches! My
scutes or the shiny plates that
make up my shell are olive gray
color! My favorite food is crabs I
dig out of the sand!
KEMP-RIDLEYhttp://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html
I have some green in my shell, but
am not as green as my name says!
I am the largest hard shelled turtle!
My shell is 36-43 inches long! I can
weigh 400 pounds! Maybe I got the
name green because I eat green
food! I am a vegetarian! You can
see me on the sandy shores in
Hawaii!
GREENhttp://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html
My head is as big as a log! I
weigh 150-400 pounds and my
shell is 33-40 inches long! My
favorite foods are jellyfish and
crabs! My colors are red and
brown!
LOGGERHEAD
http://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html
OLIVE RIDLEY
Sometimes my shell is olive green,
but it can be black or grayish brown!
My shell is 24-30 inches long! I only
weigh around 100 pounds! My
favorite foods are crabs, shrimp, rock
lobsters, and jellyfish!
http://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html
Sea Turtles of the World
Flatback Green
Hawksbill Kemp Ridley
Leatherback Loggerhead
Olive Ridley http://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html Photos from:
Sea Turtles of the World
Flatback Green
Hawksbill Kemp Ridley
Leatherback Loggerhead
Olive Ridley
http://www.chirpingbird.com/netpets/html/classrm/turtlfac.html Photos from:
NAME:
Sea Turtles K-W-L Chart
What I Know About
Sea Turtles
What I Want To Know
About Sea Turtles
What I Learned About
Sea Turtles
STUDENT NAME:
Sea Turtle Observer Datasheet
Look at your pictures of the three sea turtles found in Hawaii. Record your
observations for each turtle below. Remember, to be a good observer you must look
for details. Think about how each one is different from the others!
Station 1: Name of Turtle
Your Observations
Station 2: Name of Turtle
Your Observations
Station 3: Name of Turtle
Your Observations
Station 4: What do you see and how do the pictures make you feel?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Sandy Shores
Concepts
Hawaiian green sea
turtles use the sandy
shore at different
times during their life.
They have well-
adapted body parts
that make their life
possible in the open
ocean and on the
sandy shore.
Standards Addressed
2.3.1, 2.5.1
Duration
1 hour
Source Material
Maui Ocean Center
Vocabulary
Life Cycle
Anatomy
Hawaii’s Sea Turtle Exploration
Summary Students work together to identify the various parts of a sea turtle and
construct a human size model. They will also learn about the life
cycle of a Hawaiian green sea turtle.
Objectives • Students will identify the steps of the honu sea turtle life cycle
• Student will understand how and why sea turtles use the
sandy shore during different stages of their life
• Students will be able to identify the parts of a sea turtle and
their function
Materials Human Sea Turtle Parts Model (template included)
Parts of a “Honu” Worksheets
Turtle Life Cycle Video(s) – download from www.arkive.org
Life Cycle Worksheet
Making Connections Students may recall personal experiences when they have seen green
sea turtles on Hawaii’s sandy shores. Learning about the anatomy
and life cycle of Hawaiian green sea turtles will provide them with a
better understanding and appreciation of how and why they utilize
Hawaii’s sandy shores.
Teacher Prep for Activity Activity 1: Parts of a “Honu”
Cut out and prepare the human turtle model parts and labels. Copy
one parts of a turtle diagram worksheet for each student.
Activity 2: Life Cycle of a “Honu”
Locate and download a life cycle video for the honu. Copy one life
cycle worksheet for each student.
Background Sea turtles are air breathing reptiles. Reptiles have a backbone, scaly
skin, claws on their toes, and lay eggs. Sea turtles spend most of
their life in the ocean and are very well adapted for life in the water.
They have four flippers that are used for movement. They use the
two front flippers to help them swim. The two back flippers are like
rudders and help them steer or move in the direction they want to go.
Their skin is protected by scales. The shell on their back is formed
by many bony plates called scutes that are fused together. There are
seven kinds of sea turtle in the world that we know about. All sea turtles are endangered or
threatened because they have to deal with a lot of threats. Some of these threats are human
disturbance, poaching, habitat destruction, and marine debris. We have only three species
of sea turtle in Hawaii. They are the Green, Hawksbill, and the Leatherback. The one we see
the most is the Green sea turtle. The Hawaiian name for the Green sea turtle is “honu.” The
honu can weigh up to 400 pounds and be 43 inches long. It likes to eat a kind of green algae
called limu that grows on coral reefs. This means that it is a vegetarian and eats only green
food. The honu has green fat on the inside from the green algae it eats. That is why it got the
name Green sea turtle.
Procedure Activity 1: Parts of a “Honu”
1. Select one volunteer to come to the front of the class. This student will become the human
“Honu” model.
2. Pass out one parts of a “honu” worksheet to each student.
3. Have the human size parts and labels close by
4. Ask the students to raise their hand and tell you the names of the different parts. Ask
probing questions to provide students with hints/clues until they have named
all the parts. As the students name the parts, place each one on the student model.
5. Remove each turtle part from the volunteer and ask students to guide you (from their seats)
in reassembling the turtle on the board
6. Ask the students to label each part on their worksheet
Activity 2: Life Cycle of a “Honu”
1. Pass out a life cycle worksheet to each student.
2. Explain that they will be watching a video on the life cycle of a sea turtle. They should
pay close attention to the main steps in a sea turtle’s life. Students may have a difficult
time with this task - explain that the main steps in the life cycle are the times when the
honu changes location or the place they live.
3. Play the video for the students – it may be necessary to show the video more than one time
for the students to make their final conclusions.
4. After the students feel confident they know the steps in the life cycle, work together as a
class to list the steps on the board. There are three main steps the students should identify
and learn.
1. A female sea turtle crawls up onto the sandy shore to lay her eggs.
2. Baby sea turtles hatch after 2 months and crawl down the beach to the ocean
passing many predators on the way.
3. Sea turtles stay in the open ocean for 10 years and then may come back to the
sandy shore to bask or lay eggs (if female)
5. Once you have all agreed on the three steps, have the students write a condensed version
of each step on their worksheet. You may need to help them condense the steps into just a
couple of words.
6. When the students are finished collect the part of a “honu” and the life cycle worksheets
from the students. To end the session, explain that the next session will be a field trip to
the sandy/rocky shore to conduct their own sea turtle surveys.
Assessments Questions Formulated
Worksheets Completed
Resources www.chirpingbird.com
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/sea_turtles.htm
www.arkive.org (download videos)
Extension Activity – Field Trip to Survey Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles If possible this lesson should/could be followed by a field trip to survey and count Hawaiian
green sea turtles. (Hint: I great place for this is a shoreline with both rocks and sand along
with large tide pool areas such as Puako on the Big Island.) While visiting the turtle site
students should count the number of turtles they saw and collect information about their body
parts and location. You will need one clipboard, pencil, and datasheet for each student. You
will find the datasheet designed to accompany this lesson on the next page. This is also a
good opportunity to review the anatomy of a sea turtle and vocabulary words such as basking,
hatchling, carapace, scutes, types of turtles, etc. with the students. The students should be
using their knowledge gained during classroom activities to complete the specific questions
on the survey. They can use their vocabulary words to record additional information in the
notes section of the datasheet such as basking in the sun. You may also need to introduce the
concept of tumors, also known as fibropapilloma, which can often be seen in various parts of
green sea turtles in Hawaii. The most common areas to see tumors are around the eyes and
areas where their flippers are connected to the shell. The tumors are usually white in color
and look like fatty tissue or cottage cheese. The students may remember seeing pictures of
tumors while they were observing the turtle cards in session 1 (Card #4). Explain that
scientists are still working very hard to understand why sea turtles grow the tumors, BUT
right now we just don’t know.
STUDENT NAME:
Sea Turtle Anatomy
Look at the sea turtle diagram on the board. Write the name of each part of a sea
turtle next to the correct arrow in the diagram below. Use the words in the word
box to help you with correct spelling for each part.
Front flippers Scutes Eye Head
Back flippers Carapace Plastron Tail
STUDENT NAME ____________________________
Life Cycle of a Sea Turtle
Write a short description of each step next to the blank space provided.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
www.fws.gov
This picture can be used as a guide for making your own human sea turtle model.
Increase the size of each part by 7x to make a student size model.
Each part will be placed on a student model and will need to have some means by which
to attach it to the student. Punching holes in the corners of each part and using string to
tie them together works well.
GROUP NAME: ___________________________ DATE: ________________________
SEA TURTLE SURVEY DATASHEET
Turtle
Number
Size
(Sm,Med,Lg)
Location
(in the
water,
on rock,
on
beach)
Did the
turtle
have 2
front
flippers?
Did the
turtle
have 2
back
flippers?
Did
the
turtle
have
a
head?
Did
the
turtle
have
2
eyes?
Did
the
turtle
have
a tail?
Did the
turtle
have a
carapace?
Did the
turtle
have a
plastron?
Did the
turtle
have
tumors?
How
many?
Was
the
turtle
missing
any
parts?
NOTES:
Other
things you
observed
about the
turtle
Today I saw ___________________ turtles. They were all ___________________________________________________ . write the # write the name of the type of sea turtles you saw
All turtles DO NOT look exactly the same. Explain how the 3 turtles you observed were different from each other.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sandy Shores
Concepts
The sandy shore plays
an important part in the
life cycle of sea turtles.
Sea turtles in Hawaii
face many challenges
throughout their life
cycle that threaten their
survival.
Standards Addressed
2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.3.1, 2.5.1
Duration
1 hour
Source Material
Project Aquatic Wild
(Hawaii Supplement)
Vocabulary
Nesting period
Clutch
Life cycle
Hatchlings
Bask
Prey
Predator
Limiting factors
Life Cycle of Hawaii’s Honu
Summary
Students will become sea turtle hatchlings and limiting factors in a
highly active simulation game. They will work together to identify
and play the roles of predator and prey in the life cycle of a sea turtle.
Objectives
• Students will be able to describe the life cycle of a sea turtle
• Students will be able to identify sources of mortality for sea
turtles
• Students will understand the effects of limiting factors on sea
turtle survivability
Materials
Background reading on the life cycle of a sea turtle
One predator name tag with String Necklace per student
2 – 100 foot long ropes/thick strings (length of the course)
2 – 50 foot long ropes/thick strings (width of the course)
* You could also use four orange cones to mark the
boundaries
2 - 10 foot long ropes/thick strings/ hula hoops (must make a circle)
One plastic bag per student
2 rolls of pennies or 100 pennies
2 bags of dried beans
Making Connections
Students may recall personal experiences when they have seen sea
turtles on Hawaii’s sandy shores. Learning about the life cycle of sea
turtles will help students appreciate the challenges sea turtles face
throughout their lifespan. Students will gain a better understanding
and appreciation behind conservation and protection efforts of
nesting habitat and sea turtles populations in general.
Background
Sea turtles live in the ocean most of their life cycle and only leave the
water during nesting periods. The nesting period is when they come
to the sandy shore to lay their eggs. Most female turtles swim all the
way to French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaii Islands to
lay their eggs. Female sea turtles crawl up the beach and dig deep
holes to lay their eggs in. They use the two back flippers to dig the
holes. A female turtle can lay up to 100 eggs about the size of a ping
pong ball. All the eggs laid in the nest are called a clutch. After the
eggs are laid she covers them and fills the hole back up with sand.
She then crawls back to the ocean and leaves the eggs to hatch. The
eggs are left alone for about 2 months. If they do not get eaten by crabs or taken by humans –
they hatch, dig their way out of the sand, and crawl to the ocean.
The baby sea turtles are called hatchlings. While they crawl to the ocean they may be
eaten by predators like crabs and birds. Only about 1 to 5 hatchlings will live past the first
year. After they make it to the water they become prey and have to face fish, tiger sharks,
and humans. Most predators hunt sea turtles for food. Humans use sea turtle eggs and meat
for food or to make oil. The shell is used to make jewelry and money. Humans also threaten
the lives of turtles when we build houses, hotels, and condos near the beach. The lights can
distract them on their journey to the ocean and make them go the wrong way. Some building
may prevent the females from getting to the right place to lay her eggs. Marine debris kills
many sea turtles every year. Marine debris is man-made trash found on the beach or in the
ocean. Many sea turtles get stuck in fishing nets and drown because they cannot swim free.
Jellyfish is a favorite food of sea turtles. Plastic bags floating in the ocean look like jellyfish
and are eaten by sea turtles. Plastic bags and other human trash eaten by turtles get stuck in
their stomachs and kill them. Anything that threatens sea turtles is called a limiting factor.
Sea turtles also come onto the sandy shore to bask in the sun. The warm sand and
sunny weather warms them up. This also helps them stay away from their main predator
called the tiger shark. This is when most humans get to see turtles.
Procedure
Turtle Hurdles
1. Ask for volunteers – half the number of students in the class would be appropriate.
2. Ask the remaining students to count of by fours: 1 = humans, 2 = birds, 3 =
crabs, 4 = sharks
3. Give each student a sign that indicates which predator they represent and a
plastic bag with 50 dried beans
4. Move the class outside to the designated course area. Ask volunteers to help set
up the activity as shown in the diagram provided.
5. Walk the class through the activity and explain where each zone is and what the rules are.
Read through or verbally explain the following steps which explain the rules of the game.
A. Turtles must hatch, cross the beach and spend 10 years in the open ocean. The time in
the ocean is simulated by turtles running between the year zones. They pick up one
penny at a year zone and then run to the other year zone to pick up another penny.
Each penny represents two years of successful ocean survival. After collecting five
pennies, turtles return to the nesting area to reproduce.
B. Turtle try to avoid limiting factors and predators. If tagged by a limiting factor, a
turtle stops, counts out ten beans and places those ten beans in the limiting factor’s
bag.
C. The ocean’s sea grass areas are turtle safety zones where limiting factors cannot tag
them. The teacher may set a time limit for how long a turtle may rest in a sea grass
zone.
D. Limiting factors must obey the following rules:
• They cannot tag the same turtle twice in a row.
• They cannot tag turtles that are counting out beans to another limiting factor.
• They must stay at least four steps away from any turtle that is transferring
beans to another limiting factor.
E. Any turtle that losses all 50 beans is dead. It must go to the beach and become a
condominium. If the condominiums (sitting side by side) eventually block the access
to the nesting beach, the remaining turtles die without reproducing and starting the
next cycle.
F. The activity ends when all turtles are either dead or have returned to the nesting area.
6. Review the rules a second time, if necessary, to make sure the students understand their
roles and the procedures. Assign either a turtle or limiting factor role to each student and
begin the activity.
7. After completing the activity, encourage the students to discuss the results. It is likely
that some students will be disturbed by the high mortality of the turtles and will benefit
from the realization that there are groups actively trying to diminish human contributions
to the high mortality. It is also important to emphasize that natural limiting factors are
built into the scheme of things. If all the sea turtles survived there may be an
overabundance of these creatures. Many animals produce more young than will survive,
serving as food for other species as part of nature’s dynamic balance. Briefly review the
life cycle of sea turtles.
8. Summarize the importance of the high numbers of turtles that result from the reproduction.
Identify and discuss the factors that limit survival. Since sea turtles are threatened with
extinction, the limiting factors affecting their survival seem to be out of balance. What
specific recommendations would the students suggest to increase the successful
reproduction and survival of sea turtles (This could be given as a homework assignment –
ask each student to think about and write to recommendations that can be shared with the
class the following day).
Assessments
Questions formulated
Worksheets Completed
Resources
Maui Ocean Center