Diving into STEM with Oceanic Research Group Secondary ... STUDENT... · Diving into STEM with Oceanic Research Group Secondary Unit: Teaching STEM with Sharks Sharkwreck Mystery:

Diving into STEM with Oceanic Research GroupSecondary Unit: Teaching STEM with Sharks

Sharkwreck Mystery: Student Resources

Concepts: Scientific Inquiry, Hypothesis, Theory, Study designOverview: Thirty miles off the coast of North Carolina there is a shipwreck on the bottom and swarming around the wreck are dozens of Sand Tiger sharks. They look menacing, but they seem to be very docile. What are they all doing there, in one spot? That’s what Jonathan wants to find out. Biologists think they are coming to mate, as evidenced by the shark teeth they find scattered on the wreck. But while observing the sharks, Jonathan can’t see them doing much of anything except swimming around. He and his crew try various ways to learn more about why these Sand Tiger sharks congregate at this wreck. What do they learn by diving with and recording these sharks both during the day and at night?Resources: Jonathan Bird’s Blue World - Webisode 7 - http://www.blueworldtv.com/webisodes/watch/a-sharkwreck-mystery

Secondary Unit Lesson 3- Sharkwreck Mystery: Student Resources - Page 1Learn more at www.BlueWorldTV.com!

Introduction

People are able to study land animals such as bears, lions or birds by sitting for many hours and observing them. In order to not affect the natural behavior of the animals, this observation usually occurs from a distance or by people camouflaging themselves in the surrounding environment. Studying behavior of animals underwater is much more challenging due to the limitations of time, underwater visibility, location and difficulty blending in with the environment. Consequently, long hours of observational research is not possible for underwater animals which means there are many unanswered questions about underwater animal behavior.

It has been known for years that Sand Tiger sharks gather in certain locations at certain times of the year but the exact reason for this is not known. This lesson highlights the progressive attempts and challenges of learning what the Sand Tiger sharks are doing on this North Carolina shipwreck. Results are reviewed and hypotheses revised while considering other ways to research the question. Considerations for study design such as open, blind and double blind are also included in this lesson.


Sharkwreck Mystery Lesson: Student Resources Contents

Section Page(s) Afterschool ClassroomScience Notebook Framework 3 X XBackground 4 X XMap Location Activity 4 XEssential Vocabulary 5-6 X XExtended Vocabulary 7 X XVocabulary Reinforcement Bingo Game 8 XVocabulary Crossword 9 XPrior Knowledge 10 X XCulture Connection 10 X XPreviewing Questions 11 X XFill in the Blank 12-14 XPost-viewing Questions & Writing Prompts 15 X X5W Questions Worksheet 15 X XGoing Further: Discussion 15 X XActivity #1- Amazon Flies 16 X XActivity #2 - Researching Discoveries 16 X XActivity #3 - Taste Tests: Open, Blinded & Double-Blinded 17 X XActivity #4 - The Checks Lab - Deductive Science 18-19 X X


Unit:______________________________ Investigation/Part_____________________________________

Idea:_____________________________________________________________________________________

(1) PLANNING THE INVESTIGATION:Focus Question (Teacher provided or student generated? Write in or glue in?)Prediction (Whole group oral or written in notebook? I think/predict that_________ because _______)Planning (What should be changed? What should be kept the same? How will differences be measured? Teacher given? Written on board? Glue in sheet? Student generated?)

(2) DATA ACQUISITION & ORGANIZATION:Data Collection Methods (How will students record data? Drawings, charts & tables, artifacts, graphs & organizers)Data obtained (What is the expected outcome of the observations?)Data display (Data re-organization, graphic organizers)

(3) MAKING MEANING:Discussion/analysis Conference: Science Talk (Class graphic organizer, thinking maps, sharing data, claims and evidence as a whole group)Claims & Evidence listing:

Claim Evidence(I claim that...) (I know this because...)

Conclusion (Sentence Frames and Prompts to scaffold answering the focus question: How do claims and evidence related to the big idea? Were predictions supported by the evidence?)

(4) REFLECTION & SELF-ASSESSMENT:Line of learning (What did you learn that was new?)Reflection/Self-reflection (At first thought...now I think...I still need help understanding)Next Step Strategies (Re-teaching strategies)

Reference: Bay Area Science Project/Lawrence Hall of Science - 2010

SCIENCE NOTEBOOK FRAMEWORK


Sand Tiger sharks are one of the most popular sharks to have in aquaria as they are mild tempered but fierce looking.

For a short video description of Sand Tiger sharks and to learn more about them, watch Shark Academy’s feature on these menacing looking animals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHMSzlECvzE

Sand Tiger shark tooth

Background

Map ActivityJonathan travels to North Carolina in the United States to visit the World War II shipwreck of the Carib Sea in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Find the United States. Find North Carolina on the east coast of the United States.

Directions: Find a picture or a synonym (similar word) for each of the Essential Vocabulary words. Use a dictionary, thesaurus, internet, or any other resource available to you. These are in alphabetical order. For an additional activity, pair words with opposite meanings.

AGGRESSIVE ANCHOR LINE BIAS BIOLOGIST BLIND STUDY BOTTOMCLUECOINCIDENCE CONVERGECONFIRM CONTROL GROUP CREW CRYSTAL CLEAR DEPENDENT VARIABLEDETERIORATE DISTURB DOUBLE-BLIND STUDYEXPLORE FOOTAGEHAWTHORNE EFFECT (OBSERVER EFFECT)

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY Sharkwreck Mystery


ILLUMINATION INCONSPICUOUS INDEPENDENT VARIABLE MURKYNOCTURNAL OBSERVER BIASOFFSHORE OPEN STUDY REMOTE CAMERA SCIENTIST SECRET SECTION SHIPWRECK SHY SINK SANKSUNKSURFACETEST GROUP TO BE CONFUSED TO BITETO DESCEND TO MATE

TO RECORD

TO TAPEVARIABLE WRECK

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY Sharkwreck Mystery


EXTENDED VOCABULARY Sharkwreck MysteryDirections: Find a picture or a synonym (similar word) for each of the Extended Vocabulary words. Use a dictionary, thesaurus, Internet, or any other resource available to you.

DAZEGEAR GERMAN U-BOAT LEISURE LONELY NEEDLE PACE POINTYSCATTERSHIPSLIPPERY SPRINGSWALLOW SUDDENLY TO CUT TO MATERIALIZE

IDIOMATIC LANGUAGE:A BUNCH OF A SIGN DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS GIVE UPHEAD BACK TO A PLACEONE BITEPITCH DARKSCARE SOMEONE HALF TO DEATHSET UP SOMETHINGSUIT UP TO BE ATTRACTED TO SOMEONE/SOMETHING TO SOLVE SOMETHINGTURN ON



Vocabulary Bingo: Sharkwreck Mystery• Write one word from the list below in each of the 25 boxes in whatever sequence you desire. Do not repeat words, and do not leave any spaces blank.• The instructor will read definitions in sequence. Place the number of the definition in the box with the associated term. When you have five in a row, shout, “Bingo!”

a. POINTY b. SHYc. DAZEd. BIASe. PACEf. MURKY

m. LEISUREn. NOCTURNALo. VARIABLEp. SLIPPERYq. SUDDENLYr. FOOTAGE

s. CONTROL GROUPt. INDEPENDENT VARIABLEu. OBSERVER BIASv. BLIND STUDYw. HAWTHORNE EFFECTx. DEPENDENT VARIABLEy. DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY

g. TEST GROUPh. OPEN STUDY i. ILLUMINATIONj. DETERIORATEk. SCIENTISTl. INCONSPICUOUS


Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle: Sharkwreck Mystery

AGGRESSIVE CREW MURKY SINKBOTTOM DISTURB SECRET SPRINGCLUE EXPLORE SECTION SURFACECONFIRM LONELY SHIP WRECK


Prior Knowledge ExpectationsStudents should have a basic understanding of the scientific method or process.

Steps to the Scientific Method:1. The scientific method begins with a question.2. Information is gathered about the question.3. Next a hypothesis or possible solution is formed.4. The hypothesis is then tested with an experiment.5. Results are analyzed and a conclusion is reached.

The conclusion may prove or disprove the original hypothesis. In either outcome, more information is known about the original problem and if we are curious, this leads to even more questions. Inquiry, or the search for knowledge, doesn’t end as long as there is curiosity.

Terminology related to the Scientific Method:VARIABLE - an object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category you are trying to measure that is capable of changing.INDEPENDENT VARIABLE - is the variable that is not changed or controlled in a scientific experiment usually plotted on the x-axis; it represents the inputs or causesDEPENDENT VARIABLE - the variable being tested in a scientific experiment and represents the output or effect.QUANTITATIVE VARIABLE - has numeric values such as height, age, temperatureCONTROL - A control group is a group separated from the rest of the experiment where the independent variable being tested cannot influence the results. This isolates the independent variable’s effects on the experiment and can help rule out alternate explanations of the experimental results.CONSTANTS - factors that are kept the same during an experiment such as temperature

Experimental Designs:Pretest-Posttest Design - the preferred method to compare participant groups and measure the degree of change occurring as a result of treatments or interventions.Control Group - A researcher must only measure one variable at a time, and using a scientific control group gives reliable baseline data for result comparison. For example, a medical study will use two groups, giving one set of patients the real medicine and the other a placebo. Neither the doctors nor the patients are aware of which pill they are receiving, curbing potential research bias.Randomized Controlled Trials - In randomized controlled trials, the research participants are assigned by chance, rather than by choice, to either the experimental group or the control group. Randomization reduces bias as much as possible. Randomization is designed to “control” (reduce or eliminate if possible) bias by all means.Within Subject Design - every single participant is subjected to every single treatment, including the control.

Culture Connection• What is a graveyard? • What happens to people after they have died in your culture? • What are some traditions/rituals that are held when someone dies? • What happens to people after they have died in the U.S.? • Where are graveyards usually in the United States?

1. What is a coincidence? What is a mystery? 2. Does anyone know the history of World War II? Which countries were involved in the war? 3. Some animals are nocturnal. What does nocturnal mean? Do you know any nocturnal animals? 4. What does it mean for an animal to mate? Different animals have different mating behaviors or rituals to attract a partner. Do you know of any animal mating behaviors?

Applying Scientific Vocabulary:1. What is a clue?2. What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?3. How should a scientist formulate a hypothesis? 4. How many times should a scientist alter his/her hypothesis/theory before giving up? 5. If a scientist never finds evidence to support his/her hypothesis/theory, is it a failure? Why or why not? 6. You are a scientist, and you are conducting an experiment on people, and their behavior. If the people know that you are watching and observing them, do you think that affects their behavior? Why or why not? 7. There is a scientific term called the Hawthorne/observer effect. This says that people that know or feel that they are being observed might act/behave differently than if they were not being observed. Do you think this is the same with animals? Why or why not?

Writing prompt for the student journal: If you were conducting an experiment, and you believed that the Hawthorne/Observer effect was not giving you pure results, make a list of possible ideas that you could use so that your subjects would act “more natural”.


Previewing Questions


The blue world keeps her __________well, and today we’re going to attempt to solve a mystery about an amazing fish. Every spring, Sand Tiger sharks __________at certain shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina. Nobody knows why they visit these wrecks or what they like about them. They don’t seem to be doing much of__________. But scientists have a theory on what they are doing…and we’re going to see if we can confirm it.

Hi, I’m Jonathan Bird and Welcome to my world! Our adventure begins in coastal North Carolina in the United States. We have loaded piles of __________aboard a dive boat and we’re heading way offshore…to an area of the ocean __________of World War 2 shipwrecks, known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” The wrecks are located here, in a lonely part of the open ocean, more than 15 miles from__________. Eighty feet below me is the wreck of the Carib Sea, a __________that was sunk by a German U-boat in World War two. The Carib Sea has deteriorated over 60 years on the bottom of the ocean, but it __________looks like a ship.

My crew and I are suiting up to __________the wreck and the sharks that have come here. We don our gear and __________into the water, descending down the anchor line into the blue. What starts out as crystal clear water near the surface, becomes more murky at the__________. Out of the haze, a shark __________materializes, swimming at a leisurely pace.

Sand Tigers have rows of pointy teeth that look __________scary. These needle-like teeth are not designed for biting divers, but in fact they are good for grabbing and holding on to __________fish. They aren’t good for cutting, so the Sand Tiger usually doesn’t take __________out of anything. They usually don’t eat anything that they can’t __________in one bite.

As I swim around looking at the sharks, they __________to be trying to act inconspicuous, as if they are just waiting for me to __________so they can get back to what they are doing when I’m not around. But what are they doing when I’m not__________?? They could be coming to the wrecks to eat. After all, there are a lot of fish__________. But there are a lot of fish in lots of places. Why would all these sharks come to the wrecks in North Carolina, all at the __________time? Biologists __________this is no coincidence. They think the sharks come __________to mate.

A Sharkwreck Mystery Fill in the Blank


A Sharkwreck Mystery Fill in the Blank (continued)One clue is the shark’s teeth that can be __________on the wreck. As I look around, I find a __________of shark’s teeth scattered on the wreck and in the sand nearby. Sharks have a steady __________of new teeth being regenerated because they lose their teeth every once in __________when they bite something hard. __________sharks mate, the male bites onto the female to hold on. He often loses some teeth in the__________. Scientists think these teeth are a __________that the sharks are mating at the wrecks!

They __________aren’t mating while we’re around, even if we use our super-quiet rebreathers. So the next __________is to place some remote cameras on the wreck and leave, to see if we can __________the sharks doing anything without us around. My crew and I __________several remote cameras on the shipwreck. We will __________for an hour with nobody around so that the sharks won’t be __________by our presence.

Later, we look at the tapes to see if the cameras __________anything on tape. See now what’s surprising me about this is that I really __________to see something different with the unmanned cameras. I mean when we’re not down there, there’s no divers, they should be doing __________now that we’re not there. But they’re doing the same thing—which is__________! While we got some interesting __________of the sharks, we didn’t see any mating. In fact, they looked like they are doing the same exact thing they do when we are __________there with them. I would expect a lot more__________.

Hmm, I think we are going to have to go back out and see __________they do at night. I think that’s the only thing we can see because if they’re not doing it __________the daytime, maybe it’s a nighttime, maybe it’s a nocturnal activity. Could the sharks be mating at night? There’s only one way to find out, and it’s a pretty __________option.

We decide to take the boat out to the wreck to stay __________. We are the first film crew to __________filming Sand Tigers on this wreck at night. We head down into the darkness with video lights on our cameras, hoping to see something__________. When we reach the wreck, we don’t really see anything except ___________darkness. Until…

Out of nowhere, a dazed Sand Tiger shark __________comes right at me and scares me half to death! During the day the Sand Tigers are far too __________to come this close. They don’t seem aggressive…but they do seem __________by the lights. They act like they are sleep-swimming, almost like a deer in the headlights when the bright video lights get too__________. After an hour looking for mating __________and not seeing any, we give up and head back to the boat. But we still have one __________idea.


A Sharkwreck Mystery Fill in the Blank (continued)And you liked the camera positions earlier? Those were good. We will try the remote cameras again, this time at night. Alright. And the sharks do, they go through there, they go around the front of the__________, and then when they circle around they come across that front…

But in order for the cameras to be able to see anything, we will need at __________some light. The following day, we set up a super __________movie light over the bow of the wreck by hanging it from an air-filled lift bag. This 200 Watt HMI light is as bright as a 1,000 watt lightbulb. If we hang it ___________enough over the wreck, it should throw just enough light to provide some __________illumination for the cameras, but not so much that will daze the sharks.

While Rick is __________the light, Gator, Tim and I are setting up cameras. Finally, everything is ready. Now we head back to the __________to wait for darkness. Later, we dive back down to the wreck and turn on both the cameras and the light. It’s a __________dive, and then we return to the boat to wait.

Whoa! I don’t know we might have just put down the world’s __________plankton-attracter! I don’t know! But I can tell you one thing: the sharks are around the wreck at night. Um hmm! Oh yeah, they’re there!

In the morning we __________all the cameras again. Reviewing the__________, our light above the wreck worked out well. In fact, it worked so well that it attracted a huge school of fish below it.

(Discussion while watching footage) We learned that the sharks are __________not feeding on these fish because if they were, how could they not be attacking such an easy meal?Every once in a while we see a shark or two pass through the__________, but we don’t see any mating.

You might think that our __________experiment was for nothing because we didn’t see the sharks mating. But in fact it proved that the sharks don’t seem to be very __________at night. And it showed us that they __________not be mating at the wrecks, though we can’t prove it either way.

The ocean is filled with__________, many of which will never be solved. We’re a little closer to understanding the Sand Tiger shark, but we have a lot to learn. For now, we still have no idea why the Sand Tigers come to the wrecks in North Carolina. This mystery will continue to remain unsolved.


Post Viewing Questions & Writing PromptsPost Video Discussion:

1. Do Jonathan and his crew seem frustrated that they couldn’t “prove” anything? Support your answer with quotes and actions.

2. If you were on this research team, would you be discouraged? Why or why not?

3. Sometimes if studies are repeated the same results occur. Sometimes, different results happen. Do you think this study should be repeated? Why or why not? If it was repeated, what elements would you change?

Writing prompts: 1. Jonathan’s crew altered their hypothesis and changed their observation methods throughout their research. They tried four different ways of observing. List the four methods they used and explain the reasoning behind each change. 2. When Jonathan climbs back into the boat after turning on the remote cameras and lights to record at night, he said, “Whoa! I don’t know, we might have just put down the world’s largest plankton-attracter! I don’t know! But I can tell you one thing: the sharks are around the wreck at night. Um hmm! Oh yeah, they’re there!” What does Jonathan mean? Infer by his tone, how do you think he feels? Why? 3. Write in your journal any suggestions for further research about the Sand Tiger Shark.

5 W Questions & Answer Key

1. Q:Why did the biologists theorize that the Sand Tiger sharks met to mate at the shipwreck? 2. Q: Where do the sharks congregate? 3. Q: How are a Sand Tiger shark’s teeth designed?4. Q: When do the Sand Tiger sharks meet at the Graveyard of the Atlantic?5. Q: Who sunk the Carib Sea? 6. Q: What did the experiment prove?

1. The biologists had a theory about the Sand Tiger Sharks mating at the shipwreck due to all the teeth found around the shipwreck. Research how Sand Tiger Sharks mate and lose their teeth.

2. What other boats besides the Carib Sea are in the Graveyard of the Atlantic? Why is that location impor-tant strategically during a war?

3. Jonathan uses the idiomatic term “deer in the headlights” when referring to the Sand Tiger Shark at night. What does this mean? How is the deer similar to the shark? Why?

Going Further: Discussion


Going Further: Activities

Activity #1 - Amazon Flies Read the following story. (Only the names of the individual and the institution have been changed. The story is true.)

Filbert Abercrombie was, and perhaps still is, a biologist from Oxford. His research was on the distribution of flora and fauna within the Amazon River Basin. The part that he loved most about his work was that he needed to spend months each year exploring and mapping some of the most remote parts of the Basin, following some of the smallest of tributaries. The remoteness of the area and the exploration really appealed to him, satisfying his sense of adventure and curiosity and at the same time giving him a certain sense of peace. There was only one thing that drove him up the wall...the masses of tiny flies that would forever pester him, getting into his eyes, nose and mouth. It drove him crazy!

One day, Filbert was at his work and suddenly noticed that he was no longer swatting away at the pesky little flies. There were no flies around! He was, of course, delighted, but he also wondered why. He was really curious. So he sat down and looked around, looked at his notes, and tried to think of all the possible explanations for the lack of flies in this area.

So let’s see what you come up with...

What are possible hypotheses for why the flies were absent? Continue until you have a list of at least 10 or so to discuss with the class.

Activity #2 - Researching Discoveries

Select one of the studies below and research how the discovery was made.Identify the research question, type of study, key observations, hypotheses, experiment and conclusions.

What bias or observer effect may have been present?

1. Insulin - Frederick Bunting2. Nylon - Wallace Carothers3. DNA - James Watson and Francis Crick4. Other galaxies - Edwin Hubble5. Polio Vaccine - Jonas Salk


Going Further: Activites (continued)Activity #3 - Taste Tests: Open, Blinded and Double-Blinded

Conduct taste tests for bottled water vs tap water (or Coke vs. Pepsi) in three ways - open, blinded and double-blinded and see if the results are the same or different.

Materials: 3 different bottled waters (or soda) and a glass of tap water; cups, a means to cover up the bottle and label cups

Procedure:1. Have a group be able to see the labels on what they are drinking and rate each type of water from 1 to 10

with 10 being the best tasting.2. Have the tasters not know what kind of water they are drinking but have the researcher know which sample

is what kind of water3. Have neither the tasters nor the researchers know the kind of water being tasted.

Conclusions:1. What water is rated highest on each type of testing? 2. If the highest rated water changed with the type of testing what does that mean? 3. Is there bias of the researcher, tester or both when they can see the label?4. Is there an overall winner?

Taste Test information:

1) Bottled Water vs tap water: http://www.thedailymeal.com/what-you-didnt-know-about-your-bottled-waterhttp://www.thedailymeal.com/what-you-didnt-know-about-your-bottled-water-slideshow

2) Soda: Coke vs. Pepsi http://jrscience.wcp.miamioh.edu/nsfall01/FinalArticles/Final-IsitWorthitBrandsan.html

Authors/Adaptors: Adapted by Steve Randak; version by Judy LoundaginOverview:Each team has an envelope containing a series of bank checks. A few are removed at a time, and the team attempts each time to construct a plausible scenario that involves those checks. With each subsequent removal of checks, appropriate revision of the scenario is done. Final scenarios are compared by the class.

Materials:• A series of 16 checks in an envelope (1 envelope per team):• Student Worksheet (one for each student)

This activity is a simulation designed to help you experience how science works when figuring out past events, and that it is built on evidence that can be observed or inferred from clues in the natural world. However, this evidence can sometimes be confusing, seemingly conflicting, and apparently random. Furthermore, each new bit of evidence often creates more questions than it answers. The Checks Lab shows how scientific explanations are only tentative explanations, because new discoveries may show that previous explanations were incorrect. It also shows that some explanations are better than others, because they more logically explain all the data.

No scientist works alone. This activity will demonstrate the value of collaboration within each group and with other groups in order to arrive at a reasonable explanation of the problem. There is at least one other characteristic of science that is not usually appreciated or realized by most people. See if you can figure it out while doing this lesson.

How to play The Checks Lab1. Each team draws four checks from the envelope at random. 2. Using the information on the checks, each team attempts to determine the circumstances that surrounded the

writing of the checks. In other words, each team tries to come up with a storyline for the character(s) based on the information on the checks. Formulate tentative explanation #1 and write it on your worksheet.

3. Reach in the envelope without looking, and randomly select four more checks from the envelope.4. How does the new information affects their previous storyline? After a group discussion record tentative

explanation #2 on your worksheet.5. Now each team should draw only two more checks and proceed as before, then record tentative

explanation #3.6. Select the strongest hypothesis (likeliest storyline) from the previous three and record this as the final

tentative explanation.7. Choose a group spokesperson to stand and report the group-selected explanation (storyline) to the class, so

that all may hear different conclusions from similar data.8. Complete the worksheet questions.


Activity#4: The Checks Lab - Deductive Science

Name_________________________________ Period____ Date__________

THE CHECKS LAB WORKSHEET 1. Tentative Explanation #1: 2. Tentative Explanation #2: 3. Tentative Explanation #3: 4. Final Tentative Explanation: Questions for Discussion:

1. What bits of information on the checks were valuable to your group in formulating a tentative explanation?

2. What information was useless?

3. List any misleading information that was presented.

4. Why do we say that an explanation in science is "tentative?

5. What ‘s another word for a “tentative explanation?” _____________________________________

6. Could your hypothesis become a theory? If so, how?

7. What’s the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?

8. Is your final hypothesis "correct"? Explain.

9. How could you “test” your hypothesis – i.e., what could you do to show your hypothesis is not correct?

10. Besides its being tentative and scientists collaborating, what other characteristic of science not often realized did you experience?


Diving into STEM with Oceanic Research Group Secondary ... STUDENT... · Diving into STEM with Oceanic Research Group Secondary Unit: Teaching STEM with Sharks Sharkwreck Mystery:

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