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Overview:
In this lesson, students will learn about the importance of ocean conservation. They will think about how photography can help humans understand the impact they are having on the oceans by looking at the photography of David Doubilet. They will look at animals that are endangered because of human behavior, and choose one to study in depth. Finally, students will draw the animal they choose and describe why it is in peril and how it can be protected.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, earth science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the world, one for each small group
- Writing and drawing materials
Objectives:
Students will
- look at photographs by David Doubilet and other marine photographers;
- discuss ways that humans' actions impact various forms of marine life;
- research basic information about one form of marine life and the specific threats it faces;
- show where the life form lives on a map; and
- draw pictures and write captions showing how the life forms they studied live when they are in their natural healthy habitats versus in habitats that have been damaged by humans.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Read students the following quotes by marine photographers:
"My job description is to make a picture of a place no one has ever seen before or, to make a picture that's different of a place that everybody's seen before." - David Doubilet
"We have the ability and the responsibility to help educate the public about the very real need to protect the undersea world and the plants and animals that live there." - Wolcott Henry
Show the class Doubilet's photo gallery and ask students to think about the quotes as they look at the pictures.
Why do students think Doubilet and Wolcott do what they do? Do they think photographs can help people understand the world's oceans better and care more about what happens to them?
Development:
Closing:
Bring the students back together as a class and discuss what they have learned. Do they feel that looking at photographs of ocean life and studying human impact on the oceans has made them feel more strongly about ocean conservation? Why?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students draw pictures of the animal they studied in the lesson. Ask them to draw one picture of the animal looking healthy in its natural habitat, and one depicting the animal under stress by some form of human contact (for example, they could draw a seal tangled in a net). Each picture should have a caption explaining basic facts about the animal: the caption under the healthy picture should include information about its size, diet, and natural habitat; and the caption for the stressed animal should indicate how its interaction with humans has affected its environment and its health. They should also indicate how this animal could be protected in the future.
Have students post their drawings with the captions on the wall, and allow the class to walk around and look at them. Ask them if they think the drawings have changed their own opinions about how humans are treating the oceans.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students research the smallest forms of marine life, like plankton and shrimp. Help students trace the food chain so they can see that damaging even the smallest forms of life can have dramatic consequences.
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