Calling all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers! Are you ready to make a SPLASH with Shark Week and Ocean Week in your classroom?
Breathe new life into your lessons with these fin-tastic reading, math, and science activities that are perfect for upper elementary students.
From exploring the mysterious world of sharks to diving deep into ocean-themed math problems, your students will be hooked on learning!
Reading Activities: Dive into Shark Stories and Facts
- Shark Book Club: Create a shark-themed book club featuring age-appropriate non-fiction books about sharks and other ocean creatures to spark students’ interest in reading and learn amazing facts about these fascinating creatures. Let students gather in small groups to share interesting facts they’ve learned about sharks.
- Shark Fact File: Encourage each student to research a specific shark species and create an informative Shark Fact File, including pictures, habitat information, and other interesting facts.
- Creative Writing: Inspire students’ imaginations with creative writing prompts related to sharks and ocean adventures. Stories can range from a day in the life of a shark to ocean conservation efforts.
- Shark Poetry: Dive into the world of shark-inspired poetry and have your students write their own shark-themed poems, haikus, or limericks.
Math Activities: Fin-tastic Fun with Numbers
- Shark Word Problems: Change up your lessons for the week by using shark-themed math word problems, focusing on multiplication, division, or fractions.
- Ocean Math Puzzles: Create or find ocean-themed puzzles that incorporate sharks and other sea creatures to review students’ various math skills.
- Shark Measurement: Teach students about various units of measurement – such as length and weight – using real-world examples featuring sharks, like comparing the size of different species or calculating the number of teeth in a shark’s jaw. For older students, have them convert the measurements!
- Shark Coordinate Planes: Have students box sharks on a coordinate plane and tell the coordinates for all four corners! (See the 5th grade math resource below!)
Check out these done for you math activities for grades 3-5!
Science Activities: Exploring the World of Sharks
Shark Anatomy: Teach students about the unique features that sharks possess, such as their specialized senses and skeleton structure.
Watch exciting science videos with your class to learn even more about sharks!
Having an ocean week instead of a shark week? Here are videos all about the ocean!
Food Chain Frenzy: Explore the marine food chain by discussing the role of sharks as predators, and have students create their own food chain models including various ocean species.
Ocean Conservation Projects: Teach the importance of ocean conservation and the role sharks play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Encourage students to take action by planning a school-wide awareness event or creating informative posters to spread the word about shark conservation. You can practice informative writing and text features with this lesson!
Dive into a fantastic week of learning with these shark and ocean-themed activities that will engage your 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders throughout this week.
These reading, math, and science activities will not only excite your students but also reinforce critical skills with a fresh and engaging theme!
It’s a great way to review at the end of the year before testing!