Sea Turtles Story Sampler/LS - Reading Is Fundamental

CHILDREN AGES 8-12One Small Square— Coral Reefby Donald M. SilverMcGraw-Hill, 1997ISBN: 0070579709The One Small Square series by Donald Silverare colorful, informative and fun to read.Young and older children will find these booksa great source of information and learn plentyabout the various aquatic environments.What To Do Before Reading the Story■ The book begins with the author making a comparisonbetween the coral reef and the circus. Discuss the reasons whythe author may begin the book by making that comparison.Ask the group what they already know about coral reefs andseashores.■ Point out that coral reefs and seashores, in addition to the vastocean, are the natural habitat for many different animals andfish, the sea turtle being one of them.Things To Talk About During the Story■ The book has great illustrations and detailed descriptions ofthe creatures and plants that thrive underwater. The text alsodescribes some of the dangers that the sea creatures face ona daily basis.What You Can Do When You FinishReading the Story■ Although this book only features a sea turtle on one page, itcovers in detail some of the world the sea turtle inhabits. Afteryou have finished reading about the coral reef, try some of thebooks from the Additional Titles list to enrich a discussionabout the sea turtle’s habitat.■ Add to the discussion some of the facts from the Sea TurtleSurvival League’s web site such as:● Sea turtles are solitary creatures for the most part.● They tend to remain under water for a large part of the timethat they are at sea and only interact with other sea turtleswhen they intend to mate.● Sea turtles eat and rest on and off throughout a typical day.● They can sleep floating on the surface of the water or tuckedaway under reefs or rocky areas.● Sea turtles can migrate hundreds or even thousands of mileswhen they are not nesting or mating.■ The book discusses the concept of damage to the environmentonly briefly; however, you may want to touch on this subjectwith the children as it pertains to the habitat and survival ofthe sea turtles.■ In addition to the ocean habitat of the sea turtles, they alsospend a small part of their life on the beach. Sea turtles oftenreturn to the same beach where they were born to nest theirown eggs. Only the females nest and most often they lay andbury their eggs at night. Discuss the process of constructing thenest, laying and burying the eggs, incubation and the emergencefrom the nest of the baby sea turtles as well as the fact that thehabitats in which they nest are becoming endangered due tocoastal armoring, beach nourishment and pollution.9