Overview: Beach Detectives
In this unit, students listen to concerns voiced by Claude the Crab that his habitat, and ultimately his life which depends on his habitat, are being threatened. Based on information provided by Claude, students embark on fact-finding searches to find supporting evidence for Claude’s concerns by first pinpointing local beaches where Claude lives. In detective investigations, seemingly insignificant details can yield vital evidence. Students study sand types from various Hawaiian island beaches, and find that sand is the result of weathering and erosion plus deposits of hard material left by once-living organisms. By examining sand particles, students make a testable hypothesis that infers the origin and make-up of Hawaiian beach sands.
Media Type:
National Standards:
Hawaii State Standards:
- Hawaii Content and Performance Standards III
- 4th Grade
- SC.4.1.1 Describe a testable hypothesis and an experimental procedure
- SC.4.1.2 Differentiate between an observation and an inference
- SC.4.2.1 Describe how the use of technology has influenced the economy, demography, and environment of Hawaii
- SC.4.3.2 Describe how an organism's behavior is determined by its environment
- SC.4.5.3 Describe how different organisms need specific environmental conditions to survive
- SC.4.8.1 Describe how slow processes sometimes shape and reshape the surface of the Earth
- SC.4.8.2 Describe how fast processes (e.g., volcanoes, earthquakes) sometimes shape and reshape the surface of the Earth
File Size:
4mb
Keywords:
animals, beach, Claude the crab, environment, erosion, habitat, Hawaii, hypothesis, investigation, organisms, research, sand particles, sandy, weathering
