Numerous reports suggest an increase in white shark encounters* in the United States in recent years and the public is worried.
*Encounters include sightings and census estimates, as well as physical interactions between humans and sharks.
Clarify and/or seek additional information from careful observations of phenomena to understand how a sound-wave enabled tracking device gathers information on a white shark.
The REMUS “shark cam” provides a more reliable method of getting information on white sharks at the expense of potentially interrupting/influencing white shark behavior.
Click here for NGSS, CCSS (ELA), and California ELD standards.
In the prior lesson, students learned about white shark history and evolution in the fossil record and looked into fisherman logs of shark landings to try and establish an idea of typical shark population size only to encounter numerous frustrations with the inaccuracy of such methods.
This lesson begins by utilizing students’ increased sophistication of their understanding of asking questions around the need for a more accurate way to study white sharks by introducing students to REMUS (Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS, an autonomous underwater vehicle). This leverages student opportunity to observe the phenomena and guide their work to seek additional information. REMUS presents a way scientists today are able to better study white sharks: tracking devices. Students begin to explore specifications of this technology, which brings new insight into the behavior of sharks, but also a new suite of challenges. Students are perceptive to the fact that white sharks interact with REMUS–potentially changing their behavior to do so–and demonstrate their knowledge of cause and effect (by using, from the 6–8 grade band, elements of cause and effect independently). They explore common shark adaptations that support successful survival and reproduction, but may present challenges in observing their natural behavior without detection.
This lesson moves towards altering student preconceptions about shark senses. In doing so, students begin to wonder, Can sharks detect electrical and/or magnetic fields emitted by a tracker?, which will be explored in the next lesson.
Throughout the lesson, a flag () denotes formative assessment opportunities where you may change instruction in response to students’ level of understanding and making sense of phenomena.
Part I | 30 minutes | Engage |
Part II | 45 minutes | Explore 1/Explain 1 |
Part III | 25 minutes | Explore 2/Explain 2 |
Ask questions that arise from careful observations of what cause and effect relationships to predict phenomena and establish the need for tracking devices to gather information on white sharks.
Obtain and evaluate information from multiple appropriate sources to determine if the patterns in the data can establish cause and effect relationships between white sharks, as they are adapted to existing conditions today, and perceived public concerns.
The Explore activity has students tease apart the two parts of the anchoring phenomenon (report of white shark encounters increasing, and the public worried). As written, students attempt to understand the second half first, “the public is worried.” The reason for this is because “reports suggest an increase in white shark encounters” will provide a natural segue into Lesson 8.5: Magnetic Fields. However, if student interest is strong in exploring “reports suggest an increase in white shark encounters” first, go for it.
It’s not terribly important to the storyline to spend a lot of time on senses or feeding behavior at this point, especially since students in the next part will be formally recording their prior knowledge. The discussion here is simply meant to get ideas flowing to help with the next part. By the end of the lesson, students should come to the understanding that the dominant sense of sharks is different from that of humans as a result of selection acting out in the environment it lives in, and animals (that do not rely on humans) tend to be opportunistic feeders. This is all intended to help dispel some myths the public holds about white sharks.
Should students want to do more research on the electroreceptors for sharks, this will help inform them for the next lesson and offer a way to encourage highly motivated students.
Clarify and/or seek additional information from careful observations of phenomena to understand how a sound-wave enabled tracking device gathers information on a white shark.
An example of a key finding is:
Cause and Effect Statement: I predict the tracker has a way to follow the shark because most animals we follow have tags or microchips.
Trackers are able to follow tagged sharks. Our research showed that there is a transponder tag attached to a shark and the vehicle (REMUS) is programmed to communicate with that tag. There is an Omni-directional Ultra Short Base Line (OUSBL) that uses sound waves to communicate with the transponder.
Expected student response:
The Smithsonian Ocean Portal website makes me think that the white shark sensed both the GPS navigation and communication systems using electroreception, and that resulted in an attack on REMUS.
Expected student responses:
How does REMUS use sound waves to communicate with the transponder?
Does the shark use its electro-reception to sense the navigation and communication systems of REMUS?
What senses is the shark using to home in on REMUS?
To accommodate students who need help with reading tasks (such as those needing literacy or language support), ask the class to skim information on websites first, and identify any words for which they might want clarification. Clarify the directions, then ask students to work together doing a “group read” (have one person in the group read the article out loud) and to articulate aloud information that would be useful in recording.
If you have students that would struggle with a higher writing load (such as those needing literacy or language support), consider having groups that include these students share 8.4.H1: Understanding White Sharks and take turns recording information. Ask each student to use a different colored pencil/pen for individual accountability.
When working on 8.4.H1: Understanding White Sharks, check in with each group when they have completed page 2, Where Does Lunch Come From?, to make sure students understand the source check before they move on to page 3, How Do Senses Help Find Lunch?
By seating students in groups (groups of 4 work well) and encouraging regular conversation, students have time to interact more with content and naturally help those that need more support. Use of 8.1.H2: Scientist Communication Survival Kit (from Lesson 8.1: Shark Encounters) helps to make sure that students who don’t feel comfortable sharing (often because of language, literacy level, uncertainty of content knowledge, etc.) are prompted to do so in a supportive way.
Use of a sense-making Science Notebook supports student language development, conceptual development, and metacognition. Students should be prompted to use their Science Notebook for
Consider providing sentence frames to students with low literacy, second language learners, and those struggling with work in Step 7 (which involves higher level thinking work linking multiple ideas together). The use of graphic organizers can help struggling students manage Science Notebook work. To support students learning English, allow conversations and Science Notebook work to happen in the language that the student is most comfortable expressing understanding, and then encourage expression using simple English phrases (or more complex for students with increasing proficiency).
As this lesson is rich with discourse opportunities, consider partnering second language learners with a “language broker” (another student who is bilingual in English and the student’s home language) to allow these partners to first discuss ideas in their home language. Monitor this pairing and provide additional language support as needed.
ABC News. (2019, July 22). Great white shark snags fish off boy’s fishing line. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SLc6I1Iwco
BBC Earth. (2010, January 12). Great White shark feeding | Wildlife Specials: Great White Shark. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8ptvfPQp2c
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (2017). White Shark Information. Retrieved from https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/White-Shark
Discovery. (2019, August 1). Drone Spots Shark Hunting Seal | Shark Week. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=83&v=XtSAnt2HnhU&feature=emb_logo
MarineBio Conservation Society. (2020, April 20). Great White Sharks. Retrieved from https://marinebio.org/species/great-white-sharks/carcharodon-carcharias/
McCall, R. (2019, October 3). This is What a Great White Shark Looks Like Hunting for a Seal. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/great-white-shark-hunting-seal-1462991
Monterey Bay Aquarium (2018). White Shark. Retrieved from https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/white-shark
Smithsonian (2018). Great White Shark: Carcharodon carcharias. Retrieved from https://ocean.si.edu/great-white-shark
Storyful Rights Management. (2018, January 12). Aerial Footage Shows Shark Chasing a Stingray. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sg5aY2QbKM
Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. (2014, July 19). REMUS SharkCam: The Hunter and the Hunted. Vimeo, Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/101165012
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2016). Oceanographic Systems Laboratory Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, REMUS: Shark Cam, Retrieved from http://www.whoi.edu/osl/sharkcam