Vertebrate Concepts:
- Turtles and tortoises are vertebrates and their backbone consists of a shell.
- Most of them can tuck their head inside their shell or to the side.
- Sea turtles cannot retract their head and limbs into their shells.
- Turtles spend their lives in water and only come on land to lay their eggs; tortoises live on land.
- Turtles often have webbed feet for swimming; tortoises have sturdy legs for walking.
- Most turtles are omnivores; most tortoises are herbivores.
- Turtles and tortoises have a beak instead of teeth.
- Land turtles have hard, round shells; sea turtles have flatter, lighter shells which are streamlined for swimming.
- All turtles and tortoises lay their eggs on land.
Vocabulary: shell flippers *scutes *carapace *plastron
Construct and
Read:
Lots
of Science Library Book #12.
(Adobe
Acrobat Reader Required - Click here to download)
Activities:
| Green Turtles Journey - Graphic Organizer |
Focus Skill:
mapping
Paper Handouts: 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper a
copy of Graphics 12A–B index cards
(Adobe
Acrobat Reader Required)
Graphic
Organizer: Make a Half Book. Glue/draw Graphic 12A on the cover
and label it Green Turtles. Open the tab and glue/draw Graphic
12B on the top section. Use a red marker to draw a line showing the
green turtle’s journey from Brazil to Ascension Island. Use a green
marker to draw an arrow showing the green turtle’s journey back to
Brazil. On the bottom section of the Half Book:
Draw
a picture of a green turtle laying eggs.
Write
clue words about green turtles: swim 1,400 mi (2,250 km) to Ascension
Island;
female green turtles dig hole over 19 in (50 cm) with their hind
flippers, lay up to
200 eggs, journey back home, the round trip is about three years.
Describe
the migratory journey of green turtles.
Open the
Reptiles Desktop Project and glue Green Turtles Journey Graphic
Organizer on
the top of the middle section.
| Turtles and Tortoises - Graphic Organizer |
Focus Skill:
describing
Paper
Handouts: 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper
a
copy of Graphics 12C-E
(Adobe
Acrobat Reader Required)
Reptiles Desktop Project
Graphic Organizer: Make a
Large Question and Answer Book. Glue Graphic 12C on the cover
and title it Turtles and Tortoises. Glue Graphics 12D-E on the tabs and label each
Turtles
and Tortoises accordingly. Open the tabs:
Under the
Turtles tab, draw a land turtle and a sea turtle. Under the Tortoise tab, draw
a tortoise on land
Write
clue words about turtles and tortoises under each tab: turtles - over 200 species,
live in water, lay eggs on land, webbed feet or flippers, flat and lighter shells.
tortoises -
41 species, live on land, lay eggs on land, legs are for walking, round shells, hide in shells.
Under
each tab, describe the characteristics of turtles and tortoises.
Open the Reptiles Desktop Project and glue the Turtles and
Tortoises Graphic Organizer on the bottom of the left section.
| Turtle in a Pond Art - Activity |
Activity Materials:
blue, green, yellow, orange chalk
shallow pan sheet of paper hammer water
Activity: Break chalk into a fine powder, keeping the colors
separate. Fill the pan with water. Sprinkle blue chalk
dust over the entire surface of the water. In the center,
sprinkle a circle of green chalk dust. Sprinkle other colors on the green in patterns
such as criss-crosses, diamonds, and stars. Place the sheet of paper gently on top of
the water. After a few seconds, lift the paper carefully and let it dry. Add details to
your turtle.
Experiences,
Investigations, and Research
Select one or more of the following activities for individual or group enrichment projects.
Allow your students to determine the format in which they would like to report, share, or
graphically present what they have discovered. This should be a creative investigation that
utilizes your students’ strengths.
 |
1. | Using an Internet Search Engine, research endangered turtles. Choose an endangered species to research and conservation efforts to save it. |
|
|
2. | Using an Internet Search Engine, research endangered tortoises. |
 |
3. | Read
and discuss The Smallest Turtle by Lynley Dodd. |
|
|
4. |
|
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5. | Create a bar graph comparing the number of species of tortoises to the number of species of turtles. |
View the Table of Contents of this book for other lesson topics.