Under the Sea

5/11/2023

Grade 4 students may not know what it feels like to be mermaids, but they sure do have some expertise growing in matters under the sea.

Last week, Grade 4 Science welcomed Jennifer Baker, who is a PADI Divemaster in scuba and also Grade 4 teacher Sydne Richardson’s mother. The lesson expounded upon such topics as buoyancy, standard scuba gear and procedures, and the history of scuba diving.

Following this lesson, students had the opportunity to explore starfish. There are so many animals to dissect, but starfish are a great introduction to dissection for beginners. Students began by learning the terminology for the parts of the starfish they would be looking for, along with why those parts are beneficial. Once they identified the parts, students cut off their own starfish arm or “ray,” created a flap, and looked under the dissection microscope. Students illustrated what they examined and then wrote a paragraph about what they learned. Jennifer assisted with the dissection.

A few days later, the learning really came alive as students made their way to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. While there, they ran into all kinds of divers and were able to point out information they learned from their lesson in buoyancy.

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