Read the information below temperature affects and surface currents. Rubber ducks helped scientists chart the ocean currents. Mark the location of a 1992 cargo ship spill of rubber ducks. Currents worksheet to each student or student group, and. West coast 10 months after the storm, in japan and hawaii between 1992 and 1995, on the u. Earths rotation results in the coriolis effect which also influences ocean currents. Point out that ocean currents are driven by the wind and influenced by the landmasses that obstruct the flow of water as well as the density and temperature of the water. Rubber duck ocean currents ocean current, differentiation, rubber duck, ducks, lost. Upon completion of video, students should begin to answer questions provided on the ocean currents worksheet. I did post a really nice video of it in our blog that you guys can check out later but pretty much a bunch of rubber ducks like rubber ducks like the ones that you think about in bath tubs, a bunch of rubber ducks actually told us and taught us how the ocean currents work so back in 1990, two. Lead a discussion of students answers to worksheet. In the recently published book moby duck, the american. How one mans obsession with runaway sneakers and rubber ducks revolutionized ocean science ebbesmeyer, curtis, scigliano, eric on.
Each year when studying the ocean currents i pull out the rubber ducky phenomena. Once finished, students will use the answers to color the corresponding parts of a fun mandala coloring page. In the end, it isnt the answer, but the journey that matters, and we all learn a lot by tagging along. Blue planet ii reveals how 28,000 rubber ducks lost at sea 25. Lead a discussion of students answers to worksheet questions. Due to our information on the lost containers we will use the north pacific ocean. Ten little rubber ducks printable ordinal numbers book. Dr iain stewart shows how containers of rubber duck toys lost at sea graphically reveal the complexity of the ocean currents that distribute oxygen, nutrients and. Online answer key scholastic scholastic books for kids. Free printables and unit studies for eric carles books. Ducks in the flow a book about ocean currents create your own drifter story teachers, ask your students to create their own story by following the 18 frames in the story board below. It sounds unlikely, but an armada of rubber ducks, turtles and frogs has altered scientists understanding of the path of ocean currents.
A shipping container filled with rubber duckies was lost at sea in 1992, and the bath toys are still washing ashore today. What happened to them is the subject of donovan hohns book mobyduck. Map skills, ocean currents, pollution, and a rubber duck. Website offers free educational games, projects and.
Rubber ducks and ocean currents friendly floatees by owl maps. Oct 09, 20 on a stormy january night in 1992, out in the pacific ocean, 29,000 plastic yellow ducks, blue turtles and green frogs fell from a cargo ship and were lost at sea. The process of global ocean circulation is presented, emphasizing the importance of this process for climate regulation. Rubber duckies and ocean currents scientist in residence program. What can rubber ducks and lego tell us about the oceans. From vet visits to virus spread, your biggest questions answered. Using latitude and longitude coordinates, the students plot the journey of the ducks as they ride ocean currents in the north pacific. In 1992, a cargo ship container tumbled into the north pacific, dumping 28,000 rubber ducks and other bath toys that were headed from china to the u. Using a map of ocean currents, students will track the ducks possible paths. Some of the toys landed along pacific ocean shores. A rubber duck like the flotilla that is currently floating on the worlds oceans credit. The duck is scared of the ocean and the animals that live it.
Sprinkle a teaspoon of herb oregano or chili powder over the surface. In the activity, students play a game focused on the primary surface current names and locations. Lesson currents and the great ducky spill betterlesson. Ebbesmeyer studied the movements of a consignment of 29,000 friendly floateesyellow ducks, red beavers, blue turtles and green frogswhich. Rubber ducks and ocean currents friendly floatees by. Just as we can use elephant seals to learn more about ocean conditions, we can use rubber ducks to learn more about ocean currents. Scientists continue too search for lost ducks as a weigh to study ocean currents. Scientists make use of rubber ducks to understand ocean.
Ocean currents national oceanic and atmospheric administration. Review scientific method, particularly making observations, showing results graphically, and interpreting patterns in data. Young scholars explore marine life by conducting a rubber duck experiment. Compare either individually or as a group, the path the duckies took to the pattern of ocean currents in figure 1. Coastal and sea floor features influence their location, direction, and speed. By using a series of examples we will build up a clear explanation. This rubber duckies and ocean currents lesson plan is suitable for 4th 5th grade. I especially loved the part about the rubber duckies crossing the. But on this friday night the cargo was 7,200 cartons of bath toys containing a green frog, a blue turtle, a red beaver, and, wait for it, a rubber duck this makes 28,800 floating bath toys. If you have not heard of it, watch this quick video.
Dec 01, 2012 this video explains in detail the phenomenon of ocean currents and their role in nature. To learn more about the effect of currents in the ocean, students complete the rubber ducky activity. What can 28,000 rubber duckies lost at sea teach us about our oceans. Its pretty cool that rubber ducks have helped to track ocean currents in the last thirty years. Books and authors top teaching blog teachers tool kit student activities the teacher store book clubs book fairs scholastic education classroom magazines. Effect of ocean currents on climate, identifying ocean currents from map esrt p4, prevailing winds and ocean currents, movement of fukushima radiation by ocean.
Blue planet ii reveals how 28,000 rubber ducks lost at sea. This activity pairs well with the book ducky by eve bunting. Mar 23, 2015 friendly floatees are plastic bath toys marketed by the first years, inc. Analyze data from a rubber ducky spill to learn how the distribution of plastic pollution in the ocean relates to ocean currents. Today that flotilla of plastic ducks are being hailed for revolutionizing our understanding of ocean currents, as well as for teaching us a thing or two about plastic pollution in the process, according to the independent. What can 28,000 rubber duckies lost at sea teach us about our. Next time you want to remind your kid that baths arent scary, print off this coloring page that features a smiling rubber duck. Rubber duckies and ocean currents lesson plan for 4th 5th. A powerpoint primer of accumulated information on how 28,000 rubber ducks and 5 million lego pieces provide us with information on ocean currents and circulation systems. Students should be taking no tes as they watch the video. The tallest wave ever measured was 1719 feet at lituya bay, alaska.
A shipping container filled with rubber duckies was lost at sea in 1992, and. A shipping container filled with rubber duckies was lost at sea in. I start off by giving them a brief paragraph to proofread pulls in some ela. In this ocean currents worksheet, students will use maps of the atlantic ocean currents and the pacific ocean currents to complete 6 short answer questions. Scientists make use of rubber ducks to understand ocean currents. This module, intended for grades 35, includes a storybook and three classroom activities. Currents rubber ducks helped scientists chart the ocean. Tracking trash details ocean currents from the data obtained from coursing debris found in and along the ocean and shorelines. In her book, bunting describes how thousands of bath toys, washed overboard, found their way to. Students explore marine life by conducting a rubber duck experiment. In this investigative lesson, students examine ocean currents and the relationship between the ocean, our atmosphere, and the weather. Join natalie, anna, and calvin as they get to the bottom of this mystery.
The toys have helped researchers to chart the great ocean currents because when they are spotted bobbing on the waves they are much more likely to be reported to the authorities than the floats which scientists normally use. But hundreds more would have been swept up thru bering straight and so far north they would be frozen. My students absolutely love this activity and it may be the way i. These rubber ducks are just like the gmg rubber duck. Differences in water density, resulting from the variability of water temperature thermo and salinity haline, also cause ocean currents. The journal of marine education, v14 n3 p3540 1997. The journal of marine education, v14 n3 p3540 1997 cites three incidents of cargo being lost at sea.
Provide a copy of the currents worksheets to each student or student group, and have students use the online currents tutorial or printed copies to answer worksheet questions. This crate falls off a boat and is opened up into the ocean. Get two months of skillshare premium for 99 cents by being one of the first people to sign up at get a half as interesting. Friendly floatees are plastic bath toys marketed by the first years, inc. Today were going to learn about ocean currents slide 3 1. This lesson introduces students to a reallife eventthe loss of ocean cargo that included rubber ducksthrough a childrens book, 10 little rubber ducks.
If students need to go back throughout the video to locate correct answers they will have the opt ion to do so on their computers, or they can use the background information that was provided by teacher at the beginning of the lesson. Be sure students understand the relationship between winds, ocean waves, and currents. Surface currents are important to ships as they can make it easy or difficult to travel depending on the direction of the current. Displaying top 8 worksheets found for ocean currents. Discusses ocean currents and directs students in an activity to explore what happens to the floating debris from lost containers. This worksheet has 23 earth science regents questions about ocean currents.
Ebbesmeyer studied the movements of a consignment of 29,000 friendly floateesyellow ducks, red beavers, blue turtles and green frogswhich were washed into the pacific ocean in 1992. Mar 29, 2011 in 1992, a cargo ship container tumbled into the north pacific, dumping 28,000 rubber ducks and other bath toys that were headed from china to the u. An ocean current is a regular movement of large amounts of water along defined paths. Ducky is a book about a duck who is in a crate with other toys on a boat. Tell students that in this location, in 1992, a cargo ship full of bath toys spilled nearly 92,000 rubber ducks into the pacific ocean. Ocean current worksheet temperature affects and surface. Where winds blow in the same direction for a long period of time, currents will develop that transport large masses of water over considerable distances across. My students absolutely love this activity and it may be the way i present it, but really it grabs their attention regardless. Nike athletic shoes, rubber duckies and ocean currents. Exploring earths bodies of water through digital storytelling. In cold regions, such as the north atlantic ocean, ocean water loses heat to the atmosphere and becomes cold and dense. Currents overview lesson 8 presents the mechanisms that drive surface and deep ocean currents.
Rubber duck ocean currents by earth science emporium tpt. Srp marine pollution lesson 5 scientist in residence. In 1992, a shipping crate containing 28,000 plastic bath toys was lost at sea when it fell overboard on its way from hong kong to the united states. Students will read an article about a ship that lost a container of rubber ducks in the ocean, which are now being found all over the world. Rubber duckies, ocean currents, by craig gingerich on prezi. Aug 16, 2016 a powerpoint primer of accumulated information on how 28,000 rubber ducks and 5 million lego pieces provide us with information on ocean currents and circulation systems. He is rescued by a boy and is very happy to be a bathtub duck. Provide a copy of the problems on winds, waves, and currents worksheet to each student or student group, and have students answer worksheet questions. No one at the time could have guessed that those same bath toys would still be floating the worlds oceans nearly 20 years later.
Along the way, they learn some cool new things about surface ocean currents, the great lakes, and ocean research. Similar to a person trying to walk in a straight line across a spinning merrygoround, winds and ocean waters get deflected from a straight line path as they travel. Mapping ocean currents national geographic society. Kindergarten nana has some of the cutest ideas for this book. Upcs science lab rubber duckies help to study ocean currents. Rubber ducks helped scientists chart the ocean currents marion mccool october 19, 2015 decades after the cargo ship lost a load or rubber ducks, scientists continue to gather information about. Youll also need to know general facts about ocean circulation. If youve ever been to the ocean, youve probably noticed the ocean water going in and out over and over again. A drawwithchalk book the world of eric carle ten little rubber ducks. We will use the floating items from the lost containers to improve our understanding of winds and currents in the north pacific.
Who knew your little yellow rubber ducky could help track ocean currents. How 29,000 lost rubber ducks helped map the worlds oceans. The tallest wave recorded in the open ocean was 95 feet during a storm near scotland. Mar 10, 2019 its pretty cool that rubber ducks have helped to track ocean currents in the last thirty years. Distribute the student handout before you begin for students to take notes on key information. Have students begin watching ocean currents internet video lesson, 10 minutes. But forget those other toys, we focus on the 7,200 rubber ducks. On a stormy journey in the north pacific ocean, thousands of rubber ducks and other.
Ocean currents lesson plans and lesson ideas brainpop. Friendly floatees are plastic rubber ducks marketed by the first years, and made famous by the work of curtis ebbesmeyer, an oceanographer who models ocean currents on the basis of flotsam movements. In 2003 and 2007 they even arrived on the shores of the uk as well as south africa and australia. Scroll down or click for work sheet text and answer key. In general, ocean currents follow prevailing wind directions except where the current encounters an obstacle, such as a landmass. What can 28,000 rubber duckies lost at sea teach us about. This rubber duck coloring page is a surefire way to make bath time fun. Where winds blow in the same direction for a long period of time, currents will develop that transport large masses of water over considerable distances across ocean surfaces. Included in the book is an environmental awareness to the harmful effects this debristrash impacts upon marine life and the environment. In this water currents lesson plan, students practice identifying latitude and longitude coordinates on a map. Ask students to come up with a route on figure 3 by which the rubber ducks could have reached the atlantic ocean by. Here, in an excerpt from his new book, donovan hohn follows the fantastic voyage.
Surface waters of the earths oceans are forced to move, primarily by winds. This is because of something called the ocean current. Ocean current worksheet temperature affects and surface currents. Get two months of skillshare premium for 99 cents by being one of the first 1,000 people to sign up at get a half as interesting tshirt. On a global scale, circulation patterns in the atmosphere generate nearcircular. Also includes infographics on the great pacific garbage patch. Nov 21, 2017 for these rubber duckies the worlds oceans have been their epic bathtub after they were washed overboard and released into the high sea 25 years ago. Mar 15, 2018 get two months of skillshare premium for 99 cents by being one of the first 1,000 people to sign up at get a half as interesting tshirt. Jul 31, 2003 pushed by winds and currents the ducks were carried to alaska where thousands washed ashore. These toy frogs and rubber ducks were originally part of a same 1992 shipment, sailing the pacific ocean to north america, when ever laurel, the cargo ship carrying them, hit the storm. This is the key to the bill nye ocean currents worksheet, and includes the answers and. This activity requires students to answer 12 questions related to ocean currents.
How one mans obsession with runaway sneakers and rubber ducks revolutionized ocean science. Winds, water density, and tides all drive ocean currents. In this water currents instructional activity, students practice identifying latitude and longitude coordinates on a map and define the currents of major oceans. Show and discuss a map of global ocean currents figure 3. Ocean currents travel only at the surface of the ocean.
In this activity, students read an article about the great ducky spill of 1992, when a shipping crate containing 28,000 plastic bath toys was lost at sea when it fell overboard on its way from hong kong to the united states. These ducks traveled thousands of miles on ocean currents, providing new information about these currents. Since that fabled day in 1992 when they were unceremoniously abandoned at sea, the yellow ducks have. These ducks traveled thousands of miles on ocean currents, providing new information about these. Fill a tin pie plate to the inner rim with cold tap water. Rubber ducky youre the one ocean currents investigation.
Mar 01, 2011 what can 28,000 rubber duckies lost at sea teach us about our oceans. Caught in ocean currents, the rubber ducks circled the globe and were found on shores around the world. Ocean currents educator resources for ocean currents. Worksheet the ocean this short nonfiction text will not only teach students about the ocean, but it also includes questions to help students identify the authors point of view and purpose for writing the text by focusing on important vocabulary words that support the main idea.
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