Green School Lesson Plan
Pre-Kindergarten 4s
Critters of the Bay
(Fall)
Objective: To introduce pre-Kindergarteners, aged 4, to the creatures who live in the Chesapeake Bay and, in particular, to oysters as first steps in the all-school Oyster Recovery Program. To partner with the Annapolis Maritime Museum to integrate environmental stewardship at a developmentally appropriate level. To foster a sense of wonder. To have students use all their senses in connecting with nature. To learn about the letter “S” as we study sea and bay aquatic life.
Essential Questions: Who lives in the Chesapeake Bay? What are oysters, and what part do they play in a healthy bay?
Materials: Materials supplied by the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Bins, cups, water, and “critters of the Bay”—skillet fish, grass shrimp, sea worm, mud crab, and American eel. Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay, by Elaine Ann Allen and Kelli Nash.
Subjects/Skills: Science. Read-Aloud. Listening, following directions, asking questions, gentle handling, gross motor movement.
Activity: Pre-K 4s welcomed two visitors from the Maritime Museum to their class. Before they came, students listened to a read-aloud of Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay and engaged in a book-talk. When the outreach educators came to class, the students were guided in a hands-on experience of touching the animals and oyster shells. At the end of the visit, the students joined their guests in doing “The Oyster Dance” while singing a rhyming song.
Assessment/Celebration: The book talk assessed listening, questions and answers, and comments on the book. The visit itself was full of wonder and fun. The class dance at the end was a celebration of oysters.
Resources/Partnerships: The Annapolis Maritime Museum and its outreach educators.
Pre-Kindergarten 4s
Critters of the Bay
(Fall)
Objective: To introduce pre-Kindergarteners, aged 4, to the creatures who live in the Chesapeake Bay and, in particular, to oysters as first steps in the all-school Oyster Recovery Program. To partner with the Annapolis Maritime Museum to integrate environmental stewardship at a developmentally appropriate level. To foster a sense of wonder. To have students use all their senses in connecting with nature. To learn about the letter “S” as we study sea and bay aquatic life.
Essential Questions: Who lives in the Chesapeake Bay? What are oysters, and what part do they play in a healthy bay?
Materials: Materials supplied by the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Bins, cups, water, and “critters of the Bay”—skillet fish, grass shrimp, sea worm, mud crab, and American eel. Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay, by Elaine Ann Allen and Kelli Nash.
Subjects/Skills: Science. Read-Aloud. Listening, following directions, asking questions, gentle handling, gross motor movement.
Activity: Pre-K 4s welcomed two visitors from the Maritime Museum to their class. Before they came, students listened to a read-aloud of Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay and engaged in a book-talk. When the outreach educators came to class, the students were guided in a hands-on experience of touching the animals and oyster shells. At the end of the visit, the students joined their guests in doing “The Oyster Dance” while singing a rhyming song.
Assessment/Celebration: The book talk assessed listening, questions and answers, and comments on the book. The visit itself was full of wonder and fun. The class dance at the end was a celebration of oysters.
Resources/Partnerships: The Annapolis Maritime Museum and its outreach educators.