Splash of Math 4-8 Teacher’s Guide SeaWorld and Busch Gardens PART OF THE Based on a long-term commitment to education and SEAWORLD EDUCATION SERIES conservation, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens strive to provide an enthusiastic, imaginative, and intellectually Research/Writing Donna Parham stimulating atmosphere to help students and guests develop a lifelong appreciation, understanding, and Technical Advisor Brad Andrews stewardship for our environment. Specifically, our Tom Goff goals are ... Sherry Lawson Julie Riklin To instill in students and guests of all ages an Mike Shaw appreciation for science and a respect for all living Sandy Silverman creatures and habitats. Dudley Wigdahl Education Directors To conserve our valuable natural resources by Hollis Gillespie increasing awareness of the interrelationships of John Lowe humans and the environment. Ann Quinn Joy Wolf To increase students’ and guests’ basic competencies Editorial Staff in science, math, and other disciplines. Judith Coats Deborah Nuzzolo To be an educational resource to the world. Donna Parham Patti Schick Illustrations Doug Fulton Salma Martin-Fardon Photos Mike Aguilera Bob Couey SeaWorld San Diego Photo Department Want more information? Visit the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Information Database at www.seaworld.org or www.buschgardens.org. Still have questions? Email us at [email protected] or call 1-800-23-SHAMU (1-800-237-4268). TDD users call 1-800-TD-SHAMU (1-800-837-4268). Emails and phones are answered by SeaWorld Educators. SeaWorld has books, teacher’s guides, posters, and videos available on a variety of animals and topics. Call 1-800-238-SHAMU to request an Education Department Publications catalog, or shop online at our e-store. SeaWorld San Diego SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld San Antonio (800) 23-SHAMU (800) 406-2244 (210) 523-3606 500 SeaWorld Drive 7007 SeaWorld Drive 10500 SeaWorld Drive San Diego, CA 92109-7904 Orlando, FL 32821-8097 San Antonio, TX 78251-3001 Discovery Cove Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Busch Gardens Williamsburg (407) 370-1280 (813) 987-5555 (757) 253-3000 6000 Discovery Cove Way P.O. Box 9157 One Busch Gardens Blvd. Orlando, FL 32821-8097 Tampa, FL 33674-9157 Williamsburg, VA 23187-8785 Splash of Math 4–8 Teacher’s Guide A SEAWORLD PUBLICATION CONTENTS Pre/Post Assessment . inside front cover Goals and Objectives . 2 Vocabulary . 2 A Splash of Math . 3 Measurement Systems . 4 Metric System/English System . 5 SeaWorld Water Systems (recommended for grades 6–8) . 6 SeaWorld Snack Shop . 9 Baby Whale Formula . 12 Communicating About Numbers (recommended for grades 5–8) . 14 Ocean Animals Information Cards . 16 Mapping the Ocean (recommended for grades 6–8) . 19 SeaWorld Skytower . 22 Shamu Stadium Geometry (recommended for grades 6–8) . 24 Feeding Time . 26 Bibliography . 28 To the Teacher The Splash of Math Teacher’s Guide for grades 4–8 was developed at SeaWorld with input from the San Diego County Office of Education. Our goal is to help you teach your students—in an active, hands-on way—about how mathematical skills relate to real-life situations, specifically marinelife studies and marine zoological park careers. This curriculum supports national standards for mathematics education. The brief background information in this Guide was written for you, the teacher. It will help you do these activities with your students. As you use this Teacher’s Guide, keep in mind that some problems may be solved in more than one way. Answers and problem- solving methods are included for most activities, but in some cases you or your students may find another way to solve a problem—or even other answers that are correct. Also keep your own students’ development and experiences in mind. Many of these activities can be customized to fit your classroom and the readiness of your students. SeaWorld strives to provide teachers with up-to-date information and activities that motivate students to conserve wildlife, the oceans, and the natural world. SeaWorld Teacher’s Guide Goal of the Splash of Math Unit Students build skills toward becoming mathematical problem solvers. Objectives After completing the SeaWorld 4–8 Splash of Math Unit, the student will be able to... 1. Break complex real-life problems into simpler parts. 2. Clearly communicate mathematical concepts visually and orally. 3. Construct scale drawings and/or models. 4. Make decisions about how to approach problems and use math skills, concepts, and strategies to find solutions. 5. Interpret and analyze numerical data, draw conclusions, and make predictions based on the data. 6. Use formulas to solve problems. 7. Create visual representations of data in the form of graphs. Vocabulary data — factual information that can be metric system — a system of weights used as a basis for calculations, reasoning, and measures, used throughout most or decisions. of the world, that uses meters, grams, decimal system — a measurement and liters. system in which the basic units increase meter — in the metric system, the basic by powers of ten. unit of length. English system — a system of weights sounding — a process of determining and measures, used in the United States, ocean depth. Sound travels from a that uses feet, pounds, and gallons. transmitter to the ocean bottom, bounces glucose — a simple sugar that occurs back, and is picked up by a receiver. widely in nature. Using the time from transmission to reception, calculations yield distance. gram — in the metric system, the basic unit of mass (weight). kilocalorie — the amount of energy (heat) required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius. liter — in the metric system, the basic unit of capacity. SeaWorld bird keepers weigh a penguin chick before and after feeding it. Then they calculate and record exactly how much the chick ate. 2 ©2004 Sea World, Inc. Splash of Math 4–8 A Splash of Math Math is a part of our world. We encounter and use math every day. When we buy groceries, check the mileage on our car, or cook using a recipe, we are using math. When we lay brick for a patio, we use math. When we rearrange the furniture in our house, we use math. In fact, when faced with a problem, we often use math to help us approach and solve the problem. We use math at SeaWorld. A laboratory technologist analyzing whale blood uses math to help estimate red blood cell count. A business analyst uses math to forecast daily attendance for next year. A food service manager uses math to determine food prices. An animal care specialist uses math to chart a dolphin calf’s growth. A water quality expert uses math to determine the amount of chlorine to add to the water in Shamu Stadium. An education department receptionist uses math to schedule school groups for field trips. A SeaWorld animal care specialist bottle- Exhibit designers use math to help them feeds rescued sea lion pups. Stranded animals are often dehydrated, and their design and build a new whale pool. weights are below normal. Weighing them Math is simply part of our daily work. regularly helps to assess their recovery. A clear understanding of math concepts and experience using math skills are Students must be able to solve problems important to do almost every job on a daily basis and to apply mathe- at SeaWorld. matics to the real world. Math skills help us solve routine Students must become mathematical problems readily. They also help us problem solvers. find ways to reach a solution when no The idea that math is for people with routine path is obvious. Math skills special talents is a myth, as is the idea help us to communicate logically and that some people “can’t do math.” In precisely about relationships, quantities, our society, everyone needs a useful processes, and cause and effect. Math knowledge of mathematics. A working skills also help us gather information, knowledge of math prepares us not just analyze evidence, and make connections for science and technical careers, but for among ideas and between mathematics a lifetime of analytical problem-solving. and other disciplines. ©2004 Sea World, Inc. 3 SeaWorld Teacher’s Guide Measurement Systems At SeaWorld, we use both the metric system and the English system. Because the metric system is used by scientists, we use the metric system in this Teacher’s Guide. For example, we use metric units to describe ocean depth and sizes of animals. Because the English system is used by engineers, merchants, and others, we also use the English system in this Guide. We use English units to Monitoring weight is an important part of assessing an animal’s health. SeaWorld describe pool capacity, building heights, animal trainers weigh Shamu regularly. food amounts, and other measures. The slide-out platform is a scale. Some of the activities in this Teacher’s Guide require students to convert We use the English system. metric to English measures or vice Most people in the United States are versa. We believe these kinds of most familiar with the English system problems are common in the real world. of weights and measures. We most The table on the next page shows the often use units of pounds and ounces, most commonly used English and gallons and quarts, and feet and inches. metric measures and their relationships to each other. Scientists use the metric system. Throughout the rest of the world and for scientists everywhere, the metric system is most widely used. The metric system is based on units of kilo- grams and grams, liters and milliliters, and meters and millimeters. The metric system is called a decimal system because the basic units increase by powers of ten. Each animal at SeaWorld is prescribed a specific amount of vitamins and minerals, based on the animal’s weight.