Teaching Activities for Turtles in my Sandbox Sequencing Sentence Strips Geography where in the US do terrapins live? Turtles, Terrapins, & Tortoises: Same or Different? Reptiles versus Mammals: Venn Diagram Turtle Word Search Turtles in my Sandbox vocabulary bingo Activities are for use as intended at home, in the classroom, and story-times. Copyright 2007 by Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Turtles in my Sandbox Sequence Sentence Strips Preparation: Copy this page onto a card stock. Cut into sentence strips, laminate if desired, and place in a center. Have children put the events in order. Children may work alone or in small groups. Cards are in order but should be mixed up when cut apart. Some of the actions are inferred in the story. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ Mamma terrapin crawled out of the bay, dug a nest, and laid her eggs. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ Maggie found the nest of eggs in her sandbox. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ Maggie and her mother researched and learned about terrapins. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ Maggie and her mother covered the nest with a nest protector to keep raccoons and other animals out. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ One hot September day, the terrapins hatched out of their shells. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ Maggie put the hatchlings in three aquariums.
She feed the terrapins and took care of them. Every morning Maggie turned on the heat lamps. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ The terrapins grew over the winter. ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ On the first day of summer, Maggie, her mom, and the turtle lady released the terrapins into the bay.
Turtles in my Sandbox Terrapins are found in brackish water from Cape Cod, down the Atlantic coast, around the Florida pennisula, and the Gulf of Mexico. Color the area where you might see a terrapin. The word terrapin comes from the Native Americans who lived around the Chesapeake Bay before the Europeans arrived. Would cultures from the Midwest or the Southwest have had a name for terrapins? Why or why not?
Turtles, Terrapins & Tortoises: Same or different? All three are reptiles. That means: they have scaly skin are cold-blooded (warmed by the air or water around them) breathe air usually lay soft, leathery eggs (some snakes give birth to live young) Depending on where you live, the three names may be used differently. In Australia, only sea turtles are called turtles and all others are tortoises. In Great Britain a turtle refers only to a sea turtle and terrapin refers to those that live in freshwater. So, if three different scientists (in Australia, Great Britain, and the US) are doing research on a specific type of turtle; how do they know which turtle they are talking about? This is why scientists use the scientific classification name for animals. These names are based on Latin and are used to refer to the same animal no matter where it is in the world. All turtles, terrapins, and tortoises belong to the order called Chelonia. Because of this, it is correct to refer to terrapins or tortoises as turtles; but it is not correct to call a turtle a terrapin or tortoise! The following definitions are based on what is generally used or accepted in most parts of the United States: Tortoises: live only on land have short, stumpy legs are plant eaters dig burrows for a house Terrapins: live in brackish water but will bask on or rocks in the sun have both webbed feet and claws so they can swim and crawl onto land. can pull their heads and feet into their shells for protection but they do not have a hinge like a box turtle. Turtles: Includes them all, even tortoises and terrapins. If in doubt, call it a turtle. Includes animals that spend most of their time in the water: snapping turtles and sea turtles. These turtles have webbed feet or flippers to help them swim.
Reptiles versus Mammals breathe air most are born alive most are born from eggs hair or fur dry, scaly skin or shell eat milk from mother warm-blooded cold-blooded Reptiles Common Mammals
Turtle Word Search Find the hidden words. Even nonreading children can try to match letters to letters to find the words! Easy words go up to down or left to right. For older children, identify the coordinates of the first letter in each word (number, letter). A B C D E F G H I J K 1 T U H P L A S T R O N 2 S E A T U R T L E M E 3 C O M U S T A B L E D 4 A D Q R Y I P U S H 5 R E P T I L E C A C X 6 A V J L W Z E B R U S 7 P S H E L L H I P T K 8 A E T O R T O I S E Y 9 C O L D B L O O D E D 10 E T E R R A P I N F G Sea turtle terrapin turtle tortoise carapace plastron scute shell Reptile cold blooded
Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo Term Definition Bank slant or slope of a hill Bask to be warmed by the sun beak the turtle's hard, sharp "lip," which appears just under its nose brackish somewhat salty water found in bays and estuaries bulkhead a rock or wood wall that people build to protect beaches clutch the number of eggs laid at the same time endangered in danger of extinction; dying out feet terrapins' feet are webbed, clawed flippers used for swimming and climbing out of the water habitat The place or environment where a plant or animal lives or grows hatchlings baby turtles head start raising hatchlings in aquariums or schools so that they grow bigger and stronger and are more likely to survive when they are released nest protector wire cage placed over a turtle's nest to protect eggs from animals like raccoons, etc. plastron the bottom part of a turtle's shell the plates on the top of the turtle's shell carapace the top part of a turtle's shell the rings on the edge of the turtle's shell shoreline the sandy area along the water's edge tag thin metal tag placed on the terrapins before they are released to help experts identify and track released terrapins wildlife experts biologists, zoologists, and scientists who research, preserve, and conserve wild animals terrapin a turtle that lives in brackish water, estuaries, & bays torope the Algonquian Indian word that means "edible turtle that lives in the brackish water." how old a female terrapin when she starts laying eggs fishcicle a "Popsicle" made out of frozen minnows (yummmmm) egg tooth what turtles use to break through their eggs when they hatch where turtles like to bask
brackish feet nest protector shoreline Bank torope habitat plastron fishcicle clutch FREE Bask wildlife experts beak endangered head start carapace terrapin bulkhead egg tooth tag Created with BINGO MASTER Card 2 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
clutch carapace endangered beak wildlife experts feet head start Bask habitat nest protector shoreline FREE brackish egg tooth plastron fishcicle hatchlings Bank tag torope terrapin Created with BINGO MASTER Card 3 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bask hatchlings tag fishcicle endangered plastron clutch wildlife experts egg tooth habitat nest protector FREE feet carapace terrapin shoreline torope Bank bulkhead brackish beak Created with BINGO MASTER Card 4 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
shoreline tag carapace brackish Bank clutch egg tooth habitat plastron terrapin Bask FREE wildlife experts head start beak endangered nest protector torope bulkhead fishcicle feet hatchlings Created with BINGO MASTER Card 5 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bask torope plastron carapace endangered brackish tag hatchlings nest protector fishcicle FREE Bank habitat terrapin head start shoreline feet bulkhead egg tooth clutch beak Created with BINGO MASTER Card 6 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
hatchlings torope bulkhead fishcicle shoreline head start beak tag clutch feet carapace FREE egg tooth Bask habitat wildlife experts nest protector brackish plastron Bank terrapin Created with BINGO MASTER Card 7 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
brackish feet nest protector shoreline torope Bank habitat plastron fishcicle clutch FREE Bask wildlife experts endangered beak head start carapace bulkhead terrapin egg tooth tag Created with BINGO MASTER Card 8 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
feet head start Bask habitat clutch carapace endangered beak wildlife experts nest protector shoreline FREE brackish egg tooth plastron fishcicle hatchlings Bank tag torope terrapin Created with BINGO MASTER Card 9 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
bulkhead brackish beak Bask hatchlings tag fishcicle endangered plastron FREE wildlife experts egg tooth habitat nest protector clutch feet carapace terrapin shoreline torope Bank Created with BINGO MASTER Card 10 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
shoreline tag carapace brackish clutch Bank egg tooth habitat plastron Bask terrapin FREE wildlife experts head start endangered beak nest protector torope bulkhead fishcicle feet hatchlings Created with BINGO MASTER Card 11 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
endangered brackish tag hatchlings nest protector Bask torope plastron carapace fishcicle FREE Bank habitat terrapin head start shoreline feet bulkhead egg tooth clutch beak Created with BINGO MASTER Card 12 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
plastron Bank terrapin hatchlings torope bulkhead fishcicle shoreline head start FREE tag clutch feet carapace beak egg tooth Bask habitat wildlife experts nest protector brackish Created with BINGO MASTER Card 13 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
brackish feet shoreline nest protector Bank torope habitat fishcicle plastron clutch FREE wildlife experts Bask beak endangered head start carapace terrapin bulkhead egg tooth tag Created with BINGO MASTER Card 14 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
clutch carapace endangered beak wildlife experts feet head start Bask habitat nest protector shoreline FREE brackish egg tooth tag torope terrapin plastron fishcicle hatchlings Bank Created with BINGO MASTER Card 15 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bask hatchlings tag fishcicle bulkhead brackish beak endangered plastron FREE wildlife experts egg tooth habitat nest protector clutch feet carapace terrapin shoreline torope Bank Created with BINGO MASTER Card 16 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
shoreline tag brackish carapace Bank clutch egg tooth plastron habitat terrapin Bask FREE head start wildlife experts beak endangered nest protector bulkhead torope fishcicle feet hatchlings Created with BINGO MASTER Card 17 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bask torope plastron carapace endangered brackish tag hatchlings nest protector fishcicle FREE Bank feet bulkhead egg tooth clutch beak habitat terrapin head start shoreline Created with BINGO MASTER Card 18 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
hatchlings torope bulkhead fishcicle shoreline plastron Bank terrapin head start FREE tag clutch feet carapace beak egg tooth Bask habitat wildlife experts nest protector brackish Created with BINGO MASTER Card 19 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
brackish feet shoreline nest protector Bank torope habitat fishcicle plastron clutch FREE wildlife experts Bask beak endangered head start carapace terrapin bulkhead egg tooth tag Created with BINGO MASTER Card 20 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
feet head start Bask habitat clutch carapace endangered beak wildlife experts nest protector shoreline FREE brackish egg tooth tag torope terrapin plastron fishcicle hatchlings Bank Created with BINGO MASTER Card 21 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bask hatchlings tag fishcicle bulkhead brackish beak endangered plastron FREE wildlife experts egg tooth carapace terrapin shoreline torope Bank habitat nest protector clutch feet Created with BINGO MASTER Card 22 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
shoreline tag brackish carapace Bank clutch egg tooth plastron habitat terrapin Bask FREE head start wildlife experts beak endangered nest protector bulkhead torope fishcicle feet hatchlings Created with BINGO MASTER Card 23 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
endangered brackish tag hatchlings nest protector Bask torope plastron carapace fishcicle FREE Bank feet bulkhead egg tooth clutch beak habitat terrapin head start shoreline Created with BINGO MASTER Card 24 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
hatchlings torope bulkhead fishcicle shoreline plastron Bank terrapin head start FREE tag clutch habitat wildlife experts nest protector brackish feet carapace beak egg tooth Bask Created with BINGO MASTER Card 25 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bank torope habitat fishcicle plastron brackish feet shoreline nest protector clutch FREE wildlife experts Bask beak endangered head start carapace terrapin bulkhead egg tooth tag Created with BINGO MASTER Card 26 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
plastron fishcicle hatchlings Bank clutch carapace endangered beak wildlife experts nest protector shoreline FREE brackish egg tooth tag torope terrapin feet head start Bask habitat Created with BINGO MASTER Card 27 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bask hatchlings fishcicle tag bulkhead brackish beak endangered plastron FREE egg tooth wildlife experts carapace terrapin shoreline Bank torope habitat nest protector clutch feet Created with BINGO MASTER Card 28 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
Bank clutch egg tooth plastron habitat shoreline tag brackish carapace terrapin Bask FREE head start wildlife experts beak endangered nest protector bulkhead torope fishcicle feet hatchlings Created with BINGO MASTER Card 29 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
habitat terrapin head start shoreline Bask torope plastron carapace fishcicle FREE Bank feet bulkhead egg tooth clutch beak endangered brackish tag hatchlings nest protector Created with BINGO MASTER Card 30 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo
hatchlings torope bulkhead shoreline fishcicle plastron terrapin Bank head start FREE clutch tag habitat wildlife experts brackish nest protector feet carapace beak Bask egg tooth Created with BINGO MASTER Card 31 Turtles in my Sandbox Vocabulary Bingo