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Sea Turtles: Understanding Threats and Conservation Strategies
Author(s):
Author Affiliation and
Location: (e.g. Duke,
Beaufort, NC)
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Website
Optional Author
Contact Information
(e.g. email)
Introduction/Abstract
to Lesson Plan (max.
100 Words)
Learning Objectives
using Measurable
Verbs (what students
will be able to do)
Cori Lopazanski
UNC Department of Marine Sciences
[email protected]
This activity introduces students to sea turtles, reviewing basic concepts about reptiles and
marine organisms. Students will learn about the life history of sea turtles, complete a
sequencing activity of major life events, and hypothesize about common threats sea turtles may
face during their lifetime. Finally, the students will participate in an activity illustrating these
threats, and learn about an adaptation sea turtles have to compensate for low survival rates.
The activity concludes with small group or class discussion about ways humans can help
conserve these animals.
-
Explain life cycle of sea turtles and sequence life cycle events
List natural predators of sea turtles
Explain low survival rate in sea turtles and describe an adaptation that allows sea turtles
to compensate for low survival rates
Learn ways human behavior affects sea turtle survival and hypothesize ways in which
humans can help with conservation
Appropriate Grade
Levels
Group Size/# of
students activities are
designed for
Setting (e.g. indoors,
outdoors, lab, etc.)
Approximate Time of
Lesson
Best for 2-5, can be modified to fit K-8
Resources Needed
for Students (e.g.
scissors, paper,
pencils, glue, etc.)
Resources Needed
for Educators (e.g.
blackboard,
Powerpoint
capabilities, etc.)
Apps/Websites
Needed
Pencils and paper for group activities, brainstorming
Options to work together as a class, individually, and in small groups of 3-5. No maximum
number.
Indoor (*contact me for option for outdoor/gym activity)
Introduction: 5-10 minutes
Sequencing Activity: 10-15 minutes
Predator/Threat Activity: 20-30 minutes
Closure & Discussion: 15-20 minutes
Total: 50-70 minutes (able to condense and expand)
If desired: scissors, glue, and construction paper or poster board for sequencing activity
Blackboard for group discussions (if desired)
Can use ping pong balls to illustrate size of sea turtle eggs
Printed handouts or laminated photos for sequencing activity
Printed photos for threats activity (can also use stuffed animals or figurines)
Educators can learn more info about sea turtles:
http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sea-turtle
http://www.seeturtles.org/sea-turtle-facts/
Lesson Activity (step
by step description of
activity)
1) Introduction to sea turtles
o Give students background information about sea turtles, or alternatively have
them share information with you that they already know. Most have heard of
sea turtles or at least seen Finding Nemo!
o Suggestions for basic information (educator can tailor to fit age group):
 Reptiles (can use as an opportunity to introduce/review characteristics
of reptiles) that live in the oceans
 7 different species (Leatherback, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Olive Ridley,
Loggerhead, Green, Flatback) – all are threatened or endangered
 Species that visit NC: leatherback, loggerhead, green, and
sometimes Kemp’s ridley
 They vary in size and diet
 Special shell that protects the turtle and grows with them; they cannot
leave their shell!
 Learn more from links posted above
2) Basics of sea turtle life history: When a female sea turtle is ready to lay her eggs, she
travels all the way back to the same beach she hatched from (usually within 150 miles).
She crawls up onto the sand during the night and digs a hole that is approximately 2
feet deep, where she deposits 80-100 eggs. She then covers the eggs back up with sand
and crawls back into the ocean. After about 60 days, the eggs hatch all at the same
time, called a “boil” because it is like pot boiling over with sea turtles. The baby sea
turtles – called hatchlings – have to climb all the way out of the nest and down into the
water. They swim and follow currents to the Sargasso Sea, where they will live and eat
until they are large enough to venture out on their own. Eventually, after the turtles are
25-30 years old, the females will crawl back to the same beach to lay their eggs.
o Information can be introduced via reading activity or shared by the educator
o Sequencing activity (attached): Students work together in small groups to
sequence the life history events for sea turtles. Alternatively, they can work
alone, or in class discussion.
 Number of events can be modified, reduced for younger groups
o Review answers as a class
3) What threats do sea turtles face? Now that they are familiar with the major events in
sea turtles’ lives, have students brainstorm some of the threats sea turtles might face in
their lifetime. This can be done in small groups, or as a class.
o Once they start to come up with ideas, have them put the threats into
categories: 1) threats to nesting mothers, 2) threats to eggs, 3) threats to
hatchling turtles, and 4) threats to adult turtles
 They can write these down on their own paper, in groups, or
alternatively create a large list on a whiteboard
 See suggested list attached
 Students should be able to recognize the sheer number of threats sea
turtles face throughout their lifetime. They should also notice that as
the sea turtle gets older and larger, the amount of threats they face
gets smaller and smaller. Additionally, one of the biggest (and only)
threats adult turtles face are humans.
o Activity: *Contact me for info about making this an outdoor activity similar to
the sharks-and-minnows game of tag*
 Break students up into large groups (~10) or complete as a class. Have
students draw numbers out of a hat – their number represents their
identity during the activity.
 Assign roles as followed (this is for groups of 10 – contact me
for assistance for larger/smaller groups!) Replace numbers for
the hatchlings in the hat (in this case #2-7)



o 1 – Nesting Mother
o 2 - 7 – Eggs/Hatchlings
o 8 – Crab
o 9 – Raccoon
o 10 – Shark
When any hatchling is killed, they can be assigned another
threat so they are still involved in the activity:
o Boat (for boat strike)
o Plastic bag (turtle eats the bag, thinking it is food)
Tip for groups larger than 10: increase the number of hatchlings
so that all students are hatchlings except for 2-3 threats and the
nesting mother, and then keep adding threats until only one
sea turtle is left at the end. Threats can also kill multiple turtles
at once.
Have the students act out the events:
o Nesting mother crawls up onto the beach, uses her
back flippers to dig a hole and deposits her eggs
(hatchling turtles now come up and pretend to be in
their eggs)
o After 60 days, the hatchlings begin to emerge out of
their eggs and crawl down to the ocean. However,
there is a crab waiting that eats one of the turtles!
(Draw number out of the hat – this is the turtle that is
killed)
o The rest of the hatchlings keep crawling towards the
water, but it is a very long way down the beach. All of a
sudden, a raccoon appears and grabs one of the turtles!
(Draw number out of the hat – this is the turtle that is
killed)
o The rest of the hatchlings make it to the water, and
swim towards the Sargasso sea. They see lots of big fish
along the way, but are able to hide in small patches of
seaweed where they cannot be seen. However, one day
they encounter a large shark with a great sense of
smell, and he snatches one right up! (Draw number out
of the hat)
o The other hatchlings keep swimming, and are starting
to get older and larger. They no longer have to worry
about getting eaten by fish, and can swim around freely
looking for food. One day, the turtles are swimming
around when a boat goes flying by, and the propeller
hits the back of one of the turtle’s shell. (Draw number
out of the hat).
o There are now only 2 turtles left. They both swim
around eating and relaxing, but one day one of the
turtles eats a plastic bag because it looks a lot like its
food. (Draw a number out of the hat)
 Continue explaining threat scenarios until only
one turtle remains
o Now only one turtle remains – it keeps eating and
growing, and one day it is big enough to reproduce.
He/she one day can find a mate, and the nesting
mother crawls onto the beach to lay a set of eggs,
starting the cycle all over again.
 Ask questions to help summarize the activity. Why do you think sea
turtle survival rate is so low? Students should understand the different
threats sea turtles face. Prompt them to think about any adaptations
the sea turtle uses to combat these threats. What things does a sea
turtle do that might help them survive? You may get answers like “swim
quickly,” but you can suggest they look at the life history event sheet
for ideas. One main example is the number of eggs the turtle lays at one
time (80-100). By laying so many eggs, they can be sure at least one
might survive long enough to reproduce.
4) How can humans help? Prompt students to identify the threats that are related to
humans and human activity. Circle these on the list of threats on the white board (they
are bold on the suggested list)
o Students should recognize that humans can have a large impact on sea turtles’
lives
o Have students hypothesize about ways humans could help conserve sea turtles,
and (if applicable) particularly things they could do to help
 This can be done in class discussion or small groups
Final Product (If there
is one, e.g. blog,
presentation, etc.)
Assessment/Evaluatio
n (Evidence of
Learning linked
directly to learning
objectives)
NC Essential
Standards
Evaluation based on discussion and review of activities: going over correct sequencing order,
discussing threats to sea turtles, and brainstorming how humans could help in conservation
1.L.1.2 Give examples of how the needs of different plants and animals can be met by their
environments in North Carolina or different places throughout the world.
1.L.1.3 Summarize ways that humans protect their environment and/or improve conditions for
the growth of the plants and animals that live there
2.L.1.1 Summarize the life cycle of animals: Birth, Developing into an adult, Reproducing, Aging
and death
2.L.1.2 Compare life cycles of different animals such as, but not limited to, mealworms,
ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs.
4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable
animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.
4.L.1.2 Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information
received from the environment.
5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.
8.L.3 Understand how organisms interact with and respond to the biotic and abiotic
components of their environment.
8.L.3.2 Summarize the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers including
the positive and negative consequences of such interactions including: predator/prey
Bio.2.1 Analyze the interdependence of living organisms within their environments.
Bio.2.1.3 Explain various ways organisms interact with each other (including predation,
competition, parasitism, mutualism) and with their environments resulting in stability within
ecosystems.
Bio.2.2 Understand the impact of human activities on the environment (one generation affects
the next).
Bio.2.2.1 Infer how human activities (including population growth, pollution, global warming,
burning of fossil fuels, habitat destruction and introduction of nonnative species) may impact
the environment. Bio.2.2.2 Explain how the use, protection and conservation of natural
resources by humans impact the environment from one generation to the next.
Next Generation
Science Standards
2LS41 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different
habitats.
3LS11 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all
have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death
3LS43 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat (some organisms can
survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all)
Images:

For threat activity (make sure images are licensed for reuse) o Sea turtle hatchlings
o Adults sea turtle
o Crab
o Raccoon
o Shark
o Boat
o Fishing line
Notes:
Example Threat Chart: (human threats are bold)
Mothers
Nesting mothers
can decide not to
lay their eggs for
many reasons:
- Bright lights near
the beach
- Loud noises from
homes or streets
-Disturbances by
humans
- Encountering
objects left on the
beach (toys,
chairs, shelters)
Eggs
- Animals could
come dig up the
nest to eat the
eggs (dogs, foxes,
raccoons, etc.)
- Humans walking
on the nest,
digging it up
- Washed away by
the tide or a storm
Hatchlings
- Bright lights near
the beach cause
turtles to crawl
away from the
ocean, never
reaching the
ocean
- Animals trying to
eat them when
they are crawling
to the ocean
(crabs, birds, dogs,
foxes, etc.)
- Humans picking
the turtles up or
disturbing them
- Fish and other
organisms eating
them once they
are swimming in
the water
Adults
- Can be eaten by
large sharks
- Cold stunning
- Humans:
Boat strikes
Nets
Fishing lines
Plastic bags