5 6 1 life in the sea TG

5.6.1

Life in the Sea
SUMMARY

The seas hold many more forms of
life than the earth. Different kinds of sea creatures live in different parts of the sea. From
intertidal regions to coral reefs to hydrothermal
vents, this book introduces readers to sea life.
LESSON VOCABULARY

algae
driftwood
lamented
sternly

concealed
hammock
sea urchins
tweezers

INTRODUCE THE BOOK
INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR Discuss

with
students the title and the author of Life in the
Sea. Based on the title, ask students to say what
they think the book will be about. Have them
examine the cover photograph of the book.

DRAW CONCLUSIONS

VISUALIZE

READ THE BOOK
SET PURPOSE

Have students set a purpose
for reading Life in the Sea. Students’ interest
in where life is found in different parts of the
sea should guide this purpose. Ask students
to think about sea life along coasts, in coral
reefs, and on the ocean floor. How do sea
creatures in these different regions differ?

STRATEGY SUPPORT: VISUALIZE

Invite students
to read the third paragraph on page 6. Ask:
Which detail appeals to the sense of sight?
(can cling tightly to rocks using suction);
sound? (crashing waves) Ask: How does the
use of sensory details help support the main
idea in this paragraph? (Sea stars and mussels
are found in both the high tide zone and the
mid-tide zone.)

BUILD BACKGROUND Ask students to say
whether they have ever been to the sea. Have
them describe what happens when the tide
comes in and goes out. Have them describe
different sea animals that live at the shore’s

edge. Have them list other sea environments
they know. Ask them to say how different
kinds of sea environments might be home
to different sea animals and why.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Have students who have never been
to the ocean conduct interviews with students
who have. Help students form questions
and answers. Encourage students to ask
questions that draw on the five senses: What
does the ocean sound like? What does the air
smell like? What does ocean water taste like?
What does the sand feel like? What do sea
creatures at the shore look like?

PAGE 10 Why do scientists sometimes call
coral reefs the ocean’s rain forest? (because
they support such a great diversity of sea life)

PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

As students
preview the book, invite them to notice
the photos and captions. Ask them to say
how these text features help the reader
understand the information in the book.

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PAGE 5

What are the four zones of the
intertidal region? (splash, high tide, mid-tide,
low tide)
PAGE 6

What conclusion can you draw about
creatures that live in the mid-tide zone?
(Possible response: They find ways to stay wet
during low tide.)

PAGE 12 What detail supports the main
idea that camouflage helps some fish stay
concealed in the coral? (Their colors blend
with the color of the sand.)
PAGE 15

What details support the main idea that
coral behave differently in the day and in the
night? (Day: retract and protect themselves from
predators; night: stretch out and catch food)

PAGE 17

Which creatures cover themselves
with sand? (clams, sea worms, stingrays,
flat fish)

Life in the Sea

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REVISIT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE

1. Possible response: Facts: Hydrothermal
vents are in deepest parts of ocean,
extreme water temperatures; area is in
total darkness; Conclusion: Research in
these regions would be very difficult due
to the extremes of temperature and water
pressure and the total darkness.
2. Possible response: At high tide there is not
much to see except crabs. At low tide more
creatures are visible, from sea urchins to
nudibranchs.
3. corals
4. Possible response: by types of sea
creatures, by geographical locations around
the world, by oceans
EXTEND UNDERSTANDING

Invite students to
point out their favorite text feature. Ask them
to say what information they learn from the

feature and how it supports the text on the
page. Have them explain how the text feature
adds to the text.

RESPONSE OPTIONS

WRITING Invite students to draw a conclusion
about the selection. Have them write a paragraph explaining the conclusion they have come
to, and backing it up with supporting details.

SCIENCE CONNECTION
Students can learn more
about hydrothermal vents
and the sea life found around
them by going to the library or using the
Internet. Have them research scientists who
are exploring these deep sea places and the
forms of life found there. Ask them why these
forms of life are considered so important.
Have them tell their findings to the class.

Skill Work
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY
To reinforce the contextual meaning of the
word tweezers, have students read the last
paragraph on page 5. Ask: What words help
you understand the meaning of the word
tweezers? Continue in a similar fashion with
the other vocabulary words.

TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
DRAW CONCLUSIONS Remind students that
drawing conclusions means to make sensible
decisions or form reasonable opinions
after thinking about the facts and details
in what you are reading. Remind them that
conclusions have to be based on facts.
Challenge them to jot down notes as they
read about facts that support a conclusion.
Have them go back and reevaluate whether
their conclusions are logical.
VISUALIZE

Remind students that to
visualize is to create a picture in the mind as
you read. Authors use images and sensory
details to help readers visualize people,
places, and things. Explain that images are
word pictures. Sensory details appeal to one
of the five senses: sight, hearing, smell,
touch, or taste. Invite students to look for
images and sensory details as they read.
Ask them to draw a conclusion about why
the author uses images and sensory details
to convey information.

ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION

MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS Remind students that
the main idea is the most important idea

about a topic. A main idea may be stated at
the beginning, middle, or end of a section.
Sometimes, however, the main idea is not
stated. In this case, readers must infer, or
put into their own words, the main idea. As
students read each section, have them jot
down notes about what they think is the main
idea. Have them also jot down details that
support the main idea of each section. Ask
them to look for images or sensory details
that help them visualize the main idea.

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Name

Life in the Sea

Draw Conclusions
• A conclusion is a sensible decision you reach after you think about details or facts in what
you read.
• Drawing conclusions means to make sensible decisions or form reasonable opinions after
thinking about facts and details in what you read.

Directions Read the paragraphs below. Answer the questions that follow.

The intertidal region is divided into four zones: the splash zone, the high tide zone, the
mid-tide zone, and the low tide zone. Animals and plants that live in the splash zone only get
wet from water splashing on them during high tide. Only a few creatures—black lichens, black
periwinkles, isopods, and limpets—live in the splash zone. The high tide zone is wetter than the
splash zone. Still the high tide zone only gets fully soaked twice a day, during high tide.

1.

What conclusion can you draw about animals and plants that live in the splash zone?

2.

Give one fact or detail to support your conclusion.

3.

What conclusion can you draw about why crabs live in the high tide zone?

4.

Give one fact or detail to support your conclusion.

5.

Write a well-supported conclusion about how marine life would be affected if an intertidal region
were destroyed.

© Pearson Education 5

The rest of the time, the area is dry. Crabs often live here. The mid-tide zone stays wet much
longer than the high tide zone. It only dries out during low tide. Many sea creatures live in this
area. The low tide zone is the wettest in the intertidal region. Sea creatures that live here have to
find ways to protect themselves from the pounding waves.

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Life in the Sea

Name

Vocabulary
Directions Read the sentences below. Write the word from the box that has the same
meaning as the underlined word or phrase.

Check the Words You Know
algae
driftwood
lamented
sternly

concealed
hammock
sea urchins

tweezers

1. For many people, the perfect vacation is to lie in a hanging mat and gaze out at the ocean.

2. Many fascinating sea creatures are hidden during low tide.

3. Tiny sea animals crawl out from holes in the rocks to eat seaweed from tide pools.

4. Crabs use their claws like pincers to pull food from the cracks in the rocks.

5. Scientists strongly warn us about the danger of destroying the ocean habitat.

6. Environmentalists have spoken sadly about how people pollute the ocean.

© Pearson Education 5

7. Coral live near the ocean’s surface and eat very small organisms that feed off of the sunlight.

8. After a storm, you can often find pieces of floating wood adrift in the ocean.

Directions Write a sentence about Life in the Sea using two of the vocabulary words.

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