Outreach and Education
The Grande Turtle Adventure K-5 Curriculum
Dr. George Shillinger worked with Dr. Helen Bailey to author our bilingual children’s book, “The Grande Turtle Adventure.” It tells the story of Tica and Laurie, two leatherback turtles who meet as hatchlings and begin their separate oceanic journeys, reuniting when they return to nest at their natal beach in Costa Rica. The engaging story, with rhyming verse in English and Spanish, teaches children about sea turtles, including their life cycles, habitats, threats to their survival, and conservation strategies.
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To amplify the book's utility in the classroom, Upwell worked with 5th grade teacher Kris Cuevas and Grande Turtle Adventure Illustrator Tracy Dorsey to create a K-5 curriculum built on Next Generation Science and Common Core Standards. Each grade’s detailed lesson plan and complementary interactive materials are available below for download and use in the classroom.
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In this lesson, students learn about what sea turtles need to survive and how they fulfill those needs in different habitats. Students will participate in shared activities to identify and draw sea turtles’ needs and then reflect on and draw pictures of their own needs.
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In this lesson, students learn about what sea turtles need to survive and how they fulfill those needs in different habitats. Students will participate in shared activities to identify and draw sea turtles’ needs and then reflect on and draw pictures of their own needs.
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In this lesson, students learn about how sea turtles use habitats on the beach and in the ocean. They will make observations about these habitats and compare them. Students will gather information from the book and use their own prior knowledge to answer questions.
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In this lesson, students learn about how sea turtles use habitats on the beach and in the ocean. They will make observations about these habitats and compare them. Students will gather information from the book and use their own prior knowledge to answer questions.
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In this lesson, students learn about leatherback sea turtles from The Grande Turtle Adventure reading and the Leatherback Fact Sheet. They will then create an informational poster that reflects on how leatherbacks receive information from their senses and how they process and respond to that information in different ways.
Leatherback Fact Sheet
Written by Samantha Trail, Doctoral Graduate Student at Florida Atlantic University
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In this lesson, students learn about leatherback sea turtles and the threats that they face at sea through a reading of The Grande Turtle Adventure and their own research online. Students will first gather information and then create an informational poster to share key information about the threats that turtles face at sea as well as their own reflections on what is being done to protect them.
Interested in selling the book? Contact media@upwell.org for wholesale.