Key Stage 1 Oceans and Seas

Atlantic Underwater World

Role-play exploring the seabed. Use ‘sea cave’ feely boxes to investigate using sense of touch. Create a self-portrait as a scuba diver.

Teaching Outcomes
To use the sense of touch to describe the material properties of objects in a feely box, using observations and own experience to inform identification.
To create a self portrait of a deep sea diver, using photomontage techniques.
To know some of the features of the undersea landscape and use correct geographical vocabulary to describe them.

Children will:

• Develop an understanding of the landscapes of the Atlantic Ocean’s seabed.
• Draw upon the sense of touch to make observations and predictions.
• Creat self-portraits as scuba divers using photographs and simple montage techniques.
• Listen to whale and dolphin songs as examples of how animals communicate beneath the waves.

• Scuba diver image
• Sea caves prediction chart
• How to make a scuba diver portrait

• Craft materials as listed on how to make a scuba diver portrait
• Atlas
• Digital camera and printer
• 4 feely boxes decorated as sea caves
• 4 sea-related mystery objects

Dolphin song − YouTube clip
Whale song − YouTube clip

Develop understanding of how sea life is adapted to living in the Atlantic. Experiment with oil and water to understand about waterproofing. Create a collage to show how sea creatures use pattern to camouflage themselves.

Teaching Outcomes
To explore how animals in the Atlantic demonstrate adaptation to their environment through camouflage and an ability to repel water.
To create collage images of Atlantic sea creatures to explore the idea of camouflage and adaptation; To understand the role of patterning in camouflage.

Children will:

• Understand that animals in the Atlantic are adapted to their environment.
• Conduct an experiment that demonstrates how oil repels water.
• Learn that that many marine animals and sea birds use an oily substance to remain dry.
• Explore how and why sea creatures make use of camouflage.
• Use patterned paper to create pictures of camouflaged Atlantic marine creatures

• Atlantic marine life
• Gull
• How to make camouflaged creatures
• Atlantic silhouettes, printed on A3 or A4 paper
• Experiment record chart

• Patterned scrapbook paper or wallpaper
• Large jar with lid
• Food colouring
• Cooking oil

Camouflaged octopus − YouTube clip
Camouflaged flounder − YouTube clip
Other camouflaged sea creatures − YouTube clip

Understand about food chains connecting the plants and animals in the Atlantic. Construct own painted food chains.

Teaching Outcomes
To understand what an ocean food chains are and use scientific language to describe elements within them.
To draw and paint bold outline figures of marine animals and plants.

Children will:

• Understand that plants and animals in the Atlantic Ocean are linked in ‘food chains’, and will have looked at an example of such a chain.
• Appreciate that food chains begin with green plants and end with large predators.
• Understand and used the terms ‘carnivore’, ‘herbivore’, ‘predator’ and ‘prey’ in relation to food chains.
• Construct food chains from cardboard figures.

• Marine life

• Atlantic Silhouettes (from session 2)
• Thick cardboard
• Marker pens

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Create a sculpture of the marine life found in the Atlantic Ocean.

Teaching Outcomes
To create a three-dimensional assemblage on the theme of Atlantic sea life.
To recognise the difference between two- and three-dimensional shapes and art works.

Children will:

• Discuss the difference between three- and two-dimensional shapes and art works.
• Construct three-dimensional sculptures of marine life drawing upon their knowledge of the Atlantic Ocean, its inhabitants and their food chains.

• Atlantic marine life sculpture image

• Thick cardboard
• Masking tape
• Googly eyes
• Buttons and sequins
• Ice cream or other tubs/boxes with gravel, stones or sand for weighting
• Slim florists canes, sticks or dowelling
• End of block quiz questions

Step-by-step guidance on creating three-dimensional sculpture from elementaryartfun.blogspot.co.uk

(Note: the instructions refer to a coral reef but work equally well for the Atlantic.)