Exploring Antarctica!
3rd Grade Adventures!
Attention Explorers!
Antarctica is the last and most unexplored wilderness on the planet. It’s up to you to learn more about this icy continent and report back with facts!
Your Assignment:
1. Collect data on Antarctica’s climate and geology, wildlife, and future.
2. Use all the facts you found on your journey to make a poster board with your partner to present to the class.
Your Assignment:
Your journey to Antarctica will have three missions you need to complete. Each mission comes with questions you need to answer.
Before you get started, take the wilderness challenge quiz to see what you already know!
http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/multimedia/flash/1_wilderness.html
Live Antarctica!
If you feel lost anytime during this expedition, click this link to watch live video feeds from Antarctica or check the weather!
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/live-antarctica
Mission 1: Geology and Climate of Antarctica.
(Answer these questions in your science notebook as you explore)
1. What is the continent of Antarctica mostly made up of? What percent ?
2. How much of the world’s fresh water is stored up in Antarctica?
3. How much bigger is Antarctica in September than March?
Read- http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/Antarctica/
Watch Ice shelf video: http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/downloads/cc2_iceberg.html
Read: http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/2_measuring.php
Play: http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/multimedia/flash/3_seasonal_change.html
Mission 1: Explorations
Mission 2: Life in Antarctica
1. Name 3 animals you didn’t know lived in Antarctica
2. What are two ways animals adapt to the cold in Antarctica?
3. After watching the video on Krill, and reading about threats facing them, why is it so important to protect the krill population?
Mission 2: Explorations
Learn about different animals in Antarctica and listen to what they sound like:
http://www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/polar/antarctica/animals.htm
ReadAdapting: http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/wildlife/animals/adapting-to-the-cold
Watch Krill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stfv3HZdERI
Read the section Threats: http://sixthformstgeorgeschool.blogspot.com/2012/10/antarctic-krill.html
For Fun: http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/multimedia/flash/4_eating.html
Mission 3: Future of Antarctica
Using what you have learned, write a paragraph about how climate change might impact Antarctica and it’s wildlife.
Mission 3: Explorations
Read: http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/3_future.php
Watch: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nbc-news/51014433
Video of Ice shelf melting: