TEACHER GUIDE:
GRADES K-2
Thank you for choosing Birch Aquarium at Scripps for your field trip!
We hope these resources will help you and your students make the most of your time at the
aquarium. Each activity sheet aligns with a different exhibit in the aquarium, and all the answers
can be found within that exhibit. You can find the answer key and more exhibit information below.
TIPS & TRICKS
• Print these activity sheets for your There is no activity sheet for Tide Pool Plaza, as
students before you arrive. They are not your students can touch local animals here! Be
available for printing or pick up at the sure to put away all materials that could fall into
aquarium. the open water. Follow directions of aquarium
• Bring your own clipboards and writing staff and volunteers at all times.
instruments for each student. Exhibit QUESTIo
QUESTIoNS Yo
YoU CAN ASK Yo
YoUR STUDENTS:
windows cannot be used as writing • Have you ever seen this animal before?
surfaces. • What body parts help it survive in our
• Give a copy of this guide to each local environment?
chaperone so that they can best support • What do you think the animal will feel
their group of students. like? What does it actually feel like?
HAVE YOU BEEN ON YOUR
FREE PRE-VISIT YET?
Teachers receive a FREE pre-visit
prior to your program to help you
in the planning process.
Call (858) 534-7336 to make a
reservation in advance.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps | Grades K-2
EXHIBIT
INFORMATION
SHELIA MARIE DAVIS EXPEDITION AT SEA:
GALLERIA R/V SALLY RIDE
• Don’t forget to look up when you walk • Visit the interactive displays to see what the
through the aquarium doors! inside and outside of a research vessel really
• Check out life size models of local shark look like and hear from scientists and crew!
species.
SHARK SHORES /
HALL OF FISHES SEADRAGONS & SEAHORSES
• The Hall of Fishes exhibit follows the • Sharks and rays are both cartilaginous fishes.
California Current down the West Coast. This means their skeletons are made
• Ask students what similarities and differences of cartilage as opposed to bones.
they notice between the animals • Seadragons and seahorses are bony fishes.
as they work their way down the coast. All fishes have fins, gills, a backbone, and a
two-chambered heart.
ODDITIES: HIDDEN HEROES • Seahorses have prehensile tails, meaning
OF THE SCRIPPS COLLECTION they can grasp onto objects. Since they are
• All of these specimens come from the Scripps
not the best swimmers, this helps them
Institution of Oceanography collections.
stay in place.
Their superpowers highlight adaptations
• Some relatives of seahorses and
that help them survive in a variety of
seadragons are seamoths,
environments!
cornetfishes, trumpetfishes,
HEALTHY VS. BLEACHED REEF pipefishes, shrimpfishes, and
• Coral reefs are home to more species than snipefishes. Some of these relatives
any other ocean ecosystem. can also be found in the exhibit!
• Warming waters caused by climate change BEYSTER FAMILY
cause the algae that live within coral tissues LITTLE BLUE PENGUINS
to leave, resulting in coral bleaching. This • Little Blue Penguins are native to Southern
impacts all the species that depend on the Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania.
coral as their habitat or food source. • Their climate is actually very similar to our
• Scripps scientists are always researching own here in San Diego!
new ways to reduce the impact of climate • There is always an education naturalist
change on our planet. in the Research Station who can answer
any questions you or your students
may have.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps | Grades K-2
ANSWER KEY
ODDITIES: HIDDEN HEROES OF THE SCRIPPS COLLECTION
• Flying Fish: Found in the Speed and Strength section. Strong, wing-like fins propel
them out of the water to escape predators.
• Slenderjaw Moray Eel: Found in the Jaws & Armor section. Moray eels have two sets
of jaws to pull in their prey.
• Stonefish: Found in the Toxin & Venom section. They are masters of camouflage and
the most venomous fish in the ocean! They have 13 venomous spines on their back.
SHARK SHORES / SEADRAGONS & SEAHORSES
• Shark fins help them swim through the water.
• Ray fins are flat and help them rest in the sand.
• Seahorse fins help them swim.
• Their tails wrap around coral and seaweed so they can rest.
• Seadragon fins help them blend in with seaweed.
BEYSTER FAMILY LITTLE BLUE PENGUINS
• There may be more than one body part the penguins use for their behavior.
• Encourage students to explain to you how they use that particular body part.
• After the activity, they can go to the Research Station to find out the name
of the penguin they observed!
Birch Aquarium at Scripps | Grades K-2
