Sharks

Objectives:

• Students will be able to describe the physical characteristics of sharks.

• Students will be able to identify the behavioral characteristics of sharks.

• Students will be able to state unique characteristics of different types of sharks.

Suggested Grades:

3rd Grade - 4th Grade - 5th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension worksheet passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

Sharks are fish - mostly, very large fish, though there are some small sharks as well. The largest fish in the world is a shark known as a whale shark. Whale sharks can grow to be about 60 feet long. There are sharks in every ocean on the planet and in some rivers and lakes as well. Most sharks live in salt water. They come in many shapes and sizes, with more than 400 different species inhabiting the earth. The smallest sharks, known as dwarf sharks, are only about 6 to 8 inches long! The fastest sharks are mako sharks and blue sharks. They can swim as fast as cars traveling on highways - about 60 miles per hour. Other interesting types of sharks include hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks. As the name suggests, hammerhead sharks have heads that are shaped like hammers. Tiger sharks get their name because they are born with dark stripes that fade as the shark gets older.

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