Sea turtles return to the beach they were born on more than a decade later to lay eggs. An interesting video explains this phenomenon as part of an extensive playlist covering biology. It describes what scientists know and don't know about this ability. It also connects to conservation efforts to save these adorable turtles.

Concepts

sea turtles, the earth's magnetic field, animal adaptations

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Consider assigning The View from Saturday as a fiction literature connection for middle school scholars
• Map the beaches sea turtles use to see the long-term impact of these conservation efforts

Classroom Considerations

• Relies on prior knowledge of Earth's magnetic fields and how a compass works

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Includes subtitles in Arabic and English for visual learners
• Connects science and geography
• Requires very little class time

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.6-8.4 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4