WHY FOCUS ON THE COAST IN CLIMATE CHANGE INSTRUCTION?

As sea temperatures rise scientists have recorded a decline in puffin and sea bird populations. Like the many migratory birds that have had to literally shift their way of life, the puffin is finding it more difficult to find its major food sources, fish.  Fish populations are displaced as ocean temperatures warm, causing mismatches in prey-and-predator relationships and shortages in the abundance of herring, their primary food staple.

WHAT DO PUFFINS AND SEABIRDS HAVE TO DO WITH GLOBAL WARMING?

Puffins are excellent swimmers, sleek flyers, skilled hunters and whimsical waddlers. They have been given colorful nicknames—from “sea parrot” to “the clown of the sea,” and even “sea rooster”. Nicknames aside, these tuxedoed waddlers are causing increased concern and sounding a now all-too-familiar alarm from the natural world about the growing consequences of climate change.

ABOUT THE PUFFINS & SEABIRDS EDUCATOR’S GUIDE:

This guide’s activities are designed for grades 3-5, with extensions for younger and older students. These activities meet national standards for English/Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Visual Arts.

 

Click here to download the entire guide now.