Environmental Science Lesson - Review of 'Save Our Seas'

'Save our Seas' is a fabulous book for using to teach elementary students at around 4th grade level the basics of environmental science, as it is packed full of interesting facts and information that would otherwise take many hours of book or online searching to locate. Kids can quickly and easily find out about dolphins, whales, sea birds and turtles using the simple text box page arrangement of the book. THere are links to help students find out more about various topics - handy for those 4th grade students who are full of 'but why?' type questions.

I reviewed this book from the viewpoint of using it in an elementary class with students at around 4th grade level. For this age group there is the right balance of fun activities (wordfinds, jokes, fast facts and research prompts) to keep a variety of students interested. There is also a good balance of text to pictures on each double page spread, which makes the book very visually interesting. The format of using a diary or ship's log based around the fictional character 'Skipper L.B. Tross' (an albatross) is a unique and interesting one, which is also helpful for introducing 4th grade science students to the concept of learning literacy through their science activities, as well as developing an interest in individuals who have contributed to our understanding of conservation, environmental science and sea creatures such as dolphins, whales and sea turtles.

To learn more about books that can be used for learning about animals and animal science projects, read this Bright Hub review article.