Aquarium of the Pacific | Education | School Programs | Sharks!

School Programs

Sharks!

Out of the Box Science: Sharks!

The Out of the Box Science: Sharks! traveling trunk program is filled with hands-on activities, books, photographs, biofacts, puppets and easy lesson plans for grades K – 5.  Teachers will find that bringing this educational tool into their classrooms will add a new and engaging way for students to discover sharks and their behavior, as well as investigate their different habitats and current conservation issues.   

Funded by a grant from the LeBurta Atherton Foundation, the Aquarium of the Pacific has created a traveling trunk program, concentrating on sharks, for use in your school.  By educating young people on the fascinating lives of these creatures and the importance they play in the ocean, we can help protect and conserve sharks all over the world!

Sharks are ocean predators with a bad reputation.  Thanks to dramatized TV shows and movies like “Jaws,” people tend to have the wrong impression about sharks.  Sharks are indeed strong and intelligent hunters, but they are not man-eaters, as is often portrayed.  In fact, most sharks are no larger than six feet and feed on small fish and invertebrates, not humans!

Due to their scary reputations, humans threaten shark populations by overfishing, polluting their habitats, accidentally capturing them in drift nets, and hunting them for trophies.  Because sharks mature slowly and bear few young, they are particularly vulnerable to human threats.  Some species of sharks have declined by as much as 80 percent.  Students will discover the real truth about sharks and how to help protect them in the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Out of the Box Science: Sharks! traveling trunk program.

Program Information
  • WHEN: Trunk can be reserved year-round for one-month intervals.
  • COST: $100 refundable deposit upon return of the trunk.
  • AGES: Grades K-5
  • RSVP: (562) 951-1630
California State Standards:

Grade K

  • Science - 2a, b, c; 4a, b, d, e
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.18, 3.1
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.3, 1.4
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2.
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.1
    • Mathematics:
    • Algebra & Functions - 1.1
    • Number Sense - 1.2
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.1, 2.2
    • Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability - 1.1
  • Visual Arts - 2.6, 4.2, 4.3
  • Physical Education - 1.1, 1.2, 1.10, 3.1, 5.2, 5.4.

Grade 1

  • Science - 2a, b, c, d; 4a, b, d
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.1, 1.3, 1.11, 2.3, 2.7
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.6, 1.7
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5
    • Mathematics:
    • Number Sense - 1.1
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.4
    • Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability - 1.1, 1.2
  • Visual Arts - 2.1, 4.2
  • Physical Education - 1.1, 3.1, 5.1, 5.3

Grade 2

  • Science - 1f; 2a, d; 4a, b, c, g
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 2.1, 2.2, 2.7, 2.8
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.7
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.9, 2.2
    • Mathematics:
    • Number Sense - 1.1
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.1
    • Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability - 1.1
  • Visual Arts - 3.1, 4.1
  • Physical Education - 1.1, 2.1, 5.7

Grade 3

  • Science - 3a, b, c, d; 5b, c, d, e
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.7, 2.1, 2.3, 2.6, 3.1
    • Writing - 1.1a, 1.1 b, 1.2, 1.3
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.3, 1.7
    • Mathematics:
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.5
  • Physical Education - 1.1, 2.1

Grade 4

  • Science - 1e, g; 2a, b; 3b; 6a, b, d, f
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.4, 2.1, 2.2. 2.3, 3.1
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.2, 1.2a, 1.2b, 1.2c, 1.2d, 1.2e, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.3, 2.3a, 2.3b, 2.3c, 2.4
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.2a, 2.2b, 2.2c
  • Visual Arts - 2.3, 5.3
  • Physical Education - 1.2, 1.3

Grade 5

  • Science - 2a, c; 5f; 6a, b, c, f, h
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.4, 2.1, 2.2
    • Writing - 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.1c, 1.2, 1.2a, 1.2b, 1.2c, 1.3, 2.1a, 2.3a, 2.3b, 2.3c.
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2a, 2.2b, 2.2c