1. Module 1: Introduction to Ocean Tracks

2. Welcome to Ocean Tracks!
You’re about to enter into a whole new world – the world of the open ocean. Placing electronic tags on marine animals has given scientists a new window into this world. They’re now seeing for the very first time just how far these marine animals go, where they go, and how fast they get there! You’re about to join in on this journey of discovery by inspecting the data these animals collect. You’re going to answer scientific questions alongside scientists in the field, and think about ways this data can be used to conserve the ocean and the animals within it!

3. Your teacher will assign you to one of the four animals featured on the Ocean Tracks interface: great white shark, bluefin tuna, Laysan albatross, or elephant seal
Bluefin Tuna
Laysan Albatross
Elephant Seal
Great White Shark

4. Your goal for this module is to work like a scientist to learn some basic information about these animals:
background information about your species
inspect the tracks of this animal on the Ocean Tracks interface to collect some basic information about each track, like how far and fast the animal that made it traveled
compare tracks among individuals of your species
as a class, compare tracks of all four species, and think about ways in which these animals are adapted for long-distance ocean travel.

5. In the end, you’re going to find the individual animal that travels the farthest and the fastest! With this information, you’ll crown the champion distance traveller!

6. Directions
Use the prompts outlined here to help you gather the information you need.
Use this document as a template to record/document your work.
Incorporate screen shots of maps, your observations, measurements, charts/graphs, and the results of your research.

7. Research
Spend some time in the Ocean Tracks library and on the internet researching the species to which you’ve been assigned.
In this space, record some interesting facts about the species:

8. Challenge #1 Challenge #2
Which animal travelled the longest distance overall and per day?
Challenge #2
Which animal travelled the fastest speed?

9. Data Collection
To answer your challenge questions, you’ll need to compare the distance travelled and the average and maximum speeds for each individual of your species.
In the Ocean Tracks measurement table, record the following information for each individual of your species:
animal ID number
distance travelled
track duration
maximum daily speed
average speed over the entire track

10. With this information, calculate the average distance travelled per day for each individual of your species using this formula: Average distance travelled per day = total distance duration Record this information in a separate table created in this document Example:
Animal ID
Total Distance (km)
Duration (days)
Distance Travelled Per Day
Elephant Seal 302
11,496.87
221
52.0

11. Data Collection
Paste your Ocean Tracks measurement table here. Paste your table containing the distance travelled per day data on an additional slide.

12. State Your Claim
Make a claim: Which individual of your species travelled the longest distance? Had the highest average distance travelled per day?
Provide evidence: What was the total distance? What was the average distance travelled per day?

13. State Your Claim
Insert a picture here of the track of the animal that travelled the farthest distance.

14. State Your Claim Describe where this animal went.
What do you think the animal was doing while at sea? Use your observations and measurements of the track, and your research notes to support your thinking.

15. State Your Claim
Make a claim: Which animal had the highest daily speed?
Provide evidence: What was its speed?

16. State Your Claim
Make a claim: Which animal had the highest average speed over the course of the track?
Provide evidence: What was its speed?

17. State Your Claim
Insert a picture here of the track of the individual that had the highest daily speed. Mark on the map the part of the track where the animal was travelling the fastest.

18. State Your Claim
What do you think the animal was doing when it was travelling at its highest speed?
Find where that individual was travelling at the lowest daily speed. What do you think the animal was doing here?

19. Library Research
Using the Ocean Tracks library and the internet, what adaptations does this species have for long distance travelling?

20. Share Your Findings
Now you’ll compare your results with other groups to crown the champion distance traveler!
Create a presentation using the slides in this template to show the distance and speed travelled by the individuals of your species that travelled the farthest total distance and average distance per day, and the fastest daily speed, and overall average speed.
Also present your research notes that describe the adaptations this species has for long distance travel.

21. State Your Claim
Make a claim: As a class, determine which individual(s) travelled the farthest of all individuals in terms of total distance, and distance travelled per day.
Provide evidence: What was the maximum distance travelled? What was the maximum distance travelled per day? How do these measurements compare to individuals of the other species?

22. State Your Claim
Make a claim: As a class, determine which animal(s) travelled at the highest daily speed and highest average speed.
Provide evidence: What were the highest daily and overall average speeds travelled by this animal(s)? How do these measurements compare to other species?