Commotion in the Ocean
By: Giles Andreae & David Wojtowycz
Materials
Shockwaves plug-in
Drawing Paper
Pencil
Crayons or markers

Before You Read
You are going to read the book Commotion in the Ocean.  This book uses rhyming poems to describe animals that live in and near the ocean.  Before you read do the following activities:

1) Visit this web site on Ocean Animals to learn about different creatures of the ocean.  Click on the different animals to see pictures of the animal and find interesting facts.

2) Go to this web site to learn how to draw a Fish.  Look at the shape of the fish and the different kinds of fins.  Then draw your own fish and use crayons or markers to color it any way you want.


After You Read
1) To learn more about ocean animals visit these web sites, Ocean Animals and Creature Features.  You will find most of the animals from the book at one or both of the web sites.  You can also learn about many other ocean animals that were not in the book.

2) Go to the Writing Poetry web site.  Listen to Jack Prelutsky read poetry to you and give you tips on how to write poetry.  Then, choose your favorite ocean animal and write a rhyming poem that tells something about your animal.  


Beyond What You Read
1) If you have any questions about the ocean or the creatures that live in the ocean, Ask Jake, the SeaDog, and he will send you an e-mail with the answer to your question.

2) If you like to play games, try Secrets@Sea.  Collect the clues and try to solve the mystery.  (You will need a shockwaves plug-in to play the game.)

3) If you always wanted an ocean animal pet, try Adopting an Animal.  At this web site you can adopt your very own ocean pet.


Quiz/Game

Take this quiz and play this game to see how much you learned about ocean animals.

*If you enjoyed reading Commotion in the Ocean, you may also enjoy Rumble in the Jungle and Barnyard Hullabaloo by the same authors.