Project Overview for The Great Turtle Race
Week One – Introduction and explanation of the assignment
Day One – Introduction to project, meet the turtles and learn their statistics.
Day Two – Class discussion of the plight of the Sea turtle and the ramifications of it being a “keystone species.”
Day Three – Class discussion of the “cost” of technology and how it impacts the leatherback turtle of the Pacific Ocean
Day Four – Students will work in multi-ability groups of four. Daily activities are reviewed and defined. Each group will then choose an additional assignment from the list of possible activities. See above section on daily activities and assignment choices.
Day Five – Review of Blogging, Glogging, I- Search process and the resources to use on the Quia website to begin the journaling process next Monday and the research following the I-Search method.
Week Two – Continue research and journaling developing their electronic or paper journal
Day 6 – Students will carry out their daily data collection tasks and begin their research and journaling for the project.
Day 7 – Students will carry out their daily data collection tasks and continue their research and journaling on the project. Groups will begin their daily check-in progress monitoring sessions with the teacher.
Day 8 – Students will carry out their daily data collection tasks and continue their research and journaling on the project. Groups will continue their daily check-in progress monitoring sessions with the teacher.
Day 9 – Completion of daily tasks and begin small group discussion on Predicting and Plotting, along with Tagging assignment.
Day 10- – Completion of daily tasks and complete small group discussion on Predicting and Plotting, along with tagging assignment.
Week three - Continue with daily data collection and work on independent group projects.
Day 11 through Day 14 – Students will carry out their daily data collection tasks and continue their research and journaling on the project. Groups will continue their daily check-in progress monitoring sessions with the teacher.
Day 15 – Everyone takes the plastic bag pledge on-line. Students should have completed their Glog and posted on Glogster. All students need to be putting their finishing touches on their journal – Blogs. Students use check list from Quia site to make sure their work is complete. Ask teacher for a hardcopy.
Week Four – Groups will jigsaw and present their individual projects. Peer evaluations will be filled out. Students check presentation link from Quia site to make sure their presentation is ready. Ask teacher for a hard copy of the presentation evaluation form.
Day 16 through Day 20 Group Presentations and peer evaluations
 WHY ARE SEA TURTLES SO SPECIAL? 
Modern science shows that sea turtles have been swimming the Earth's oceans for well over 100 million years--even pre-dating many dinosaurs.
In addition, the turtle is an important symbol in the mythologies of many indigenous cultures, usually representing creation, longevity, and wisdom in these belief systems.
Turtles are thus truly ancient beings-both in geological and mythological terms.
As integral parts of the marine ecosystem, turtles are also useful indicators of the vitality of the overall marine environment.
Sea turtles are gentle reptiles that spend the majority of their lives in the ocean. Females reach reproductive age after 35 to 40 years, and only then return to the beach of their birth to lay their eggs for the next generation. Although a female may lay hundreds of eggs in one season, only a few of the hatchlings will survive to reach maturity.
Hundreds of years ago, there were many millions of sea turtles swimming the Earth's oceans. Today, all seven species of sea turtle are considered either endangered or threatened.
AMAZING AND UNIQUE
Leatherbacks have the longest migrations between breeding and feeding areas of not just sea turtles, but all marine vertebrates. Their geographic distribution is the widest of any reptile, perhaps even any vertebrate. This massive reptile regularly travels thousands of miles from its nesting grounds on sandy beaches in search of food, almost exclusively jellyfish.
Unlike other turtles with plated shells, the leatherback’s shell is made up of millions of tiny bones and covered with a thin layer of skin, which makes it more flexible and gives it a texture like wet, hard rubber. It also allows the turtle to withstand great pressure and dive to depths of 4,000 feet.
Like other diving animals that rely on air as their source of oxygen, when leatherbacks dive their lungs collapse under pressure which forces them to rely on oxygen stored in their blood and muscles. In turn, leatherbacks are able to store more oxygen in their blood and muscles than other sea turtles. In addition, leatherbacks have a pulmonary sphincter allows blood to bypass the lungs when collapsed so that the blood can be recirculated to the rest of the body.
MORE LEATHERBACK FACTS
* Sole remaining member of its taxonomic family (Dermochelyidae) with ~100 million year history
* The largest leatherback ever reported was an adult male found in Wales larger than 2 meters long and 900 kg in mass.
* Can dive to a maximum depths of 1300 meters, maximum dive durations are longer than an hour (60 min).
* Leatherbacks use a combination of large body size, changes in metabolism and activity, strategic shifts in blood flow and peripheral insulation to regulate their core body temperatures. This thermoregulatory strategy is termed ‘gigantothermy,’ and is thought to have allowed other famous large-bodied reptiles – the dinosaurs – to have geographic ranges from the tropics to temperate areas.
* Leatherback hatchlings exhibit a ‘marathon’ strategy: they swim consistently for several days fueled only by yolk leftover from their eggs. Hatchlings can dive to 10 meters soon after entering the ocean for the first time.
 
HISTORY OF THE GREAT TURTLE RACE
Conservation International and National Geographic have teamed up with field research partner Canadian Sea Turtle Network to bring you the 2009 Great Turtle Race. This is the third such event in a series that brings public attention to the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle and generates important research and conservation support.
This year we follow 11 leatherback turtles as they leave their feeding areas in Canada and migrate to their breeding and nesting areas throughout the Caribbean.
Although the event takes place in the Atlantic Ocean, Great Turtle Race co-founding organization the Leatherback Trust remains an official Great Turtle Race partner, representing the Pacific Ocean, where the situation for leatherbacks is dire.
HOW THE RACE GOT STARTED
After a few years of putting satellite tags on leatherback turtles as they left their nesting beach in Playa Grande, Costa Rica, Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) scientist George Shillinger and his colleagues noticed a clear pattern in the turtles’ behavior. After nesting, the turtles predictably and uniformly migrate southwest toward the Galápagos Islands and into the southeastern Pacific year after year to feed on jellyfish.
In discussing the persistent pattern in the turtles’ tracks, Shillinger (TOPP), marketing guru Mark Breier, conservationist Rod Mast (Conservation International), and Professor Jim Spotila (the Leatherback Trust) developed the idea to turn these scientific data into an online “race.” Their goals were to raise public awareness about the leatherback turtle and threats to their survival, to support further tagging research, and to generate funding for conservation work at Playa Grande, Costa Rica, one of the leatherback’s last strongholds in the Pacific Ocean.
Thus, in April 2007 the first Great Turtle Race was presented jointly by Conservation International, the Leatherback Trust, and TOPP. During the two-week event millions of people followed online as 11 female leatherbacks “raced” from Costa Rica toward the Galápagos Islands.
In 2008, the Leatherback Trust and TOPP hosted a second Great Turtle Race in collaboration with scientists from NOAA-NMFS. The race featured leatherbacks tagged on both sides of the Pacific Ocean in a race toward the International Date Line.
MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE RACE
After a few years of putting satellite tags on leatherback turtles as they left their nesting beach in Playa Grande, Costa Rica (Pacific Ocean), Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) scientist George Shillinger and his colleagues noticed a clear pattern in the turtles’ behavior. After nesting, the turtles predictably and uniformly migrate southwest toward the Galapagos Islands and into the southeastern Pacific year after year to feed on jellyfish.
QUICK SUMMARY
* Eastern Pacific Leatherbacks follow predictable routes when migrating from coastal breeding sites to feeding areas at sea.
* Knowing their locations allows conservationists to implement specific and targeted measures for their protection.
* Leatherbacks could be extinct in the eastern Pacific Ocean within the next century if efforts are not made to ensure their survival.
In discussing the persistent pattern in the turtles’ tracks, Shillinger (TOPP), marketing guru Mark Breier, conservationist Rod Mast (Conservation International), and professor Jim Spotila (The Leatherback Trust) developed the idea to turn these scientific data into an online “race”. Their goals were to raise public awareness about the leatherback turtle and threats to their survival, to support further tagging research, and to generate funding for conservation work at Playa Grande, Costa Rica, one of the leatherback’s last strongholds in the Pacific Ocean.
Thus in April 2007 the first Great Turtle Race was presented jointly by Conservation International, The Leatherback Trust, and TOPP. During the two-week event millions of people followed online as eleven female leatherbacks "raced" from Costa Rica toward the Galapagos Islands.
Mr. Leatherback, spokesturtle for leatherbacks all over the world and official commentator of the race, strained the limits of flipper dexterity by blogging the race online. Relive great moments of the race with a summary of Mr. Leatherback's posts
below.
"It’s been an exciting race so far, and it doesn’t show any signs of letting up: Billie has taken the lead, but Stephanie Colburtle remains hot on her tail. See my shares for the whole story or get just the facts below...
Day 1: Champiro and Windy both started off the race with some deep dives, but it didn't get them ahead. Stephanie Colburtle was in first place at the end of the first day with Genevieve and Turtleocity both close behind.
Day 2: Windy shot ahead on day 2 – I guess that diving helped her after all! Stephanie and Billie went back and forth as the turtles sent in their positions every ten minutes, but only one stayed in 2nd. Turtleocity seems a little confused...
Day 3: Windy and Billie are the leaders for day 3, flipper to flipper. There are suspicions that Turtleocity has run afoul of a plastic bag as she has gone severely off course.
Day 4: Windy and Billie ended day 3 on top, but it looks like Windy has turned East away from the Galapagos, following Purple Lightning. Could they be caught in strong currents? Or do they know something we don't? Stephanie Colburtle has moved up to second place, almost 250 miles ahead of Drexelina and Sundae. Can they ever catch up?
The weekend: After a weekend of swimming, the race is still too close to call. Billie and Stephanie Colburtle are now fighting for the lead, although today's strong swim has kept Stephanie ahead by a few shell-lengths. Both ladies have been staying shallow for quick access to air, with neither taking a dive yesterday…
They're able to take advantage of this strategy because a La Niña event is keeping food closer to the surface than usual. Turtleocity and Purple Lightning seem to have regained their internal compasses after breaking away from the pack and heading towards Colombia last week… Will their navigation errors cost them the race, or are they on track to pick up the Equatorial currents straight into the finish zone?"
Day 8: "Now less than 60 miles from the finish zone, Billie took the lead back from Stephanie Colburtle on Day Eight of The Great Turtle Race, as these two ladies continue to go beak-to-beak at the front of the pack.
Day 9: In spite of appearing to be lounging on the beach, Drexelina showed what she's capable of yesterday with an amazing dive to 2,264 feet – nearly half a mile below the surface!! For those of you who haven't been that deep… it's down within the twilight zone, where almost no sunlight reaches and the pressure is so intense that it actually compresses our bodies!
You may be wondering why on Earth these ladies are diving so deep between breaths… well, one word: jellyfish! That's right, jellyfish are plentiful in the deep, and we're always willing to head down there for a meal. Plus it helps us cool off.
Day 10: Over near the finish zone, Billie held her lead with a strong swim. She's now less than 35 miles from victory if she can keep those flippers going! Stephanie Colburtle is staying strong in second place, and Saphira has taken over the third place spot.
Day 11: Purple Lightning and Turtleocity seem to have found the route they were looking for, and are now back on track for a sideways finish, but it may be too late... We'll have to wait to see just how strong the current they're riding is.
Day 12: We have a winner! At 08:30 (EST) April 26, 2007, BILLIE crossed into the finish zone as the winner of The Great Turtle Race! Congratulations, Billie, on an amazing swim!!
Although not the largest or strongest lady in the bunch, Billie swam hard for 10 straight days, surprising her competitors with superb navigation and unparalleled endurance.
 Billie’s early career was marked by predator attacks, and while it's given her the know-how to outrun a lot of other ocean life, it's also left her with some injuries that she had to overcome for the win. Her exemplary performance was undoubtedly aided by billfish throughout the Pacific who rallied to support their turtle hero in the race.
Stephanie Colburtle now seems to have a lock on second place, barring any unforeseen currents or wrong turns. She is now less than 30 miles away from the finish zone.
The end: The last two days of the race saw most of turtles come in for a finish. Stephanie Colburtle made a strong showing in 2nd place, disappointing her adopted dad Stephen Colbert, and Champiro came in 3rd place. Turtleocity, Purple Lightning, Genevieve, Saphira, Freedom, and Windy, in that order, all finished the race.
Two contenders, Drexelina and Sundae, never left the coast! Rumors were flying that they were applying for residency in Costa Rica, patrolling the beaches for coastal development, or, in Sundae’s case, churning the water in honor of her “slow-churned” sponsor. Despite spectator worries, their trainers assured us that were in good health. Some turtles just take longer to get started and not even the incentive of winning could entice these gals into the ocean."
Mr. Leatherback also kept up with world news during the race too -
"You humanfriends have been doing some SWEET stuff for me and my fellow leatherbacks lately, and I can't wait to tell them all about it...
For one, the city of San Francisco banned plastic bags!! That is beautiful news to my poorly-developed reptilian ears! Lots of my fellow leatherbacks hang out off the coast of California (all the way up to Alaska) to eat those oh-so-delicious Pacific sea nettles... which happen to look a lot like plastic bags to us leatherbacks (bad vision).
On top of that, humans across the world have been writing to the Pope to ask his support in stopping the consumption of us sea turtles and our eggs during lent. It turns out that lots of people in Mexico and other parts of Latin America eat us during Lent because they think we are fish!! Well, we're not. We're big old reptiles. Don't eat us. Please?"
The biggest and most famous turtle star, Stephanie Colburtle, received lots of coverage throughout the race
"The Great Turtle Race has a TV star! The largest turtle in the race is named after Stephen Colbert, who mentioned his "adopted daughter", Stephanie Colburtle, on his show.
Mr. Leatherback took time out of the race to address concerns over plastic bags...
"Just wanted to post a quick note on Turtleocity before I get to the race coverage, as I know many of you were worried about her possible run-in with a plastic bag. I spoke to her trainers and it appears that in spite of mistaking a bag for a jellyfish earlier today in her haste to get to the Galapagos, she realized her error at the last minute and narrowly avoided chomping down on the bag.
Phew! 
It's a good thing too because once a plastic bag gets into the throat, the inward spikes that normally prevent jellyfish from escaping our throats also keep down the bags. Let's just say that lots of my fellow leatherbacks haven't been so lucky...
You see, our favorite food is the jellyfish. They are delicious! I eat them whenever I can, sometimes hundreds of pounds in a day. (Did you think these beautiful curves came naturally?!)
The thing is, in the ocean, plastic bags look exactly like jellyfish, and we often eat them, and can choke and even die as a result. In fact, lots of plastics cause problems for us when they make their way into the ocean: bottles, wrappers, and other packaging can cause serious harm to us sea turtles. And plastics are everywhere in the ocean these days, even well away from land. They can get there from far away – carried by wind, or washed out to sea in rivers.
I know it's not intentional, and so I wanted to be sure you know that you can help save leatherbacks by cutting back your use of plastic bags. Here are a few easy ways to help:
• When you go to the store, bring your own canvas bag or backpack. Or, if you can carry your items without a bag, just tell the cashier you don't need one.
• If for some reason you need to use a plastic bag, just make sure to reuse them – they make great trash can liners. Or, recycle them. Many grocery stores offer plastic bag recycling and have collection bins near the store entrance.
• If you haven't already signed the petition the Save Sea Turtles, please do so now! Encourage your friends to sign it too – we need all the help we can get..." Find the link below and sign the pledge!
 
PLAY THE GREAT TURTLE RACE GAME AND TAKE THE LEATHERBACK TURTLE QUIZ-YOU WILL FIND LINKS FOR THESE BELOW!
CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS
Name__________________________
Project_________________________
Team members in your group ________________________________________
______________________________ ________________________________
______________________________ ________________________________
Place the date that the task was completed or covered in the space in front of the task.
__________Read information about leatherbacks
__________Participated in a group discussion with a classmate or teacher
__________Visited leatherback resource websites
__________Recorded daily discussions in the turtle journal
__________Worked on mind mapping & essential questions
__________Posted a question in the Turtle Blog
__________Wrote a story about leatherbacks
__________Created artwork on leatherbacks
__________Talk to a parent about conservation
__________Used some form of technology during the race
__________Understood the reasons why leatherbacks are an endangered species
__________Created a presentation on leatherbacks
__________Produced a portfolio
__________Presented findings through a presentation
__________Turned in at least one activity on leatherbacks
You may add additional items to this checklist
Student Self-Assessment:
What did you learn during the race?
What will you do next regarding leatherbacks?
If you had to give yourself a grade, what would it be?
Comments:
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