4^th Grade MARE Math Activities

Activity One: Graphing the Growth of Kelp

Log onto your computer and open your student folder.

Using Internet Explorer, go to the kelp site and read the page. Be sure to jot down any information you think you will need to graph the growth of the kelp. If you would like, you may view the Kelp Cam on the site for up to five minutes.

Quit Internet Explorer and open a blank Microsoft Excel document. Set up your spreadsheet like shown with your name in cell A1. Using what you read, figure out how tall the giant kelp would be each day. Fill those values into cells B5 through B14. Once you have that complete, do a SAVE AS and call your document “Kelp Growth”. Highlight your data and use Excel to create a line graph. You may choose the color of your line and how big you want the graph to be. Make sure that your graph includes a title and labels on the side (height in inches) and bottom (days old). When you have the graph the way you like it, save your document. Make sure that the graph is not covering any of your data and then you may print. The teacher will get your printout. When she tells you she has gotten it, you may quit Microsoft Excel and move onto the next activity.

Activity Two: Creating Life-size Sea Urchins

Using Internet Explorer, go to the sea urchin site. Click “Introduction” and read the first three sections (Introduction, Description and Red Sea Urchin). Use your compass and a piece of red construction paper from your teacher to make a circle the size of a red sea urchin (use its diameter from the reading). Cut out your circle. Go to the sea urchin picture site to see what sea urchins look like. Using the materials from the sea urchin supply box provided by your teacher, make a realistic-looking 3-d sea urchin. Make sure to put your name on your sea urchin and turn it in.

Activity Three: Evaluating Sea Otter Populations

Using Internet Explorer, go to the sea otter population site. You will be using the YEAR and TOTAL number of sea otters counted. Use Microsoft Excel to make a data table and graph (bar or line graph) of the California sea otter population from 1983 to 2000. Make sure your document has your name, title and labels. Save your document as “Sea Otter Population” and print it. Read the following sea otter sites: Sea Otter Fact Sheet and Sea Otter Conservation. You may view the Otter Cam for five minutes if you wish. Use what you read to type a four paragraph essay. The first paragraph should be an introduction. It will be a short paragraph. The second paragraph should explain why you think the sea otter populations change like they have been. The third should explain what can be done to help the sea otter population increase (get bigger). The last paragraph should be a conclusion which gives a summary of your essay. It will be a pretty short paragraph. When you have finished, make sure it has your name and a title, save it as “Otter Essay” and print it.

Congratulations! You have completed the 4^th Grade MARE Math work. You may now play any of these MARE or math games:

Seaweed Tessellations