Baby Shark Lesson Plan

What We Are Learning

animal behavior

lemon shark, blue crab

group discussion, critical thinking, vocabulary, number recognition, counting

Nugget and Fang by Tammi Sauer tells of an unlikely friendship between a shark named Fang and a minnow named Nugget. The friendship causes a stir at Nugget’s school, where they believe that all sharks are dangerous. However, when real danger arrives, it is the shark that saves the day!

Catch the Shark’s Tail!

Materials: none

This shark-inspired spin on “catch the dragon’s tail” gives children practice with coordination, teamwork, and strategy!
Have children form a line and hold the shoulders of the person in front of them. Tell children that together they will act like one big shark—the person at the front is the head, the person at the back is the tail, and the people in the middle are the body. If you’d like, attach a scarf to the end of the shark to make it a little easier to see where the shark ends.
The point of the game is for the shark’s head to catch its tail while the children in the middle remain linked. Once the head catches the tail, the head then becomes the tail, and the next child in line become the new head of the shark.
Once children have gotten the hang of the game, you can make it more challenging by having two sharks, with each shark working as a team to catch the tail of the other shark. gross-motor skills/teamwork

Materials: sentence strips, paintbrushes, gray construction paper, gray paint, tape or glue, Shark Fin template skill sheet

Turn your class into a shiver of sharks with this easy craft!
To prepare, cut out the shark fin from the Shark Fin template skill sheet, being sure to include the tabs.
Have each child paint a sentence strip gray. While the paint dries, guide children as they trace the shark fin template onto a piece of gray construction paper. Then have them cut their fin from the construction paper.
Once the sentence strips have dried, wrap each child’s sentence strip around their head to create a headband. Use tape to secure the ends. Then attach the fin by folding the tabs in and taping them to the inside of the headband.
Have children wear their headbands while acting out the issue, doing the Dance Break, or just playing shark in the classroom! fine-motor skills