First-School.ws
Tortoise, Turtle and Sea Turtles Preschool Lesson Plan Printable Activities and Crafts

Where to start?
Ask children what they know about the turtle or tortoise, or if they have seen pictures or read stories that have this type of animal as a character. Ask children if they have heard about endangered animals or extinct animals, and what these terms mean to them. Keep notes of their responses.

Basic facts about turtles and tortoise:

• A turtle is a reptile. A reptile is a class of cold-blooded animal with a skeleton inside its body and dry scales or hard plates on its skin. Most reptiles lay eggs with soft, leathery shells. Some reptiles live in water, but use their noses to breathe air into their lungs. Lizards, turtles, snakes and crocodiles are kinds of reptiles.
  
  
• Turtles and tortoises have soft body covered by a hard shell that lives in water or on land. A tortoise is a turtle that lives on land. A turtle pulls its head, legs, and tail into its shell for protection.
  
  
• We need to take care of the habitats of turtles and tortoises, because some are critically endangered (review and define) and could become extinct (review and define). People around the world are dedicated to protecting endangered animals and their habitats.
  
  
• Define and understand the terms:
  - extinct: to die out, there aren't any left alive
  - endangered species: when an animal or plant species is in danger of becoming extinct.

Resources:

• Sea turtles > YouTube @ All Things Animals
• Turtles and tortoises > You Tube @ National Geographic, this is a little long, but you can show portions
• National Geographic Kids > facts, photos and more.
  Galápagos Tortoise: The largest tortoise in the world. These can live up to 100 years!
  
  Leatherback Sea Turtles: The biggest turtles on Earth.
  
  Loggerhead Sea Turtles: The most common sea turtles in the waters of the U.S.A.

Turtle shapes craft

Tortoise or turtle


Sea turtle

Coloring pages

Animals > Reptiles > Tortoise - Turtles >