The Day Before Crab Season. Twas the day before crab season and all through the Bay People worked together to prepare for this day.

Transcription

1 Maggie s Activity Pack! Name Date The Day Before Crab Season Twas the day before crab season and all through the Bay People worked together to prepare for this day. The traps were ready with chicken delights Watermen laid out gear and turned off their lights. These men of the Bay lay snug in their beds, While visions of crab cakes danced in their heads. This life of the Bay, it was a good one, For years it was passed from father to son. But out on the Bay, all was not well, You see, pollution had begun to swell. Bulldozers moved the earth and the sand, This building destroyed the animals land. The moon on the waters of Chesapeake Bay, Lit up the problems that seemed here to stay. Oh, down from the farmlands, fertilizer appears. It seeps into the Bay giving fish fears! With chicken waste creeping into the streams It s pfiesteria attacking! the Bay life screams.

2 And into the Bay, air pollution came, From factories, from cars, and more of the same. From speed boats, from jet skis, from fossil fuel burning, And we re cutting trees, too, isn t anyone learning? The osprey the eagles - away they did fly, Songbirds, too, chirping into the sky. Away from our human mess they all flew If you were a bird, you would leave, too! And in the twinkling waters of Chesapeake Bay, The oysters and crabs were dying away. Now the waterman s up and dressed for his run, His boots and gloves on, plus screen for the sun! But his mouth is not happy, a frown s on his face, He knows that there s something wrong with this place! His way of life s going without a solution! The food chain s affected by all this pollution, We shake our heads, but then we turn right around, While pollution destroys air, water, and ground. Six states send their waters into the Bay, So it matters what we do every day! You can make a difference with what you do, The health of the Bay depends upon you. So you can exclaim to all those in sight, Our water and air, they matter all right! By Kathy Hart

3 The Language Arts/Science Connection This poem sounds like that favorite poem by Clement Moore, The Night Before Christmas. But instead of reindeer and bowls full of jelly, this poem talks about the problems the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is a special habitat. Its water is a combination of saltwater and freshwater. As the poem tells you, many animals call the Chesapeake Bay home. But there are problems with this habitat. The problems hurt the wildlife and the people who live by the Bay. Read the questions below. Then read the poem again. Answer the questions using complete sentences. These questions will help you better understand the Chesapeake Bay. 1. How do many people make a living on the Chesapeake Bay? How do you think the problems on the Bay hurt these people? 2. How do you think bulldozers harm the habitat of the Chesapeake Bay? Why does this hurt the big birds like osprey and eagles?

4 3. The poem tells about some things that could give fish fears. What are some of those things? 4. How could the food chain be affected by all this pollution? 5. What are some ways people could help the Bay?

5 See how many words from The Day Before Crab Season you can find in this word search. C H I C K E N N I G H T B R F B S E A S O N L B F F A A P C A R S J B A U L E B C O J E T B E A N L E R B T L B B H B T Y D L W T W O L S O N G B I R D A I A R U A B B A Y M O O N L T Y T N O S P R E Y Z I I E B I D Y B A Y A B E M Z R F O S S I L B G A R A E M B N B T B A Y L Y B L R E A F U E L T R E E B A Y N Y F A R M L A N D S O N CRAB SEASON BAY WATERMEN CHICKEN POLLUTION BULLDOZER ANIMAL EARTH SAND MOON FERTILIZER FARMLAND FACTORY CARS FOSSIL FUEL OSPREY EAGLE SONGBIRD OYSTER NIGHT JET SON TREE LAND You can find the word BAY times in the word search!

6 Dear Colleague, I wrote this little poem a few years ago for my first grade students who were presenting an assembly on the Chesapeake Bay. Now, several years later, fourth graders remember important concepts about the Bay by reciting lines from this poem just goes to show you the importance of integrating the curriculum! I suggest children either work together in groups/partners to answer each question OR share their individual answers with other students as most of the questions require critical thinking skills on the part of the student. I have found that discussion helps children expand these skills. By the way pfiesteria? It s a microscopic, one-celled organism (dinoflagellate) that is a type of alga. It is strongly associated with fish kills. And the number of BAYs in the word search? I THINK there are six. Let me know if your students find more!! Kathy Goals Students read a poem about crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay. They demonstrate understanding of the poem by answering questions about its content and draw conclusions about the environment of the Bay. Students complete a word search using vocabulary from the poem. This activity is available on two levels, primary and intermediate. The activity correlates with the IRA/NCTE Standard, Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.