Cornish Coastline Carers

Representing the beach

Using three parts, we created the sea, sand and land and learnt that when the land meets the see, this is the coastline. 

• swimming 
• surfing
• crabbing
• fishing
• listening to the sea
• building sandcastles
• eating ice cream  

Representing the 5 layers of the ocean

The 5 layers of the ocean

Using our art, we ordered each piece into lightest to darkest layers. We then added the labels for each layer.

Task set by Mark

Mark came to see us, and told us that he had a secret mission, that he wanted to share with us, but first needed to know that we were committed to high quality work and could work professionally. If he were to tell us about the mission, he needed to know we could keep it to ourselves, because the technology NASA were developing, would give their competitors ideas. 
 

He explained that they’ve been researching the Earth for some, time, but the lady who was responsible for organising the research booklets, Sally, had just had a baby and didn’t get time to finish it. He asked us to complete the research on Urban, Coastline and Rural areas and put them into booklets.

Mission Commission 

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Mark was impressed with our work. He told us about his secret mission.  NASA had designed the highest quality diving gear with crystal clear cameras that was suited for the Twilight Layer of the ocean. The team had only ever really worked on the surface of the Sunlight Zone near to the coastline, so this player was unknown to us. 
 

Our commission was to dive into the Twilight Zone and test the equipment. But, when Mark produced a contract and explained the equipment hadn’t been tested before, we had some concerns. 
 

The contract was clear, any loss, injury or problem that may arise,  NASA would not be responsible. We were expected to listen, take care and make sure we were responsible for our own and team members safety. 
 

We asked for some time to talk about our concerns before we said yes and signed. 

Managing our concerns 

We were shocked to hear that sharks live in the Sunlight Zone! This meant we’d be swimming and diving through their territory…. 
 

Mark explained that the photos he wanted us to try and get, were those close to the land, following the land as it goes deeper into the sea. This is as area the sharks usually avoid, to avoid being washed up on the beach. 
 

 Mark assured us the suits had lights and torches to help with the darkness.

We agreed to stick together, so no one got lost or left behind, but then, one member of our team said, how do we communicate? Another member of the team said, we could use thumbs up and thumbs down to communicate, but it turns out that doesn’t mean okay, not okay! 
 

Mark sent us to some scuba sign training. This is what we learnt…

The Dive

We used drama to explore and represent the dive. We communicated through sign.

The lost camera 

When we all reached the surface, one of our team realised they’d lost their camera. When mark found our, we was so disappointed. Our team tried to think of and explain the reasons why the tablet may have been lost, but Mark only really wanted to know how we planned to get it back. 

Finding the tablet

We discovered that the tide sometimes washes things up, onto the beach, so we went back to the beach. There we saw the sea and tablet. The tablet was bouncing around on the waves and eventually washed up on the beach. 
 

When Mark looked at the camera, he found many pictures from a rock pool. One of the team recognised the creature as a limpet. 
 

Representing the photos 

Using plasticine and paint, we created stamps of shells and printed them onto tablets as if they were the shells we had seen.

Discovering the rock pool 

The tide washed in and out and we found some rock pools where the tablet had been. We read this story by Julia Donaldson to find out a bit more.

The Rock Pool

Using various materials, including the plasticine we used for stamps, we represented the creatures that live in this habitat. We learnt that habitat is a home and that these creature have had to adjust to survive in their environment. The limpet is like a sea snail, that can cling onto the rock pool rocks. 

Food Chains in the Rock Pool

After setting up the rock pool, it wasn’t long before a Herring Gull came to visit. Sharp splashes into the pool meant he was searching for food. He was successful. He caught and flew off with a Shanny Fish. We discovered that there was a food chain and that each creature needed a food source. We learnt that Plankton was the producer to this chain. They provided a food source to Common Prawns, who were then eaten by the Shanny Fish, who was eaten by the Herring Gull. We learnt that there needs to be a producer and consumers. 
 

If part of the chain breaks it can disturb the health of all of the animals in the chain.