Jellyfish Sculpture

1. Invite students to study photographs of jellyfish. Marvel at the variety of shapes and colors. Identify where they are primarily found in the ocean. Learn the body parts of jellyfish. How do they move? Eat? Reproduce?
2. Students choose a clear, plastic container (clamshell) for their jellyfish bodies. Clean and dry the container. Turning it over, decorate the underside of the container using Slick Stixs™. Slick Stix contain pigments that may stain clothing, fabrics and other household surfaces. Wear a smock to protect clothing and cover your work surface with newspaper. For extra luminescence, apply Crayola® Glitter Glue.
3. Gather together different yarns, strings, and ribbons in a shank for the jellyfish’s tentacles (the tentacles sting when brushed against). Various pieces of collage materials may be added to the tentacles like raffia or plastic netting. Cut a length of string long enough to bind the tentacles together as well as hang up the sculpture. Tulle material may be stuffed inside the container for an additional colorful dimension.
4. Students cut an “X” in the center of the container’s top. Feed only the string of the shank through the opening and loop the end to form a hanger. Display these sculptures like works of art.

LA: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of grade level text's complexity band independently and proficiently.

LA: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

LA: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SCI: Use models to describe that energy animals use to maintain body warmth, body repair, and for motion was once energy from the sun.

SCI: Ask questions about what organisms obtain from the environment and what they release as waste matter back into the environment.

VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.

VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.

Possible classroom resources include: Joy the Jellyfish by Kristen Collier; Jenny Jellyfish: A Tale of Wiggly Jellies by Suzanne Tate; Jellyfish by Elaine Landau; Jellies by Twig George; Amazing Jellies: Jewels of the Sea by Elizabeth Gowell; Jellyfish (Under the Sea) by Carol K. Lindeen; Amazing Series for Kids: Discover Jellyfish Picture Book by Ap Publishing

Students work in teams to sketch the world map, including all country borders and identifying all bodies of water. Students research various jellyfish species and use their world map to identify where to find the various jellyfish species.

Jellyfish are the ultimate invertebrates, or spineless creatures. How does being an invertebrate serve the jellyfish with its life, movement, feeding, etc.?

Students working in teams of two or small groups assume the role of sailors from an earlier centuries. You are on your first voyage and see jellyfish for the first time in your career. Write a short story about the encounter between yourself and a giant jellyfish or a swarm of thousands of jellyfish.