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Provided by: Science Journal for Kids |Published on: May 28, 2025
Scientific Reports
678910
Synopsis
In this article from Science Journal for Kids, students will learn about trait variability and behavior plasticity in leopard seals and the implications for their survival as their climate warms.
Students will understand the differences between male and female seals and the important role of leopard seals in their food web.
There are also additional resources for piecing together a lesson based on the article and videos where the article is read aloud in English and Spanish.
The article does a great job of hooking students in by asking them to consider a familiar scenario.
The style, organization, and included media make this article inviting for students and a very low-stress introduction to the structure of a scientific report.
Prerequisites
Teachers will need to enter some information about their school and enter their email to access the teacher answer key.
Students should be familiar with climate change and the ice melt that results from it.
To complete the fourth activity in the section for checking understanding, students should be familiar with grants. Students may benefit from seeing examples of grant proposals before beginning their writing.
This resource includes a video showing a leopard seal hunting and catching a penguin. This video may not be appropriate for young or sensitive viewers.
Differentiation & Implementation
After reading the article, students can learn more about food webs to understand the role of predators. This activity can help students see the interconnection of both food webs and communities.
Students can use the glossary and what they read to create vocabulary cards. Students can add to this collection of cards as they learn more about climate change, biology, or other related topics.
Students can select a different predator to find information about how it may survive in the face of climate change.
Teachers can guide students in a discussion about how other human activities, such as plastic pollution, may impact leopard seals and other animals.
Biology students can learn more about leopard seals and biology as a career path by listening to the podcast episode linked below the article.
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Science Journal for Kids
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