Meet Dr. Kristine Laidre an Arctic Marine Mammal Biologist
Articles/Websites
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, English Language Arts, Career Skills
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Provided by NOAA
What it is
- This article introduces students to Doctor Kristine Laidre, a marine mammal biologist who explains her career's duties, educational requirements, professional timeline, and benefits.
- Students will learn about the different environments a biologist might encounter and the research, personal rewards, and obstacles for a career in ocean sciences.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The interview is constructed with each answer as a short paragraph, so teachers will be able to easily pause for questions or class discussion throughout the lesson.
- Dr. Laidre presents a positive experience incorporating science as a career.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have some prior knowledge of marine mammals and the profession of biology.
- It may help students, especially ELL students, to have labeled images of the animals and equipment mentioned in the article and video before they start.
Differentiation
- There is a musical background track on the video that makes the narration difficult to hear, especially for individuals with auditory processing difficulties. The transcript is located under the video and will assist comprehension.
- Some of the questions asked of Dr. Laidre can also be asked of students, such as, "Who influenced you or encouraged you the most," so teachers can have students create journal entries with the relevant questions.
- English teachers can have students read the interview, and then conduct similar interviews with other local professionals, or conduct remote interviews with other biologists worldwide.
- Career counselors can have students click on the "Careers" tab to learn about several ocean exploration careers.
- Science students can research the impacts of climate change on the arctic and discuss how this could influence a marine biologist's work.
From the scientist review
This resource from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides an overview of ocean exploration careers and features marine mammal biologist Dr. Kristin Laidre. A video is provided in which Kristin discusses her career in ocean science and research and how she got started in the field and what her work entails. The resource would spur students' interest in science careers.
How we review resourcesReady to use it?
Hosted on oceanexplorer.noaa.gov
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