The great white shark preys on elephant seals and sea lions along the California coast, while the tiger shark targets albatross, monk seals, and green sea turtles in the Hawaiian islands. When sharks move into one of these coastal areas to feed, they sometimes attack people surfing in the same waters. Marine biologists in this program try to answer these questions. Before Watching Elicit students' ideas about sharks, and take notes on the board. Encourage students to be attentive to information that supports or contradicts any of their ideas about sharks as they watch the program.
Sharks can be difficult to study in their native environment.
Have students think about what traits a person would need to be an effective shark researcher. Help students create a fictitious shark researcher based on what they think a researcher should be like. After Watching Review the previous discussion about what students know about sharks, and see if their ideas have changed now that they have seen the program. Some scientific data in this program indicates that sharks may attack humans because humans resemble common prey. Copy and distribute the Shark Dodging activity sheet , and challenge students to design a method or a piece of equipment for surfing that would help surfers avoid being attacked by a shark.