Fandom High School

Summer had, once again, set up the Danger Shop to look like an underwater sea lab. This time, it closely resembled the one she and her brother had worked in a few years ago. If the students paid close attention, they'd notice sea turtles and other marine life swimming past the outer shell of the lab, which happened to be made up of glass. It was somewhat reminiscent of a fish bowl.

Summer happened to be sitting atop one of the tables near the front of the room. "Today, we are going to learn about marine reptiles. The earliest marine reptiles could be found during the Paleozoic era. They adapted to life in the sea during the Mesozoic era," she explained.

"Some marine reptiles that survived during that era and still thrive today are sea turtles, saltwater crocodiles and sea snakes. Some of those reptiles never returned to land and made a life in the sea. Others, like the sea turtle and crocodile, return to shore every so often to lay eggs and rest and bask in the sun."

She smiled as a pair of sea turtles swam past the windows. "They are quite majestic, aren't they? Sea turtles are almost always submerged and over time, they've developed an anaerobic system of breathing. They do still breathe air but if needed, they can stay submerged beneath the water for long periods of time."

Summer paused, watching them as they swam out of view. "Sadly, all species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered. Conservation efforts have been made to protect this species and to prevent accidental death by fishing or by beach development, where the eggs might be tampered with."

"Sea turtles play key roles in two ecosystem types that are critical to them as well as to humans—oceans and beaches/dunes. In the oceans, for example, sea turtles, especially green sea turtles, are one of very few creatures (manatees are another) that eat the sea grass that grows on the sea floor. Sea grass must be kept short to remain healthy, and beds of healthy sea grass are essential breeding and development areas for many species of fish and other marine life. A decline or loss of sea grass beds would damage these populations, triggering a chain reaction and negatively impacting marine and human life.
Beaches and dunes form a fragile ecosystem that depends on vegetation to protect against erosion. Eggs, hatched or unhatched, and hatchlings that fail to make it into the ocean are nutrient sources for dune vegetation[citation needed]. Every year, sea turtles lay countless eggs on beaches. Along one twenty-mile stretch of beach in Florida alone, for example, more than 150,000 pounds of eggs are laid each year."

[OCD is a go.]

Today, the classroom was set up in a somewhat ordinary fashion. Summer had moved the desks in a semicircle formation and was sitting on top of one, waiting for her students to settle in.

"I thought we could use today's class as a discussion platform. I'd like to know what you want to learn about next, concerning the ocean and the life that calls it home," she added. "I thought it would be fun to plan a lesson around something you want to learn about, not just what's on the syllabus."

[OCD is up.]

Summer had sent out an handwaved e-mail to her students to meet in the Danger Shop for today's class. The room was set up to resemble the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, in honor of Fandom's latest spring break destination.

Summer stood on the sandy beach at the edge of the water, where a boat was docked. "I thought today was as good as any for a glass-bottom boat trip, don't you think?"

She didn't expect a response but it was okay. "Think of today as an observation day. Feel free to take notes on what you see when we're out on the ocean. And ask as many questions as you'd like. But most important, have fun."

[OCD is a go!]

Today, her students would find a DVD player set up in the front of the room.

Summer had some moddable snacks and drinks set out for them.

"I thought today, we could watch the meta for Finding Nemo. Next week, we'll get back on topic with types of fish and their habitats."

[OCD up.]

"I thought today we could watch a short documentary film on sea life, and see first hand how some marine life coexist together and cooperate to survive, while other species feed on weaker ones to continue living," Summer began.

"Feel free to take some notes on it. Next week, we'll discuss different types of plant life, how they survive in the depths of the ocean and what creatures use them as a food source to survive."

[OCD is a go!]

Summer had put out some moddable snacks and drinks for her students and stood at the front of the classroom, nursing a large cup of coffee. She waited until her students settled in before beginning.

"Good morning," Summer began, smiling brightly. "Welcome to Life of the Sea. I'm Summer Pitt, for those of you that might not know me. You can call me Summer or Miss Pitt, if you're more comfortable with that."

"This class will focus on various plants and animals that call the ocean home. Along the way, we'll touch on coral reefs, tidal pools and other plants and animals that need the ocean to survive. You'll even get the chance to get up close and personal with simulated and real, live oceanic plants and animals."

She was looking forward to putting those together for her students.

"Why don't we start off with some introductions? How about your name, grade and favorite sea creature/mammal if you have one."

[OCD coming up.]

Instead of having a session in the Danger Shop, today's lesson was in the classroom. Summer had projector equipment set up near the front of the classroom and had the DVD all set to play. She waited for her students to settle down before she began.

"I thought I'd switch it up today and show you a video about the history of deep sea diving," Summer explained. "A bit of a background on the marine activity. If you have any questions during the film or once it's finished, feel to ask and I'll answer them as best I can."

With that, Summer lowered the lights in the room and started the movie.

[OCD coming up.]

Summer hadn't expected the cold weather to suddenly show up, so she was glad she'd booked the class in the Danger Shop again.

Thankfully, the students wouldn't have to deal with the cold in class. She'd set up the classroom to resemble a warm, tropical setting where the water was clear and the sun was bright. The depth of the water varied from five feet to fairly deep.

Once again, Summer was standing on a boat with diving equipment, ready to go.

"I thought we could spend some time in the water today. There are varying degrees of depth to the water, including shallow parts, so you could practice with your equipment and feel comfortable doing so." Summer was definitely getting into the water today.

"Feel to explore the area as much as you want. There are moddable coral reefs and marine life to look at. If you have any questions, whether it's about your equipment or what you see out there, I'll do my best to answer them."

[OCD is up.]