Overview: Beach Detectives

In this unit, students listen to concerns voiced by Claude the Crab that his habitat, and ultimately his life which depends on his habitat, are being threatened. Based on information provided by Claude, students embark on fact-finding searches to find supporting evidence for Claude’s concerns by first pinpointing local beaches where Claude lives. In detective investigations, seemingly insignificant details can yield vital evidence. Students study sand types from various Hawaiian island beaches, and find that sand is the result of weathering and erosion plus deposits of hard material left by once-living organisms. By examining sand particles, students make a testable hypothesis that infers the origin and make-up of Hawaiian beach sands.