Ocean Adventures: Exploring Stingrays With Young Learners

Authors

Danielle Cora, University of Central FloridaFollow
Nicholas Groves, University of Central FloridaFollow

Streaming Media

Files

Course Code

BSC

Course Number

4130

Faculty/Instructor

Dr. Linda Walters

Faculty/Instructor Email

linda.walters@ucf.edu

About the Author

Video presentation at https://youtu.be/EHG_D2d1NcA?si=8ODlKOSHnB3LXyPv

We’re Danielle Cora and Nicholas Groves: two UCF students with a shared love for marine science! Danielle is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies, and Nicholas is pursuing a degree in Biology. Both of us are deeply passionate about ocean conservation and science education.

We’re incredibly grateful to Megan Snow and everyone at Wedgefield School for opening their doors to us. Spending a full Friday morning with her amazing first grade class was a privilege, and we truly appreciated the warm welcome and enthusiasm from both students and staff.

We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Linda Walters for giving us the chance to sharpen our science communication skills. Opportunities like this are invaluable for our growth as aspiring marine and environmental professionals, and we’re thankful for the support and mentorship that make experiences like this possible.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

Introducing marine life to young learners is a powerful way to spark curiosity and build a foundation for ocean conservation. As part of our UCF service-learning course, we partnered with Wedgefield School to deliver an interactive stingray anatomy and migration lesson to a first-grade class.

The lesson featured a brief presentation, a customizable snap-tail stingray craft, and a predator-prey migration game to reinforce ecological concepts. To assess learning outcomes, we conducted a pre- and post-test, which revealed a clear increase in student understanding and engagement.

This project showcased the impact of early science education and the value of hands-on learning in promoting environmental awareness.

Keywords

Stingray; Early science education; Migration; Elementary

Recommended Citation

Cora, Danielle and Groves, Nicholas, "Ocean Adventures: Exploring Stingrays With Young Learners" (2025). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025. 23.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2025fall/23