Five days. Fifteen stations. One thousand meters down.

Deep Descent is a hands-on shark science field unit built for grades 3-6 — designed so siblings at different levels can work through it side by side. Every station includes a Tier 1 task (grades 3-4) and a deeper Tier 2 task (grades 5-6), so you're not running two separate curricula.

Over five days, kids dive through:

• Day 1 (Shallows): shark anatomy and senses, including a hands-on "jelly test" for electroreception
• Day 2 (Reef): species research, size comparisons, and graphing
• Day 3 (Drop-Off): food webs and tooth-to-diet matching
• Day 4 (Open Blue): myth vs. fact, and real risk data vs. movie fear
• Day 5 (Trench): conservation, an invented-species design project, and a "Certified Shark Diver" completion certificate

** Note: This unit study is designed to pair with Discovery Plus's Shark Week programming — you'll need an active Discovery+ subscription to watch the episodes referenced in each day's lessons.

What's included:

• 15-page student workbook (printable PDF)
• 3-page parent guide with day-by-day pacing, answer keys, and background science notes

Format: Instant digital download, print at home Time: 30-45 minutes a day, five days Grades: 3-6, with two tiers built into every station Screens: Optional only — every video prompt has a book-based alternative

Deep Descent isn't just fun — it's built on real academic standards, so it counts for your portfolio, co-op syllabus, or state homeschool record. Since the unit runs two tiers (Grades 3–4 and 5–6), it's aligned across grades 3–7.

Aligned to: Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Common Core (ELA & Math), Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE), and Florida's B.E.S.T./NGSSS Standards. Science — animal structures, senses, and adaptations; heredity and natural selection; predator/prey relationships and ecosystems; energy flow from producers to consumers; engineering design and problem-solving. Reading & Writing — citing evidence from text, interpreting charts and diagrams, informative writing, short research projects, and domain-specific vocabulary. Math — scaled bar graphs, unit conversion, decimal operations, and ratio/rate reasoning (bite force, swim speed). Also builds: scientific practices like modeling, argument from evidence, and analyzing data — skills that carry across every subject. Full standard codes (NGSS, CCSS, GA GSE, FL B.E.S.T.) available on request or in the printable parent guide.