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The Cuban Crab Migration

Resource for Grades 6-12

| Citation

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 4m 09s
Size: 11.4 MB

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Source: Nature: "Cuba: Wild Island of the Caribbean"

Learn more about the Nature film "Cuba: Wild Island of the Caribbean."

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Collection Developed by:

Collection Credits

Collection Funded by:

Funding for the VITAL/Ready to Teach collection was secured through the United States Department of Education under the Ready to Teach Program.

Every year on the island of Cuba, female land crabs migrate from their forest home to the coastline in order to release their eggs into the Caribbean Sea. This video segment from Nature highlights the many obstacles the crabs have to overcome in order to complete this annual journey. They must protect themselves from dehydration in the Caribbean heat, as well as traffic while crossing busy roads and highways. The crabs have an instinctive ability to trace changing tidal patterns of the sea and manage to reach their final destination. They never stop; no matter what the adversity, an invisible drive compels them to the sea to spawn.

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Accessibility Features: Transcript

Teaching Tips

The following Frame, Focus and Follow-up suggestions are best suited for middle school students using this video in an English language arts or science lesson. Be sure to modify the questions to meet your students' instructional needs.

What is Frame, Focus and Follow-up?

Frame (ELA) What is a simile? What is a metaphor? Can you give an example of each?

Focus (ELA) As you watch the video, think of something that could be compared to the land crabs and their journey. What can be compared to the way the crabs seem to travel together in a pack? What can be compared to the landscape, the temperature or the way they seem to “dance” when they reach the water to deposit their eggs?

Follow Up (ELA) Based on your comparisons, generate a specific event that can be compared to the crabs’ migratory journey. Can you compare them to a group of runners competing in a marathon or commuters heading into a big city to get to work?

Frame (SCI) What causes the Cuban crabs to leave their forest home and head to the sea?

Focus (SCI) As you watch the video, listen carefully to determine the difficulties the crabs face on their way to the sea.

Follow Up (SCI) What can the Cuban crabs’ annual migrations teach us about animals’ abilities to adapt to their environment?