Dictionary Skills: Weddell seal
The Grammar Bit!
Learning how to use a dictionary is an important skill. Dictionaries can be used to help you understand the meaning of a word. They can also be used to help you spell a word correctly.
Dictionaries are ordered alphabetically with words that begin with A at the front and those that begin with Z at the back. Once you have found the general location of a word in the dictionary, you will need to look at the second and sometimes the third letters of a word to find its exact location.
Read the three scintillating sentences opposite. With your talk partner, use a dictionary to quickly locate one of the words highlighted in bold. How quickly were you able to do this? What is the meaning of this word?
Scintillating Sentences
1) The Weddell seals’ habitat is in an almost predator-free position thanks to the frozen surface of the Antarctic waters.
2) Weddell seals hunt and devour fish, with cod and silverfish being their favourites.
3)The mothers use their canine and incisor teeth to grind a slope out of the ice so that their precious pups can climb out of the water and back on to land.
Did you know?
Like all marine mammals, Weddell seals must come to the surface to breathe. However, they are able to stay underwater for up to 45 minutes. Incredibly, an elephant seal can hold its breath for up to two hours!