Image of a shark swimming underwater
Shane Gross/Science Source

The Woman Who Swam With Sharks

How scientist Eugenie Clark helped change the way the world thinks about these amazing creatures

By Elise Broach
From the September 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify the main ideas in a historical fiction play about shark scientist Eugenie Clark, who overcame obstacles to change people’s perceptions of sharks.

Guided Reading Level: R
DRA Level: 40
Other Key Skills: main ideas, vocabulary, fluency, character, text evidence, problem and solution, plot, cause and effect, synthesizing, summarizing, making connections, narrative writing
Topics: Animals, Science,

Test Your Knowledge: What Do You Know About Sharks?

You’re about to read a play about a scientist who became famous studying sharks. What do you know about sharks? Take the quiz to find out. Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers—you’ll learn some fun facts about sharks in this quiz and in the play!

1. On average, how many people get bitten by sharks each year?

On average over the past five years, sharks have bitten 72 people per year around the world. In that same time, people have killed an average of 100 million sharks per year.

2. True or False: There were sharks before there were dinosaurs.

The first sharks appeared around 400 million years ago, 200 million years before the first dinosaurs.

3. What can sharks be trained to do? 

Sharks are smart! They can be trained to do all of these things, and scientists have even found that sharks can teach other sharks tricks.

4. Which kind of shark is the friendliest to humans?

Even though whale sharks are the biggest sharks in the ocean and can grow to be more than 60 feet long, they are not dangerous to humans. They feed on shrimp, small fish, and plankton, and their teeth are tiny. Sometimes they even swim near divers and play with them!  But guess what? NONE of the sharks listed here have ever attacked humans. 

UP CLOSE: Main Ideas

As you read, look for what made Genie Clark’s study of sharks difficult. Why was her work important?

Scene 1
The New York Aquarium, 1931

Shutterstock.com

Eugenie Clark as a child with her mother

N1: Nine-year-old Genie and her mother walk into the aquarium. 

N2: All around them are glass tanks full of . . .

N3: . . . fish! So many fish, shimmering as they swim through the water.

Yumico: Would you like to spend the morning here, Genie, while I sell my newspapers?  

Genie: Oh, could I? 

Yumico: I know how much you like fish. It’s in your blood. Our family back in Japan loved the sea.

Genie: I do too . . . and everything in it!

Yumico: Have fun! I’ll see you in a few hours. 

N1: Genie heads for the shark tank, where kids are watching big gray sharks swim silently. 

Genie: Oh! They’re beautiful!

Kid 1 (frowning): Sharks are monsters.

Genie: No, look—they’re so graceful. 

Kid 2: Don’t you see their sharp teeth?

Genie (pressing her face against the glass): I wish I could be in there with them. 

Kid 3: What? Those sharks would eat you up!  

Genie: Someday, I want to swim with the sharks. It would be like living in a different world. 

David Shen/Blue Planet Archive

Genie diving in the 1960s

Scene 2
Genie’s apartment in New York, 1936

N2: Genie’s mother and grandmother are sitting in the living room drinking tea.

N3: All around them are glass tanks and animal cages filled with Genie’s pets.

N1: Suddenly, Genie’s grandmother screams and jumps to her feet.

N2: A large black snake slithers under her chair. 

Yumico (yelling): Genie, your snake is loose again!  

N3: Genie, now 14, rushes into the room.

Genie: Rufus, there you are. Sorry, Grandma.

Grandma: You have too many pets, Genie. There’s no room for people in here.

Genie: But I’m studying them. When I grow up, I want to be a scientist.

Grandma: Oh, Genie . . . only men can be scientists. 

Genie: Why?  

Yumico (sighing): It’s just the way the world works.  

Genie: But that’s not fair. I already know more about fish than most grown-ups. Mama, why do you keep letting me get more fish to study if I can’t ever be a scientist?

Yumico: Because I want you to work hard at something you love.

Genie: That’s what I want too. And nobody’s going to stop me!

Scene 3
Southern California, 1946

COURTESY NINA LEEN/MOTE MARINE LABORATORY 

Eugenie Clark studies a shark

N1: When Genie is in her 20s, she applies to Columbia University. But they reject her because she’s a woman. 

N2: The professors there think she’ll leave school to get married and have children, and then she won’t end up becoming a scientist.

N3: But Genie refuses to give up her dream. Finally, she is accepted by New York University to study fish behavior. 

N1: As part of her schooling, she goes to San Diego, California, to do research with Dr. Carl Hubbs, a professor.

N2: He takes her out on a boat with two male students for her first dive ever.

Dr. Hubbs: Are you all ready?

Genie, Students 1 and 2: Yes! 

Dr. Hubbs: You’ll need to wear this special helmet. 

N3: In the 1940s, divers wore a helmet with a long hose that carried air from above. 

Genie: Is the hose long enough for us to walk around underwater?  

Dr. Hubbs: Yes. And you can communicate with me while you’re down there by pulling on it.

Student 1: How does that work?

Dr. Hubbs: One tug means you’re OK. Two tugs mean you need more hose to walk farther. Three tugs mean you need less. Got it?

Genie, Students 1 and 2: Got it!

Dr. Hubbs: And listen carefully! Four tugs mean you’re in danger.  

Student 2: What happens then?

Dr. Hubbs: I’ll pull you up to the boat fast. 

N1: The male students take turns wearing the helmet and diving underwater.  

N2: Finally, it’s Genie’s turn. Her heart is pounding.

N3: She puts on the helmet and slips over the side of the boat into the cold water. 

N1: Soon Genie is walking on the sandy floor of the ocean.

N2: She sees silvery fish, sea plants, and starfish. 

N3: Genie is just starting to explore when she notices she’s having trouble breathing. 

N1: No fresh air is coming through the hose. 

N2: Genie gasps, feeling dizzy.

N3: She tries to tug four times on the hose, but after one tug, she falls forward into the sand. 

Genie (inside helmet): Help!

N1: Nobody can hear her. 

N2: Just as she is about to pass out, Genie’s helmet comes loose. Cold water rushes against her face, waking her.

N3: With her last bit of energy, Genie floats up to the surface.

N1: Dr. Hubbs and the two students spot her. They quickly pull her into the boat.

Dr. Hubbs: Genie! Are you OK?

N2: Genie is gasping for air.  

Genie: I couldn’t breathe! Something’s wrong with the hose.

Student 1: You must have turned the air valve the wrong way.

N3: The two male students start to mutter that only a girl would make that mistake.

Dr. Hubbs: No, look—the hose has a leak in it. That’s why you were losing air, Genie.

Genie: I knew something was wrong.

Dr. Hubbs: That’s an awful thing to happen on your first dive. There’s only one way to get over it.

Genie: How?

Dr. Hubbs: Go right back down!  

N1: Genie stares at him, still numb from her scare.  

N2: But after Dr. Hubbs fixes the hose, Genie dives again. 

MOTE

Genie and Freddie training a baby nurse shark

Scene 4
Genie’s lab, Florida, 1965

N3: Genie is now in her 40s, married with young children. But that hasn’t slowed down her research.

N1: She and her family live in Florida, where Genie has started her very own lab.

N2: The lab has a dock in the ocean, with a giant holding pen for sharks.  

N3: There, Genie studies nurse sharks and lemon sharks.

N1: A college student named Freddie Aronson helps her.

Genie: I want to prove sharks are smart.

Freddie: That’s a great idea—but how?

Genie: Let’s try to train a shark like a dog.

Freddie (laughing): Sharks can’t sit or stay.

Genie: No, but can we teach a shark to touch a target to get food?

Freddie: We can try! I’ll make a target. 

N2: Freddie hangs a white wooden square underwater in the shark pen. 

N3: They start practicing with a little 2-foot-long nurse shark.  

Genie: We’ll reward her every time she touches the target. 

N1: They try to get the shark to touch the target. But she won’t.

Freddie: Ugh, it’s not working. 

N2: Finally, the shark accidentally touches it. 

Genie: Good girl! 

N3: Genie drops a fish into the shark’s mouth.

Freddie: Do you think she’ll do it again?

Genie: Let’s see.

N1: This time, the shark swims straight over to the target.

Genie: She’s learning!

N2: They practice with the little shark over and over again, rewarding her each time she touches the target.

Scene 5
Genie’s lab, two months later 

N3: Genie’s daughter Aya runs up to the shark pen holding a fancy envelope.

Aya: Mom! You got mail.

N1: Genie opens it and reads the card inside.

Genie: It’s an invitation . . . from the prince of Japan.  

Aya and Freddie: Wow!  

Genie: He wants me to come talk about my work.

Aya: You mean go to Japan?

Genie: I wish I could show him our little shark.

Freddie: I bet you can. I’ll build a carrying box so you can take her with you.

Genie: Then I can give her to the prince as a present! I just hope she remembers the trick we taught her.

Scene 6
The Royal Palace, Tokyo, Japan, 1965

N2: Genie has traveled halfway around the world to see the prince.

N3: On the plane seat next to her, in a special box full of water, sits the little nurse shark.

N1: They arrive at the royal palace.

Prince: Dr. Clark! Welcome to Japan.

Genie (bowing): Your Highness, it’s an honor to meet you.

Prince: It is an honor for me as well. 

Genie (presenting Freddie’s box): I have a gift for you, sir.

Prince: Ah, the little shark! I had a special tank made for her so she can perform.

Genie (nervously): I hope she doesn’t get stage fright.

N2: That evening, the prince throws a party in Genie’s honor.  

N3: Genie talks to the guests about how important sharks are for keeping the oceans healthy.

Genie: You will hear a lot about sharks that kill people. But what about the people who kill sharks? We need to protect sharks.

Prince: That’s why you’ve spent your life studying them, is it not, Dr. Clark? And teaching them! Let’s see what your little shark can do.

N1: On a long table, in front of all the guests, there is a big tank full of water.

N2: The little nurse shark glides silently back and forth.

Prince: If she touches the target, my servant will feed her the finest lobster.

Genie: I hope she remembers how.

N3: Slowly, Genie lowers the white target into the water. 

N1: She holds her breath as everyone watches. 

N2: The little shark swims around the tank, and then . . .

N3: . . . she touches the target!

Prince: Wonderful!  

N1: The crowd claps loudly. Genie beams.

N2: With chopsticks covered in jewels, a servant drops a chunk of fresh lobster into the tank. 

N3: The shark gobbles it up.

Prince: Your little shark will have a beautiful life in Japan, Dr. Clark. 

Genie (smiling): She’s your shark now.

Peregrine/Alamy Stock Photo (Stamp); Tak Konstantinou (Eugenie Clark)

Eugenie Clark passed away in 2015 at the age of 92. In 2022, the U.S. Postal Service honored her with a stamp (right).

Epilogue

N1: Eugenie Clark became famous around the world as a top shark scientist.

N2: Her childhood dream had come true.

N3: She proved that sharks were smart and had good memories.

Genie: That’s how I became known as “the Shark Lady.” 

Aya: Even though nobody believed a woman could do it. Right, Mom?

Genie: Just like they didn’t believe sharks were smart! Luckily, the world is different now.

Aya: I grew up knowing I could be anything because of you.

N1: Genie Clark spent her life swimming with sharks—just what she had longed to do when she was 9.  

Genie: I hope one day everyone will love sharks the way I do—and keep the oceans safe and clean for them.

Write to Win

Write a letter to young Genie. Explain why her goal to study sharks is important and why she should continue to follow her dreams. Send it to “Shark Lady Contest” by December 15, 2023. Five winners will each receive a $20 gift card for the online Scholastic Store. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.

This play was originally published in the September 2023 issue.  


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Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading and Discussing

Close Reading, Critical Thinking

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Advanced Readers, Multilingual Learners

5. Can’t-Miss Teaching Extras

1. Preparing to Read

Take a Prereading Quiz, Share a Video, Preview Vocabulary, and Set a Purpose for Reading

 

  • Before diving into the play, have students work in groups or individually to test their knowledge about sharks by completing the online Prereading Quiz. After taking the quiz, review what students learned and what questions they still have.
  • Build background knowledge about sharks by showing the video “What You Need to Know About Sharks.” 
  • Show or digitally assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words and phrases. Highlighted terms: aquarium, in your blood, behavior, communicate, numb, food chain, holding pen, protested, stage fright, beams. Reinforce meanings with the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading the play.
  • Call on a volunteer to read the Up Close box on page 22. 

 

2. Reading the Play

  • Assign parts and read the play aloud as a class or in small groups. Students can also listen to our Author Read-Aloud of the play as a first read. Note that larger speaking roles are marked with an asterisk in the character box on page 23; the smaller roles can be a good fit for students who feel less comfortable reading aloud in class.
  • After reading, put students in small groups to discuss the close-reading questions. Then talk about the critical-thinking questions as a class. 

Close-Reading Questions

 

  1. Reread Scene 1. How does young Genie’s view of sharks differ from that of other people her age? (character) Young Genie thinks that sharks are beautiful, graceful, and intriguing. She wants to get closer to sharks and swim with them. Other kids her age think sharks are monsters and are scared of them. 
  2. Using evidence from Scenes 2 and 3, explain how people thought about women scientists in the mid-1900s. (text evidence) From these scenes, we learn that many people believed women could not be scientists. In Scene 2, Genie’s grandmother says that only men can be scientists, and her mother says that’s “just the way the world works.” At the beginning of Scene 3, Genie is rejected by Columbia University because they think she would get married and have children instead of becoming a scientist. In the middle of Scene 3, the two male students immediately assume that Genie made a mistake when diving, when there was really a problem with the gear.
  3. What two challenges does Genie overcome during her dive in Scene 3? (problem and solution) She survives a near-fatal diving accident, and she overcomes her fear after the accident and dives again. 
  4. In Scene 4, how does Genie prove what the professors at Columbia University assumed about her at the beginning of Scene 3 was wrong? (plot) At the beginning of Scene 3, the professors at Columbia University reject Genie because they think that, as a woman, she will leave school to get married and have children, and then she won’t become a scientist. By Scene 4, she proves them wrong because she has gotten married and had children, but she has still become an important shark scientist.
  5. In Scene 4, how do Genie and Freddie prove sharks are smart? Does this scene change how you think about sharks? (cause and effect) Genie and Freddie prove sharks are smart by training a nurse shark to touch a target. Answers to the second question will vary.
  6. In Scene 6, when Genie meets the prince of Japan, why do you think he says, “It is an honor for me as well”? (main ideas) The prince most likely says this because he is honored to meet someone like Genie, a world-renowned shark scientist who has done important research on the animals over the years. 
  7. While Genie is in Japan, what important things does she teach people about sharks? (main ideas) Genie teaches people how important sharks are for keeping the oceans healthy and that people need to protect them. She also shows them that sharks are smart by demonstrating the shark touching the target.
  8. How does the sidebar “What We Know About Sharks” add to your understanding of the idea that sharks aren’t monsters? (synthesizing) The sidebar shows that sharks aren’t monsters because it explains that sharks actually are not usually harmful to humans. In fact, humans are more harmful to sharks. The sidebar also adds that sharks are very intelligent and are important to the planet. Finally, the sidebar explains that sharks need help from humans.
  9. In the Epilogue, Genie says that she became known as “the Shark Lady.” Why did this become her nickname? Do you think it’s a good nickname? (summarizing) Throughout her life, Genie was interested in sharks. She dedicated her life to these animals and proved that they were smart and had good memories. Answers to the second question will vary.

 

 

Critical-Thinking Questions

 

  • In the play, Genie follows her dreams. What are Genie’s dreams? What dreams do you have? How will you know when you’ve achieved them? (making connections) Genie’s dream is to become a shark scientist and swim with sharks. Answers to the second and third questions will vary.
  • Determination means the quality of working hard to do something—to continue trying to do or achieve it, even if it is difficult. Throughout her life, how did Genie Clark show determination? (main ideas) Genie showed determination by becoming a scientist even though people like the professors at Columbia and her family thought a woman couldn’t become one. She also showed determination when she tried over and over again to train the shark so she could prove to people that the animals were smart.

 

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Main Ideas

  • Distribute or digitally assign the Main Ideas Skill Builder. Have students complete it independently or with a partner. This skill builder will help prepare students to respond to the writing prompt on page 27. Then you can send their work to our writing contest (see page 2 of the magazine for details)!

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

This play covers the span of Genie’s life. As the scenes progress, Genie is a significantly different age. To support striving readers, have each student create a T-chart on a sheet of paper. In the left-hand column, list Scenes 1 to 6. As you read the play as a group, pause to point out any clues as to how old Genie is in each scene and fill out the right-hand column with Genie’s age for each scene in the play. (Scene 1: 9 years old; Scene 2: 14 years old; Scene 3: in her 20s;  Scenes 4 to 6: in her 40s)

For Advanced Readers

Ask students to imagine the ceremony in 1965 where Genie Clark presented the shark to the prince of Japan. Have them write the speech Genie could have given about the importance of sharks and the challenges she overcame to reach this moment. The speech should include details from the play about Genie's work.

For Multilingual Learners

This play presents an exciting opportunity to introduce descriptive words and phrases to multilingual learners. As you read the play and the sidebar as a group, have students collect words and phrases that describe sharks (some examples: gray, beautiful, monsters, graceful, smart, important). Have them categorize the terms into positive, negative, and neutral words. When you’re finished reading, have students reflect on what they’ve read by brainstorming other words they know that could describe sharks.

Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Learn More About Genie Clark

Explore Genie’s life and work with photographs and videos, excerpts from her notebooks, and a timeline. 

Dive Deeper Into Sharks

Encyclopedia Britannica has tons of facts about sharks, including information on the relationship between sharks and humans. 

Watch a Video

See several species of sharks in action in this video from FreeSchool. (Note: Video starts after a short ad.)

Explore the Field of Marine Biology

Learn more about marine biology from the American Museum of Natural History. Find out how you can protect the oceans, meet fish scientists, play games, and more.  

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