TEACHER'S ACTIVITY GUIDE

This guide integrates aspects of the Science Curriculum for levels kindergarten through grade seven as outlined by the British Columbia Ministry of Education. Through these activities, students will learn about the natural history of the whales, dolphins and porpoises found off the coast of British Columbia.

Click here to download ALL of the lesson plans as PDF's.

GIANTS OF THE OCEAN

1. Weights and Measures K-3, 4-7 (pdf)
Students get to see how large whales really are.

EVOLUTION OF WHALES

2. Why is it a whale? K-3, 4-7 (pdf)
Students compare whales and fish.

3. Evolution 4-7 (pdf)
Students compare whales with their land-mammal ancestors.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

4. Blowhole K-3 (pdf)
Students will act out how a whale breathes.

5. Oh, the pressure! 4-7 (pdf)
Students will understand the pressures that whales are under when diving.

FEEDING

6. Fine-toothed comb K-3 (pdf)
Students find out what it's like to eat like a baleen whale.

7. Fast food 4-7 (pdf)
Students will discover the feeding habits of whales and humans through simple calculations.

ECHOLOCATION AND COMMUNICATION

8. Predator Prey K-3 (pdf)
Students get to be sound waves to understand echolocation.

9. Sound Waves 4-7 (pdf)
Students examine how sound waves travel through different media.

10. Body Language Charades K-3 (pdf)
Students get to communicate like whales.

11. Human Impact 4-7 (pdf)
Students learn how human actions affect whale communication.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

12. Bag of Blubber K-3 (pdf)
Students will feel how blubber works.

13. Cetacean Creations K-3, 4-7 (pdf)
Students create a new species of whale.

14. Keeping the heat in K-3, 4-7 (pdf)
Students will see how the shape of a whale helps it survive in the cold ocean.

15. Go with the flow 4-7 (pdf)
Students will demonstrate how whales can change their temperature so they don't get too hot or cold.

CLASSIFICATION OF ORGANISMS

16. Linnaeus's Latin Lingo 4-7 (pdf)
Students decipher scientific names and learn what they really mean.

SENSES

17. Cetacean Sensations K-3, 4-7 (pdf)
Students will fine tune their senses, and understand how whales sense things differently than humans.

RITUAL, MYTH, AND LEGEND

18. Tale of a Whale K-3, 4-7 (pdf)
Students explore the different myths and stories from different cultures about whales.

ANSWERS TO STUDENTS ACTIVITIES:

Crossword Puzzle
Trivia Puzzle