In our 4th grade program, students will explore how the internal and external structures of whales contribute to their survival. Through five hands-on stations covering topics such as baleen and teeth, blubber, flippers, evolution, and whales' senses, students will immerse themselves in the world of these fascinating creatures. Our educators will then lead a summary discussion to wrap up the experience.
The 5th grade program features our life-sized inflatable whale, Nile. Students will journey inside Nile to discover the similarities and differences between whales and humans. Upon exiting the whale, we'll engage in discussions about how energy and matter flow through ocean ecosystems, helping students understand the interconnectedness of life and human impacts on the health of the ocean.
Book a program for your 4th and 5th-grade students for any remaining dates in the 2023-2024 school year, and we'll extend a special offer: enjoy 20% off next year's program when you reserve for two consecutive years.
Discover the wonders of the ocean with our engaging and interactive programs.
✓ Explore marine life
✓ Foster environmental awareness
✓ Ignite curiosity
We love the child-like wonder on the faces of middle school students when they go inside the whale! While it might seem like a program just for elementary age students, being inside the whales initiates great discussions with this age group as well!
While we will never discourage anyone from going inside the whale, high school programs are typically assembly based. But being honest, they will at least want to peak inside, and we are happy to provide programs where they do!
We offer comprehensive programs tailored for the entire school community. Our elementary programs are designed to ignite enthusiasm among students about whales and the wonders of the ocean. The best part is we do this one class at a time. Each class spends 40 minutes with a member of our team. The first 20 minutes we go IN THE WHALE, and the second 20 minutes, we do a grade-based activity outside the whale.
Depending on the age of the students, one of the following programs will occur. (We sometimes make game-time decisions based on the individual class and time of year.)
Do it, Do it (K -2nd)
Students get to act like whales. This active game allows them to (pretend to) eat like whales, move like whales, and breathe like whales. Depending on the grade, we might focus on migration, how they communicate, or their social structure. (K-LS1-1:Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. )
What A Fluke (3rd and 4th)
In 3rd grade, students will reinforce their knowledge of how to identify whales by matching humpbacks they have been introduced to in the preview video. We will further the discussion and talk about why and how orcas attack humpbacks while diving into social structure of animals. (3-LS2-1: Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive. )
In 4th grade, students will understand that not only do whales use their tails to swim and defend themselves, but the tails can tell a story about the whale's life. Students will match whale tails and analyze what might have happened to that whale based on known scars that are observed in the population. (4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.)
Food Webs (5th)
In 5th grade, students will construct an ocean food web and discuss where plankton live in the water column, where they get nutrients (whale poop) and how energy flows through the food web. We also go into changes in the ecosystem and what that means for whales. ( 5-PS3-1: Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, and motion and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun. )
These programs are similar in structure to elementary programs, but the breakout sessions can be varied depending on what the students are studying and interested in.
If you have a topic you would like us to cover, let us know when you reach out!
The human impacts presentation will take place in a classroom. Topics that are covered are how whales and humans use the ocean, when overlap occurs in time and space, and how are we impacting whales. Students will brainstorm and explore solutions to some of the bigger threats facing whales today.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Introducing or concluding a unit? We are happy to come in as an expert to answer the students' questions.
It may sound silly, but some of the best presentations are sitting with students in a classroom and having a conversation about ocean issues that is student led. Middle school students have great questions about whales. If you are interested in having an expert come in for a Q & A session with your students, this is perfect. We will use videos and images to help answer the students’ questions. This can also be done over Zoom or Skype.
High school programs are typically assembly-based. Each one will last 45 minutes allowing up to 15 minutes for questions. If there is space and time, the whale can be inflated at the end of the assembly. Please choose from the list of assemblies below. If you are interested in having your high school students go inside the whale, we can provide programming for that. Please contact us for more information, as we will happily work with you to figure out what is best.
Bringing Nile to your school after studying biology is a great fit. We can talk about cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Whales are a great example of evolution so that could be a topic of discussion as well.
"I really enjoyed listening to Cynde talk about a creature she’s so passionate about, I learned a lot about whales from what their structure looks like to what their ‘teeth’ are a form of hair. Personally, I’ve always loved whales but never knew much about them. Through Cynde I found out that these magnificent creatures share similarities to us and many other mammals." -Brooke L. --high school sophomore
In this 45-60 minute presentation, Cynde will share her story about how she took her childhood passion for whales and made it her career. She will introduce students to whales and how they are researched today illustrating that you can take many different roads to find the career that you are looking for. Science, technology, engineering/education, art and math are all critically important disciplines when addressing any topic—especially related to conservation. She will finish by sharing how this childhood passion, that many classmates of hers made fun of, led to a Guinness World Record!
Did you know that whaling techniques of old are currently used to disentangle whales. This program discusses the interaction between whales and fisheries: problematic fishing gear, rescue strategies, and current solutions to this problem.
Focusing on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, this presentation discusses how technology has advanced our understanding of whale behavior. Using photo-identification, tagging, passive acoustics, and biological sampling, students will be introduced to the variety of ways scientists are studying whales. They will learn a little about what we know and some of the mysteries we still have!
Whales and humans both face similar health threats. This presentation discusses how nutrition, lifestyle, chemicals and politics contribute to the health of humans and whales.
Are your students talking about anatomy? Fish and squid dissections are a great hands-on way to compare and contrast anatomy or simply explore another species. Contact us for details and pricing.
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