4th Grade W.H.A.L.E. Program

Using our two life-sized inflatable whales, a humpback and fin whale, we will focus this visit on math! In teams and using different instruments, students will measure and compare parts of both a fin whale and a humpback whale—their flippers, their tail, their length, and their circumference. They will then use that data to generate averages and discuss which units you might use to measure different body parts.

We will introduce concepts that are used in science to quantify data—mean, median, mode and range. This visit will take place in the gym, one class at a time. Follow up activities will utilize different whale species while exploring fractions.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1: Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.B.4: Measurement and Data

This visit will expand on the form and function as we go inside an inflatable whale and talk about their internal body parts and compare them to ours! 

We then will explore the outside of the whale and see if we notice signs of human interaction. What happened to the whale? How can we prevent it from happening in the future? (Depending on which whale is used, we will discuss vessel strikes or entanglement in fishing gear—the two major threats that whales face today.) Students will be challenged to come up with a solution to the problem. They can further develop their solutions through an in-class project and present their solutions to us virtually at a later date. 

NGSS: 4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. 

NGSS: 3-5-ETS1: Engineering Design

This visit will focus on the animals’ bodies. Students will move through 4 stations around the classroom to explore blubber, evolution, and the differences between baleen and teeth, and fish and whales. We will then come together to articulate what we learned and evaluate where we might find different animals based on some of these characteristics.

NGSS: 4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. 

Students will break into two groups and “talk trash”. One group will explore how trash becomes marine debris and why we see certain types of trash more than others. The other will be doing an activity focused on microplastics. We will switch activities and then come together to debrief what we observed and learned

CCSS ELA-LITERACY.F.4.6: Teachers are encouraged to have student write a persuasive essay to someone describing how and why someone could help solve the problem of marine debris—either getting it out of the ocean or not letting it go in!