Transform your students into ocean explorers.

Before the visit, students will watch an introductory video in the classroom. This introduces students to the presenters, whales seen off the Coast of New England, and how we identify individual humpbacks. 

Next, each class (up to 25 students) comes for 40 minutes. For the first 20 minutes, we will go in the whale and discuss how whales and humans are similar, why whales are an important part of our ecosystem and how students can help whales. Students will get to touch baleen, bones and teeth from real whales.

After going in the whale, students have another breakout session depending on the grade. (the is the second half of the 40 minute visit). We sometimes make game-time decisions about what activity we do with a class based on the time of year, and the make up of individual classes.

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 video. We will further the discussion and talk about why and how orcas attack humpbacks while and 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. )

After the visit, students have the option of watching a 20 minute video about marine debris. What is it, how does it impact the ocean and what can we do? If they want, they can become Playground Protectors and help keep their playground clean!