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We offer comprehensive enrichment 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. We have two suggestions for how to think about a program:
1. We can see the whole school (Classic Whalemobile Program), or as many of the grades as time allows. This becomes a big event for the entire school community. This is best--especially if we are traveling as we want as many children as possible to experience our program.
2. We can see one or two grades every year. For local schools in and around the Boston/North Shore area and certain commonly visited locations, we would love to be part of your yearly curriculum for whichever grade might be studying whales or the ocean. (We feel it aligns with 3rd, 4th and 5th grade NGSS the best). We promise students will look forward to their visit from The Whalemobile when they get to that grade!
The best part of our programs is we visit with one class at a time. This allows us to really tailor each experience to what the group is interested in (while sticking with what we hope to teach them as well.) Each class spends 40 minutes with a member of our team. The first 20 minutes we go IN THE WHALE. We cover some basic biology and anatomy, how we are similar and different, and why whales are important to our planet. In the second 20 minutes, we do a grade-based activity outside the whale. That is outlines as follows:
Students get to do what whales do. 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.)
Students will reinforce their knowledge of how to identify whales by matching the humpbacks they have been introduced to in the preview video. Since some of the humpbacks have been attacked by orcas, we will discuss why and how orcas attack humpbacks by diving into the social structure of animals.
(3-LS2-1: Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive. )
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 scars.
(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 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.) Click here to see what happens.
If you are interested in more focused, yearly visits from The Whalemobile, we suggest these grades--3rd, 4th or 5th.
Our 3rd grade program features our inflatable whale, Nile. We start with our classic Nile adventure--journeying inside the inflatable whale. Then we sit around the Earth various models of ocean dwellers. We talk about what plants and animals need to survive (food, water, shelter oxygen and space) and their strategies to do just that. We will also touch on how humans can help them thrive instead of simply survive!
A preview is coming!
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.
The students and the staff at SBCA loved The Whalemobile! They were very excited to not only see a life size whale. But were very excited learning about whales and their importance to the environment. A great buzz was floating around the school for the 2 days of the event! ~Benji Clause
The Whalemobile
Topsfield, MA 01983 * info@thewhalemobile.com * 617-838-2646
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