- Vocabulary
Migratory Information
Pollution
Dress for a Whale Watch Relay
Mammal Characteristics
Boat Terminology and Directionality
Centimeters and Inches
Compass Activity
Vocabulary
- Endangered - when a population of animals is significantly low and near extinction.
Extinction - when a population of animals cease to live on earth.
Pollution - waste that harms water and land.
Plankton - tiny microscopic life that starts the food chain under water.
Pier - the deck that is supported by pillings that boats dock at between voyages.
Pillings - the support poles for a pier.
Lobstering - a working boat that collects lobster.
Naturalists - a person who is an advocate for nature.
List these words on the board, and see which ones the students know. Discuss the ones that they did not know and fill them in. Have each child make a 3x5 card with the word on one side and the definition on the back. Have the students pair up. One student places his or her cards with the name of the word showing up, the other student places his or her card with the definition side up. The students can take turns matching the definitions to the words.
Migratory Information
Whales have migratory patterns on both the east and west coasts of the United States. In the Pacific whales go as far south as Guatemala (5 degree North latitude), and as far north as Alaska (55 degree North Latitude). On the east coast whales travel from the southern island below Florida (12 degree North latitude), to the northern tip of Canada and Iceland (65 degree North Latitude) . Whales can be found in the southern waters during the winter months. What other animals can the children compare this migration activity with?
Pollution
You will need a dish pan, 1/2 gallon of water, 1 cup motor oil, 1 cup cooking oil, candy wrappers, gum, dirt, leaves, Styrofoam cup and a small plastic fish or water animal.
Start with the water in the dish pan, sitting in the middle of the room. Distribute the remaining items to students in your class. Create a story that has different people or actions that cause a different ingredient to join the water. A motorist has an oil pan leak, the cooking oil is from a factory, the candy wrappers and gum may be from a few kids, the rain eroded the soil... ect...
Discuss the look of the water after each item is added. How does it look? How do you think it tastes? When the animal is added as the last object, ask the class what how they think the animals feel?
Dress for a Whale Watch Relay
This requires the collection of a few items, but can be very fun. Necessary materials for a day on a whale watch relay: TWO SETS OF THE FOLLOWING: Sneakers, Jacket, Sun Glasses, Sun Screen, Camera, and Lunch. Divide the class into two teams, further divide the teams in half. Each team must wear, and carry all the belongings to the next teammate. The first team through the rotation wins. They will want to play again!!
Mammal Characteristics
Discuss with the children the qualities of mammals. There are six main things to remember.
- 1. Warm blooded
2. Bear young alive
3. Nurse young
4. Breathe air
5. Hair
6. Four chambered heart
Use the clues to classify animals as mammals or not. Have the students justify the answers that are given.
Boat Terminology and Directionality
To give the children practice with this concept, you can recreate an oceanic experience. You will need a small rubber fish or whale, dish pan, and toy boat. Move the fish and boat to different locations and "test" the children on their ability to use this as a directionality tool.Centimeters and Inches
Have the students measure a variety of items around the room in centimeters and inches. The items may be self selected or teacher selected. Have the students check their peers' calculations. This activity may be repeated for meters and feet.
Compass Activity
If there is sun, your body could be a compass.
Have the students trace their shadows in the early AM. Note that the sky is in the east, and their shadow's are in the west. Have the students repeat the tracing in the same spot in the early afternoon and again in late afternoon. In the late afternoon, the sun is in the west, and their shadows are in the east. The directions of the shadow changes with the time of day. With east and west plotted, north and south can be assumed.
(Branley, F. (1966). North, South, East, and West. Thomas Y. Crowell Co.: NY,NY.)
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