An
internet study of whales employing cooperative learning, net research, and
art projects.
Technology
Requirements: Hyperstudio, Powerpoint and a word processing program
Duration:
two weeks, 1/2 hour to 1 hour each day
Sunshine
State Standard: Things Interact With Their Environment
Standard
1: The student understands the competitive, interdependent, cyclic nature
of living things in the environment. (SC.G.1.2)
1.
knows ways that plants, animals, and protists interact.
2.
knows that living things compete in a climatic region with other living things
and that structural adaptations make them fit for an environment.
5.
knows that animals eat plants or other animals to acquire the energy theneed
for survival.
7.
knows that variations in light, water, temperature, and soil content are largely
responsible for the existance of different kinds of organisms and population
denities in an ecosystem.
Sunshine
State Standard: The Nature of Science
Standard
1: The student uses the scientific processes and habits of mind to solve problems.
(WSC.H.1.2)
1.
knows that it is important to keep accurate records and descriptions to provide
information and clues on causes of discrepancies in repeated experiments.
2.
knows that a successful method to explore the natural world is to observe
and record, and then analyze and communicate the results.
3.
knows that to work collaboratively, all team members should be free to reach,
explain, and justify their own individual conclusions.
4.
knows that to compare and contrast observations and results is an essential
skill in science.
5.
knows that a model of something is different from the real thing, but can
be used to learnsomething about the real thing.
Standard
3: The student understands that science, technology, and society are interwoven
and interdependent. (SC.H.3.2)
2.
knows that data are collected and interpreted in order to explain an event
or concept.
4.
knows that through the use of science processes and knowledge people can solve
problems, make decisions, and form new ideas.
NET
Standards
LA.A2.2.8-selects
and uses a variety of appropriate reference materials, including multiple
representations of information, such as maps, charts, and photos, to gather
information for research projects.
LA.B2.2.1-writes
notes, comments, and observations that reflect comprehension of content and
experiences from a variety of media.
LA.B.2.2.4-uses
electronic technology, including word-processing software and electronic encyclopedias,
to create, revise, retrieve, and verify information.
LA.C.2.2.2-recognizes
and responds to nonverbal cues used in a variety of nonprint media, such as
motion pictures, television advertisements, and works of art.
OBJECTIVES
Students
will:
List
KWL in chart form
Be
able to identify whale songs.
Be
able to define echolocation and discriminate it from the whale song.
Identify
whales as mammals and list characteristics of mammals
Name
two types of whales as baleen and toothed
Give
examples of baleen and toothed whales and create a Hyperstudio stack
Be
able to recognize some different types of whales
Know
whale breaching and spyhopping are in movements of whales
Complete a general whale comprehension sheet "All About Whales"
(for more able or gifted classes "Whale Scavenger Hunt")
Research " What We Want to Know" on the net and use word processing
to type their results
In
cooperative learning groups be able to complete a Venn Diagram comparing properties
of whales and fish
Construct an Oragami Whale.
Construct
a mobile with differrent types of whales
Create
a whale and dolphin dot to dot book
DAY ONE
A. Initiating
Activity
Play
whale songs with ecolocation sounds at the end of the recording, on the Powerpoint
opening screen. Ask students what the sound is. Describe whale sounds and
define echolocation. Discussion follows.
Have
students create a KWL chart on whales. What do they know? What do they want
to know? Post the chart near the computers in clear view for later research.
Students
will view Powerpoint presentation located above lesson one.
B. General
Activities
Discuss
the differences of baleen and toothed whales. Show the hyperstudio stack with
whales identified as baleen and toothed. Ask students to create their own
stack with baleen and toothed whales.
When
students complete their stack on hyperstudio, they should choose a question
to answer from the KWL chart. They may type their answers on a word processing
program and post on a bulletin board to present later.
Evaluation:
Hyperstudio
stacks of baleen and toothed whale pictures completed by students and KWL
questions answered
Day 4
A. Initiating
Activity
Review
the KWL poster. Ask students what they have learned so far on whales. Fill
in the information on L or learned part of the chart. Tell them today they
will learn much more with a comprehension sheet on whale information. They
may work in pairs or individually on this exercise.
B. General
Activities
There
are two sites with questions, depending on the ability of students.
Revisit
the KWL chart with the comprehension questions, and see how many "Want
to Knows" you can now answer, If students used the second site in the
last lesson, they may need one more day to complete questions.
B:General
Activities
Today
students will construct a whale mobile and review which whales are baleen
and which whales are toothed.
http://www.enchanted
learning.com/subjects/whales/whale mobile
For those
students that finish their project early, they may download the dot to dot
coloring book of whales at this site:
Using
learning strategies to divide into groups, students will list what they know
about humpback whales from these videos. One student from each group will
report the results of this coooperative learning exercise.
Students
will read an actual news report on Humphrey. "Humpback whale goes free
after swimming up the Sacramento River."
The class
will listen to the story of Humphrey the Lost Whale by Wendy Tokuda
and Richard Hall, Heian International, Inc., Torrance, CA, 1992. This is the
story of a migrating humpback whale that entered the San Francisco Bay in
1985 by mistake. He swam sixty-four miles inland before being led back to
sea.
Discussion
about migration and comprehension questions will follow.
Evaluation
Group
lists of information on humpback whales and student responses to comprehension
questions on the story of Humphrey.
Day 8
A Initiating
Activity
The teacher
will present "Fish Anatomy" from Enchanted Learning Software. A
discussion of fish characteristics will follow. (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/fish/printouts/Fishcoloring.shtml
B General Activities
Students
will divide in learning stategy groups and divide a paper, writing Whales
on the top of one side, and Fish on the top of the other side. They will list
characteristics of each in their cooperative groups. One person will be assigned
the reporter for each group
Students
will complete a Venn Diagram on fish and whales downloaded from this site:
Evaluation:
Correct characteristics of fish and whales and accurately completed Venn Diagram
Day 9
Initiating
Activity
Revisit
the "Want to Learn" questions of the KWL chart. Assign research
to students as pairs or individuals.
General
Activity
Students
will research and word process their answers. The end of the class period
will be spent reporting back to class and recording on the "Learned"
column of the KWL chart.
Evaluation:
Completed word processing document answering question correctly from research,
and completed KWL chart
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