Activities:

1. In the hallway or at the playground, help students measure the average length of selected whales:
   

   Pilot whale

   20 feet

   Gray whale

   40 feet

   Humpback whale

   50 feet

   Sperm whale

   55 feet

   Right whale

   55 feet

   Finback whale

   70 feet

   Blue whale

   100 feet

   
   Compare the whale lengths to the size of the classroom, gym, lunchroom, hall, etc., or to the length of a car, truck, bus, etc.
2. Simulate whales feeding by adding 5 cm of water to a wide shallow container. Cut short lengths of grass onto the water to represent krill and add cut circles of raw carrot to represent small fish.
   Provide some students with tongs to simulate the teeth of a toothed whale and others a comb to simulate the baleen of a baleen whale. They must hold the comb in a vertical position only. Have the children pretend they are hungry whales and see how much food they can catch.
   Questions to pose: Would a baleen whale be very successful in catching krill? How successful would a toothed whale be at catching krill?
   Remind the children that, in the real world, plankton, krill, and fish are not passive. Also, the baleen whale takes in a lot of water, which must be pressed out before it swallows the krill.

Curriculum Crossovers:

1. On a map, identify the migration routes of whales.
2. Have the children try to imagine what it would be like to be able only to strain food and swallow it without chewing. Ask them to describe how they think it would feel.
3. Lead the class in a game of Simon Says, substituting the terms starboard for right and port for left. These may be unfamiliar words to the children but are the norm for sailors.
4. Adopt a whale. Write to: International Wildlife Coalition, 634 North Falmouth Highway, P.O. Box 388, North Falmouth, MA 02556 for information on the junior members' “Whale Adoption Project.”

Invite a Guest:

1. Invite a guest to class who has gone on a whale watch. Ask him or her to describe the experience and share pictures.