Introduction
Have you ever been to the ocean or the aquarium? I have. If you have ever been to a place like that you will know that the most poular thing to see there is... FISH. You will see lots and lots of fish at the aquarium or ocean. What kinds of fish? You'll see small fish, and big fish. Amid these big fishes would be sharks, whales and dolphins. I want to focus on one of these big fishes, whales! What do you know about whales? I think it is the kind of animal we know of, but we reallydon't know much about them sepecifically. So come with me on this webquest and let's dive in to the ocean and learn more about these creatures.
Task
You will be looking and finding specifice information about these whales: A Blue Whale, a Cuvier's Beaked Whale, and a Bowhead Whale.
I want you first to find some information about these whales. Look on this website to find information about the three kidns of whales I have listed here.
Process
Using this website that I will provide, I want you to go onto the website, find each whaleI have mentioned and click on it. Once you have done that, I want you to read the article about the whale, and I want you to answer these questions based on the articles about each whale. I want you to work with a partner, and each of you will have one whale and answers to the questions. This should not take you terribly long if you didligently look for these answers. Label your answers as, "A characteristic of the __________ whale would be..."
Here is the website you must go to: http://us.whales.org/species-guide
Below are the questions I would like for you to answer.
1. What are the whale's characteristics? (What are some other names for the whales? How long are they? How many blow holes do they have? What color is the whale? How much do the male and females weigh?)
2.How do these whales behave in the water? ( How fast do they swim, are they loud and communicate loduly with their sounds, do they migrate, and if so, where and when?)
3. Where do these kids of whales live, and are there dangers or possible threats where they live?
Evaluation
Once you have all your answers about the different kinds of whales I presented you with, I want one person from each table to tell the class what they learned. For example, if one person at your table had The Blue whale, I want him or her to tell the class the asnwers to the three questions they had. I will listen, and if your answers show that you have read the proper articles and you have the correct answers, you will pass this exercise.
Conclusion
Today you have learned about three different kinds of whales A Blue Whale, a Cuvier's Beaked Whale, and a Bowhead Whale. You have learned what their characteristcs, how they behave, and what body of water they live in and if they are ever in danger. Whales are such great cretures, and this is a great topic becasue we don't know a lot about these great animals. I hope you have learned a lot about these animals and the next time you go to the aquarium or beach you will see some.
Credits
Whale information: http://us.whales.org/species-guide