Humpback whale breaching in Monterey Bay. Photo courtesy of Nancy Black, Monterey Bay Whale Watch
Along the Monterey coast and near our corporate office, whales can be seen offshore as they migrate through the area. Inspired by our spectacular marine visitors, this post provides lessons and activities to help students learn about a variety of whales.
Whale Shape Book, Grades K–2
This shape book unit provides five reproducible forms in the shape of a fat whale, directions for students writing at three levels, a three-line poem, and literature connections. (From The Ultimate Shape Book)
Pocket Book on Whales, Grades 1–3
Students create a “pocket book” about toothed and baleen whales. Includes picture cards, whale haiku, minibooks, size comparison chart, and additional activities. You can pick and choose activities or have students complete the entire book. (From Theme Pockets, September e-book)
Whale Activity Pages, Grades 1–5
These ready-to-use pages include illustrations of ten types of whales, a whale skeleton, and a whale writing form. (From Giant Science Resource Book)
Life in the Ocean Pocket File Folder, Grades 3–6
This unit provides ideas, directions, and patterns for creating a science report about a marine animal, adaptable for whales. It includes ideas for a pop-up page, a minibook, a word web, and other activities. (From Easy File Folder Reports e-book)
Whale Bulletin Board
This link includes teacher directions and caption letters to create a fun bulletin board to display students’ work. (From Bulletin Boards Every Classroom Needs)
These whale-themed units were pulled from Evan-Moor’s online lesson library, TeacherFileBox. There are many more available, including whale-themed units from Reading Informational Text, Daily Science, Creative Writing Ideas, and more. Take a look!
For related ideas and free printables, see: Under the Sea Classroom Theme and Activities.
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Contributing Writer
Theresa Wooler has more than 10 years’ experience in K–6 classrooms as a parent volunteer and homeschool educator, has taught high school English, and is currently involved in education through Evan-Moor’s marketing communications team.