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At CAC, we
are not only students of nature, but we are also
teachers. Our mission is to reach as many
people as possible with our message. Our
presentations inform our audiences about
wildlife through multimedia lectures and through
games designed for children of all ages.
Here
are some ideas that we have found useful:
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Twenty Questions:
This
is a simple game that can be played with
almost any sized group. Have an adult
write the names of different animals on
strips of papers and fasten them to the
backs of the children. Be sure that the
child does not see what is written on
his/her back. The children then walk
around the room asking their classmates
yes/no questions until they can deduce
the identity of the species written on
their back. Each has the opportunity to
ask 20 yes/no questions about their
mystery species and this gets them to
focus on many important things that
characterize and distinguish marine
mammal species. The goal is to ask
questions so that they narrow the list
of possible animals until they are
finally able to conclusively deduce what
species they are. When correctly
guessed, that child gets to move their
label to their front.
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Animal Charades:
A
game of charades can also be a creative
way for students to demonstrate what
they have learned about animals. Teams
of students each take turns acting out a
certain species that are assigned to
them by the teacher. They are only
allowed to give nonverbal cues until
someone guesses correctly. |
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Designing Posters:
A
great way for students to demonstrate an
understanding of biology is to design
posters showing what humans can do to
help conserve life. Students ideas
often include drawings and text that
allude to recycling, the control of
fishing industries, the preservation of
critical habitats, the proper disposal
of garbage, and being much more careful
about what we pour down our drains.
These posters can then be hung in school
hallways as reminders of what we all
need to do. |
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Interdisciplinary
Lessons:
Lessons on animal
conservation can easily be integrated
into interdisciplinary lessons or team
teaching situations. For example,
social studies topics can include
legislation protecting marine mammals
(such as the US Marine Mammal Act).
Such lessons teach very important ways
in which social studies relates to
biological conservation. In another
example, the undersea and coastal
geology of the pacific coast greatly
determines which animals are found in
particular areas. This provides an
important lesson relating geology to the
lives of animals. |
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Taxonomy and
Evolution:
We think it is
valuable to teach lessons about the
taxonomic relationship of animals. This
should include emphasis on the
similarities and differences between
different taxa. Such lessons flow
smoothly into considerations about the
ways in which animals evolved. For
example, it is useful students to grasp
the idea that the marine members of
Carnivora (sea otter and polar bear) are
less specialized in their adaptations to
the sea than are the Pinnipedia (seals),
and that the Pinnipeds are themselves
less specialized than the Cetaceans.
Examining adaptations in the context of
taxonomic classification in this way
provides a useful lesson on evolution
and the adaptations animals have
undergone over time. |
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Recycle Program: Since
we stress that recycling paper as a good
way to help the ecosystem of the Pacific
Northwest, we encourage the children in
each school to start or support an
organized recycling program. If you
they already have recycling bins
available to them, we encourage the
children make signs to post on them with
slogans like: "Recycling Helps Killer
Whales" or "Save the Salmon - Recycle
Paper". If their school does not yet
have an organized recycling system, we
encourage them to start one. We explain
that most municipalities will arrange to
pick up recyclables if asked. A simple
phone call to the local waste disposal
company or city board is often all that
is needed to get started. |
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How Baleen Whales
Trap Food:
Help students explore
how baleen whales trap food by setting
up the following model. In a
water-filled aquarium or large pan, mix
some fine sand, medium gravel, and some
small toys to represent different kinds
of tiny ocean animals. Divide students
into groups. Give each group a
different sized comb to represent
whale's baleens (for example, one group
might use a fine toothed comb, another
might use a hair comb). Stir up the
water in the aquarium so that the
animals are dispersed through the
simulated ocean. Then let groups take
turns running their combs through the
tank to see what kinds of animals get
trapped by the different baleens. Have
each group record the number and kinds
of animals caught, then have the groups
compare results. |
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Color your own whale:
Print up outlines of killer whales and
allow the children to label the body
parts and color in their own whales.
This is a great opportunity to describe
that all killer whales have different
saddle patches and different shaped
dorsal fins. This is how scientists
distinguish individual orcas in British
Columbia. We also included in this
lesson the differences between
Transients and Residents. Since the
dorsal fins of Transients are pointed at
the top and those of Residents are
rounded, it gives the children an
opportunity to make inferences about the
type of whale they are coloring. In
this way, it then gives us an
opportunity to teach them about the
different feeding behaviors and
lifestyles of these two orca ecotypes.
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Salmon Toss: We set up
a little bean bag salmon toss game to
represent the different paths that a
salmon can take. We sewed little salmon
out of felt and cotton. Our game board
consisted of different areas labeled
"Polluted Waters", "Commercial Fishing
Nets", "Killer Whale Pod", and "Breeding
Streams". The goal is for the children
to successfully get their salmon to the
stream. But wherever any given salmon
lands, we use that opportunity to teach
a lesson. For example, we explain that
falling in the space labeled "killer
whale pod" proves unfortunate for the
salmon, but beneficial for the orcas.
Missing the breeding stream and ending
up on the forest via bear predation is
good for the nutrient cycle of the
trees. It is a way to engage children
in a discussion about many aspects of an
interconnected ecosystem. |
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Pyramid of the
Orca-Salmon-Forest Connection:
This activity can be done with
volunteers or as a demonstration to a
large group. We have pictures glued to
cardboard boxes. The boxes are stacked
into a pyramid shape. The base is four
forests, then three streams, two salmon,
and finally, at the top of the pyramid,
a killer whale. This allows the
children to see how the killer whales
that they love are dependant upon a
whole ecosystem below. The forest
nurture the streams, which nurture the
salmon, which nurture the whales.
However, if we cut down too many trees
for our own use (demonstrated by taking
out too many tree boxes), the whole
pyramid tumbles and the killer whale
falls with it. |
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Killer
Whale Crossword: We give
children an orca-focused crossword
puzzle. The crossword puzzle reviews
many of the lessons that cover in our
presentation. We encourage our students
to take these home and complete them
with their parents and siblings. Please
feel free to use it with your own
groups. Just
click here
for a copy of the crossword puzzle that
we use.
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Killer Whale Maze:
Another activity that we give to
children consists of an orca-focused
maze. The goal of the maze is to get
the killer whales past a variety of
hazards and adverse conditions to get to
a meal of salmon.
Click here
for a free copy of our maze. Feel free
to put it to use with your own group.
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Whale Calls: Whales
make many interesting noises
underwater. We play a recording and let
the children listen. We talk about the
different types of calls and what they
might mean. Orcas have a wide variety
of calls that are used for communication
and echolocation. You may also want to
play the unique songs of the humpback
whale, or the barking of a sea lion.
Allowing the children to hear the
"talking" of the animals helps them to
better remember the unique nature of
each species. |
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