Activities
Elementary curriculum on killer whales
This curriculum introduces killer whale biology, research, and management through the story of Springer, the young killer whale who was found orphaned in the Puget Sound in 2002. It illustrates how NOAA, the community, and many other agencies in both the United States and Canada worked together to reunite Springer with her pod. One goal of the curriculum is to encourage students to become stewards of their environment through the knowledge they gain about the issues faced by killer whales.
The "Saving Springer" curriculum incorporates NOAA’s Emmy Award winning documentary "Orphan Orca: Saving Springer." Each of the 7 lessons in the unit incorporates a slide presentation covering backgroung information with hands-on activities illustrating concepts such as the social structure of killer whales, identification of individual killer whales through photographs and vocal calls, food webs, stranding networks, and stewardship. The curriculum is broken down into two grade bands (grades 2-3 and 4-6), with different activities for each band. The book "Springer’s Journey" by Naomi Black can also be incorporated for grades 2-3. Some of the activities in the younger grade band can also be adapted for Pre-K-1 classes.
Click "2" below to find curriculum.
Grade 2-3 Curricula:
Powerpoints for each lesson
Grade 4-6 Curricula:
Coming Soon...
Contact Lisa Hiruki-Raring for more information.