Lesson Plans for WHALES Level O

Before Reading

Introducing the Book
Direct students’ attention to the cover, but do not pass the book out to the students at this time. Ask: What do you see on the cover? What do you think this book will be about? Read the title: Whales. Ask: Does the title give you a better idea of what the book will be about? Direct students’ attention to the picture. What is the whale doing? Why do you think it is doing it? What kind of whale is it? (humpback) What kind of things do you expect to learn from reading the book? Does it look like a storybook or a book of scientific facts? What makes you think so?

Explain that the book is a factual and that it presents true scientific facts about whales. Ask: How is this book different from a fiction, or a storybook?

Pass out the books. Have students open the book to the title page. What information do you find on the title page? What additional information do you get from the picture? Students will probably not think of dolphins as whales, so they will think that the book is about dolphins and whales. Don’t worry about this misconception at this point. As they read further, they will learn that dolphins are a type of whale.
Have students turn to the table of contents. Ask: How does the table of contents help you better understand what the book is about? What section interests you the most? Why?

Building Background
Students probably have seen television programs about whales or seen a movie about a whale, so they will have some prior knowledge. They may have a difficult time grasping the size of a large whale. They also may have misconceptions about whales. For example, they may think of whales as big fish, or they may think that whales are vicious. Ask if anyone has ever seen a whale. If so, where? From a boat at sea? In a sea aquarium or at a zoo? In a book, television, or movie?

You may want to start a bulletin board on whales. Have students look through magazines for whale pictures that they can place on the bulletin board. You can also build background by placing books and magazines about whales in the science center. Download the Fact Files and Cut-outs for the killer Whale, Blue Whale, Sperm Whale and Bottle-Nosed Dolphin.

Have a member of the community who has been on a whale observation excursion come to the classroom and share his or her experiences and photos.

Picture Walk
Go through the book with the children before reading, paying attention to the section heads and the pictures. Discuss potentially difficult words or complicated ideas.

Activity Sheet
Have students fill out the first two sections of the KWL chart by writing in what they know about whales and what they want to know.


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