Goals:

1. Students will read an informational story about scientists' discoveries about the migration and history of the North Atlantic right whales.

2. Students will make a to scale drawing of the states and bays that border the Atlantic Ocean

and show the path of migration of the North Atlantic right whales.

3. Students will be able to calculate mathematical problems that are in connection with the story.

Resources:

Kraus, S. and Mallory, K. The Search for the Right Whale, Crown, 1993. ISBN 0-517-57844-1.

Classroom Atlas, Rand McNally, 1994. ISBN 528-177725-7

Teacher Background:

All aspects of teacher background will be found by reading the story The Search for the Right Whale, by Scott Kraus and Kenneth Mallory (attached information sheet).

Time: The students should be given a total of three hours in order to complete this assignment.

Procedure:

Step 1- The teacher should hand out KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) worksheet about migration. Allow the students to write down all that they know about the migration of any animals and especially whales. Tell them that they should write what they want to know about the migration of whales in the second column. Give the students about 10 minutes for this activity.

Step 2- The teacher should then lead a class discussion about different ideas that the class already knows about migration. The teacher should either write these ideas on a transparency or create a large KWL chart to keep in the room.

Step 3- Have the students read the story The Search for the Right Whale. This is a short but informational book, so the teacher should allow about 45 minutes for this.

Step 4- Students should begin to write down information that they have received from the book on the worksheet provided. Students will be writing about the physical makeup of the right whale, food source, and habitation. Students also will write down any information they learned about how scientists learn about whales.

Step 5- Students should create a scale map of the eastern coast of the United States listing all of the states and main bays that were listed in the book. The map must include all of the states and that border the Atlantic Ocean. Students also must trace the path of the North Atlantic right whales. The students could follow the map on page 27, remind students that this map is not detailed and also hasn't been drawn to scale. Students could also look at the Classroom Atlas, but the students will not be allowed to copy any of the atlases exactly, they must change the scale. Students should use the atlas to understand the basic shape of the states that border the Atlantic Ocean. To help students remind them that the whole migration trip that is outlined in the book is 1,400 miles.

Step 6- Have students work on the word problems that are related to the book.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on the discussion of migration by how completely they filled out their KWL worksheet. Students will receive credit if the sheet is filled out. Students will be assessed on the other activities by the following rubrics.

4 points= Student has filled out the entire worksheet and has provided correct, detailed, and specific information.

3 points= Student has filled out the entire worksheet but the information is not very detailed or specific and some of the information is not correct.

2 points= Student has not filled out the entire worksheet but information that is filled out is correct, specific, and detailed.

1 point= Student has not filled out the entire worksheet and information is not very detailed or specific and some of the information is not correct.

The students will be assessed according to the following three rubrics:

4 points= Student has included all of the states and bays that border the Atlantic Ocean.

3 points= Student has included most of the states and bays that border the Atlantic Ocean.

2 points= Student has included some of the states and bays that border the Atlantic Ocean.

1 point= Student does not include any of the states and bays that border the Atlantic Ocean.

3 points= The map is drawn to scale.

2 points= The map contains some errors on drawing the map to scale.

1 point= The map contains a lot of errors on drawing the map to scale.

2 points= The student draws the path of the whaleís migration correctly.

1 point= The student doesnít draw the path of the whaleís migration correctly.

4 points= Student has shown all of the work in solving the problem and has 2 or less of the problems incorrect.

3 points= Student has shown all of the work in solving the problem and has either 3 or 4 of the problems incorrect.

2 points= Student has not shown all of the work in solving the problem and has 4 or less of the problems done incorrectly.

1 point= Student has not shown all of the work in solving the problem and has 5 or more of the problems done incorrectly.

Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:

Communication Arts- Reading the book The Search for the Right Whale. Students also will be writing down their answers to check for their reading comprehension in being able to pick out details from the reading.

Social Studies- Students will gain an understanding of the states and bays that border the Atlantic Ocean by drawing a map to scale of the states and bays that border the Atlantic.

Math- Students will be using conversions in their scale of their map. Students also will be using various math skills in their solving of the math problems.

Possible Extensions:

1. Students could produce a class book about migration by including the different migration routes of other whales along with different maps of the whale's migration.

2. Students could attempt to make up their own quiz or word problems based on what they have

read.

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