Learn at Home-Homeschool Theme Bundle: Whales
Details:
This Learn at Home/Homeschool Theme Bundle includes resources for learning about whales.
Educator Information
Included in our Learn at Home/Homeschool Theme Bundles are fiction and nonfiction titles. Some are independent reads, some are read alouds, and some provide parent/caregiver support or are an interactive title full of activities. As well, some of the bundles contain a puppet, game, or other learning resources.
Scroll below to learn more about each resource included. Resource availability may fluctuate.
● The listed materials for this bundle
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Parent Resource
Synopsis:
An insightful collection exploring the plight, past and promise of the orca, powerful symbol of BC’s wild coast and apex predator of all oceans. Spirits of the Coast brings together the work of marine biologists, Indigenous knowledge keepers, poets, artists and storytellers, united by their enchantment with the orca. Long feared in Western cultures as “killer whales,” and respected and honoured by Indigenous cultures as friends, family or benefactors, orcas are complex social beings with culture and language of their own. With contributors ranging from Briony Penn to David Suzuki, Gary Geddes and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, this collection brings together diverse voices, young and old, to explore the magic, myths, and ecology of orcas. A literary and visual journey through past and possibility, Spirits of the Coast illustrates how these enigmatic animals have shaped us as much as our actions have impacted them, and provokes the reader to imagine the shape of our shared future.
Educator Information
Includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributions.
Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list for grades 9 to 12 for English Language Arts, Law, Social Studies, Social Justice, Science.
Additional Information
192 pages | 8.00" x 10.00"
Fiction
Synopsis:
One late fall day, the boy told the old people that he was going fishing. When he returned home, he said that he had caught a whale.
Un matin, juste avant l’arrivée de l’hiver, le garçon dit à ses parents qu’il part à la pêche. Peu de temps après, il revient chez lui, tout heureux d’annoncer qu’il a pêché une baleine.
Educator & Series Information
This book is delivered in a triple-language format of English, French, and Mi'kmaq.
This book is part of Collection Wabanaki.
Synopsis:
Thousands of years ago in the village of Kitkatla, four hunters leave home in the spring to harvest seaweed and sockeye. When they arrive at their fishing grounds, exhaustion makes them lazy and they throw their anchor overboard without care for the damage it might do to marine life or the sea floor.
When Orca Chief discovers what the hunters have done, he sends his most powerful orca warriors to bring the men and their boat to his house. The men beg forgiveness for their ignorance and lack of respect, and Orca Chief compassionately sends them out with his pod to show them how to sustainably harvest the ocean’s resources.
Accompanied by almost exclusively new illustrations by Roy Henry Vickers, this next installment of the Northwest Coast Legends will captivate readers young and old with its vivid imagery and remarkable storytelling.
Educator & Series Information
Orca Chief is the third in a series of Northwest Coast legends by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd.
Other books in this series include:
Raven Brings the Light
Cloudwalker
Orca Chief
Peace Dancer
Recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Additional Information
40 pages | 12.00" x 8.25"
Non-Fiction
Synopsis:
A Whale’s World follows a pod of spy-hopping orcas as they explore the ecosystems of the Great Bear Sea while hunting for their next meal. Past rocky shores and through kelp forests, they observe foraging wolves, hungry grizzly bears, curious black bears, graceful fin whales, splashing porpoises, slippery seals and other members of the Pacific coastal food web. The book gives readers a fun introduction to the many ways that marine and land animals interact with their environments and with each other.
Educator & Series Information
This is the fourth book in the My Great Bear Rainforest Series.
Books in this series include:
Wolf Island
A Bear's Life
The Seal Garden
A Whale's World
Recommended Ages: 5-8
Additional Information
32 pages | 10.75" x 8.75" | Hardcover (HC)
Synopsis:
Belugas are one of the many amazing animals found in Nunavut! Learn all about what belugas look like, where they live, what they eat, how they communicate, and where they migrate. This non-fiction book gives information and facts about belugas alongside beautiful photographs and illustrations.
Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. It is a Level 8-11 book in the series.
Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. This book's F&P Level is L.
Additional Information
24 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | Paperback | Colour photographs throughout
Synopsis:
In this book, kids will learn how bowheads raise their babies, where they live, what they eat, and other interesting information, like how they can eat when they don’t have any teeth!
Reviews
"The book is divided into sections covering such topics as: range, skeleton, blowholes, baleen, diet, reproduction, predators, fun facts, and traditional uses. There are typically two short paragraphs per heading, with plenty of detailed diagrams and illustrations.... That the author seemingly anticipates the questions young readers may pose results in an engaging relay of facts. References to Inuit culture are peppered throughout." - CM Magazine
Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the non-fiction Animals Illustrated series, which mixes fun-filled animal facts suitable for the youngest of readers with intricately detailed illustrations to create a unique and beautiful collection of children’s non-fiction books on Arctic animals. Each volume contains firsthand accounts from authors who live in the Arctic, along with interesting facts on the behaviours and biology of each animal.
Recommended Ages: 5-7
Available in French: Baleine boreale
Additional Information
28 pages | 6.75" x 9.25"
Synopsis:
Meet the most famous whales in the world.
Meet Onyx and the orcas of J pod, the world’s most famous whales. Illustrated with stunning photos, this picture book introduces young readers to the orcas humans first fell in love with. The members of J pod live in the Salish Sea, off the coast of Washington and British Columbia. Moby Doll was the first orca ever displayed in captivity, Granny was the oldest orca known to humanity, and Scarlet was the orca humans fought to save.
Reviews
“A well-crafted informative picture book that could be easily used as a read-aloud or part of research for grades K-2. Highly Recommended.” — CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“Interesting facts are presented with a peppy writing style...Text is elevated by intriguing photos of these fascinating creatures.” — Kirkus Reviews
Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.
This book introduces readers to J pod, some of the most famous whales in the world, and its members, such as Onyx, Granny, Moby Doll, and Scarlet. We find out where they live, what they eat, how they communicate, and how they got their name.
Includes additional resources, a glossary, and a map that shows the orcas' migratory route.
Keywords / Subjects: whales, conservation, ocean, environment, souther residents, orcas.
Additional Information
32 pages | 10.75" x 8.75"
Plush
Synopsis:
Designed by Chris Kewistep, Bella Bella
Books that you could use this puppet with:
Little Bear's Vision Quest
Approximately 10"
High quality stuffed animal, all new material.