Thar she blows! Interested in whales? Communites? Collaborations? read on....
Our multiage class (6 and 7 year olds) is studying whales and whaling. Using a whaling chart from 1851, artifacts which sailors brought back to Martha's Vineyard, and a young girl's journal from her trip with her father in 1862, students will re-create local history and discover how places around the world have had an impact on their community.
We would like to invite you to share your knowledge with us: your community now and then, your geography, your folk songs or sea shanties.
We are particularly interested in ports commonly visited by Martha's Vineyard whaling ships, but if you are interested in whales, we are excited to learn with you.
in the United States:
New Bedford, MA
San Francisco, CA
South America:
Chile
Ecuador
Peru
Pacific:
Fiji Islands
Galapagos Islands
Japan
New Zealand (Bay of Islands and Kaitai were important ports of call for New England whalers)
Sunday Island
West coast of Canada
Africa:
Azores
Canary Islands
If you are interested, please let me know. We can co-plan activities, I have several ideas, I am sure you do too. I am hoping we can begin student exchanges in mid February or the beginning of March, and plan video conferences via iChat or Skype or whatever works for you.
Thanks so much.
Languages: any - but we can communicate in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German.
Age level: 5 through 18 years old
Views: 5
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I really like to sound of your project. I would love to be part of it and to get some of my colleagues on board as well. I live in Warrnambool, which is just past the end of the Great Ocean Road on the coast of Victoria, in Australia. Seeing the whales at Warrnambool is a very popular tourist attraction. Warrnambool is also part of the 'Shipwreck' Coast and has many stories to tell.
I'm a specialist teacher at my school (teaching Chinese) and have every year level for two classes a week, so I don't know how much I could contribute directly with a class, but I'd be more than happy to help one of the classroom teachers to work with you. If you are interested in learning more about us then send along a message. I'm even starting to think about how I can teach about whales while teaching Chinese. What a fabulous challenge.
Let me know what you think. Even if you want to use us just for a small part of the project, that would be fine.
Valerie Becker > Jess McCullochJanuary 7, 2008 at 8:28am
This is a challenge! Let's brainstorm. We too have whale watches, the class has even adopted a humpback whale named Tornado, he lives off Skellwagen bank in the gulf of Maine, on-board Maine. What kind of whales do you have off the coasts of Warrnambool? My students have just arrived - thank you, I am so excited!
Jess McCulloch > Valerie BeckerJanuary 19, 2008 at 3:06am
Hello again! Sorry it has taken me a while to reply! How is your project going?
Here in Warrnambool we have Southern Right Whales. Here is an article about whale watching here: http://www.webwombat.com.au/travel/articles/whale-watching.htm The second picture in that article is taken just around the corner from my house - well, not literally around the corner, but only a few minutes away! Also, here is a link to an article that mentions Wilma, a whale who visits Logan's Beach here in Warrnambool regularly: http://au.travel.yahoo.com/great-outdoors/australia/victoria/great-...
Let me know how your project is going!
Jess
Valerie Becker > Jess McCullochJanuary 21, 2008 at 2:59pm
Hi Jess - thank you for the information. We are not in school today because it is a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. I will share your information with the students tomorrow.
I will upload a QuickTime slide show movie this week in Spanish and English (no Chinese, maybe you can download it and add the Chinese or we can use VoiceThread - http://voicethread.com/) on how large whales are in feet, meters and children (in our case, 6 + 7 year olds).
I am very excited about working with you and sharing our communities and whales.
Replies
I really like to sound of your project. I would love to be part of it and to get some of my colleagues on board as well. I live in Warrnambool, which is just past the end of the Great Ocean Road on the coast of Victoria, in Australia. Seeing the whales at Warrnambool is a very popular tourist attraction. Warrnambool is also part of the 'Shipwreck' Coast and has many stories to tell.
I'm a specialist teacher at my school (teaching Chinese) and have every year level for two classes a week, so I don't know how much I could contribute directly with a class, but I'd be more than happy to help one of the classroom teachers to work with you. If you are interested in learning more about us then send along a message. I'm even starting to think about how I can teach about whales while teaching Chinese. What a fabulous challenge.
Let me know what you think. Even if you want to use us just for a small part of the project, that would be fine.
Here in Warrnambool we have Southern Right Whales. Here is an article about whale watching here: http://www.webwombat.com.au/travel/articles/whale-watching.htm The second picture in that article is taken just around the corner from my house - well, not literally around the corner, but only a few minutes away! Also, here is a link to an article that mentions Wilma, a whale who visits Logan's Beach here in Warrnambool regularly: http://au.travel.yahoo.com/great-outdoors/australia/victoria/great-...
Let me know how your project is going!
Jess
I will upload a QuickTime slide show movie this week in Spanish and English (no Chinese, maybe you can download it and add the Chinese or we can use VoiceThread - http://voicethread.com/) on how large whales are in feet, meters and children (in our case, 6 + 7 year olds).
I am very excited about working with you and sharing our communities and whales.
talk soon
Valerie