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Overview:
This lesson asks students to think critically about the positive and potentially negative aspects of whale-watching tours. Students will explore two Web sites with pictures and information about tours, and brainstorm the pros and cons of whale watching. They will take a close look at a poster that shows guidelines for responsible whale watching and write essays explaining their views on whale-watching tours and guidelines.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, life sciences
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"
Time:
One to two hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
Objectives:
Students will
- explore Web sites about whale-watching tours and answer questions about what they see;
- brainstorm the pros and cons of whale watching;
- analyze a poster showing whale-watching guidelines and discuss why guidelines have been implemented; and
- write essays explaining their views on whale-watching tours and guidelines.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students if they have ever been on a tour to view wildlife. Perhaps they've been whale watching or on a vacation through a national park, such as Yellowstone, that has an abundance of wildlife. If students have been on this type of trip, ask what they thought when they got close to wild animals. Were they afraid? Did the animals seem afraid? Did they feel that they were too close to the animals or bothering the animals in any way?
If students have never had this type of experience with wild animals, ask them to imagine that they're in a boat that's approaching a whale or other marine mammal very closely. What might the animal do? Might it be afraid? Do students think the boat driver has a responsibility to keep a certain distance away from the animal? Why or why not?
Development:
Have students look at these Web pages to learn about trips that tourists can take to see whales and other marine mammals. As they look at the sites, ask them to write the answers to the questions below.
Island Packers: Whale Watching
Prince of Whales Whale Watching: Photo Gallery
- What do people do on whale-watching trips?
- Can you see the same types of whales at all times of the year?
- What might you see the whales do if you're lucky?
Have students, either as a class or in small groups, brainstorm the pros and cons of these tours. They should discuss these questions: How might these trips be good for the animals? How might they be good for people? How might these trips be bad for the animals and their habitats?
Explain that many organizations and countries have established guidelines for whale-watching trips to help make sure they don't harm the whales and other animals. Discuss the reasons why guidelines are a good idea; what might be the drawbacks of having no guidelines for tour operators and tourists to follow?
Have students look at the Be Whale Wise poster. [Note: This poster is in PDF format, which requires that the free Adobe Acrobat Reader be installed on your computer(s). If it's easier, print this poster before class and give students copies.]
Have students take turns reading the whale-watching guidelines to the class, and help them with new words and concepts they come across. Discuss the diagram that shows the distance boats should remain from the whales and the slow and "no-go" zones. Why do students think these guidelines are in place? What might have prompted people to make them? What might happen if a boat operator broke one of the guidelines?
Closing:
Ask students to imagine that their parents are planning vacations to the coast and intend to go whale watching. If they already live on the coast, they should imagine that their parents want to take the family for a weekend day of whale watching. Their parents are trying to decide which whale-watching company to use. Your students' job is to inform their parents about the important guidelines involved in whale watching and why it's important to make sure that a tour company follows these guidelines.
Have students discuss what they would tell their parents. They may choose to inform them of the guidelines they've learned in this lesson and to devise a plan for figuring out which companies are the most responsible in following these guidelines. Alternately, they may decide that whale watching should not be done at all and that the whales should be left alone. Ask students their opinions about the ethics of whale watching, how it should be practiced, and whether it should be done at all.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students write essays responding to the above questions and issues. Their essays may be written in the form of letters to their parents.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students imagine that they have been hired by a whale-watching tour company to develop new informational materials. The company has hired them because they know so much about what kids their age are interested in and what they would like to see and learn on a whale-watching trip. Ask students to create some educational materials to help teach kids who will be taking the boat trips about responsible whale watching and the guidelines that tour operators are supposed to follow. The materials may be brochures, flyers, Web sites, or any other similar format.
This lesson is made possible by a generous grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration National Marine Sanctuary Program.
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