Summer Learning: Take It to the Beach with Whales and Echolocation

By Jen Fischer 

Summer is right around the corner. Many of us are thinking about rest and relaxation (yes, we really need it)! We may also be thinking about beach reads, ocean sunsets and (though we hate to admit it) summer learning. So, today we're sharing some summer inspiration and highlighting one of our favorite oceanic films, the beautiful Oscar-winning film Whale Rider directed by Niko Caro.

Based on a 1987 article by the same name, written by Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler, an author from New Zealand, Whale Rider is an inspirational story about a12-year-old Māori girl named Pai. Her village faces a crisis when the heir to the chiefdom of the village dies at birth, survived only by Pai, the heir's twin sister. Pai remains certain of her calling, despite her grandfather's protestations, and trains herself in the ways and customs of her people. The film highlights Pai's remarkable grace and courage as she simultaneously challenges and embraces a thousand years of tradition and, ultimately, fulfills her destiny.

Whale Rider, both the book and film, provide wonderful learning opportunities for educators and students. Show the film to your students now and incorporate corresponding free lessons for the film into your classroom as you wrap up your school year; or soak up the book and film this summer as part of your beach reading and summer viewing lists and show your students Whale Rider in the fall. Resources are best for grades 5-9.   

Using Whale Rider in the Classroom

Available on Kanopy or through most streaming and paid video rental platforms, Whale Rider is a moving and inspirational film for students, many of whom will relate to Pai's struggles to find her place in her community and to her ability to blaze her own trail. Journeys in Film created a full curriculum guide for the film, which is free to download on its site. The curriculum guide features 10 lessons, including various lessons introducing students to different aspects of Māori culture as well as film literacy lessons, an innovative math lesson, and lessons focused on cross-cultural understanding as well as an engaging, hands-on visual arts lesson that would be perfect for an end-of-the-year classroom experience. Finally, there is an engaging science lesson focused on echolocation, sure to inspire students, some of whom may be heading to the beach/ocean this summer or who may appreciate learning about echolocation and whales when they return to the classroom after their summer vacation. The lesson on echolocation is available as part of the Journeys in Film Celebrating Nature Lesson Bundle or directly from Share My Lesson.

About Journeys in Film

Journeys in Film is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help students develop deep knowledge of global issues and current challenges, mitigate existing attitudes of cultural bias and racism, cultivate human empathy and compassion, and prepare for effective participation in the world economy as informed global citizens. Journeys partners with Share My Lesson on webinars and shares educational content on the Share My Lesson site. 

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