In this activity children compare environmental conditions in the River Thames and the North Sea.
Description
The bottle-nosed whale that strayed into the Thames was totally out of its habitat and there is no way it could survive on the food it could find there. When the news first hit TV the whale was already doomed. It was too far from its food supply to be able to return there without starving to death.
Children compare environmental conditions in the River Thames and the North Sea. Was the right food available for the whale? Did water depth and temperature have a part to play? They apply this knowledge to create a short article for the school website on the sad story of the Thames whale.
Learning Objective:
- To make and justify a prediction e.g. the whale will die because it is a salt water mammal and it is in fresh water
Children will learn:
- To describe a habitat in terms of the conditions e.g. the North Atlantic is very cold and salty
- To state that animals and plants are found in some places and not in others and explain why
These resources were initially developed in partnership with the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University.
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