Lesson Plan - A New Home!

Watch a Video: A Walk in the Arctic

Explain that Iceland sits just outside the Arctic Circle. Beluga whales and many other animals call the Arctic region home. As students watch, ask: What’s one way belugas survive in their icy environment?

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• bay
• sanctuary
• captivity

1. Based on the article, what was life in captivity like for the two whales? The article explains that the whales had been taken from the Arctic Ocean and brought to an aquarium in China. It says, “The whales had been living in a small aquarium, with little room to swim.” 

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2. Summarize the main idea of the section “Home Wet Home.” The main idea of this section is that Klettsvik Bay in Iceland is a good home for the two beluga whales. It has cool water, plenty of space and food, and an underwater net to protect the whales. 

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3. What is the purpose of the sidebar “A Whale of a Journey”? The purpose of the sidebar is to show some of the steps in the whales’ 6,000-mile journey from China to Iceland. The whales were put in special tanks and then transported by truck, plane and boat. 

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FEATURED SKILL: Cause and Effect

Use the Skill Builder “Cause and Effect” to have students identify cause-and-effect relationships from the article. The Skill Builder is available as a PDF or as Google Slides. Go to scholastic.com/sn3 to download it.

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