Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Why Are Blue Whales So Enormous? Instructional VideoWhy Are Blue Whales So Enormous? Instructional Video
Publisher
TED-Ed
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
3rd - 8th
Subjects
Science
2 more...
Resource Type
Instructional Videos
Media Length
5:21
Audiences
For Teacher Use
1 more...
Instructional Strategies
Direct Instruction
2 more...
Technology
Projection
Internet Access
Accessibility
Closed Captions
1 more...
Year
2013
Usage Permissions
Fine Print
Instructional Video

Why Are Blue Whales So Enormous?

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Why Are Blue Whales So Enormous? instructional video also includes:
  • Think
  • Dig Deeper
  • Join to access all included materials

Isn't it strange that Earth's largest animal lives on one of its tiniest? Using Sesame-Street-style puppetry, this video explains how this phenomenon happens. Viewers learn that a single mouthful of krill taken in by a whale has the calorie content of 1,900 hamburgers! The host webpage includes links to multiple-choice questions that can be used as an assessment or discussion guide, as well as links to more information on blue whales and krill. You could use this in a lesson on adaptations or on the food chain in your life science class.

41 Views 32 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable

Concepts

adaptations, food chains

Additional Tags

adaptation, food chain, science

Pros

  • Puppets provide a unique video style that holds the interest of viewers
  • Adaptable to Next Generation Science Standards in life science

Cons

  • Older learners may find the animation slow; consider this mostly for use with upper-elementary classes

Common Core

RI.6.7 RI.8.7 RH.6-8.7 RST.6-8.9

See similar resources:

Worksheet

Kids Page - Whales

Royal BC Museum
Read about the physical features of whales and how they are grouped according to their method of eating food. A neat activity is described on the page; consider carrying this out in class. The resource makes a nice addition to a lesson...
4th - 6th Science
Handout

Adaptations – Designs for Survival

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
What's the difference between behavioral adaptations and physical adaptations? Learn about the various ways that organisms adapt to their environment with a worksheet about the creatures of the Hudson River.
2nd - 4th Science
Lesson Plan

Science Talk: How do Bullfrogs Survive

EngageNY
Following the reading of the book Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, the ninth lesson in this unit involves emerging experts in a science talk about how bullfrogs survive. Looking back through the text, young scholars prepare for the...
3rd Science
CCSS: Designed
Lesson Plan

Forensic Science: Case of the Missing Diamond Maker

Cornell University
Someone stole a diamond-making machine. Who done it? Scholars use forensic science at six different stations to determine the culprit. They analyze fingerprints, use their senses, and complete chemistry experiments to determine the...
5th - 9th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Video

What Are Adaptations? - Lesson Plan

Nature League
Texas short-horned lizards shoot blood out of their eyes to deter predators. The unique adaption allows them to thrive in a hostile environment. Pupils learn more about this and other adaptations of plants, animals, and humans in the...
5 mins 6th - 12th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Video

How Whales Breathe, Communicate... and Fart with Their Faces

TED-Ed
Dr. Joy Reidenberg is an expert in comparative anatomy, but also quite relatable to preteens! Here, she lectures on echolocation by likening it to "farting with the face!" She explains with film, actual whale voice recordings, diagrams,...
6 mins 4th - 8th Science
Unit Plan

Grade 3 Literacy in Science: Animal Adaptations

New York City Department of Education
Third graders research and study animal adaptations and then use their findings to write narratives that include scientific criterion. This lesson is all about literacy and science! The lesson is completely designed for addressing Common...
3rd Science
CCSS: Designed
Interactive

Study Jams! Animal Adaptations

Scholastic
Physical and behavioral adaptations are discussed by two teen girls as monarch butterflies flutter by. They also describe the process of natural selection. With colorful animation and relatable teen language, learners are sure to adapt...
3 mins 3rd - 8th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Video

Why Do Whales Sing?

TED-Ed
Although little is know about why whales sing, researchers are developing theories that explain how whales are able to vocalize. Viewers get a short course in whale song and even get to listen to recordings of the haunting melodies...
5 mins 6th - 12th Science
Lesson Plan

The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The pocket mouse can be light brown like the sands of the desert, or dark brown like the volcanic lava flows that are interspersed throughout New Mexico's Valley of Fire. It seems that predators have weeded out light colored mice in this...
10 mins 8th - Higher Ed Science
CCSS: Designed
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use