Exploring Orcas

Overview

Students are introduced to orcas, or tohorā, as living animals that need particular conditions to survive. Through photographs, movement, discussion, and drawing, they identify the ocean as an orca habitat and begin to connect an animal’s needs with the environment around it.

Learning intentions

• WALT learn about orcas and where they live.
• WALT identify some things orcas need to survive.
• WALT use observations to talk about a living animal.
• WALT share our ideas and listen to others.

Success criteria

• I can say that an orca is a living animal.
• I can identify the ocean as an orca habitat.
• I can name one thing an orca needs, such as food, water, air, or space.
• I can draw an orca in a suitable habitat and talk about my drawing.

Curriculum links

• Biological Science — What organisms need to survive: identifying basic survival needs of animals and linking these to real-life examples.
• Biological Science — Habitats: connecting an animal’s survival with the resources found in its environment.
• Biological Science — Organism Diversity / How organisms meet their needs: noticing how a living animal meets its needs in its environment.
• Science capabilities: observing, asking questions, sharing ideas, and communicating evidence from pictures and discussion.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and wonder. Teacher welcomes students to the unit Orca — Tohorā, introduces the words “orca” and “tohorā”, and opens the hook image and wonder question. Students silently look, then share what they notice, think, or wonder with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · What is an orca? Teacher uses the orca introduction slides to explain that an orca is a living animal, a type of dolphin, and a mammal that lives in the sea. Clarify that orcas breathe air, swim, move in family groups, and eat other animals. Students practise saying “orca” and “tohorā”, then make a swimming movement when they hear a fact that describes an orca.

3. 12–20 min · Habitat discussion. Teacher shows ocean and non-ocean images in the habitat comparison slides and asks, “Where would an orca be able to live? How do you know?” Students use a turn-and-talk, then help sort the images orally into “suitable for an orca” and “not suitable for an orca”. Establish that a habitat is a place where a living thing gets what it needs. Record student ideas using simple drawings or words: ocean water, food, air, space, and other orcas.

4. 20–28 min · Needs movement game. Teacher displays the needs movement-game instructions and places five picture prompts around the room: water, food, air, space, and family. Call out a need and invite students to move safely to the matching prompt, then ask how an orca uses it. Students move, explain their choice to a partner, and return to the meeting space when signalled. Reinforce that water is the orca’s home, but it comes to the surface to breathe air.

5. 28–39 min · Draw and explain. Teacher distributes the orca habitat drawing sheet and models a simple drawing: an orca in the ocean, with at least one need shown or labelled. Students draw an orca in its habitat and add pictures or copied words for things it needs. Confer with individuals using prompts such as, “Where is your orca?”, “What does it need?”, and “How does the ocean help it?” Students may dictate an explanation for an adult to scribe.

6. 39–45 min · Share and revisit. Teacher returns to the final reflection slide and asks, “What have we learnt about orcas and their habitat?” Invite three or four students to share drawings. Students complete the oral sentence, “An orca needs ___ because ___,” or point to and name one need in their drawing. Preview that the next lesson will investigate how orcas move and communicate.

Resources

• the Exploring Orcas slide deck
• the orca habitat drawing sheet
• Large screen or interactive whiteboard
• Five picture prompts: water, food, air, space, and family
• Pencils, crayons, and colouring materials
• Whiteboard and markers
• Carpet or clear floor space for movement

Assessment

• Listen during partner talk and the habitat discussion for accurate observations and the understanding that orcas live in the ocean.
• During the movement game and drawing task, check whether students can identify at least one survival need and connect it to the habitat.
• Use students’ drawings and final sentence as an exit check. Note students who can name a need independently, with prompting, or not yet.

Differentiation

• Provide picture choices, gestures, repeated sentence frames, and key words for students who need language support: “An orca needs ___” and “It lives in ___.”
• Allow students to respond by pointing, acting, drawing, speaking, or dictating. Pair multilingual learners with a supportive peer and use the words “orca”, “tohorā”, “ocean”, “food”, “air”, and “water” consistently.
• For students needing fine-motor support, offer thicker pencils, larger paper, tracing support, or an adult-scribed explanation.
• Extend confident students by asking them to show two or more needs in their drawing and explain how each need is met in the ocean. Avoid suggesting that orcas breathe underwater or that they live in rivers or on land.