Classical Christian Community Fun to find out about DOLPHINS Dear Friends, Classical Conversations is pleased to offer this at-home curriculum in support of Dolphin Tale 2. Whether it’s teaching our kids and youth about friendship, stewardship, and hope, or igniting their interest in Table of Contents oceanography and dolphins, Dolphin Tale 2 is filled Introduction 3 with so many valuable and inspiring lessons. Biology 4 I remember when the first Dolphin Tale movie was released in 2011. Classical Conversations leaders and Physical Science 12 their families rallied and organized a Homeschool Day that involved buying tickets and attending the movie’s Geography 17 opening day matinees. Our community was so excited to support actors and fellow homeschoolers Nathan Language 26 Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff, who starred as “Nathan” and “Hazel.” We were also thrilled that a family movie Math 32 finally gave us a leading homeschool character who was intelligent, funny, beautiful, and so charming. Literature 36 We are thrilled to partner with Warner Bros. and Alcon History 42 Entertainment in reaching out to our fellow homeschoolers for this sequel. It is our hope that Art 49 producers create more family entertainment that inspires curiosity while promoting values such as hope, Bible 59 courage, and the importance of family. Get Involved 65 Peace be with you, For Parents 69 Robert Bortins CEO, Classical Conversations, Inc. 2 HOMESCHOOLMOVIECLUB.COM Introduction The love of learning comes from ex- ploring a topic and discovering lots of new things related to it. Teaching your children to ask lots of good questions will help them experience the excite- ment of learning. Teach them to use a topic wheel to help generate questions and ignite their curiosity. This can be used with any age group because once you start asking questions and enjoying learning, you want to keep on learning, no matter how old you are! This booklet was designed to go along with the movie Dolphin Tale 2. After watching the movie, use this booklet to inspire more learning and show your This is our topic wheel. We put the topic we want to learn more about children how much fun it is to learn. in the center, then go to each outer circle and ask questions to see what we can learn about with dolphins in each subject. After we use the topic wheel to generate lots of questions, we get to enjoy discovering all the answers! DOLPHIN TALE 2 3 BIOLOGY What is a Dolphin? When scientists want to describe an animal, they do what is called “classification.” You probably classify things, too, without realizing it! Think of a friend you have. Now, describe that friend. You would probably start broadly. You might specify wheth- er your friend is a human or an animal. You might add whether your friend is a boy or a girl. Then, you might get more specific. You might describe your friend’s hair color, height, or shoe size. You might even tell us his last name so we know who his family is. This is exactly what scientists do! They start with the most general characteristic of an organism. From there, sci- entists get more specific, and more specific, and more specific, until they have identified and named an individ- ual organism. Classification systems go all the way back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Our modern system dates back to a man named Carl Linnaeus, who lived in Sweden in the 1700s. 4 HOMESCHOOLMOVIECLUB.COM Kingdom Phylum The traditional classification system begins at a level called After identifying the kingdom, scientists asked the kingdom. (Some scientists today think we should begin whether dolphins have a spinal cord. This deter- even earlier, with the question of whether or not an organism mines the dolphin’s phylum. The spinal cord re- is alive.) Scientists have identified either five or six kingdoms fers to a group of nerves that run up the back to BIOLOGY of living things. After studying dolphins and watching them the brain. These nerves work like a mailman. They behave, scientists determined that dolphins, like you and me, deliver messages from the body to the brain, and get energy from eating things. This means they are a member from the brain back to the body. They tell you to of the kingdom Animalia. All members of Animalia get en- pick things up, walk, or feel pain in your body. As ergy by eating. Dolphins eat a wide variety of fish, squid, or you can tell, they are very important! Some ani- even seals. The diet depends on the type of dolphin and how mals, like jellyfish and worms, do not have them. If much energy it needs. a living thing in the kingdom Animalia does have a spinal cord, the scientist places it in the phylum called Chordata. This phylum includes animals like Class frogs, birds, dogs, and dolphins! Now we know that dolphins have a spinal cord and eat to gain energy. Next, scientists ask whether the animal is warm-blooded, has hair at some point during its life, and produces milk for its babies. This determines the next cate- Order gory, the class of an organism. Dolphins fit all of these de- Scientists call the next rank the order. To figure scriptions! (You might not know this, but dolphins are born out dolphins’ order, we have to think about how with whiskery hairs around their beaks.) This means they are they swim and how they breathe. Dolphins possess in the class Mammalia. You might know these as “mammals.” lungs and breathe air, and they propel themselves You and I are mammals, too. by moving their tails up and down rather than side to side. This is different from how fish swim. This means dolphins fit into the order Cetacea. The only other Cetaceans are whales and porpoises. DOLPHIN TALE 2 5 BIOLOGY Family Next, scientists place dolphins into a family. A Genus dolphin’s family is called Delphinidae. (Some whales, Now, scientists narrow their list down to certain types like the killer whale, are also members of this family.) of dolphins. This next group is called the genus. The Delphinids have beaked mouths and twenty or more genus Tursiops refers to dolphins like Winter, which pairs of teeth. The members of this family are smart are recognizable by their short beaks and large brains. and swim in groups. They even hunt for food This genus includes only dolphins. together. Sometimes dolphins will surround a group of fish so the fish cannot get away, and then take turns diving in to eat. Species Tursiops truncatus Kingdom: Animalia There are many different types, or species, of dolphins. Each has slight differences in size and color. Phylum: Chordata Some dolphins have stripes, or square-shaped heads, Class: Mammalia or spots. When scientists name something, they use Order: Cetacea a combination of its genus and its species. (Did you Family: Delphinidae know that the scientific name for humans is Homo Genus: Tursiops sapiens?) Winter is a Tursiops truncatus, also known Species: Truncatus as a common bottlenose dolphin. Now you know exactly how to classify a dolphin, just like a scientist. 6 HOMESCHOOLMOVIECLUB.COM Game: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral Practice your new classification skills by playing “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral,” a variation of the game “Twenty Questions,” with at least one other friend. One of you will be the answerer and the rest will be the questioner(s). BIOLOGY 1. The answerer chooses a subject but does not tell 2. The questioners take turns asking yes-or-no the others what it is. The subject might be a dolphin, questions as they try to guess the identity of the George Washington, a carrot, or a diamond. The subject. They might ask, “Are you thinking of a hu- game begins when the answerer says, “I’m thinking of man?” or “Are you thinking of a fictional character?” an __________________ (animal/vegetable/mineral).” If they can guess the identity of the subject within twenty questions, they win! If they cannot figure it out, the answerer wins that round and play begins with a new answerer. DOLPHIN TALE 2 7 BIOLOGY Diagram of Bottlenose Dolphin Melon Dorsal Fin Blowhole Back Flukes Beak Eye Belly Flipper 8 HOMESCHOOLMOVIECLUB.COM Draw the Diagram BIOLOGY DOLPHIN TALE 2 9 BIOLOGY How do dolphins behave? Scientists do not know exactly how Dolphins are also very social. They travel in “pods,” groups smart dolphins are, but they agree that of two to thirty animals, and they become sad if they are left dolphins are some of the smartest ani- alone for too long, just like Winter did in the movie. Even mals in the world. Scientists have discov- though they travel in large groups, each mother dolphin still ered that dolphins can solve problems takes care of her own child. The mother has only one child at and use tools. They even have bigger a time, and she raises that child for years until it is ready to be brains than humans! The dolphin’s brain on its own. has four parts, while the human brain has three. No one knows for sure why dol- phins have an extra section in their brain. Why do you think this is? Think about the way dolphins interact with humans in the Dolphin Tale movies. What do you imagine Winter and Hope are thinking about? 10 HOMESCHOOLMOVIECLUB.COM Coloring Page BIOLOGY DOLPHIN TALE 2 11 PHYSICAL Dolphins can swim remarkably quickly. They use their SCIENCE Why was it important for Winter tails to propel themselves forward. They do not have to swim using her prosthetic tail? strong enough muscles to swim without the tail.