Song For A Whale Novel Study

This dynamic novel takes readers on a wonderful journey to get a song to a whale that cannot speak to any other whales! This story is written by a sign-language interpreter who incorporates American Sign Language and its culture in a story many students will enjoy!

Summary

From fixing class computers to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. She is the only deaf person in her school, so many often treat her like she is not very smart. Is anyone listening to Iris? When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Iris decides to invent a way to “sing” to Blue, but he is 3000 miles away. How will she play her song for him?

Unit Information –34 pages/27 Slides (Includes pdf and Editable Word documents)

This novel study includes:

· Resources Page with links to videos and Google Slide Activities (2 pages)

· 250 Novel Study Q & A Resource pages - (9 pages)

· Novel Study Questions Student Handout (6 pages – separated by chapters)

· Novel Answer Resource Page with page numbers – (7 pages)

The questions are only literal/recall questions that can be used as daily running quizzes as students read the novel. Instructors are free to create their own higher-order thinking questions for this novel.

· Sign Language Alphabet Handout for Students (1 page)

· 10 Video Links for Frequency sound waves, test your hearing, basic American Sign Language (ASL), whale feeding, tour the bridge of a cruise ship, whale sounds, song, and glacier calving (See Resource Pages)

· Google Slide Activity to introduce the basic ASL signing alphabet (18 slides)

· ASL Signing Alphabet Student Handout (1 page)

· Vocabulary Student Handout (1 page)

· Vocabulary Definitions Resource Page (1 page – 12 words)

· Novel Study Test (includes answers and optional essay) (5 pages)

· Essay Grading Rubric (1 page)

· Idiom Drag and Drop Google Slide Activity (9 slides includes answers)