Week 15: Adelina's Whales, Part 2

 Week 15

 Adelina's Whales Story Summary:

This story is an expository text which provides factual information about whales and the story of Adelina in Baja California, Mexico.

Adelina's home is in the city of La Laguna in Baja California where electricity is only on for a few hours per day.

In La Laguna, one can smell the clams and seaweed from the ocean.

In late January, Adelina walks to the beach to see the gray whales after school.

The gray whales travel from far away, as far away as Russia, to come to Baja California for the winter months.

There is a protected lagoon near her home where she can hear the sounds of passing gray whales.

It is in this lagoon in Mexico where humans can touch the massive heads of gray whales.

Whales have been migrating to this lagoon from Alaska and Russia for hundreds of years.

Adelina's grandfather, Pachico, was the first person to talk about a friendly visit with a gray whale.

The family likes to go whale watching in the lagoon, and like to watch the whales come up and then dive down into the lagoon again.

After many people heard about Pachico's story with the whales, scientists and whale watchers started to come to La Laguna in Baja California.

Since their brains are as large as a car's engine, some people think that whales have their own language.

When whales leap out of the water and make a giant splash, it's called breaching.

When whales pop their heads straight out of the water, it is called spyhopping.

A whales' flat tale is called a fluke, and fluking is when a whale raises its tail up in the air before diving is called fluking.

Many of the whale watchers who come to see the whales in Baja California, Mexico come from different countries, and might speak English, Spanish, or other languages.

Adelina thinks that she might become a biologist who studies animal life in the Pacific Ocean.

 It might be hard to become a scientist so she might take pictures as a photographer.

She gets to see these gray whales every year during the months of November, December, and January before they migrate back to the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Adelina hopes that the whales enjoy their stays in her lagoon in Mexico, and can hear their breathing when she listens closely.

Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYrxfFImA-I

Week 15 Vocab Definitions – Adelina’s Whales

1

whale (n.): Very large animals that live in the ocean and breathe air.

2

Mexico (prop. n.): A country in North America.

3

dusty (adj.): Covered with or full of dust.

4

scatter (adj.): Spread out in different places.

5

ocean (n.): A very large body of salty water.

6

mangrove (n.): Trees or shrubs that grow in salty water near the ocean.

7

recognize (v.): To know or remember someone or something.

8

awaken (v.): To wake up or cause someone to wake up.

9

mist (n.): A thin cloud of tiny water drops close to the ground or water.

10

protect (v.): To keep someone or something safe from harm.

11

shallow (adj.): Not deep.

12

scientist (n.): People who study and do experiments to learn new things.

13

leathery (adj.): Tough and rough, like leather.

14

encounter (v.): To meet someone or something unexpectedly.

15

nudge (v.): To lightly push or touch something.

16

dove (v.): The past tense of "dive," meaning to jump headfirst into water.

17

scrap (v.): Rubbing something hard to remove or clean it.

18

laughter (n.): The sound of someone laughing.

19

clam (n.): Shellfish with a hard shell that live in the sand.

20

calm (adj.): Peaceful, quiet, and still.

21

exhale (v.): To breathe out air.

22

newborn (adj.): A baby or animal that was just born.

23

unique (adj.): Special and one of a kind.

24

laguna (n.): A lagoon or a place near water.

25

leap out (v.): To jump out suddenly.

26

breaching (v.): When a whale jumps out of the water.

27

spyhopping (v.): When a whale lifts its head out of the water to look around.

28

fluke (n.): The flat tail of a whale.

29

fluking (v.): When a whale lifts its tail out of the water.

30

panga (n.): A small fishing boat often used in Mexico.

Week 15	Homework 回家功課
Monday May 19th	1. Write Week 15 definitions 1-15 x 2 + definitions + Chinese
Tuesday May 20th	1. Write Week 15 definitions 16-30 x2 +definitions + Chinese
Wednesday May 21st	1. Week 15 Grade 4 Shared Worksheet
Thursday May 22nd	1. I2 Week 15 Worksheet
Friday May 23rd	1. Sensay homework 2. Write sentences with five vocabulary words from Week 15