Resources

Three Blue Hearts

• Downloadable curriculum/discussion guide
• Pinterest board
• My Octopus Teacher is an excellent octopus documentary

 

Song For a Whale

• Downloadable curriculum/discussion guide for Song For a Whale
• Visit the TeachingBooks website for lots of resources about Song For a Whale and Chained
• Listen to a recording of the 52 Hertz whale, who inspired Song For a Whale. He sings at a frequency unlike other whales, so he probably can’t communicate with others. The low sound is hard for humans to hear, so here it is sped up.
• See my article, “How the World’s Loneliest Whale Inspired a Kids’ Tale About Human Connection” in The Big Issue magazine
• There’s now a documentary about the 52 hertz whale! Check out The Loneliest Whale: The Search For 52
• Watch the Sonic Sea documentary to learn how ocean noise is affecting marine life

Learn More About Whales

• NPR article “It Took a Musician’s Ear to Decode the Complex Song in Whale Calls,” about musician and acoustic biologist Katy Payne
• Here’s what humpback whale songs look like on sheet music.
• Read more about the whale sheet music on this Smithsonian article
• Hear the calls of different marine mammals on the Voices In the Sea website
• Enchanted Learning’s whale page, with links to information sheets, activities, and more
• The WDC website has lots of information about whales and dolphins. See their Kid Zone section for activities, lessons, and whale and dolphin news written for kids

Chained

• Visit the TeachingBooks website for lots of resources about Song For a Whale and Chained
• Downloadable curriculum guide for Chained
• Chained resource guide on the California Young Reader Medal site

For Writers

• SCBWI
• Absolute Write
• The Purple Crayon
• Cynthia Leitich Smith
• If you’re interested in learning sign language, check out ASL University