The Fox and the Whale

In this beautiful video, a fox searches for an elusive whale.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

• Show the children the first section of the film (up to 0:26) and ask them to predict what they think the film will be about.
• Create a storyboard for the film.
• Write the prequel; what happened before this film to make the fox want to find the whale?
• Write the story from the point of view of the fox or another animal in the film.
• What will the fox do next?
• Which is your favorite setting? What vocab could you use to describe it?
• Suggest alternative titles for the film.
• Watch the trailer for the film and design your own. Which scenes would you include to make people want to watch the film?

• Create a story map of the places visited by the fox. 
• Write a character description for the fox. How would you describe its appearance? What about its character?

Maths

• Create some characters using only regular polygons, like the triangle used for the fox’s face.

Science

• Research fish and birds that migrate. How far can they go?
• Watch this interesting video about deer antlers. Write a report on why deer have antlers.

• Watch this interesting video to find out about whale songs.

• Find out more about fish skeletons. 
• Choose one of the animals in the film and create a fact file about them, including information about their habitat, diet, life cycle etc. 
• Create a food chain that includes a fox.

Computing

• Create a short animation showing an animal moving across a scene.

Art

• The filmmaker visited a museum and used a blue whale skeleton there for reference. Try sketching skeletons, either from real life or from photographs. 
• On the blog there are a lot of stills from the film. Try stopping the film at a point you like and recreating the picture using paints or pastels.

Music

• Create a soundtrack for a section of the film. Which instruments or sound effects could you use?
• Listen to the piano section from 10:13 to 10:31. How does this melody make you feel? Try composing your own simple melody on a keyboard or glockenspiel.

Geography

• Visit this website to learn more about coastal erosion, including the formation of stacks. Do you think the stack in the film is possible? 
• Research the forest biome and create a leaflet explaining its features.
• Stepping stones are used to cross water. What other ways do animals and humans cross water?

Physical education

• Create a dance based on this story. How can you show the journey? What music would you use to dance to?

Languages

• Find out the words for the animals in the film in the language you are studying, or in a few different languages. For example, in French a fox is “un renard”, while in Spanish is is “el zorro”.