The Fox and the Whale

Ages: 5-11
Contributor:
Sam Collins

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

Watch this video with your children and then try some of our teaching and activity ideas below.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

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.
Plan (and make) a trailer for the film. Which scenes would you include to make people want to watch it?
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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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”.