Heather Bell
RADFORD – Second graders at McHarg School recently had a fun day of learning at Radford High School’s Whale Day, complete with a 70-foot model of a Blue Whale constructed nearly 25 years ago.
The scale model of a Blue Whale was originally constructed by Frank Taylor’s RHS biology classes in 1995 as part of a class project and continues to offer both education and a hands-on, fun experience for McHarg students more than two decades later.
“The whale was made from a 24-foot wide, 100-foot length of black plastic and a 16 foot wide 100-foot long sheet of clear plastic,” Taylor explained in a previous interview about the project. ”It is held together with two-inch wide clear packing tape. The whale stays inflated with two window fans set in the tail. The whale is close to 10-feet tall in the center. The interior is large enough for an entire class to walk inside.”
And walk inside they did. Class after class of McHarg second graders walked through the model last week, with oohs, ahhs and giggles heard reverberating through the huge model. High school biology students researched and created learning stations about whales, including the size of the blue whale, blue whale babies, how blue whales feed, blue whale migration, how whales were hunted, why whales were hunted and whale populations today and what humans can do to help whales.
“The purpose of the whale is to help students comprehend exactly how large these animals are,” explained Taylor. ”This model allows students a close-up encounter with the enormity of the largest animal on the earth. The confrontation between student and the sheer size of this enormous animal creates a teachable moment.”
In addition to a fun day, the project activities address many second grade science SOL’s. In addition, Taylor said the project has benefits for the high school students.
“High school students are highly motivated to learn as much as possible about this topic to prepare for their teaching assignments,” he explained. “Many intangible benefits to both elementary students and high schools students make this an unforgettable learning activity.”
