LESSON 3:

THE LIVES OF HUMPBACK WHALES

INTRODUCTION

Every year, humpback whales make a grand 

migration. During this journey, the whales 

travel thousands of miles, communicate 

with one another and look out for 

predators. The whales spend summers 

feeding in the areas around Alaska, 

Washington and Oregon, then migrate to 

warmer waters in the winter to breed. Baby 

whales make these journeys alongside their 

mothers, meeting many of the milestones 

of their life. In this lesson, students have 

an opportunity to explore more about the 

milestones in a whale’s life and compare it 

to their own development. 

LESSON SUMMARY

In this lesson, students work in small 

groups to compare the life milestones that 

are similar and different between humans 

and humpback whales. They consider that 

humpback whales travel in pods, and use 

evidence to explain why this strategy helps 

the whales survive. 28

OBJECTIVES

• Students will explore the milestones in 

humpback whales’ lives and compare 

them to human milestones. 

• Students will describe evidence for why 

humpback whales might travel in pods.

ESTIMATED TIME

60 minutes. If you would like to complete 

this lesson over 2 class periods, consider 

pausing the lesson between steps 6 and 7. 

STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Science (NGSS): 3-LS1-1. Develop models 

to describe that organisms have unique 

and diverse life cycles but all have in 

common birth, growth, reproduction, and 

death.
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3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some 

animals form groups that help members 

survive.

OCEAN LITERACY 

PRINCIPLES

5d Ocean biology provides many unique 

examples of life cycles, adaptations, and 

important relationships among organisms 

that do not occur on land.

7b Our survival hinges on understanding 

the ocean.

7d (with extension) New technologies, 

sensors, and tools are expanding our ability 

to explore the ocean. 

FOCUS QUESTION

What are the significant events in a 

humpback whale’s life compared to a 

human’s life? How do those events help 

them survive?

MATERIALS

• Index cards or sticky notes, 3 per group 

of 4 students

• Whale Milestone card sets, one per 

group, see “Preparation”

• Human Milestone card sets, one per 

group, see “Preparation”

• Humpback Whale Pods handout, one 

per student

PREPARATION

• Make copies of the Whale Milestone 

card set and the Human Milestone 

card set so that each group of students 

has 2 complete sets to use. Consider 

whether you would like to laminate the 

card sets so that they may be reused for 

additional classes of students. 

• Cut apart the Whale Milestone card set 

and the Human Milestone card sets and 

organize them so that you can provide 

groups of students with 2 complete sets 

of cards. Consider making laminated 

copies of the cards for multiple uses. 

Originals can also be downloaded 

at https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/

education/ocean-odyssey/ 
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FACILITATION

Step 1. Tell students that they are going 

to have an opportunity to learn about 

humpback whales and their lives. Share the 

information from the introduction to this 

lesson, making the point that baby whales 

make these long journeys just as adults do. 

Let students know that in this lesson they 

will have the opportunity to learn more 

about the milestones, or significant life 

events, in a humpback whale’s life. 

Step 2. Ask each group of 4 students to 

use index cards or sticky notes to make 

labels for 3 categories. The labels should be 

“baby,” “growing,” and “adult.” 

Step 3. Give each group a set of Whale 

Milestone cards and a set of Human 

Milestone cards. Tell them that one pair 

in the group should work with the whale 

cards and one pair should work with the 

human cards. Share that the cards show 

different milestones or life events in 

human lives and in whale lives, such as a 

human learning to walk. Have them try to 

put each card into the correct category to 

describe when it would happen in a whale 

or a human life. Students may struggle to 

know what ages to put into each category. 

Try to help them reason through the ideas, 

guiding them to the idea that an animal is 

a baby while it is drinking its mother’s milk, 

and growing until it reaches its full size. 

For the whales, milestones up to a year 

should be in the baby category and 

between one and 10 years in the growing 

category. For humans, up to a year should 

be “baby” and up to about 18 should be in 

the growing category. 

Step 4. Once both pairs in a group have 

completed their sorting, have them 

compare the two timelines. Ask them to 

mark the milestones that appear in both 

the human and the whale timeline using 

a check mark or other symbol. Consider 

having students pair up with another 

group to check if they sorted the cards 

in the same way and checked the same 

milestones. If there are differences, ask 

them to discuss their ideas and decide if 

any cards should be moved to a different 

category.

Step 5. Hold a class discussion to talk 

about the different milestones. Ask 

students to share what they found 

interesting or surprising about the 

humpback whales. 

Step 6. Ask students which milestones 

were common between humpback whales 

and humans. They should realize that 

both have milestones for birth, growth, 

reproduction, and death. 
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Step 7. Tell students that they are going to 

continue thinking about humpback whales. 

Ask the groups to pull out the cards that 

have a star in the corner and set the other 

cards aside. Share that the milestones 

on these cards are a few things that help 

the humpback whales to survive. In their 

groups, ask them to discuss how they think 

the features listed on the cards with stars 

help the whales live and survive.

Step 8. Once students have had a chance to 

discuss their ideas, hold a class discussion 

to help them learn more about the whales 

and how the starred milestones help them 

survive. Discuss the migration card last 

as it is likely to be more challenging for 

students. For that reason, the remainder of 

the activity helps them learn more about 

this survival tactic.

Step 9. Ask students to brainstorm as many 

ideas as they can about why whales might 

travel in groups or pods. Write their ideas 

on the board or a chart where students can 

see them easily. If students have trouble 

thinking of reasons, share with them some 

of the ideas that scientists have had. These 

include

• Whales travel with their families

• A group of whales can find food more 

easily

• A group of whales can keep predators 

away more easily because there are 

more of them

• A group of whales is better able to find 

their way when traveling 6000 miles 

or more. Certain whales may serve as 

leaders.

• A group of whales allows one to look 

out for predators or other dangers while 

others sleep

• A male whale can protect a female 

whale 

• Whales communicate with one another 

in both loud songs and quiet whispers

Step 10. Distribute the Humpback Whale 

Pods handout. Share that the small groups 

whales travel in are called pods. Ask 

students to choose one of the ideas from 

the list you created during the brainstorm 

that they think might be the reason whales 

travel in pods. Have them write their idea in 

the area at the top of the handout. 
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Step 11. Share that the bottom of the 

handout has several facts about humpback 

whales. For each one, they should write 

• a smiling face if it supports or would 

serve as evidence for the idea they 

wrote at the top, 

• a frowning face if it would be evidence 

against the idea at the top, or 

• leave the space blank if it is not 

evidence for or against the idea. 

Step 12. Once students have had time to 

work individually, have them talk with a 

partner or small group about how they 

completed the handout. Tell students to 

make sure they understand what their 

partners chose for their ideas and to ask 

questions or share any new ideas they 

have. 

Step 13. Hold a class discussion about 

each idea. Tell students that you can rule 

out ideas that have evidence against the 

statement. Through the discussion, try 

to narrow down the ideas to one or two 

that only have ideas that support them. 

Share that while we cannot be completely 

sure, scientists’ current understanding is 

that whales likely travel in pods so others, 

particularly males, can help protect 

against predators and to allow for more 

communication during the long migration.

EXTENSION

The Passive Acoustic Cetacean Map 

(https://apps-nefsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/

pacm) shows where several kinds of 

whales, including Humpback whales, have 

been recently. Listening devices detect 

when the whales make sounds and show 

the number of times the whales were 

heard.
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The site offers a tour to use the map, a user guide, and the map itself. Spend some time during 

class showing students the map and then check back regularly to see how the patterns of where 

whales are spending their time change. 

NOAA’s Ocean Sound and Impact of Noise Resource Collection (https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/

education/teachers/ocean-sound/) includes background information, lesson plans, videos, 

webinars, and more to help people learn about sound in the ocean, how animals that live in 

the ocean use and are impacted by noise, and how NOAA is working to monitor and understand 

underwater sound.

Lesson 3 NOAA References

• Passive Acoustic Cetacean Map. 2021. Woods Hole (MA): NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science 

Center v1.0.6.(https://apps-nefsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacm)

• National Marine Sanctuaries Ocean Sound and Impact of Noise Resource Collection (https://

sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/teachers/ocean-sound/)
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Humpback whales 

drink milk from 

their mothers until 

they are about a 

year old. 

Humpback whales 

can swim as soon 

as they are born.

Humpback whales 

grow until they are 

about 10 years old.

Humpback whales 

can have babies 

once they are 

about 6 years old.

Humpback whales 

eat up to 3,000 

pounds of food per 

day.

Humpback whales 

can be 40-50 feet 

long, or about the 

size of 2 school 

buses.

Humpback whales 

can weigh up to 

80,000 pounds.

Humpback whales 

“whisper” to their 

mothers while the 

pair migrates.

Humpback whales 

migrate in groups of 

2-15 each year.

Humpback whales 

learn to hunt and 

eat solid food 

during their first 

year of life. 

Humpback whales 

leave their mothers 

when they are 

about a year old.

In the wild, 

humpback whales 

live to be about 50 

years old.

WHALE MILESTONES
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Humans learn to 

walk when they are 

about a year old

Most humans grow 

to be between 5-7 

feet tall.

Humans drink their 

mother’s milk or 

formula until they 

are about a year old.

Humans begin 

losing their “baby 

teeth” when they 

are around 5-7 

years old. 

Humans learn to 

talk when they are 

around a year old. 

Humans leave their 

mothers when they 

are around 18 years 

old. There is a large 

range when this can 

happen.

Humans grow until 

they are about 18 

years old.

Human bodies 

can begin to have 

babies in their 

teenage years. In 

the United States, 

the average age for 

becoming a parent 

is around age 26.

Humans eat 3-4 

pounds of food per 

day. 

In general, humans 

live to be 70-75 

years old.

Adult humans can 

weigh from around 

90 pounds to more 

than 300 pounds.

Humans begin 

school around age 

5. 

HUMAN MILESTONES
HUMPBACK WHALE PODS

I think humpback whales travel in pods because:

Follow your teacher’s instructions on how to fill out the last column.

 # FACTS ABOUT WHALES Or /

1 Humpback whales travel in groups for only 

short amounts of time.

2 Most pods have one male and one female or 

a mother, baby and male.

3 All Humpback whales have magnetic material 

in their brains that help them know where to 

go when they swim.

4 A pod may have a mother and baby, but 

if there are 2 adults in a pod they are not 

related.

5 Sometimes scientists have seen Orcas, 

which are a predator for Humpback whales, 

following the singing and other noises that 

whales make.

6 Humpback whales may rest by floating but 

do not sleep the way we think of it. They do 

not rest for more than about 30 minutes at a 

time because their body temperature drops 

too much if they stay inactive for longer.

7 Humpback whales do not generally eat while 

they are migrating.

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