I don't like showing movies in class just as a time filler or for purely entertainment purposes. I guess my feeling is that's what students do in front of the TV and at the local cineplex.
However, when a film comes along that fits perfectly into our curriculum, Mrs. Ashley and I are more than ready to incorporate it into our schedule. This Tuesday and Wednesday just such a film was used in our classrooms. Dolphin Tale is based on the true story of Winter, a dolphin who was injured in a crab trap and rescued by the Clearwater (FL) Marine Aquarium. Unfortunately, her tail became so badly infected that it had to be amputated. Subsequently, after a long period of trial and error, she was successfully fitted with a prosthetic tail.
This story perfectly meshed with several of the standards we've been teaching in our unit on the muscular-skeletal systems of humans and animals. It reinforced our lessons on how muscles and skeletons work together to provide movement, how some non-functioning body parts can be replaced with prosthetics, and how the scientific method can be used to develop prototypes and models of new and developing technology. These concepts were thoroughly discussed as we watched the film and teacher created assessments are currently being used to evaluate student understanding of those concepts. The film also stressed some of the character qualities we have introduced to our classes, such as persistence, resourcefulness, and compassion.
If you'd like to view the movie at home with your children I'm sure they'd love to see it again. It's available wherever DVD's are available. Also check out Winter's website at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium at www.seewinter.com
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