Friday, September 12, 2014

Dolphin Tale 2 Releases Today {and a prize pack giveaway}

Today is a big movie day, as Dolphin Tale 2 is released.

I don't know about your family, but all of my kids, at least when they were young, were totally fascinated by Dolphins.  We read some amazing books through the years, and those are such cool creatures.

I was intrigued by the opportunity to try out a homeschool curriculum that goes along with Dolphin Tale 2.  Especially when I found out it was written by Sherri Seligson.  Who is that, you might ask?  She's the author of the high school level Apologia Exploring Creation with Marine Biology course.  I had the chance to hear her speak once, online, and she clearly knows her stuff.

First, a bit about the movie:
Inspired by true events, Dolphin Tale 2 continues the story of the brave dolphin Winter, whose miraculous rescue and recovery—thanks to a groundbreaking prosthetic tail—made her a symbol of hope and perseverance to people around the world and inspired the 2011 family hit movie “Dolphin Tale.” This film reunites the entire main cast, led by Harry Connick Jr., Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, and of course, the remarkable dolphin Winter as herself. Champion surfer Bethany Hamilton, who has been an example of courage, also appears in the film.

It has been several years since young Sawyer Nelson and the dedicated team at the Clearwater Marine Hospital, headed by Dr. Clay Haskett, rescued Winter. With the help of Dr. Cameron McCarthy, who developed a unique prosthetic tail for the injured dolphin, they were able to save her life. Yet their fight is not over. Winter’s surrogate mother, the very elderly dolphin Panama, has passed away, leaving Winter without the only pool mate she has ever known. However, the loss of Panama may have greater repercussions for Winter, who, according to USDA regulations, cannot be housed alone, as dolphins’ social behavior requires them to be paired with other dolphins. Time is running out to find a companion for her before the team at Clearwater loses their beloved Winter to another aquarium.




This curriculum is designed for a wide range of ages, but I think it is strongest for the upper elementary range.  It includes five lessons.  Each lesson consists of a video segment, featuring David Yates of Clearwater Marine Aquarium  (where the videos are filmed), and a pdf document that includes reading and activities.

There is a total of about 15 minutes worth of video, and that is fascinating.  David Yates presents information in a fairly straight-forward way, but it is interesting stuff, and with most segments only being a couple of minutes long -- and with plenty of footage of actual dolphins -- it is very likely to hold the attention of even the youngest viewers, without making the high schoolers roll their eyes.

The pdf component is coded with little dolphin and sea turtle icons -- the dolphin means the activity is appropriate for elementary aged students, while the sea turtle indicates that it is good for middle and high school.  Many activities have both icons, which is nice for a family like mine with a wide range of ages.

I have to confess that the only reason my high schoolers gave this a chance was because of Sherri Seligson.  Their initial response was a huge eye roll and a, "You are NOT serious!?"

The material included is really good though.  And it is fairly short.  Short is a good thing.  If my high schoolers were more interested, there would be plenty of meat to dive in further, but this way, they can work alongside the younger ones and move back to their regularly scheduled classwork.


I have a giveaway today too -- a prize pack containing a fun t-shirt, and a pair of sunglasses, modeled above by Richard.  My kids love them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
 

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

6 comments:

Kate said...

We all like dolphins and I find anything ocean-related to be worth watching! :D

Thanks for hosting!
Kate

Canadianladybug said...

My kids would definitively love to see Winter when we go to Florida. We love dolphins in this family.

All my kids would use the curriculum as well!

Kelly said...

I had forgotten that I never did go and see the first Dolphin Tale. I'm so glad to hear movies that are worth watching are now having units built around them.

chickie717 said...

I like dolphins I even watch the tv show Flipper!

Sarah V. said...

My girls love dolphins and would love using this curriculum!

Brandy said...

My kids all love Winter, we have actually met her and my son got to feed her. We are so excited about the 2nd movie..we can't wait to see it!
brandycwilson78@gmail.com