Whaling

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/whaling

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Cetacea (order, encompassing all whales, dolphins, and porpoises). Specific species vary greatly
2. What is the key regulatory body?International Whaling Commission (IWC), established in 1946
3. Why did people hunt whales in the past?They needed food, protein, and oil for light and heat, and baleen for making tools.
4. How did whaling change in the 1800s?Bigger ships and new harpoon guns let whalers catch more whales and travel farther.

Whaling: The practice of hunting whales, historically for commercial gain and subsistence, now largely regulated or banned.
Baleen: Keratinous plates in the mouths of baleen whales used to filter small organisms from the water.
Spermaceti: A waxy substance found in the head of sperm whales, historically valued for its use in lubricants and candles.
Moratorium: An official suspension or temporary prohibition of an activity, such as commercial whaling.