Third grade science students and upper schoolers in the English class “Moby-Dick Today” took part in a learning partnership that spanned three class periods during the latter half of the first semester. In their initial encounter, the 3rd graders flipped the script, stepping into the role of teachers to guide the seniors through the fascinating currents of whale evolution and evolutionary biology.

During the second session, the high schoolers took the helm, introducing a custom-designed experience titled “The Game of Whales.” The seniors meticulously crafted this narrative board game to simulate the high-stakes survival of a whale, transforming complex environmental data into a tactile educational tool. The game navigated several key learning elements:

Environmental Awareness: The game educates players on natural threats like hurricanes, rip currents, and shifting food sources due to climate change.

Human impact: It illustrates how human activities—such as commercial shipping, oil drilling, plastic pollution, and entanglement in fishing gear—directly affect whale safety and communication.

Whale biology and social behavior: Players learn about whale lifestyles, including migration patterns, nursing calves, social bonding with other marine life, and the use of echolocation.

Conservation education: By including facts about endangered species (like the Right Whale) and the role of marine scientists, the game encourages an understanding of whale conservation

For the final leg of their journey, the third graders channeled their knowledge into action by penning letters to Representatives Gabe Amo ‘05 and Seth Magaziner, advocating for the passage of HR 6785, “The Whale Co-Existence Act.” The seniors acted as mentors and editors, helping the younger students polish their arguments before the letters were officially launched into the mail.

Ultimately, this partnership proved that when young and older peer students collaborate it creates a powerful synergy that builds an opportunity for excellent discovery and collaborative advocacy.