A Dolphin Called a Killer Whale: teacher key

Orcas, grade 5 edition, written for 5th grade. The orca is the largest dolphin, and it lives in family pods around the world. See how orcas share food, hunt as a team and use sound.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Who gave the orca the name killer whale?
   • Sea captains
   • Whalers (answer)
   • Sailors
2. What do the Southern Resident orcas eat mostly?
   • Chinook salmon (answer)
   • Seals
   • Squid
3. How does an orca hear?
   • Through its fin
   • Through its lower jaw (answer)
   • Through its tail
4. Orcas in different places eat different foods. What does that tell you?
   • All orcas eat the same food
   • Orcas learn what to eat in the place they live (answer)
   • Orcas cannot learn
5. Orcas do not follow a fixed seasonal route. What do they follow?
   • The food (answer)
   • A map
   • The moon

Words

• pod: an orca family
• calf: a baby orca
• herd: gather together
• echoes: bounced sounds