Resource Key
LEVEL 1
brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)
LEVEL 2
provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.
LEVEL 3
lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)
Databases
- Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre Plus This link opens in a new window
This resource provides the largest collection of full text from leading regional and international newspapers and periodicals, full-text reference books, tens of thousands of full-text biographies, and a collection of images containing more than one million photos, maps, and flags.
- Britannica Schools This link opens in a new window
Britannica School covers the core subject areas of English, Maths, Science and History. Interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, worksheets, manipulatives, study guides and research tools.
- West Australian Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
The West Australia Archive Digital Editions provides full text searching of past issues of the West Australian. Each issue is searchable the day after publication.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Scholarly resources on JSTOR include Archival and Current Journals, Books, and Primary Sources.
Introduction
This research guide has been created to support the Year 11 Media Production and Analysis students studying Blackfish.
The story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale that has taken the lives of several people, underscores problems within the sea-park industry, man's relationship to nature, and how little has been learned about these highly intelligent mammals.
Blackfish movie
(Bart,& Cowperthwaite, 2013)
Interviews with Cowperthwaite
(Anne Mavity, 2014)
Killer Whale
Killer whale, (Orcinus orca), also called orca, largest member of the dolphinfamily (Delphinidae). The killer whale is easy to identify by its size and striking coloration: jet black on top and pure white below with a white patch behind each eye, another extending up each flank, and a variable “saddle patch” just behind the dorsal fin. Despite the fact that this cetacean is a powerful carnivore, there is no record of its having killed humans in the wild. Dozens of killer whales have been kept in captivity and trained as performers, a practice that in the
- Killer whale. (2017). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.au.db.
- plcscotch.wa.edu.au/levels/high/article/
- killer-whale/45439
Blackfish - Website
- dogwoof. (2016). Blackfishmovie. Retrieved from: http://www.blackfishmovie.com/
Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea-park industry.
