National Geographic BioBlitz

Our class was honored to be a part of National Geographic's annual BioBlitz.

"A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as possible." - National Geographic website

This year's BioBlitz was held at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. The park had two separate inventories happening. Inventory is the collecting, analyzing, and recording of specimens seen. One on land and one in the swamp. The younger grades conducted inventories on land at specified plots and the older grades conducted their inventories in the swamp from boats.

In preparation for our inventory, we discussed and looked at creatures we might encounter. We also identified creatures and plants to avoid - water moccasins, cotton mouths, wasps, bees, alligators, poison ivy. Then, I modeled for the students how the inventory was to be completed. We would collect specimens by sorting through leaf litter, swooping nets through bushes, trees, and air, and log busting.

This was a fun, learning experience that they will never forget!!

Watch the video of our day.

If you live in the San Francisco area, be on the lookout...BioBlitz is coming your way in 2014. Golden Gate National Recreation Area will host next year's event. You can email bioblitz@ngs.org to receive updates and notification when registration is open. I highly recommend this event for your students!

BioBlitz 2013 - slideshow

If you would like to read short blog posts about others' experiences, check here.

If you would like to read about the discoveries made at Jean Lafitte, check here.

Particles, Apple Turn-Overs, Family Night, and Pen Pals

I have a lot to share about this past week!

In Science, we discovered how particles are arranged in solids, liquids, and gases and how heat affects its movement.

Each group of students received 3 petri dishes with popcorn kernels. One  dish was completely filled (solids), one was semi-filled (liquids), and one contained a few kernels (gas). They observed the movement of kernels (particles) by gently shaking the dishes.

In Reading, we read Johnny Appleseed and watched an animated e-book that was accessed through our local library. As a class, we wrote a summary that included characters, setting, and plot. 

Here comes the fun part...the next day. Each student made an apple turn-over. 

First, the students flattened their biscuit. Then, they added butter to one side and dipped the buttered side in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Next, an apple slice was placed in the middle and the biscuit was folded over the apple slice. Finally, the turn-overs were baked for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Time to enjoy! 

Upon returning to class, the students wrote about making turn-overs. We outlined our recipe by completing a Flee Map. The recipe was written as a story using the Flee Map. You can read some of their writings at our class blog. Feel free to leave a comment. Students love reading them!!!

This is the first year that my class will have pen pals! Our pen pals are 3rd graders from a school in Wisconsin. Here is a picture of the students with letters from their pen pals.

After reading their letters, the students busily began responding. They are so excited to meet someone from another state and cannot wait to hear from them!! Here is a picture with their letters to their new friends.

In addition to all the fun we were having during class, we also had fun after school. Our school held a Family Skate Night at the local skating rink.

We had a wonderful turn-out! Teachers, kids, and parents really enjoyed this evening of fun!!!

Blogging Party

This past Thursday, Mrs. Shepherd and I held our first annual blogging party. Parents were invited to learn about blogging and read their children's posts. Mrs. Shepherd worked with her students and created a video  explaining how to make a quality comment. In the video, the students did an excellent job relaying to their parents the following steps:
Step 1: Start with a greeting
Step 2: Give the writer a compliment
Step 3: Make a connection with the writer (This reminds me of...)
Step 4: Ask the writer a question
Step 5: Sign your name
Step 6: Proofread you comment
Step 7: Click "submit"

It is so important for our parents to interact with the students' writings. There is so much more meaning when they know others are reading and commenting on their posts.

My partner teacher, Mrs. Shepherd, is an amazing person! I was impressed how quickly she pulled this event together and integrated technology. It was as if she had done this before and came so naturally. Thanks for the time and effort you put into this gathering, Mrs. Shepherd!