Bird Beaks

What do you notice about the different bird beaks?  What is unique about the beaks?  Why might the beaks have these unique features?  We discussed these questions in our science groups, wrote about these questions in our science journals and shared our observations at a scientists meeting.

West African Drumming Band Jeh Kulu

We had so much fun with the West African Band Jeh Kulu.  The group came to our school for an initial performance, a workshop as part of our P.E. class and then a final show in which every class performed.  Jeh Kulu's music inspired us all to move to the beat of their drums and try West African dance. One of our classmates danced solo!  

Parents and Offspring

In addition to the form and function aspect of our animal study, we are exploring the idea that offspring resemble (but are not exactly the same as) their parents. Parents and offspring also have certain roles they play to ensure that baby animals are fed and protected. These topics were the focus of various video clips that students watched and responded to, We saw a mother and father Cardinal feeding their babies while the babies tipped their heads back, beaks open and squealing. We also saw a mother elephant saving her baby from drowning, a cat grooming her young, a wildebeest protecting her baby from a wolf and more. 

Feathers

Feathers are unique for each type of bird. They vary in size, shape, color and texture depending on how they are used. For example, flight feathers are different than feathers that provide warmth. We examined some feathers together and wrote about our observations in our science journals.

Hands On Nature: Air

This week our wonderful parent volunteers presented a lesson about air. We learned that ALL living things need air to survive and different species take air into their bodies in various ways. Humans have lungs, fish have gills, worms absorb air through their skin and dragonflies have unique tubes on their body to breathe through!

We also learned that although we cannot "see" air, it is everywhere. Experiments with air pressure and air expansion (when heated) made air more "visible" for us all!

Data collection and graphing

Our data was M&M's!  We organized the data, recorded our findings and graphed the results.

Animals Have Unique Features

This week we began our new science unit focusing on animal adaptations and how humans sometimes borrow these ideas from nature to solve problems. For example, airplanes were inspired by birds and our bike helmets are similar to a turtle's shell.

We began by observing photos of a variety of animals. Students responded to the following questions in the science journals as they looked at each picture: "What do you notice about this animal?" "What unique features does this animal have?" "Why might it have this feature?"

After recording their observations, we held our first "science talk".  Students practiced "Listening to Understand" (one of our habits of interactions) while students took turns sharing their thoughts about each animal.

As part of this unit, students will also research an animal and write a report. We started our research by listening to ebooks and info bits articles. Both of these sites can be accessed through Library Links on our school webpage.  Next week we will do more research and begin writing!!