March

Critical and Creative Thinking:   We spent much of our time this month up to our knees in research as we prepared for our upcoming field study to Jones Gap State Park.  Students did a great job composing their expert cards highlighting one of the many living organisms that calls Jones Gap home. We also prepared by doing some vocabulary review.  Students can continue to practice the must-know terms at this link.  We also looked at water quality tests we will conduct at the park, layers of the forest, and life cycles of some of the macro-invertebrates we hope to find.  

Systems: We didn't neglect our Gray Area investigation.  Students looked at both chlorine and acid rain and new suspects in the mystery of the dying fish.  

First they role-played a reenactment of a meeting of the Gray Area Board of Supervisors where our suspect and owner of the water slide was consulted.  He shared results from chlorine tests conducted down the river from his business. Students took a closer look at the results from the chemical tests and performed a bio-assessment of their own on a macro-invertebrate called daphnia to check the more long term effects of chlorine on the area. They also examined some secret documents that provided further clues as to how the varying data could all add up.

Next, students looked at air pollution and acid rain as the possible culprits. They investigated pH testing and built their knowledge of acids and bases so they could apply it to the waters of Gray Area.  Finding the Gray Area rain to be strongly acidic, they then tested the various bodies of water in the region. They found some interesting results in that only one river in the area maintained an acidic pH.  This lead to further investigation into the geology of the area and the effects of acid on aquatic ecosystems. The owners of local factories as well as commuters were questioned and added to our pool of suspects.

Habits of Mind: We continued to practice our habits of Mind by challenging ourselves with several new brain games in our classroom.  Students tried their hands at three dimensional puzzles, Rush Hour, Kanoodle, Brain Spin, and the Crazy Pig Puzzle. Much fun and frustration was had by all!

February

Systems:

This month our Systems focus has been on water.  Students read A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry and saw the effects of disrespecting water as a resource. They also saw that there is hope for restoration of polluted waterways and how they can play a part in the solution.  Research was done on watersheds and students got to participate in a simulation of pollution's downstream journeyt.

We also looked at different tests that can be conducted to evaluate water quality.  Some of these tests will help us identify our Gray Area culprit. We learned about turbidity tests to check for clarity and sediments, (helpful in the investigation of the erosion caused by the clear-cutting logging company) phosphate and nitrate tests to see if fertilizers may be causing an abundance of algae growth, (helpful in the investigation of the cattle ranch and farm)  bio-assessment tests for macro-invertebrates, and pH tests.

Critical and Creative Thinking:

We had fun this month being creative with a few sketching challenges.  We practiced a growth mindset by using the drafting process to create original characters by incorporating our favorite parts of various designs and revising to a final product.  We also participate in a mash-up drawing challenge where students submitted ideas to a hat and had to combine the items drawn into one picture in a unique way.

Habits of Mind:

Students began our class novel study of Listening to Crickets by Candice Ransom.  This book is a biography about author and environmental activist Rachel Carson. As we read, we are taking to analyze and respond to the text as well as pick out the specific Habits of Mind Rachel used to find success in her field.