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!