Adapting to Environmental Conditions (Grades 5 and 6)

I had this grand plan in my head as we started the school year.  We would start the year talking about experimental design and learning about the scientific method.  Then we would transition from that to an independent study around bird behavior using bird feeders installed on campus.  Students would design their own birdfeeder-based experiment and then collect data everyday right here at CDS.  I had done a project like this through Cornell University a few summers ago and it was really engaging for the students and produced some awesome science investigations.  I had the Audubon Society come out and introduce the students to bird identification, we set-up seven feeding areas around campus, we put out water for the birds… and nothing.  We would watch the feeders in 10 minute observation windows and we might see one bird and it wouldn’t even be at our feeder.  It would be near it, but not at it feeding.  We just don’t have an abundance of birds on our campus (yet).  Kind of shocking to be honest.  I was in this Field of Dreams mentality where “if we build it, they will come!”, but they most certainly did not!  So rather than go down a road that wouldn’t yield high quality science investigations we did exactly what I would want my students to do when their plans fall apart... we switched gears entirely and did something completely different.  In our case, we dove headfirst into the wonderful world of crustaceans!

When I say crustaceans, I’m guessing your probably thinking crabs, shrimps, and lobsters.  About 99% of crustaceans are aquatic species, but there are terrestrial crustaceans too.  You might be surprised to find out that roly polies (pill bugs) are in fact crustaceans!  Even more of a shocker is that these organisms still possess gills, so they need to live in damp conditions to maintain their ability to breathe.  Pretty cool, right?

Our grade 5 and 6 scientists began their investigation, like any good science experiment, with detailed observations and asking questions.  Students were given roly polies and asked to make some observation on their behavior (for example, is it eating, hiding, running, climbing?  What does it do when you touch it?  Does it move fast or slow?  Do you think it can see well?)  They made technical drawings of their pill bugs from the top, side, and bottom and gained experience drawing for detail and labeling.  Next students generated a list of questions that they had about pill bugs.

               

One of the initial observations the students made was that some pill bugs seemed to be “hikers” while others were more inclined to be “rollers”.  They learned that these were actually two different species.  Pill bugs are “rollers” and their scientific name is Armadillium Vulgare.  Sow bugs are “hikers” and their scientific name is Porcellio Scaber. Students were also introduced to choice chambers which are a fantastic tool that helps students with design their independent investigations.  The choice chamber has two large petri dishes connected in the middle by a chamber with gates.  The students decide the environmental conditions for each chamber, place a few pill bugs in the connector piece, and then open the gates and observe which conditions the pill bugs prefer. 

              

During these final weeks of the trimester students are putting everything they’ve learned about experimental design to the test (literally and figuratively) and completing a series of experiments using pill bugs and choice chambers.  This will conclude with a presentation of their findings and discoveries.

            

Here’s a sample list of some of the questions be investigated by our students:

• ·      How fast do pillbugs move?
• ·      Do pillbugs prefer a light or dark environment?
• ·      Do pillbugs have a color preference?
• ·      Will pillbugs always go to the dark?

• ·      Are pillbugs responding to temperature and not the light?
• ·      Is moisture more important than darkness?
• ·      Is moisture more significant than temperature?
• ·      Can pillbugs learn? Remember?
• ·      Will pillbugs go to a food source? Stay near a food source? Remember where a food source is located?
• ·      Can pillbugs see?

• ·      Do pillbugs have leaders and follow each other?

• ·      Can pillbugs communicate with each other?

             

Please engage your students in discussion about their experiments or have them share their science notebooks with you.  They will be able to tell you their testable questions, identify the independent, dependent, and control variables, describe in detail their methods and procedures and communicate the results of their investigations.

I look forward to sharing more about what they’ve discovered in the coming weeks! 

Mighty Macros

Grade 4 scientists continued their investigations of water quality by heading to two sections of LaBarque Creek to conduct a macroinvertebrate survey.  Macroinvertebrates are probably what you would call bugs or insects that you find in a creek. They are invertebrates that are large enough to see with the naked eye.  Most of these organisms are the larval stage of flying insects like mayflies and dragonflies.  Some of them are permanent aquatic organisms like crayfish, mussels, snails, and riffle beetles.

 

The organisms we were looking for are considered indicator species because they can tolerate polluted waters to different degrees. They are classified as being sensitive, somewhat tolerant, or tolerant. Macros in the sensitive group can only survive in high quality water that is rich in dissolved oxygen and free of pollution and toxins. The somewhat tolerant group can stand some pollution and other less favorable environmental qualities, but not that much. Those in the tolerant group can survive in poor water quality conditions (pollution, toxins, low dissolved oxygen rates, higher pH, etc.) Using Missouri Stream Team monitoring protocols we can determine the condition of the water in the stream based on the organisms that live there.

     

To carry out this study, our students headed to LaBarque Creek Conservation Area and Hilda Young Conservation Area.  LaBarque is known for being one of the healthiest watersheds in Missouri and typically yields fantastic results when looking for macroinvertebrates.  This trip was no different.  Even though it was a little later in the year than what is ideal we were still able to haul in a diverse cross-section of organisms and determined that LaBarque Creek is indeed a very healthy stream.  The students found the larvae of mayflies, stoneflies, damselflies, dragonflies, crane flies, dragonhunters, scuds, pouch snails, crayfish, and more!

   

Back in the classroom students began to sharpen their skills of observation as we learned how to correctly identify these creatures, which were sometimes as small as a centimeter in length! Students were introduced to dichotomous keys and gained valuable experience in understanding the subtle differences between the various species.  It was awesome to watch their abilities grow.  Just a few weeks ago these were “just bugs”, and now students are talking about being able to “see the feathery gills on the abdomen” or to describe the insects “fleshy, fingerlike appendages”.  All of this ties into our thematic study of water which includes ecology and classification of plants and animals. 

 

Our Grade 4 students kept one macroinvertebrate of each species and learned how to ethically preserve specimens for future studies in class and for educating others about the importance of these indicator species and also water quality in general.  Students used their knowledge of the metric measurement and graduated cylinders to make the solution for preserving the specimens.  We also spent time in class reflecting on the ethical treatment of the organisms we study.  Next the students will begin to dig deeper into how all living things are classified and create a system for labeling our own specimens, beyond just their common names.

 

Grade 6 Reflections on Outdoor Ed

Camp Ondessonk :: Sept 30 - Oct 2, 2015

It is with great pride that I introduce our guest bloggers this week ... (drum roll) ... our Grade 6 students!  I now turn the blog over to Arushi, Ava, Dillon, Eli, Laura, Lucy, and Ryan!

           "I really thought that Outdoor Ed had two parts, night and day time because there were so many great activities that took place in the night and the day. I really enjoyed all the activities, but my favorite activity was rock climbing. I was really excited because it was my first time rock climbing. My classmates were all cheering me on, which made me try harder to get up the rock. I also really enjoyed water zip lining, because it was the first time I’ve been zip lining. I was nervous at first, but when I was done I wanted to go a million more times! I really enjoyed spending time with all my classmates."  

- Ava 

"The night hike was awesome. We left the campsite and walked up the path to the dining hall. It was so hard to walk up without accidentally without tripping on a rock or getting a tree in the face. When we got to the clearing in front of the dining hall, we played a game called Bat and Moth. It was like Marco Polo, where whoever is the bat is blindfolded, (but whoever is the moth is not) and has to try to get the moth. The bat can find the moth because when the bat says “bat”, the moth says “moth”. After a little bit of that, we resumed our hike.  When we took a break, the instructor told us a Native American tale about night vision. Then we went back to the campsite, thinking of how great the night hike was."  

- Ryan

       

        "I personally loved the owl calling experience because we were all together and we were able to be completely silent so we didn’t scare the owl. When Mr. McClintock pulled out his speaker we asked him what he was going to do with it, he told us he was going to bring in a Screech owl. When he played his noise it triangulated from tree to tree. After a while we heard shaking in the tree sure enough it was the owl. The owl was in the tree for a long time at a close range.  We got great video footage!" 

- Dillon 

         "Owl calling was not originally a planned activity, but we did it both nights, and it was a big part of Outdoor Ed. The first night, we went down to the shower house. Mr. Lancaster, Mr. McClintock, and the boys finished first, so we went up the hill a little ways and sat at a bench. While we waited, Mr. McClintock took his phone and a portable speaker. He connected the speaker to his phone, and he started playing the call of a screech owl. None of us really believed we could get an owl near us, but every time the call was played, an owl called back, getting closer and closer.

           A few minutes later, we heard a thump in the tree above Mr. McClintock! We all turned our flashlights on and shone them up into the tree. It took a minute, but we finally spotted a small white puff in the lower branches of the tree – a screech owl! It flew from tree to tree, finally landing back in our tree and then flying away. The next night, the same thing happened. It might have even been the same owl!  We got some good footage as the owl triangulated around us."  

-  Eli

           “On the second night of Outdoor Ed we had two people (Foxy and Carrie) from the staff there come to our campsite to teach us how to build a fire. Before they arrived we had to find a good stick for roasting marshmallows, the only reason we did not wait for them is so we could find our stick while it was still light out because Fox and Carrie came when it was dark out. When they arrived they had most of the supplies with them to build the fire. Once we learned how to build a fire and got it started the fun started (not saying building it wasn’t fun). After that we roasted marshmallows, gazed at the stars, learned riddles, and had fun with the cosmic number. As the night went on we got more and more tired so we watched the fire till it died and then we went to bed in our nice and cozy tents.”

- Lucy

           "We went zip lining on our second day at outdoor education. Dillon and I went first. There was a huge rock on which the zip line started, and it went down to the end of the lake. We would go down the lake and hit the water, skipping across like a pebble. I was slightly nervous, since this was my very first time, but the fear turned into exhilaration the second I jumped off of the rock. I went zooming at about 50 mph! I screamed going down and hit the water, which felt almost solid at first. Or legs were drenched! We swam to the shore, doing a butterfly stroke. When I came to the shore I realized there was a problem - I LOST MY SHOES!!! My shoes were floating in the water. Thankfully they were coming to the shore. I got the first one with ease, but had to disentangle the second one from a bunch of pond lilies. By the end, I looked like someone who had dove into a muddy puddle! My peach shirt that my mother already thought was dirty, was now covered with stains. My shorts, the same. And my shoes, on the other hand, got a nice bath in the lake! I went another time- with my shoes clipped on the line. I will never forget this experience!" 

- Arushi

           "Despite the fact that all of the activities were fun, the adventure hike was my favorite. The hike taught me a lot about perseverance, because even though my knee got scraped many times, that only encouraged me to try harder, and climb to the top of the waterfall will all of my friends. I also thought it was cool that all of the rocks we encountered, big and small were created and formed by nature, to create "Nature's playground."
            When we first arrived at Camp Ondossonk, we carried our bags to the camp site, and started assembling tents. I learned how to put together the A frame, the tent cover, and the rain coat, and it surprisingly was not as challenging as I thought. On the second day, we made a campfire. Campfire was another one of my favorite activities. We learned how to set up logs and sticks in the correct order, and how to make a fire. I loved the experience."

- Laura

   

           "After lunch, we took a short hike to the porch of the staff room, where we got our harnesses, and then we hiked up to the zip line. We only had four pulleys to attach to the zip line, so Foxy (our guide) showed the way to walk back up to the top quickly so we could pass the pulleys to the next pair. The instructions were to wait for Foxy to give the go-ahead, and then not run, not jump, but WALK of the edge of the cliff. Right as you walk off, you fly over the path to our campsite, and then out over the lake. As the water hurtles towards you, you slowly rotate on the pulley. Then comes the impact.
            The water feels solid as you skip across it, but it doesn’t hurt at all. As you slow down, you sink to your waist in the water, and when you are completely stopped, you swim to shore. When you get out of the water, Carrie, our other guide, unbuckles you from the zipline, and you begin the 5-minute walk back up to the start to pass the pulley. We each got to go twice, and many of us thought this was the best activity."

- Eli

"Zip lining was my favorite activity at Outdoor Ed. The walk there was not as long as the other hikes. I was in the second group to go. It was awesome! The rope gradually slopes downward and then you go into the lake. It feels so strange when you just walk off a cliff on purpose, and then you go down the zip line so fast, and all this time you are looking at the water, and you know you are going to hit it, and the wind is pulling your cheeks to the side. And then, you hit the water. It feels crazy when you skip across it. And then you dunk into it. How is that, you ask? Wet."  

– Ryan

"We were climbing up the rocks, with all our climbing gear, 

Slipping sliding falling down, all of that no fear. 

We stood up on the ledges, running up the rock, 

bumping into boulders, and hurling to the top. 

But it really wasn’t easy - cause we fell down several times. 

but climbed up all again, using all our strength. 

and when we thought we had it, we thought we found success, 

we'd go slipping down again! 

Then finally we did it giving it all we'd got 

giving one big push and jumping to the top!"

                                                                       - Arushi

 

          "The adventure hike was awesome. On the way to the bouldering place, there were a bunch of big, but not huge, rocks (some were covered with moss) that were great climbing warm-ups. When we got to the place where we would go bouldering, we saw this shallow cave. There was a fossil there that Lucy found. It was a tree! It was great climbing up to the top: not too hard, but definitely not too easy. There was a bunch of small rocks that were prefect for running and jumping on. On the way back, I tried to jump off a rock over a mud puddle, but you guessed it, I fell in the puddle instead. On the way back, we were shown how native Alaskans decided how many large, medium, and small hunting parties, also how many seal holes and seals there were going to be. There were only a few rocks we climbed after the main rocky hills." 

-Ryan 

           "One of my favorite parts of Outdoor Ed. was the Adventure Hike. On the hike we jumped from rock to rock, getting our hands dirty and made our trip more memorable and meaningful. My favorite part of the hike was actually jumping and climbing on the rock, just the feeling under your hands, the fresh air, and the awesomeness of feeling that right now nothing else in the world matters, for me that is the Best feeling ever! I also love when Carrie (part of the staff) took us up to this place up above where we originally were and I guess whenever it rained there was a creek that took the water to part of the rock that stopped and would form a waterfall and the water would flow into the creek down below. Near the end of our hike there were these two rocks that were by each other with a split in the middle big enough for someone to fall into, they were really tall and steep so we decided to climb them. While we climbed we helped and encouraged each other up and down the rock. After the hike I feel like our class now has more trust in each other and that we have now turned out more like a team." 

 - Lucy