Day: February 11, 2020

As we dive into a discussion about bird migration, flyways, and more, here are some articles to read about how climate change and birds are linked. Plus, there is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where you can find out how to download EBird and Merlin, two apps that are useful for identifying birds and for counting birds as part of the citizen science Backyard Bird Count happening Feb. 14 – 17, 2020.

Scientific American Silent Skies: Billions of North American Birds Have Vanished

Audubon North America Has Lost More Than 1 in 4 Birds

Cornell Chronicle Nearly 30% of Birds in US Have Disappeared

Nature Canada How Climate Change is Impacting Birds

Mass Audubon Effects of Climate Change on Birds

Forbes Climate Change is Affecting Migration Timing of Birds

Cosmos Bird migratory patterns changing with climate

United Nations International Gathering on Birds to Discuss Migratory Species

Cornell Lab of Ornithology 

Ted Ed Video on Bird Migration Dangers

 

 

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday, everyone received a planning booklet and rubric for our Tiny House Project!

Please spend some time researching ideas. I am providing time in class, but you may also want to look at tiny house images on Google at home, too.

Then, use the booklet to plan out your ideas. After you have a finished plan, you will receive bristol board to make a mini Tiny House Model.

The model can be a tiny home, food truck, or any other type of small structure that takes up approximately 400 square feet. We did measurement of the classroom area to get a better sense of how much space this is. It is about half of our working area in the classroom (not including the cloakroom.)

As you create your model, you will include some 3D elements such as a bed, stove, etc. that you believe are necessary for your structure. There is a grid on the paper you will use to help you with measurement and with using proportionate reasoning, which is a large part of the math and visual-spatial competencies being used in this applied design project.

For example, you need to think about how tall a typical person using your structure would be, how much space they need to move around, and how tall items in the structure should be so they can be reached by the person using them.

You will also be telling me about the area and perimeter and/or volume of the items you placed in your tiny home. For those doing advanced math, we are adapting the project to include some fractions and decimal proportionate thinking about their designs.

Tiny House Models are due in two weeks. Have fun creating them in class! You need to finish a draft plan before I can give you supplies to create the real one. All structures are one level to start, and then you can do two levels if you have time.

Ms. D

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday, everyone chose a chapter book / novel related to real-life migration or refugee stories. We had a wide selection to choose from thanks to our Suncrest and District libraries!

Over the next two weeks, we will be reading this book carefully to learn about the human migration experience in relation to our unit. We are also looking to practice our reading comprehension skills, using Adrienne Gear’s Reading Power prompts as a guide. Things we will look to do are:

• Become more aware of how stories are structured — the elements of a good story; how dialogue is presented with appropriate capitalization, spacing, and punctuation; and how a story flows from beginning to end.
• Visualize as we read, such that we use our senses to gather information and a picture of the setting and characters.
• Make Connections as we read, finding ways to connect our own lives or current events to what we are reading.
• Question as we read, asking deeper questions about the story that go beyond the basic information presented in the book.
• Infer as we read, becoming a detective to think about the deeper meaning of a book, or to understand what isn’t written down in the text by the author.
• Transform our thinking as we read, reflecting on how what we are reading is changing our thoughts or perspectives. What impact is the book having on us?

The final task will be to do a mini book report on your e-port. You will use elements of the assignments I give you on each area of reading comprehension to help you create the book report. Enjoy your reading!

Ms. D

Hello Everyone!

As you research your migratory animal and create a presentation on Puppet Pals to show your knowledge, please find out the answers to these questions:

1. What is the name of your animal? Common name, scientific name, family/genus/class if you know about this.
2. What does your animal look like? What adaptations (features of its body) help it deal with the habitat and biome it lives in?
3. Where does your animal live? (Biome and habitat; specific location on map)
4. Where does your animal travel to as it migrates? What is the migration route on a map?
5. What biomes does it travel through and to? 
6. What does your animal need to survive? Food/habitat/conditions
7. What cue causes your animal to migrate? What type of migration is it? (use vocabulary from handouts and discussions in class)
8. How is your animal important to the ecosystems it lives in?
9. Is your animal endangered and why? Are there any problems with human activity bothering the animal’s migration route?
10. Any other really cool and interesting facts about your animal?

Your presentation needs to show you are able to research and find information about your animal that connects directly with science curriculum content and curricular competencies, create a clear presentation using a new digital tool, and use creative thinking in the way you present information to us. A rubric will be provided for self-reflection when we are done.

Here is a basic Puppet Pals Instructional Video to get you started thinking about this technology tool if you haven’t used it already.

Here are some websites on migratory animals you may find helpful or interesting!

Earth Rangers Top Ten Most Amazing Animal Migrations

Nature Animal Migration

BBC Animal Migration Videos and Info

Cornell University Lab of Ornithology (study of birds — so any bird can be searched!)

NOVA Magnetic Field and Animal Migration