 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Signs of Spring Update: March 1, 2002
Today's Report Includes:
- Worms Already Wriggling!
- Worms in Winter
- Survivors: Challenge Question #6
- Fine Slime
- What's it Like to be a Worm? Link to Lesson
- Try This! Literature Link
- Alike and Different From Humans: Response to Challenge Question #5
- Earthworm Data
- Frog Data
Worms Already Wriggling!
|
|
- It was 70 degrees in Beverly, New Jersey, on February 9 when 11th grader Angelica spotted a worm at her friend's house. "It was sunny, breezy, and in the 70's. The soil was soft and the sun was shining on it."
- In Charlton, MA, sixth graders peeked under some large rocks in their garden at about noon on February 11 and found "2 small worms on the surface of the dirt. This seemed unusual since it had snowed lightly in the morning. Also saw 2 crickets. This was encouraging, and after more looking we found another large earth worm about 3 inches long. One child picked it up and commented on how slimy it was -- and sure enough it had some substance on it that looked like egg whites."
Of course, no one reported digging through the record-breaking 81.5 inches of
snow that fell on Buffalo, NY, in December to search for worms! But other reports
of earthworms in February have come from Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, New
York, and Minnesota.
So what are these worms doing wriggling about in the middle of winter? And what was
that mysterious slime on the worm found by the students in Charlton, MA? Keep reading
and you'll find out!
Worms in Winter
Normally worms can't move if their body temperature gets very cool. By the time the soil is frozen, worms are too still to budge, and many of them actually die if they reach the freezing point. So the worms that survive northern winters are usually the ones that have buried themselves deepest in the soil.
But worms aren't exactly rocket scientists, and they don't carry little calendars on them. So the only way they know what to do is by the conditions around them. When worms start getting a little cold, they burrow down. When they get too cold, they stop moving. If they don't get cold enough to burrow deep, they stay near the surface and when the air is moist, they sometimes move upward. All in all, worms make great signs of spring after a real northern winter. But in a year with record-breaking mild conditions, worms aren't that reliable.
Survivors: Challenge Question #6
As spring comes, more and more of you will be finding earthworms. The worms people saw in January and February may be too close to the surface to survive the days when temperatures really drop. When spring really comes, which worms will be the survivors?
Challenge Question #6:
"Would you expect to see more baby or adult earthworms in early spring? Explain your reasoning."
(To respond
to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
Fine Slime
How about that weird slime the Charlton students saw? Mucus produced by glands on a worm's skin helps keep it moist so the worm can breathe. Slimy mucous also kills germs to protect the worm. It even coats the soil as the worm burrows, helping keep the soil particles stuck together so burrows don't collapse. You can see why slime is more than fine; to a worm, it's a matter of life or death.
Since the very slimy worm the Charlton students saw was large and probably a mature adult, the slime may well have been what is called the saddle. Adult worms, which each have male and female parts, produce eggs in an egg tube. When the eggs in the egg tube are ready, the worm wiggles backwards out of the saddle. As the saddle passes the egg tube, 6 eggs fall in. When the worm pulls its head out of the saddle, the saddleís ends close up and make a tiny round cocoon with the eggs inside. This cocoon protects the eggs until they hatch out and tiny but fully developed worms crawl out.
What's It Like to Be a Worm? Link to Lesson
How would the world look, sound, and feel if you lived at ground level or below, if you couldn't control your body temperature or even shiver when you were cold, and if you had no arms or legs and could only wiggle to move about? Check out this lesson that compares your body functions to a worm's! Then imagine you're a worm. What could you do on a day in your life when you don't get gobbled up by a robin? Facts and fun activities -- find them here:
 |
Try This! Literature Link
Robins eat worms, and plenty of them. The little worm in Gary Larson's book, There's a Hair in My Dirt: A Worm's Story, isn't happy with his lot at the bottom of the food chain. In an outburst at the worm family's table one day, the little worm yells, "Dirt for breakfast, dirt for lunch, and dirt for dinner! Dirt, dirt, dirt! And look--now there's even a hair in my dirt!" Read the book and enjoy these activities:
- Write a letter to the little worm. In your letter, compare your life to the worm's, or tell him why he could be proud to be a worm, or think of your own message.
- Turn the book into a play and invite another class. At the end of the play, present facts you learned about worms.
- List earthworm facts from the book on a chart. List your questions on another chart. How will you find the answers?
Alike and Different: Response to Challenge Question #5
Last time, when we learned that crows have something to crow about, we asked you to: "List at least five ways that crows are similar to humans. List at least five ways that crows are different from humans."
Dylan and Kate responded for Ms. Thurber's sixth grade at Ferrisburgh Central School in Ferrisburgh, Vermont (fcschool@adelphia.net). These students have something to crow about after their good research and thinking! Look at their lists! Did you think of anything else?
Similarities:
1. They are both noisy.
2. They are very social.
3. They are found almost all over the world.
4. They both eat a variety of food.
5. Both parents raise the offspring.
6. They both have lots of ways to communicate. Crows have 23 different types of calls.
7. Both are thought to have the highest intelligence for their species. Crows have the highest intellect of birds, humans the highest intellect for mammals.
Differences:
1. Crows are much smaller, they only grow to be about one pound.
2. It is difficult to tell the differences between male and female crows.
3. Crows have a shorter life span that people - normal life span is about 10 years.
4. They have four to six babies at a time.
5. They lay eggs.
6. They have wings.
7. The only color on a crow is black ( no blondes or redheads)!
8. No computer internet access available for crows!
Earthworm Migration Data
Even though they only travel a few feet, earthworms undergo a "vertical" migration each spring after the ground thaws. Worms have wiggled their way to the surface in the following places. Be sure to report your FIRST sighting so it will be on our final map May 10!
 |
Frog Migration Data
Frogs have tuned up and started singing in these places.
 |
- Link to Data for First Frogs Singing
Please Report "Signs of Spring" From Your Part of the World!
 Report your "Signs of
Spring" sightings to Journey North. |
Your observations will be incorporated into "Signs of Spring" updates according to the schedule above. Thanks for sharing!
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address an E-mail message to: jn-challenge-spring@learner.org
2. IMPORTANT: In the Subject Line of your message write:
Challenge Question #6.
3. In the body of the message, give your answer to the question above.
The Next Signs of Spring Update Will be Posted on March 8, 2002.
Copyright 2002 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
