Our Whooping Crane Folders: Try It!

Each year as part of a cross curriculum study I make what are fondly called Crane Folders for every 3rd grader. Many of the pages in this folder were created based on information I found mainly on the Journey North and the Operation Migration websites. Throughout the migration we do activities in this folder. There are pages for mapping the path and stop-over locations, data recording, state research on each state the birds pass through, vocabulary development, word search puzzles and coloring pages.

I teach Science to all the classes 3 days a week. On those days we begin by checking the daily updates on the Journey North Whooping Crane News Page and record information, such as how far they flew, total miles flown, etc. for each day of migration. We also map the journey along the way and record arrival dates for each stop-over location. We use most of our class time on days when a lot is happening with the migration; other days we can get the data nd information done quickly aand move on to whatever is next in the other parts of my science curriculum. Once migration begins the children will, withoujt fail, walk in my door asking, "Did they fly today?" The Whooping cranes soon become their favorite part of science, and have been mine since the fall of 2008, when hey first started flying into "our very own backyard," St. Marks NWR, only 30 miles away!

Create your own customized photo label for each folder.	Print the complete stopover list (.pdf) for record-keeping.	Study the states on the cranes' journey south with Claire's Fact Pages (.pdf).

Also add Journey South's selection of click-and-print journal pages!