Monarchs,
Weather & Whooping
Cranes/Grade3/Maryland
Frances Koontz
Grade 3
Rockledge Elementary School
Bowie, MD
Your program is a major part of my curriculum. Our study of monarch
butterflies has been very exciting for my students. We have a year
long bulletin board that built as the year progressed. We posted our
predictions for the monarch return, copies of the pictures you supplied
of the people who live near the Mexican habitat, pictures and drawings
of the life cycle of the monarch, and maps of migration routes. We
had a debate about your challenge question on the people who live near
the habitat and how we in the United States should help save this region.
We gathered a lot of data about temperature and weather patterns. We are still
taking daily temperature readings of soil and air and monitoring daily weather
conditions. I use this in math to put this information into charts and graphs.
We also then compare our information with data from the newspaper.
- I think my third graders really understand natural cycles from
studying the tulips, butterflies and whooping cranes. This understanding
comes through in their writing.
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Because this project is real and happening now I am excited
about it and, therefore, my students become excited, too.
I would like to see a more dependable way to link my class
to another third grade class in another part of the country.
I realize you have no control over this but, perhaps more
reminders or incentives in the program could encourage
this component.
- We took a field trip to the Patuxent Wildlife Center in the fall
to see their display on whooping cranes. This is a major center for
the study and preservation of the whooping cranes. We talked to the
naturalist about the work they do with raising the cranes. We also
followed the news articles about the cranes that were trained to
follow the planes.
- I could use more information written for younger students. I edited
information or interpreted as we used data and information.
- The improvement needs to come from our end. We have to go to a
lab to access your information. I would love to have the access in
my classroom. I know we would extend the project with that capability.
- Your program helps my students feel like real scientists. Thank
you for providing exciting learning for third graders in Maryland.
If you have tips you'd like to share, please
write to Journey North: jnorth@learner.org
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