Testing out a new web 2.0 tool

The MoonKam crater team is using thier crater investigation knowledge to help me test out a new mind mapping tool

Red-tailed Hawk Nest on live WEBCAM

Cornell Lab
LIVE: Red-tailed Hawk Nest

A new nest camera high above a Cornell University athletic field is streaming crystal-clear views of a Red-tailed Hawk nest via the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website. The new camera stream puts viewers 80 feet off the ground and right beside the nest, where they can watch the hawks arrive, see them taking turns incubating the eggs, and compare notes on the two birds—the male has a more golden-tawny face and is slightly smaller than the female, who has been nicknamed "Big Red" for her alma mater.

Inquiry Circles in Action

Today Dr. Cathy Kindem, from Cedar Park Elementary presented to our staff about Inquiry Circles, the work of Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels.  Teachers were led through the 4 stage process of: Immerse, Investigate, Coalesce, and Go Public. teachers were excited and motivated to try this activty wiht their classes.  for more information check out Barbara Bray's Blog- Rethinking Learning or this scholarly article in JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND LITERACY EDUCATION Two for One: Authenticity and Standards Through InquiryCircles

for more information on purchasing the boob click here. 

Owl Pellets and Inquiry

Owl pellets are an awesome jump into inquiry, but teachers often miss the opportunity.  Rather than telling your students what an owl pellet is and having them break one apart to find the rodent bones- why not leave a little mystery to the topic.  Allow students to investigate the mystery rock you’ve found, using a hand lens and a tooth pick.  If they need a little guidance ask them if they can break the rock apart or open it up, once one student does this, others quickly follow.  It won’t be long till your class realizes that this rock is full of bones.  What could it be? Why does it look like that? What does it remind you of? What other “rocks” do we learn about with bones in them? 

After students are done let them learn a little from each other as you create a class list about what they have learned about these new and interesting “rocks”.  Now is also your opportunity to correct any misconceptions and clear things up- no they are not fossils.  You can even show them a quick video clip of an owl casting a pellet for a deeper understanding of what this strange object is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUU895J6Vu0

Kindergarten STEM day a huge success

Our Kindergarten students participated in a STEM day of activities on January 31st.  Over 10 parents volunteered to run science, engineering, math and technology stations for our classes.  children explored gears, magnets, Ipod touches and much more. Our STEM day activities were funded by a grant form the DIstrict 279 Foundation.