Saturday, October 17, 2015

Data and Graphs!

Hey Science Friends,
What a great week we had and the end of the week had me excited for the next when a teacher friend brought me some books to look over. It made my day. I have looked the world over for appropriate books about graphs and never could find what I was looking for...until now!
Believe it or not, concept books are my favorite. They always have been. And these books came at the perfect time just as we are comparing numbers in math and looking at weather data in science. We have gotten so good we had to increase the quantities that we are comparing. And when those quantities get larger we need some helpful tools to organize it all...graphs!
There are several in this series and you are going to want them all! There is just no way to get just one. I searched Amazon and was able to find all of the books in the series. What a thrill it was to put these books into my cart and know they will be at my doorstep within days. Just in time for me to look them over, take a few notes and plan how I am going to use them in class. And I will carry them to the library and beg my librarian to order them all because we need them there too. 
My kids already know that I read the same books to them more than once so I know that these books will be worth every penny to me. I read with a different purpose or focus. And another reason I had to have this set of books is because it has longevity. We can use these books all year long. And if I needed another reason I know I can use them for math and science and that just seals the deal for me. I feel like I hit the jackpot! 
I will spend time modeling, practicing and talking to the children about how to read these books independently even if they can't read all the words. The pictures are good enough to support some independent thinking when children browse these books. So, in the independent browsing bins these will go when I finish using them. Just think of all the opportunities for the children to use comparative language when looking through these! 

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Penguins In The Classroom!

Hey Science Friends,
 Are you ready for the 2015-2106 Adélie Penguin breeding season in Antarctica?   Starting Nov 24, follow 10 new penguin families as they raise their chicks at Cape Royds, on Ross Island.  Adopt a penguin family, keep a field notebook, record parent foraging trips, egg hatching and chick rearing data. Follow daily pictures as these amazing birds raise their chicks. http://www.penguinscience.com/education/royds_nestcheck.php
Combine science, art and geography. Have your students track their penguin postcards as they are mailed down to us, and then back from Antarctica. http://www.penguinscience.com/education/postcards.php

 Design and make a flag to fly at our research station.
 http://www.penguinscience.com/education/design_flag.php
 Ready made instructional powerpoints (with teaching notes) about penguins, Antarctica and more!

Something for everyone about Antarctic!

Penguin Science is an NSF funded project engaging and educating classrooms and the public about Antarctica and the amazing Adélie penguins as they raise their chicks and cope with global climate change.