Sloths, Pangolins and Sea Otters, oh my!

We started learning about animal variations and adaptations this week, and there is no better place to learn about animals in Tacoma than the Slater Natural History Museum at the University of Puget Sound! This tiny gem of a museum houses a large collection of specimens used by students in classes such as Zoology, Ecology and Evolution as well as thesis research; researchers studying mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and insects of the region; local birdwatching groups to learn about plumage; and classes such as ours through the museum's educational outreach program and science teaching kits. I think this is my absolutely favorite field trip!

Museum Director Peter Wimberger introduced us to the museum and talked about how we can learn about animals using specimens such as these stuffed birds and bird skeletons.

Then we broke into small groups for a series of short classes. UPS docent Zach showed us the difference between short, wide turkey wings; long, skinny albatross wings; and bald eagle wings that combined the qualities of both. He talked about how short, fat wings help birds fly upward, while the longer, thinner wings help them move forward and glide. Some of our students were amazed to learn that turkeys could fly, but quickly understood that big turkeys who fly only for short stints need more help getting into the air, while birds such as albatross, who spend much of their time flying over oceans, need to be able to glide for long periods, while eagles need a combination of both abilities.

UPS docent Eliza showed us specimens of sloths, armadillos and anteaters, all animals in the same family (or superorder), Xenarthrans, and asked us to look closely at the different species and think about what helps them get their food. We noticed similarities and differences in their claws and nose shapes and talked about the length of their tongues, discussing how these things helped each animal get its food and how it helped it thrive in its particular environment.

We also looked at these funny creatures, Pangolins. Although they share many similar characteristics to armadillos, their scales are made out of Keratin and we learned that they are actually more closely related to dogs and cats than to Xenarthrans.

We also got to take a look at the "fur fridge," which was a little like walking through the fur coats in the wardrobe into Narnia. Here, Eliza showed us the difference between sea otter vs. harbor seal fur and we felt how soft and thick the otter fur is to keep them warm in cold water.

UPS docent Meghanne showed us the skulls of a bear, beaver, wolf, and raccoon, and we sketched the teeth and talked about how sharp carnivore teeth are designed for ripping meat, while short herbivore teeth are more useful for grinding leaves and herbaceous materials.

We also spent some time sketching our favorite specimens in the big hallway display:

We played a round of "Herbivore, Herbivore, Omnivore" tag after lunch ...

and visited the Foucault's Pendulum display in Harned Hall before heading home.

The Slater Natural History Museum hosts regular "Nights at the Museum" which are open to the public. Here is the link for more information:

http://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/education-outreach/nights-at-the-museum/

Loving LIteracy!

Mrs. Towne and I recently gave a presentation at the 2016 Washington Educators of the Gifted and Talented (WAETAG) Conference about how we use a program called the "Daily 5" (known in our classes as "Daily Literacy") to differentiate for each student. We are very proud of the work we do to meet each student's unique needs and to make sure all of our students - whether they are beginning readers/writers or performing WELL above grade level - are challenged and learning something new every day.

Here is a link to our presentation, which talks about how and why we use choice as a primary differentiation tool, as well as some of the specific programs we use to build better readers, writers, spellers and THINKERS.

2016 WAETAG Prezi on Daily Literacy

And here are some of the results of this program: engaged, excited learners who love reading and writing!

Second graders engrossed in the magic of Harry Potter.

Guess what these two are also reading?

 "Reading to Someone" with favorite graphic novels...

picture books, 

  and more picture books...

 AND chapter books ... 

  and MATH books ... (yes, we also like to read during math!)

  Writing, writing, writing.

Listening to reading using Bookflix. (We love you, Tacoma Library System!)

  More writing

  Sharing poetry

  Sharing FUNNY poetry,

and, generally, LOVING literacy!

Giving Thanks

Seabury has a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition of getting together as a school before the holiday to share what we are thankful for, followed by a "feast" - each class brings a dish to share. This year, we added a new spin to this tradition by writing something we were thankful for on a pumpkin each day of November.  Here are our pumpkins, our class-made "turkeys," (the Gemstones made ours out of apples and veggies -- the Navigators cooked an actual turkey this year - delicious!) and some truly THANK-FULL Seaburians!

Yum! 

We are so lucky to have so many things to be thankful for - especially our school -

and each other!

Happy Thanksgiving!