Past projects 5
Hatching Quail Eggs to Learn About Change and Life Cycles
Funded Aug 22, 2016We've loved this project from the moment we began incubating our eggs. We spent 21 days of excited discussion anticipating our hatch and we used that time to do a lot of research and in-depth learning about our quail so that we were ready to care for them! They really are amazingly tiny! When they hatched, they were each the size of a bumblebee!
This project directly connected to our October Kindergarten unit: Observing Changes. We used our quail project to ask and answer so many questions: How do we notice change? Where can we see change? What does change mean? How can change make things better? How does change make us feel? Everyone can make a change. To tell about change, we realized need to think about sequence and this led to expanding our writing to include beginnings, middles and ends in our narratives.
The quail project you funded, allowed us to go in-depth as we explored life cycles and the concept of change. This helped us build the framework for our philanthropic and empathetic future work this year. We tied our discoveries and observations into our differentiated learning paths and made connections to what we read. This project provided a purpose for making computations and measurements, finding natural patterns and creating our own along the way.
THE STORY OF OUR HATCH
It took 21 days, but overnight, our eggs hatched! We now have a little covey of quail, all different colors! You can see the first quail chick in the incubator, which we've been watching turning and keeping our eggs warm for the past three weeks. Our quails pipped (poked a hole in their shell with their egg tooth) and spun around in a circle poking more holes until the top of the shell was able to come off. When they came out, their down feathers were wet, but they fluffed up quickly.
The quail project led to fieldwork in our community! We were able to see all kinds of full grown quail in the butterfly haven when went go to the Peggy Notebaert museum for our first Kindergarten field trip. We talked about temperature during our Math talks. We looked closely at a thermometer (Math and Science tool) and practiced skip counting backwards by fives, so that we could figure out how the temperature for the chicks would have to change using the brooder. When they were in the incubator, we had to keep the temperature at about 100 degrees, once they hatched, they were kept warm at about 95 degrees. Each week, we'll lowered the temperature by 5 degrees until they were closer to room temperature. We even compared Celsius to Fahrenheit, because our incubator used Celsius and we had to figure out what the temperature would be in Fahrenheit!
This project also led to an exploration of animal homes: We looked at many different types of nests on loan from the Field Museum. We've learned that many different animals are oviparous and our conversations led to interest in building our own STEM and Reggio Emilia-inspired nest. We watched as a weaver bird built a globe nest (a sphere) and were amazed as it used it's beak to weave materials together to make it's nest stronger and stronger! Before we began our work, we each drew a plan for what our nest should look like in order to keep eggs safe and warm. We decided it should be both soft and strong.
As they grow, we noticed our quail chicks' down feathers were replaced with adult feathers. We noticed that the process started with their wings and the tails. We observed the change in color. We talked about why the birds might need their wing feathers to change first and decided this would help them stay away from predators. We adjusted their environment as they grew, noticing that it needed to change as they changed!
Now that they are fully grown, we are watching for the next part of their life cycle: laying eggs! Then we'll be back to the beginning and can visualize the circle first-hand! This is our next step and we look forward to making connections to this incredible experience all year, thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Silvers
Kindergarten Authors and Artists
Funded Sep 16, 2015The Kindergarteners absolutely adore their new books, puppet theater and puppets. There have been smiles and all kinds of discussion ever since the packages arrived! The students enjoy using the books during Read to Self, when they practice carefully looking at the pictures and the words as they deepen their comprehension and develop stamina. The students also enjoy the books when I read them aloud. We read one during our closing circle today and had everyone laughing and thinking at the same time!
The Kindergarteners use the puppets during their center time. They are thrilled to work together to plan a performance. It's been a pleasant surprise to notice what amazing listeners they've become! They've quickly become kind and appreciative audience members. We call our puppet theater the retelling center and I often the Kindergarteners bringing the stories we've read to life using their new puppets. The Folkmanis puppets make this easier since they are so durable and detailed and truly look like the animals they represent.
We work with the new theater and puppets and have new ideas everyday. Our newest project is creating puppets of ourselves! Inspired by the felt board portion of the theater, we are going to attach photos of ourselves to pieces of felt! From becoming part of the story through felt puppets or simply retelling the story with the puppets, the students are thinking more deeply about their books then ever before.
With so much gratitude,
Mrs. Silvers”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Silvers
Amazing Books for Our Kindergarten
Funded Aug 21, 2015The Kindergarteners are absolutely loving their new books. From the moment I placed them in the classroom library, they were in the hands of the students. They enjoy using them during Read to Self, where they put them in their book boxes and carry them carefully to a special spot somewhere in our room. They use them to expand their vocabulary and develop stamina. They are choosing the books based on interest and reading level. Needless to say, the books are highly engaging and are the first ones the students choose!
The Kindergarteners also use the books to Listen to Reading (the audio books) and when practicing Read to Someone. They are especially excited for Read to Someone because they read with a partner. As new students, they can get to know each other as friends while supporting and coaching each other as they become stronger and more confident readers. It's so much fun to hear them using voices for the characters and discussing what they noticed with each other. Their smiles are infectious... it is quickly apparent that access to great books as a young child will inspire a life-long love of Reading!
When I read the books with the Kindergarteners during our Read-Alouds, I hear them interact with the text by asking questions and making connections. They think deeply about the characters and are learning to look for how characters change within a story. I am thrilled to be able to share new characters with my students, and at the same time, I am excited to be able to introduce them to complex classic characters. This project has truly helped my students think and enjoy Reading everyday.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Silvers
Create A Kindergarten Classroom!
Funded Nov 13, 2014From the moment the boxes arrived, the Kindergarteners have loved using their new materials. I am amazed daily by how they work together and discover, whether it is using the light table, the sensory table, or reading together under the bookshelf arch. They are excited to explore new concepts as a team. They are engineers designing structures with the light table materials and the mirror blocks. They are scientists and mathematicians observing x-rays and problem solving together. I've loved seeing their learning become fun as they pull letters from the sand and water table to make amazing words, becoming stronger spellers, readers and authors.
With your kind and generous gift to our classroom, you've truly helped create an exceptionally beautiful, interactive and hands-on Kindergarten environment in which I'm fortunate to see the students grow each and every day.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Silvers
A Classroom Rug to Help Us Grow
Funded Sep 6, 2013The students were so very excited to receive their beautiful new carpet! From the moment it arrived in the classroom, they were engaged. They talked about how the tree looked just like the plants they were drawing in their Science Journals. Each student happily found their own leaf to sit on and we talked about how amazing it was to have this resource in our classroom.
We use the carpet daily for whole group meetings in every subject area. We even have small group meetings where we spread our Math journals out in a "rainbow" around our the trunk of the tree. Often, students choose two leaves to read with each other. At times, they work individually and comfortably on their own leaf, making words or writing stories and letters. We placed the carpet in front of our interactive whiteboard and now, thanks to you, each student can see and participate in active learning every single day.
The project you've funded has given my first graders a warm place to learn and grow. It is thematically connected to the daily learning in a first grade classroom. You've brought the outdoors and nature into our classroom. Thank you for providing an amazing tool that helps young children succeed. It has boosted my teaching by allowing me to provide a place for each student to explore and learn in the way that is most beneficial for each child.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Silvers