Welcome to my classroom blog
featuring Eye on Hood Canal!
Pioneer Primary's third graders in my classroom have participated in many science activities as part of their on-going studies in the project:
Eye on Hood Canal.
Eye on Hood Canal is a project that I developed after visiting Twanoh State Park over several years with my students as part of the Washington Sea Grant. Eye on Hood Canal has developed into a yearlong study of the Hood Canal watershed. The activities of the project engage students in learning about the environment, animals of the tidal zones, water quality, and environmental issues of the watershed of Hood Canal.
Students use technologies such as digital microscopes, Vernier water quality instruments and software, cameras, to document their experiences in the classroom and on the beach. They use computers to manage information, interpret data, and to produce their presentations.
In 2010, I received the Quest Grant in Technology and the TL21 Technology Grant to help support, Eye on Hood Canal with digital technologies.
featuring Eye on Hood Canal!
Pioneer Primary's third graders in my classroom have participated in many science activities as part of their on-going studies in the project:
Eye on Hood Canal.
Eye on Hood Canal is a project that I developed after visiting Twanoh State Park over several years with my students as part of the Washington Sea Grant. Eye on Hood Canal has developed into a yearlong study of the Hood Canal watershed. The activities of the project engage students in learning about the environment, animals of the tidal zones, water quality, and environmental issues of the watershed of Hood Canal.
Students use technologies such as digital microscopes, Vernier water quality instruments and software, cameras, to document their experiences in the classroom and on the beach. They use computers to manage information, interpret data, and to produce their presentations.
In 2010, I received the Quest Grant in Technology and the TL21 Technology Grant to help support, Eye on Hood Canal with digital technologies.
Comparing Land and Moon Snails
Each animal is uniquely designed to live in its environment.
What are some ways that snails protect themselves?
How are the snails alike and how are they different?
Students compare land and sea snails in the classroom science lab.
As they compare the snails, they learn how each is uniquely
adapted to their own environment.
Students use digital microscopes to observe
organisms from Hood Canal.
Working with Biogists
Jennifer Hopper, the Educational Outreach biologist for Taylor Shellfish in Shelton, Washington visits our classroom often to help students learn about the unique animals of the Hood Canal and Puget Sound tidal zones.
The moon influences the tides on Hood Canal.
How does the moon do it?
What is the difference between high and low tides?
Jennifer talks to the students about tides, the difference between
high and low tide and how the moon inflluences them.
She uses a graph to show differences in tides in a 24 hour period.
Students enjoy Hood Canal animals in the classroom.
Watershed Model
Emily Sanford, Water Resource Educator from
Washington State University uses a watershed model
to help students learn about how pollutants
drain into watersheds.
The Big Fish Day!
Several biologists came to visit Pioneer on the Big Fish Day.
The third graders rotated to each of the during the afternoon. The rotation included the salmon lab, the oyster egg lab, the clam lab, and the habitat lab. Daniel Spencer, a biologist from th US Fish and Wildlife Center, Emily Sanford, and Jennifer Hopper participated as facilitators in each lab.
Daniel Spencer with students during the salmon lab.
Dissecting the salmon.
Jennifer Hopper facilitated the shellfish lab.
She showed the children how to dissect
and identify parts of the clam.
Emily discusses the habitat surrounding Hood Canal. The estuaries contribute to abundant life surrounding the beaches. The students enjoy tide mapping and looking at the life cycle of the salmon.
This model displays the life cycle of a salmon.
Turbidity
Turbidity occurs naturally in our water.
Why is important for biologists to monitor turbidity?
What causes turbidity?
What happens when there is too much?
Does it matter if there is too little?
Students take samples from the manilla clam tank to test for turbidity at the beginning, during, and the end of the manilla clam filtering test.
Student using the Vernier turbidity sensor
and Logger Lite software on the computer.
The data in graph form was reviewed the next day.
Example of Vernier Turbidity Graph
Example of Student Turbidity Graph
Shellfish
Shellfish contribute to the water
quality of Hood Canal.
How do they do it?
What happens if the water is too polluted?
Students learned how shellfish filter water
in the filtering experiment.
They watched the manilla clams in sea water all day.
In this comparison test the clams filtered
the same amount of water.
Pretty Clean! Pretty Cool!
Twanoh State Park
Counting Crabs
Teri King: Marine Water Quality Specialist
from the University of Washington
helps students identify the moon snail and
demonstrates proper handling etiquette.
She helps the students identify low tide organisms and
discusses issues surrounding the animals of Hood Canal.
Jennifer helps students identify the tidal zones. Students
measure the drop in the water level as the tide goes out.
Emily Sanford, Water Resource Specialist from
WSU Extension: Mason County, talks to the students about
the creek habitat and the animals that use the estuary at
Twanoh State Park and in other local watersheds.
Stacy Czebotar, Forest Ranger for Twanoh State Park
talks to the students about the forest and watershed above the park
and how it affects the estuary and beach habitats.
Mrs. McGovern assists students with collecting data
on temperature and PH. They also collect water samples
to take back to class to test for turbidity.
A student tests PH.
Another student counts animals in a random sample.
Photo Story 3 Projects
Students research animals of Hood Canal and
present their slide shows to family,
peers, collaborating specialists, and Pioneer staff.
We'd like to link to other classrooms who are doing similar studies. :)
Aaron Tormanen helps students select photos for their slide shows.
Aaron's senior project involves assisting students learn through technology.
