Hello and welcome to June! The year has flown by as it always does. Thanks to every single BioSITE teacher, we had a fantastic 2008-2009 school year!!! From the new program changes we implemented in ACE that included in class introductions, and different Day 3 field study sites, to Leland stepping up and completing a second year of Alamitos Creek studies, to the additional Pioneer GPS/GIS projects!! We have been able to further develop our BioSITE Program in so many ways this year. We look forward to continuing with these great additions next year!
As for now- there are just a few last tidbits before you all sail off into the summmer....
1) We have received some great end of the year evaluation pieces from some of you, as well as journal samples from the Pioneer journals. Thank You! If you still can find time (this may be just what you need to break up crazy whorlwind of end of the year)- we suggest a few ways to reflect on the BioSITE year.
-Have your students write advice to next year's BioSITE 4th graders.
-Write a River of Words Poem
-Write a favorite memory of BioSITE
-Draw yourself at the river study site....
Any of this work I will be glad to pick up from you. We will be reviewing and saving samples of all this students work- to share at next year's fall training. Remeber- we will be here during the summer if you need anything--- or want to chat about next year...just email or call.
2) As for next years BioSITE, I will be sending out a request for a letter of intent to be returned by you or your principal. I am hoping that each participating school can contribute $500 for next year's program. Can you please email me and let me know where you stand on participation next year. That will give me a lead on planning. Cross your fingers that our Yahoo grant comes thru!
3) And to end this year properly..I am hoping you will be able to attend our BioSITE Teacher Thank You Tea. YOU ARE INVITED!!! Please attend our Tea, so that we can show you how much we appreciate all that you do! June 22 at 3:30 in the CDM Ampitheater. Please RSVP by June 17.
4) And last- but not least. Please complete the teacher surveys for us. All of your suggestions help us to better serve you-- next year!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
STEP
For all of you STEP Teachers out there......I expect the little alevin are burying themselves and you aren't seeing much these days. So now is the time to do some STEP activities.
Remember we have materials for you!
Salmon Survival, Fin Rummy, Fish Printing, Habitat Battleship.......
And look here for more ideas and resources! http://www.salmontrouteducationprogram.com/
And if you have any questions....or need help to plan the release- just let us know.
Remember we have materials for you!
Salmon Survival, Fin Rummy, Fish Printing, Habitat Battleship.......
And look here for more ideas and resources! http://www.salmontrouteducationprogram.com/
And if you have any questions....or need help to plan the release- just let us know.
May Reflection!
June is right around the corner- so before you get too busy here are some end of the year ideas and reminders:
---Posted here in the BioSITE Teacher blog you can find info on activities, kits, and links that will help you do more in your classroom.. Remember the more you do in your classroom- the more you students get out of their field experiences.
---And to help us all know what they actually did take away this year- there are two pages in your student journals that you can use as reflection acitivities. Now is the time! The two pages we have created in your students journals for end of the year reflection are: 1)Draw Yourself at the River (some of you did this at the beginning of the year- this will be a follow up). 2)The second reflection page is found toward the end of the journal, and has two river channel sketches. This is for students to complete the two different drawings by writing (and drawing) comments on each sketch that show their understanding of what makes a healthy river and what might cause a river to be unhealthy. Both of these reflection pages are very open ended- but we hope to get all kinds of insights as the students write, draw, and share what they have learned.
---Please let us get copies of this student work as it is very important to our evaluation and of course ongoing funding search....
Happy May!
---Posted here in the BioSITE Teacher blog you can find info on activities, kits, and links that will help you do more in your classroom.. Remember the more you do in your classroom- the more you students get out of their field experiences.
---And to help us all know what they actually did take away this year- there are two pages in your student journals that you can use as reflection acitivities. Now is the time! The two pages we have created in your students journals for end of the year reflection are: 1)Draw Yourself at the River (some of you did this at the beginning of the year- this will be a follow up). 2)The second reflection page is found toward the end of the journal, and has two river channel sketches. This is for students to complete the two different drawings by writing (and drawing) comments on each sketch that show their understanding of what makes a healthy river and what might cause a river to be unhealthy. Both of these reflection pages are very open ended- but we hope to get all kinds of insights as the students write, draw, and share what they have learned.
---Please let us get copies of this student work as it is very important to our evaluation and of course ongoing funding search....
Happy May!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
If your students want to see the headwaters of Guadalupe Creek
There are many parts of the watershed that we'd like to take students to investigate, but don't always get the chance. As a result, we've been taking large-format digital panoramas of some of them this year so you can bring these places into your classroom or computer lab if you choose. Just as an example, here's a shot of Guadalupe Creek in the fog near where it starts on the slopes of Mt. Umunhum.
Double-click on a part of the panorama to zoom, drag it to move around, or click on one of the snapshots at the bottom to see where it is located in the bigger picture.
You can use the controls to zoom in and examine quite a bit of detail -- one fun activity on this particular panorama is to see how many different spiderwebs students can find. We've taken snapshots of a few of them, but are sure you can find others!
More photos of places in our watershed are available for exploration at gigapan.org -- search on "biosite" to find them. Specific activities using the panoramas will be developed for next year, but we wanted you to have the chance to explore them sooner if you would like.
Double-click on a part of the panorama to zoom, drag it to move around, or click on one of the snapshots at the bottom to see where it is located in the bigger picture.
You can use the controls to zoom in and examine quite a bit of detail -- one fun activity on this particular panorama is to see how many different spiderwebs students can find. We've taken snapshots of a few of them, but are sure you can find others!
More photos of places in our watershed are available for exploration at gigapan.org -- search on "biosite" to find them. Specific activities using the panoramas will be developed for next year, but we wanted you to have the chance to explore them sooner if you would like.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Macroinvertebrate web games
As many of you are learning about creek macroinvertebrates at BioSITE this month, you might find the following web games/activities useful and fun for your students:
Build-a-Bug game: Students can piece together different bug body parts and learn about useful adaptations in the process.
Virtual Pond Dip: Students can click on critters in the photograph to learn more about them. They also have a simple identification key and habitat activity here.
Macroinvertebrate match game: simple matching of names with critters
Enjoy!
Build-a-Bug game: Students can piece together different bug body parts and learn about useful adaptations in the process.
Virtual Pond Dip: Students can click on critters in the photograph to learn more about them. They also have a simple identification key and habitat activity here.
Macroinvertebrate match game: simple matching of names with critters
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
April is here!
April is always a busy month for BioSITErs, and of course as Spring blooms- it makes all of us happy to be outside! So get ready!!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
BioSITE Open House
BioSITE Open House is just around the corner! Open house at CDM is a great time to showcase student work, introduce our program to the community, and invite visitors to try some hands-on BioSITE activities. BioSITE families are invited to visit the museum for free during the week of open house, giving BioSITErs the chance to share their unique program with the rest of their family. This year will be particularly exciting as we celebrate BioSITE's 15th anniversary!
- Saturday April 11 - Sunday April 19... Free CDM Admission to BioSITE families, student work and BioSITE posters on display all week
- Monday April 13 - Wednesday April 15... Special BioSITE activity tables facilitated by high school mentors
To get kids excited about this upcoming event, we have created a simple classroom activity for you. Students can make "Save the Date" invitations for their families to let them know that BioSITE open house is on its way! Inside the card you'll find details about open house, but the outside is blank for BioSITErs to decorate themselves! We will be emailing the project to everyone as a Word file attachment, so keep your eyes peeled.
Lastly, be thinking about class projects that you might like to have on display during open house. It will be a great source of pride for students to see their work on display in the museum!
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