J- They are Mama and Daddy.
A- This is a whale with the dinosaurs.
J2- We found babies for the mom and the dad.
Teacher- Your provocation is, "What do the animals need to survive?" Tell me about that.
J3- They all need water.
A- Food.
J3- A rock to stand up. Fish. The shark needs fish.
A- Toys and a bed. In a house!
Teacher- What is the animals' house?
J2- It's like the fairy house! Outside.
A- Monkeys live in trees. And we all need air.
Teacher- What is the animal's home called?
A- A home? No... A house?
J4- A habitat!
Teacher- Do all animals have the same habitat?
A- Some got water, some got air and some got homes.
Teacher- What kind of home?
A- Like the tree the monkeys live in. They've got to find food. Dinosaurs got to find meat.
After 120, I boarded a bus with 112 to head to the Aquarium of Niagara. We brought their ocean mural, which is being installed in the community room of the aquarium. They offered to hang it for us and they promised to send me a photo once it's in place.
The students had so much fun seeing the creatures they'd studied all year in person. They watched penguins being fed, saw the sea lion show twice and were surprised that we'd booked the Touch Tank, which allowed them to touch and hold several sea creatures!
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| Watching the penguins being fed. |
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| This shark cage was a big hit. Everyone took turns pretending they were being attacked by the shark. |
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| The sea lion show from above. |
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| The touch tank had starfish... |
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| ...and snails... |
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| ...four different kinds of crabs... |
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| ...a horseshoe crab... |
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| ...a lobster... |
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| He had rubber bands on his claws so he couldn't pinch us. |
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| The students were timid at first, but then they enjoyed touching the creatures. |
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| We saw turtles that looked like dinosaurs. |
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| This is where the mural is going to go. It's the perfect spot! |
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| The second graders are studying the sturgeon, so I took a pic for them. |
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| We had time to do some observational drawings of the sea lions. |
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| Then we watched the sea lion show from below. |
Before we left, I asked them to make predictions about what we would see. Seven students were on the trip and six had never been to the aquarium before.
Predictions:
We will see:
Penguins
Fish
Shark
Turtle
Drawings
At the end, I asked them to use the bus ride to think about something they learned.
M- Sea lions are friends with people and they can do tricks.
D- The sea lions can jump really high.
Marylian- The sea lion swim fast.
Arelys- The sea lion eats fish and the penguins eat fish.
When we got back to school, the students used graphic language to describe what they learned about.
I have to commend you for really listening to your students all year and pushing their thinking with your probing questions. Those were beautiful pictures that you took, as well.
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