Using a graduated cyclinder

During today's class, the students practiced measuring liquid volume. They used 3 different sized graduated cylinders. We had a 25ml, a 100ml, and "Big Bertha", a 1,000ml graduated cylinder. The purpose of today's activity was to learn to measure liquid volume accurately to the nearest ml.

Bird of the Week - Vl

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Red-tailed hawk. The most common and widespread hawk in North America, the Red-tailed hawk is the most common and widespread hawk in North America. It is a bird of open country, but also frequents woodlots and suburban backyards. It is frequently seen sitting on utility poles where it watches for rodents in the grass along the roadside.

This large hawk has long and broad wings. It's wing span is between 45 - 52 inches. That's 4 1/2 feet! The tail is broad and red and most commonly has a pale chest and dark band across it's belly.
The Red-tailed hawk is a sit-and-wait predator, usually watching from elevated perch and then flying down to capture small and medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles. It will take young birds and squirrels out of their nests sometimes.

Around here, the Red-tailed hawks' nest is a large bowl of sticks in tall tree. You may also see their nest atop of a utility (light) pole along the highway.

While many eastern Red-tailed hawks migrate, there is a sizable number that live aroung here year-round.

By Golly, By Gum!

Today's activity asked the question, "What happens to the mass of gum after chewing it for 10 minutes? The experiment gave the kids the opportunity to practice the Scientific Method, using a balance scale, recording data, graphing data, and working cooperatively. Here are some photos from the activity.

Plum Island Field trip videos

Here is a video from last Friday's field trip!

Field Trip to Plum Island

Last Friday's field trip to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (Plum Island) in Newburyport, MA went very well! While the weather was partly sunny, the wind was blowing quite strong. This kept the bird watching below average. We did see the following birds: Lesser yellow legs, Great blue heron, Great egret, Gadwall (duck), Yellow-rumped warbler, and several others. We walked the Hellcat Trail through a marsh and then continued it up into the sand dunes where we got spectacular views of the ocean and the salt marsh. Here are some photographs from the trip.

Bir of the Week - V

This weeks "Bird of the Week" is the Downy woodpecker. The Downy woodpecker is the smallest and most common American woodpecker. It is found throughout most of North America from Alaska to Florida. It lives in a variety of habitats from wilderness forests to urban backyards, and comes readily to bird feeders. This small woodpecker is about 6 - 7 inches long. It has a black and white plumage and a small, pointed bill. The male has a small, red patch on the back of its head while the female has a black patch. Can you tell which photograph is of the male?

They eat small insects found on the branches of trees and the stems of weeds. They nest in the cavity (hole) in a tree or tree branch.

To learn more about the Downy woodpecker and to hear it's call, click on this link:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Downy_Woodpecker_dtl.html

Photos taken from Cornell's All About Birds.

Bird Migration Research

The students have been researching a bird from a list of birds I gave them. This list reflects some of the birds we might possibly see on Friday's field trip to Plum Island. Using the Computer Lab and/or the laptops, the students are visiting 3 bird identification sites I have posted. In addition, books and maps are available for them to use to help them complete a series of questions about their bird. They also have to label the summer (breeding) and winter ranges of their bird on a map of the western hemisphere. They also have to get a picture of their bird. They can download one from the Internet and print it or they can draw/paint a picture of it. This work is being done during science classes. The 3 bird identification sites are listed on the right hand side of this blog, too.