My Worry is Over!

Last week was so stressful for me.  On Monday our shad eggs were delivered and my stressed started.  How was I going to manage the students with the eggs and did I know everything I needed to know.  Half our eggs were dead on arrival and we didn't clear all of them out right away, which caused more to die. 

The week went by really quickly with caring for the eggs.  Each day students removed the dead eggs and counted our live babies.  Our mortality rate was really high,and every night I went to bed dreaming of shad eggs and praying that one would hatch for release into the wild on Friday.  The nature center where we had planned to release the eggs, had contacted the newspaper and had a reporter coming to the release.  AAAHHHH the stress!!!

Here are some live eggs.

By the time Friday got here, my head was hanging inside a water tank, with the classroom lights out searching for fish.  We had two and the students enjoyed the whole process and learning so much.  The cared for the eggs, removed the dead eggs, tested the water and got to see the fry and eggs under a microscope.  It was an amazing project that still has to be cleaned up entirely, but I can't wait to experience it next year. 

Releasing a fry.

We had 5 that we got to release and had an amazing learning experience through the process.

Integrating Science

My class has been continuing their study of life cycles.  We looked at complete and incomplete metamorphosis and have created many things to help us understand the difference between all of the different life cycles.  One thing students created was a complete and incomplete metamorphosis, was to create a booklet with pictures and the definition of each stage.

I just used index cards and then bound them together with yarn. 
I teach in an exciting school where my students are able to experience many different things.  In learning about metamorphosis I was able to get them into the creek that runs behind school where they found different macro-invertebrates and were able to use guides to identify and draw the different macros.

Afterward students chose a macro to study.  I found a great website that has little identification sheets for each and macro.  Students were able to use these and recreated the life cycle and wrote about the cycle.

Here is the great website

http://creekconnections.allegheny.edu/Modules/On-LineActivities/AquaticMacros/aquaticinsectfactsheets/