When you think of your elementary school days, which science lab - if any - stands out? When my students are asked that question, I want them to immediately think of the owl pellets we dissected.
My students love hands-on activities - the messier, the better!
I teach at a small school in rural Florida. My classes include many students for whom English is their second language and students who have special learning needs. Our fourth grade is departmentalized and I try to do projects & find enough materials to get every child involved. I am amazed at the level and complexity of the conversations they have during project/lab time and try to do as many projects as possible in order to draw out those conversations.
My Project
For many years, my students have each brought in a couple of dollars and we've dissected owl pellets at the end of the year. However, as our school's free and reduced price lunch count has risen, the number of students able to afford their own pellet has dwindled. Over the years I have purchased dissection materials, teacher guides, and literature to use with this unit. Our last chapter in science investigates food webs. By dissecting owl pellets, my students will have the opportunity to explore an owl's place in the food chain. Students will also practice the skills they have learned in my science class (conducting & presenting research, finding mass, measuring using the metric system, recording observations using accurate sketches, and classifying the bones) before they piece skeletons back together and mount them in a project box with their research.
In our world today, students need to be able to complete research and keep accurate records.
They must also be able to analyze and discuss their findings with their peers. By completing the owl pellet project, my students will be engaged in complex tasks that require the use of many different skills they have learned throughout the year.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Keough and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.