Community Mapping

Saturday, January 11th, 2014, I attended world renowned scientist and activist Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots training at UCF in Orlando. Dr. Goodall challenges youth to make a difference in their community by choosing a cause and planning a campaign for change. It begins with investigating human, animal and environmental issues in our area through mapping our community around our school. After viewing a third grade project from Colorado on YouTube called, K.Klaver-Roots and Shoots Video, I was inspired to work on a campaign with my students. The project is to be student driven. The children investigate, choose an issue and plan the campaign, with adults in the background for guidance and support.

Here my students are creating their maps.

Once my students became familiar with our community and current issues in the area, the children communicated with me the issues they felt were most important to them. Then they cast their vote for the top issue by placing a sticker on a poster representing that issue.

The class voted to inform the local public about safely co-exisiting with the Florida Black Bear. In recent months there have been bear attacks on people and pets in and around our area. As the black bear population is making a come back from being dangerously close to extinction, human population in Florida is increasing as well. Bear habitats are being destroyed by developing communities, decreasing accessible habitat for bears, which means less food for them. Bears are on the hunt for food and their hunger is overriding their fear of humans. Garbage cans, dumpsters, deer feeders and bird feeders are all bear attractants. People have been feeding bears unintentionally and intentionally. The day after my students chose a Black Bear campaign, there was an article in the newspaper about a local woman being arrested for feeding bears. I felt so  proud of my students and validated with their community service project choice.

Check back with us soon, as we develop our project plan...sooooo exciting...

Brrrrrr! Let's Make Hot Chocolate

First Graders learn to write a How To....text.

 

 

What better way to to learn how to write a step by step sequence writing, than by first having a

hands-on experience performing the steps. The past few mornings sunny Florida has been bone chilling. We've been waking up to frosted windows. So today, I decided to surprise my students with a little writing warm-up complete with hot chocolate. Before school, I boiled water in a huge pot at home and filled every thermos I own (4) in order to have enough hot water to serve my class of eighteen...

Busy Bees

Last week we read a story called, Honey Bees. In science students explored how pollen (crushed Cheetos) clings to a bee's legs (their fingers) as it is getting nectar (Worther's Originals). Then the little bees flew off to other flowers to drink nectar. The pollen on their little bees' legs brushed off on the visit to the next flowers.

 

Can you see the pollen?

For the Birds

 

On Thursday, January 16th, students enjoyed The Birds of Prey Show.

Students had an opportunity to check out a hawk, an owls, a vulture and an eagle up close.

 

 

We have a stuffed toy eagle in our bird watch center. After the Birds of Prey show this student got our class eagle and said, "Look Ms. Gossett, it is balancing on my finger!"

New Year, New Learning!

With a new year comes resolutions and goal setting. What a perfect time of year to foster leadership and teach students the 7 Habits of Happy Kids! Here at Cracker Trail Elementary we started Stephen Covey's The Leader in Me program "TALK," back in August, but now we are going to put our "TALK" into action and "WALK the TALK!" Administrators, teachers and students are putting pen to paper and will be writing mission statements. There will be a new mission statement for the school. Each classroom teacher with the input of his/her students will write a classroom mission statement. Then every school employee and student will write his/her very own mission statement too.

For the next two weeks, we will focus on Habit One, being proactive. Check out some of the song videos below.


Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 1: Be Proactive

A Song written by a student from a different school

 

 Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

 

 

7 Habits Songs

 by Teachers and Students from other schools...