Happy Thanksgiving!

The children and I are getting into the holiday spirit. As I write, Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are stacking up in the classroom and pinecone turkeys are scattered about the tabletops. In anticipation of parent/teacher/student conferences, portfolios are becoming fuller as the children add evidence of and reflections about their learning. They are also busy working on their inquiry presentations, making visual aids to show what they have learned about their various animals. Inquiry presentations will be Tuesday, November 27, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in our classroom. Please try to attend if possible. The children love a friendly audience!

As part of our inquiry, the class will be dissecting owl pellets tomorrow. Are you wondering what owl pellets are? Owl pellets are masses of bones, teeth, hair, feathers, scales, and insect skeletons. They are produced and regurgitated, not only by owls, but also by hawks, eagles, and other raptors which swallow their prey whole or in large pieces. They are about 47 mm in length and 33 mm in width and have been sterilized for classroom purposes. Each owl pellet contains virtually complete skeletons of the animal the owl ate the night before the pellet was formed. Each child will get a pellet to dissect, and will clean the bones of debris and sort the bones according to type (e.g., skulls, vertebrae, etc.). The skulls may give the best information for identifying the prey. I’ve never done this before, so I’m excited about seeing the response of the children as they explore and discover. 

Posted on November 15, 2007 1:15 PM | Permalink