Today, the 1st graders learned some of the ins and outs of being a wildlife biologist! They started by learning that words can often be broken into smaller chunks to figure out their meaning.
bio=life
ology=the study of
ist=someone who
They learned that wildlife biologists study how animals interact with their environment. They also learned that an adaptation is a behavioral or physical feature that helps a plant or animal survive in their environment. They practiced identifying adaptations of lots of animals.
The 1st graders also drew connections between their understanding of adaptations and inventions by learning about biomimicry, or copying plant and animal adaptations to improve human life. They played a matching game and learned about all sorts of biomimicry projects such as honeycomb-inspired army tires, a kingfisher-inspired bullet train, and boxfish-inspired car!
We finished the day by video chatting Dr. Rachel Stein from the University of Idaho (okay, she officially graduates on Saturday...) Dr. Stein is one of my graduate school classmates and a wildlife biologist! The 1st graders practiced asking relevant questions and follow-up questions and couldn't get enough of hearing about her work with pigmy rabbits, bats, and other small mammals. Thanks for taking time to talk to us, Dr. Stein!!
The last class will be May 15th.
As we begin our school year and face new challenges, we are seeking new ways to enrich your child's education both in person and virtually. Our current wish list includes a set of classroom cameras (~$100 ea), craft supplies of all sorts, and Rubik's Cubes ($12)! Please click on the link below to donate to my Boise Foundation Account. [LOWELL/GATE/GABRIELLI,AUDREY]
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY DONATED!
IT WILL BE PUT TO GOOD USE RIGHT AWAY!
(I'll start posting as soon as I have confirmed which students from each school are on the No Photo List. Thanks for your patience!)