Save Lucy-Battle for Bats Math and Engineering

It's fascinating to see what scientists are doing to help bats that are affected by White Nose Syndrome. Bats are a critical component in a healthy forest ecosystem, plus they provide significant agricultural pest control and pollination. Their survival is essential for a sustainable natural environment.  Bat houses are necessary to provide safe roosts during the summer.  With habitat loss many bats are without a safe place to raise their pups prior to winter hibernation.  We researched the importance of bat houses to our environment, how to build a bat house, and where to locate a bat house.  A Bat house was also donated by The Ohio Division of Wildlife to place on our school grounds.  This will be done in the Spring. You can locate amazing information on their Blog!  They are willing to help in any way they can to protect these endangered mammals. 

Resources to help us build our bat houses

Why Some Bat Houses Fail

It is important to learn from our mistakes.  Reading about why some bat houses fail can spark discussion and problem solving when designing your own bat house.

Building Bat Houses for Kids

Wild Kratts can be accessed to read information to help us design our houses. 

Caves in Ohio that are affected with White Nose Syndrome- This cave was closed do to a case of White Nose Syndrome.  It is important people realize that they can transport this fungus on clothing, so it's important to stay out of caves that have been closed. 

Cuyahoga Valley National Park


Ice Box Cave-Closed in Cuyahoga National Park.   

Authentic Writing in Science

"Many teachers attested to the power of authentic literacy activities. They reported that students came alive when they realized they were writing to real people for real reasons or reading real-life texts for their own purposes. Authentic literacy activities are related to greater growth in the ability to read and write new genres." The Reading Teacher Vol. 60, No. 4 December 2006/January 2007

Below our samples of our persuasive paragraphs.  Children read different articles based on their Independent Reading Level.   After reading we discussed the articles and decided what factual information we could  to persuade others to help bats with White Nose Syndrome. Our goal was to educate our community using factual evidence, in a persuasive manner.  

In my last post you saw the videos we created using their paragraphs.  Being able to effectively communicate information is an important life skill.  Often children have difficulty taking what they have read, organizing it, and then communicating it to others. With the use of graphic organizers in small group instruction students worked with me to learn how to write a persuasive paragraph.  One of our ELA standards.  My entire class did this at different instructional levels.  I couldn't be more proud of the final product, their passion, and all their hard work! 

Save Lucy Project Based Learning activities

This page highlights many of the activities in my class that connected science to other content areas. I hope viewing this Blog paints a picture of the exciting learning taking place in third grade!

Live Skype:  This video highlights key information from our Skype with Leslie Sturgis on White Nose Syndrome in Bats.  She was a wealth of knowledge!

Navigating Nonfiction Students linked to kid friendly websites and utilized nonfiction informational brochures (Battle of the Bats) to locate information on White Nose Syndrome, loss of habitat, the importance of bats to the environment, and how we can help them.  ELA indicators were interwoven into small group instruction to meet nonfiction reading and writing standards. Students are working on Persuasion paragraphs in these pictures.  We are locating reasons and examples to convince our community to help save Little Brown Bats.

Students also used technology during independent work time to link to kid friendly websites that are at their independent reading level.  This student locates information for his brochure on bats.

Bat Posters-Mythbusters-Children use factual evidence to bust the myths that surround bats.

Nearpod: Students participated in a Nearpod lesson to learn the Engineering and Design process.

This lesson was a springboard for students to design and build their own prototype of a bat  house. Problem solving and critical thinking skills are employed as they build and then find a location for their house.  Students in the video discuss their design.

Students building bat house prototypes

Cause/Effect- If students build a house and place it in a prime location, the effect will be safe roosting areas for bats to care for their pups over the summer.  Increased population will hopefully help with the loss of bats due to White Nose Syndrome. Habitat loss from housing and business' has a direct impact on our environment.  We will put up a bat house in the Spring that was donated by The Ohio Division of Wildlife.


TOUCHCAST VIDEOS

Touchcast presentations:  Students worked on speaking and listening skills using the Touchcast App. The read their persuasive paragraphs to SPREAD the word about White Nose Syndrome and how we can help using Social Media to our community.  Students are educating others about the importance of bats and the implications of White Nose Syndrome on this species.  Here are some of our videos.

Save Lucy Presentation Ohio Department of Education

I presented this project yesterday at the Ohio Department of Education for the Science Network Regional Leaders. The group will now take the work I have started and develop it for Ohio Schools to use in Middle School and High School.  Here is the presentation I shared yesterday.

Save Lucy Presentation for Ohio Department of Education