Summer SAVY Session 4, Day 5, Animal Adaptations (Gruchot)
Day 5: Dear SAVY Families,
Happy Friday! I am so sad that today is our last day of SAVY Session 4: Animal Adaptations, but I am so grateful that I spent the time learning with and from your scientists this week. These scientists worked hard and showed me their best behavior all week. I could not have asked for more from a SAVY Class!
Today, we started the day observing our mealworms one last time. Once again, students noted changes from when we observed the mealworms just yesterday! We then debriefed the whole mealworm experience and connected our generalizations of change to our experiments and observations of the mealworms. Scientists took the mealworms home today, so I hope that they continue to observe changes in the mealworms’ life cycle, and maybe even see one grow all the way to the Darkling Beetle stage!
The rest of the day was focused on our “Create a Critter” project! We started by reviewing expectations for our critter and the visual display that goes with our critter. Students had to make sure that their critter had at least four specific adaptations to be able to survive and thrive in its habitat. This was a challenge for some scientists, but I was impressed with their creativity and perseverance in creating their critter!
Scientists used various art supplies to create their critters. Watching the ideas come to life in the form of a 3D model was one of the most rewarding parts of this week for me and the scientists alike! I know the scientists will be excited to share their model and poster display for their created critter at home. To end the day, we set up a museum and invited members of the SAVY and the greater PTY community to come view our displays. Some scientists were nervous to present their work at first, but all of them rose to the challenge to display their work. I am so proud of the scientists for executing another essential skill of a scientist: sharing and presenting their ideas.
We ended the day with a class debrief to connect all that we have learned about change and animal adaptations together!
Discussion Questions:
- How will you continue to observe your mealworm?
- What was the most challenging part of the “Create a Critter” project?
- Did you enjoy presenting your work?
- How did that feel?
- What do you want to continue learning after SAVY is over?
Thank you for sharing your scientist with me this summer! It was an honor to work with these scientists, and truly the highlight of my summer so far! I wish them all the best of luck and know they will excel in the upcoming school year.
Sincerely,
Miss Gruchot 🙂