Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Wonderful, Wild, and Amazing Animals!, 2012

As part of our animal adaptation science unit, Beverly Critcher 
from Wildlife Experience will bring wild animals
that are native to North America
to Mrs. Ranney's class for careful
scientific observation.


They are a non-profit wildlife education organization that brings native and exotic animals to schools and teaches children about the importance of our natural world.

************


Our first visitor was an arachnid.  
This arachnid, named Ocho, is a rose-haired tarantula, 
which gets its name from its light pink fur.
One physical adaptation that it has is the hooks on its feet to help it climb.
Tarantula's are the biggest species of spiders in the world.



 This is Ocho's last shed. When shedding, tarantula's lay upside down for two days!


A tarantula has eight eyes since it can't move its head to see in all directions.
 


 In this photo, is a tarantula and its egg sac. 
Tarantulas can lay up to 250 eggs at one time!



 Baby tarantulas, called spiderlings, are born clear, 
but as they grow and shed, they gain color.







 Tarantulas are not poisonous, but this spider is!
If the black widow bites you, it can make you very sick or even cause death!



Black widow females have a red hourglass shape on their bellies as 
warning coloration!



The most poisonous spider in California is the brown recluse, sometimes called the hobo spider because they like to travel by hiding in or on your clothing.

*********


 Our second visitor was a reptile, a gopher snake. Because these snakes slither into gopher holes to cool off, they are called gopher snakes. They will eat baby gophers, 
but the adult gophers are too large for their jaws!




The gopher snake has a pattern on its scales that resembles a rattlesnake's pattern. One behavioral adaptation of a gopher snake is that it shakes its tail against sand, so it sounds like a rattlesnake too.
This is a warning to possible predators to stay away!


Just like tarantulas, snakes shed. Here is the last molt from the gopher snake 
that visited our class today!


If you look carefully, you can see its eye caps.



This molt is certainly not from the gopher snake! It is from a red-tail boa, which is native to the South American rain forest! This boa weighs 50 pounds!




*************



What did you learn from Beverly during her first Wildlife Experience visit to our class?

Have you done any additional research about these animals?

Do you have some fascinating facts to add?

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Welcome to Open House in Room 9, 2012!

Tonight we are so excited to share all of our 
exceptional work with friends and family members!
Enjoy your tour of our room! 
Humorous Homophones!




Hilarious Hink Pinks!




The Desert Habitat - Physical and Behavioral Adaptations!



The Ocean Habitat - Fabulous Fish with Coloration Adaptations!




Stunning Shapes with paragraphs!

Marvelous Money Stories!



Fabulous Frozen Fractions!



Things We Are Thankful For!



Our Award - Winning Blog!



Biography Timeline!

Please leave us a comment to let us know what you most enjoyed during your tour of our classroom! 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Quad Blogging - Our Final Week!

We are on the fourth and final week of our exciting Quad Blogging Project!








Quad blogging was started by pioneer 
teacher/blogger David Mitchell.
It is a wonderful way to connect with 
classes around our country and the world.
Through this experience we will learn 
about others as well as sharing about ourselves.



****************



This week, let's meet Mr. Avery's Class in Massachusetts!

Head on over to Mr. Avery's Class and explore their blog
to learn about them 
and leave a comment!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!


Today is a special day, first celebrated in 1908, 
to honor our mothers!

My Mother, my friend so dear
throughout my life you're always near.
A tender smile to guide my way
You're the sunshine to light my day.
-Anonymous


Enjoy sharing this musical Mother's Day tribute 
with your mother!

It is sung by Mrs. Ranney's and Mrs. Yollis' Classes
under the direction of Mrs. Adler, our music teacher.








What did you do to honor your mother and celebrate Mother's Day?

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Quad Blogging Continues - Week 3!

We are on our third of our exciting Quad Blogging Project!








Quad blogging was started by pioneer 
teacher/blogger David Mitchell.
It is a wonderful way to connect with 
classes around our country and the world.
Through this experience we will learn 
about others as well as sharing about ourselves.



****************



This week, let's meet 2DD and 2MD in Australia!

Head on over to 2DD/2MD and explore their blog 
to learn about them 
and leave a comment!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Biographical Bonanza!

 A biography is a true story about a person's life.
Mrs. Ranney's Class has been reading  biographies  about
people who have made significant contributions to our world!




 *********************
 



We  have  each read a 
biography on our own.
Artists, inventors, statesman, 
composers, doctors,
aviators, astronauts, and pioneers 
in many fields 
are  among the amazing historical figures 
about whom we have read!

We researched by reading library books, as well as doing research using World Book Online.





******************** 
Now that you are an expert 
on your biography subject,
please leave  a comment as if you are that person!






Be sure to include at least 3 facts you learned. 
Be sure that your facts are written in bold!


Watch the comments to see if you can converse with another 
biography subject you may know!

(Family members: You may want to choose your own biography subject and join in the conversation!)