The fourth grade students have all kinds of opportunities to work and learn in the Nature Center.  Many of our activities are integrated into our units in Science, Language, Reading, and even Social Studies.  Students studied grasshoppers during the unit on animals.  They caught, sketched and labeled insects and even learned how to estimate the temperature based on how many times the crickets chirped in a minute.  Students diagramed food webs and food chains.

Other science activities included measuring the water turbidity (students were surprised at how clear the pond water is), categorizing types of wetlands using flowcharts, illustrating and studying various types of ecosystems, looking at what kinds of organisms live in the pond, making wet mount slides and looking at them under the microscope. 

Students measured the soil permeability to see how quickly the water soaks into the soil, comparing different types of soil and in different locations.  Students also took soil samples to investigate more closely what components make up the soil.  The students looked at how decisions about land use are made. 

In Language class, students used the Nature Center as inspiration for poetry and journaling.  Students used their five senses to become better observers in Sheldon.  They also used the nature center as inspiration for art topics and projects.  Students read a variety of texts with environmental themes. 

They were also able to be helpers in the nature center with some of the kindergarteners and first graders with tree planting and other activities.  The fourth graders will celebrate our environmental learning with a Sheldon Nature afternoon at the end of the school year.  They will spend the afternoon rotating between four activities and sharing some special treats to end our time in the nature center this year.

Fourth Grade Chirps About Water and Soil Systems in the Nature Center

Grade Four

School Year 2004-05

Volume 1, Issue 1