MARYBETH and ELIJAH'S CLASS NOTES

We have been busy exploring, questioning, and wondering, both on and off campus. Our trip to the aquarium left us with a multitude of questions, but most centered around spiders, sharks, and the “Blue Morpho” butterfly which captivated us with its size and brilliant color. Our observation corner has grown to include a praying mantis, a visiting snail, and an exciting window into the hunting habits of insects. Our butterfly habitat is active with caterpillars at various stages of development, and the chil- dren have become competent at identifying the stages of development as well as the gender of the Monarch butterflies as they emerge. Thus far we have released two monarchs and we are trying to iden- tify a non-monarch caterpillar who has taken up residence with us.

Simultaneous to our observations, we have been reading and learning about various individuals and their lives in the sciences. We’ve enjoyed Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist by Christine Evans, and The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacque Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino, among others. Our vocabulary has grown to include the words entomologist, biologist, marine biologist, zoologist, and oceanographer. Our bulletin board of questions is rapidly filling up and the anticipation about our chosen course of study is building. What discipline will we pursue? Who will we become?