Ferryway 2.0

When the fourth grade students participated in the Biome SRS project this year, they did not have access to computers.  Thus, they were unable to do the in-depth research they conducted the previous year.  As a result, this year’s students did not perform as well on the Final Lost Vertebrates Activity.  This activity requires the students to decide where an “unknown” animal belongs.  Prior knowledge of the animals’ physical adaptations and how they are used to help it survive in their biome is needed to complete this activity.

Having students use the computer to investigate and discover on their own, the connection between the world’s biomes and the animals that inhabit them is crucial to having this project be successful.

However, the “Think, Write, Pair, Share” addition to the Qwizdom unit this year, as well as the “I see…It means..” proved to be very successful.  It provided children with more social involvement and required them to actively write what they were observing and learning, compared to just listening.  Students working cooperatively in groups were able to provide reasonable information and could justify their answers even though their biome choice may have been incorrect.