Third Graders Celebrate Earth Day
Can you tell a herbivore from a carnivore? Can you identify different fish by their physical characterisitics?
by Mrs. Wurster
Earth Day was a perfect day for Third Graders to participate in classifying various kinds of animals that live in our environment. On April 22, the students had their third visit to The Porter Center for Science and Mathematics.
During this visit the students were able to participate in several hands-on activities that involved animal classifications. Models of animal skulls were used to compare and contrast herbivores and carnivores. The students learned that carnivores have sharp pointed teeth to pierce and tear. They learned that herbivores have eyes more on the sides of their heads in order to watch for predators. Students also observed two kinds of fish and charted their characteristics. They observed preserved arthropods under microscopes. They also viewed pond water under a microscope and were excited to see hundreds of microscopic animals in the water. This microscopic animal is called a protist. There are a large variety of these one-celled organisms that live in the water. They can make their own food, like plants, or feed off others, like animals. Also in the pond water, the students identified a water plant. They knew it was a plant because it was green and had the distinct brick-like cells of a plant
What fun it is to be a scientist on Earth Day and every day!
