Zoo Field Trip



Science: I can explore parts of a plant and how different plants need different things to survive; I can develop classification skills; I can explain the relationship between plants and humans
French: I can develop vocabulary (animals)

Yesterday, we had a zoo-tastic field trip to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. We took part in a program about plants that directly relates to our Science curriculum. Today, we recounted the day and students showed their learning using pictures and words in their visual journals. Here are some student learning quotes: 

The Devil's Tongue
"We were lucky to be there on the day the Devil's Tongue bloomed because it only blooms once a year! It smelled like something that was rotting. What made it smell awful was a chemical compound called putrescine. But what insect would pollinate this flower? Well, it's the decomposer, of course!" ~ Hazel

Why do we care about plants? 
"They help us live and help filter our water." ~ Hazel
"In the wetlands, they prevent flooding." ~ Seb K
"They filter the air." ~ Rochael
"Most of our clothing comes from plants. And, medicine, too!" ~ Teegan, our Zoo Teacher


"We're looking in microscopes to see compost. We saw three different stages of compost. I learned that worms break down lots of stuff, including soil." ~ Suzi
"We found a mushroom in the compost!" ~ Callie
"We found a worm in the compost." ~ Enzo & Seb K
"To observe means to look at something closely. We used microscopes to look for bugs and decomposers in the dirt. I found a super tiny piece of salt; I couldn't see it without the microscope." ~ Seb C





"When we got to the seed dispersal station, we got to use a fan to see how far the seeds would go. The seed that went the farthest was the milkweed." ~ Rochael
"The milkweed seed went so far!" ~ Sadie
"In this photo, we studied how seed dispersal works and tested it." ~ Leo








At the Parts of the Forest station, "we got to look at some plants and group them. Then we saw some pictures of the plants and with those pictures, we made a forest." ~ Callie
"We were looking at the parts of the forest and the leaves like the undergrowth, the canopy, and the emergent. We also sorted them with the cards to the forest levels." ~ Enzo




Using a microscope to see the parts of a flower.

"This station looked through a microscope and magnifying glass to see the different parts of the flower. Our group liked using the microscope. We learned about the male and female parts of the flower. the anther (male) and pistil (female). I thought ti was interesting that different parts of flowers have genders." ~ Lawrence

As a Thank You for us visiting the zoo and doing a program, our Zoo Teacher, Teegan gave us a stuffed zebra and a painting of a bear! Ms Elder's group of students insisted on taking many photos of "Zebby Mekkss" around the zoo. :)  Cue a photo shoot: 

 



A big thank you to the parent volunteers and to Ms Dool who joined us on the trip.
We couldn't have gone with you!!!

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