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Crickets!
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Teachers:
Kevin Clark & Hilary Laing
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How big is a cricket? What does it like to eat? What would it be like to live in
the world of a cricket?
These were just some of the questions the children asked as the crickets came to
our classroom. What began as a brief visit turned into a three month in-depth study
of the crickets. We asked questions, did some reading, made observations and talked
with experts and decided that we needed to build a playground for the crickets!
Using dough and pipe cleaners, we made model crickets, bridges, bathtubs, pools,
swings, couches and rugs for them because they needed to be "comfortable". We drew
pictures, made models and asked more questions. We measured a cricket and discovered
that we could use a 1-inch piece of string as a guide to calculate the width and
length of the things we made. We later added a field and a beach with a lake (in
case the cricket didn't like waves) a mud pit and a field of flowers. A perfect
cricket paradise!
Throughout the entire study children made their own discoveries and reflections.
We learned from mathematical investigations and scientific explorations. We develop
new vocabulary that was necessary to ask questions and describe ideas. We worked
together and created a world that was both real and imaginary at the same time.
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