Chirp!

It started with a question: 

What do you think will live in here?

We were hoping to spark a new inquiry but asking the children to wonder.

 Later that day, with the new residents in place in their cage, the children tried to guess what was under the towel. Because they are seasoned scientists, they listened to hear what was in there.
"I hear scratching." - Cameron Hu

 Once we did a lot of wondering and questioning and the inquiry juices were flowing, we revealed our new class pets...crickets!

 The questions started flying within moments.

Why do they have that cardboard? Do they eat it?
What are they?
What's that thing on their heads?
How many legs do they have?
How many are there?
Which ones are boys and which ones are girls?
What can we name them?

Some students also started writing down their questions:

"Why do the antenna move?"

 Our little scientists were excited about exploring our new roommates.

 Many students decided their enclosure wasn't exciting enough, so they attached elastic bands so they could swing. Later, during trips to the park, we collected sticks and rocks that made a more natural playground for the crickets.

Inquiries are how we drive the literacy curriculum, and a lot of oral language and writing happen naturally. When students are interested in what they are learning, they are motivated to communicate their new knowledge. Here, Faith has made a sign asking people not to knock on the cage.

 The questions and observations of the students are displayed beside the cage.

The children are conducting experiments to determine what the crickets like to eat. We've been feeding them lunch scraps and keeping track of what they seem to enjoy.

 As the crickets are dying, we're taking out the dead ones for the children to dissect. While everyone is sad when one dies, it's a learning opportunity. It's a chance for them to examine the crickets up close, and they discovered how many legs they have, how many eyes, and can see first hand the oviduct spike that identifies the females. The kids also discovered that if you leave something dead in a closed container on Friday, you get a smelly surprise on Monday!

Recently, the crickets have started to chirp, and it's exciting to see the interest renewed in our pets. They are eager to learn why and how the chirps happen.

The learning continues!