Creating a Bar Graph and Finding a Rock

Today, students took their completed common trees data table and created a colorful bar graph that shows maples are most common in our area.

KIDDOES!!! Find a rock in your backyard, about the size of your thumb. Bring it in on Monday. We start our geology unit by finding the volume of that rock, through water displacement.

Bring in your leaves, leaf press and completed leaf labels, on Tuesday. We are going to mount those leaves into a leaf collection that you can take home.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

The Survey Says. . .

So, what are the top five most common trees in Loyalsock Twp.? Today, my students completed the search for their leaf identification and used the genus of each tree to determine if the maple, oak, elm, sycamore, pine or fir is the most common tree. I placed a student roster on the whiteboard and titled each column after one of the aforementioned trees. Students simply placed a checkmark in each column for which they had a leaf. Tomorrow, they will tally the checkmarks to determine the most common tree in our area. Are you anxious to learn the most common tree? The tally will take the shape of a data table, complete with title and subtitles. The handout I gave the students for the data table reveals the most common tree in Loyalsock Twp. How does the 6th grade science elf know? Heh, heh -- I'll never tell.

Filling In Labels

Now that you identified your tree, use your data table to fill-in the labels we will use when mounting the leaves on Sept. 25. Go to my homework page to view dates to remember this and next week.

Using The Data Table

Still in the computer lab, today. Students were asked to use their leaf collection data table to identify their leaves.

Short blog, today. I am ill and need to sleep.

What's A Dichotomous Key?

Have you ever played "20-questions?" Well, a dichotomous key is just like that. You are given two questions. Answer yes and the next question is completely different than if you answered no.

In the computer lab, today, to introduce different dichotomous key sites for tree identification. My favorite is a site maintained by Virginia Tech University. Go to my webpage. On the left side of the screen, in the gray column, are numerous links. It is in alphabetical order, so scroll down to "Leaf Identification Key." Go for it.