The Great Mixing Bowl - Z Daily Journal -- Day 2

     A thousand apologies for not posting, yesterday.  The second grandchild was born, yesterday, and grandpa had to go fuss over him.
     On Friday, my science classes finished researching background on the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay, and learned that by viewing my daily journal they were able to answer several difficult questions in their packet.
     I pause to reflect on how several students became angry with me because I would not tell them the answers to their questions, but, rather advised them to use their laptop computers to query for an answer.
     Many groups completed the first packet, which I graded and returned to them.  Those grades are recorded in parent portal.
     The second packet involves using a drinking straw, clay, BB's, masking tape and scissors to construct a working hydrometer - a device that floats higher in the water, the denser the water, becomes.
     Students will make comparisons of typical ocean water versus freshwater and then, make brackish water - a combination of both salt and freshwater, to simulate bay conditions.
     This activity is rather fun and easy, but, lends itself to better understanding of the varying ecosystem that exists in the bay.

The Great Mixing Bowl - Z Daily Journal -- Day 1

     Today, was the official start of our Chesapeake Bay project.  I arranged students into groups of three or four students per group.  Each group received the first of three packets and each group "signed-out" a laptop computer. 
     The first activity, due Tuesday, April 17, pertains to a bit of background information about the bay and asks students define such words as; brackish, gamefish, spawn, and Shad.  Additionally, students were asked to record several things they already knew about the bay and then interview another group to see if they could add to the list of things, already known.
     Students used the computers to learn more about where the bay is located, a bit of trivia about the Susquehanna River, and research information about the American Shad, a native gamefish species that will be making a comeback when all the dams between Williamsport and the bay are equipped with fishladders to accommodate the Shad's annual spawing behavior - similar to salmon.