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Visit 1-November 26, 2002 What is the perimeter of S.C.A.L.E.? Students count number of steps it takes to walk a measured interval of 100 feet. Next, walk the perimeter of S.C.A.L.E. counting the number of steps. Using a calculator, students will divide 100 feet by the number of steps to get the amount of feet traveled in one step. Then they will multiply the number of steps it took to walk the perimeter of S.C.A.L.E. by the interval traveled in one step to calculate the total distance (in feet) of the perimeter.
How do Seeds Travel? Students searched in the Piedmont and Sandhills regions for different types of seeds. They classified these seeds by how they travel (wind/glides, floats on water, pops out/shot out, hitches a ride, attracts animals) and recorded the information in a table. They used this data to create a bar graphs creating a visual way to represent their data. They used a microscope and magnifying lenses to observe the seeds.
Color and Geometry in Nature Each student was given a color card. They had to use adjectives to describe the color. They walked through the Piedmont and Sandhills in search of objects in nature that matched the color. Next, through careful observations, students located and listed geometric shapes found in nature.
A Map of our State Students used the map at the entrance of S.C.A.L.E. to identify major cities and interstate highways in South Carolina. Using historical maps of South Carolina, students identified Townships and Indian and Colonial Roads.
Nature’s Recycling Students used magnifying lenses to observe a rotting log in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina. They described the log using qualitative observations (sight, sound, touch, smell) and quantitative observations by counting fungi and critters. Students created food chains. They identified the producers, the consumers, and decomposers better known as the F.B.I. (fungus, bacteria, and insects). ART in Nature Students used field guides to create drawings of animals in nature. They placed the animals in their habitats. They worked in the Blue Ridge region.
Visit 2-April 2, 2003
Rock Hounds In the Sandhills region, students searched for rocks (gneiss, schist, feldspar). They used magnifying lenses to identify the minerals in each one (mica, quartz, garnet). As an added bonus, they searched for pumice, scoria, and marble which are not native to this region in South Carolina. They used a container of water to differentiate between the igneous rocks, pumice and scoria.
Excavating Fossils Students became paleontologists in the Coastal Zone. Carefully, they sieved sand to locate fossils. Using a key, students identified the fossils they found. They found shark teeth (mako, sand, and nurse), fish teeth, crocodile teeth, vertebrae, and sting ray mouth plates.
Soil Horizons In the Blue Ridge region, students used an Earth auger to dig a hole 50 centimeters deep. Each scoop was carefully placed on a piece of plastic and arranged in a "cake" so that it corresponded exactly to the measurement of the hole. Students used meter sticks to measure hole depth and the "cake" length. After a 50 centimeter "cake" was made, students observed closely and used golf tees to identify the different colors found. They used a soil identification book to match the colors and give it a scientific reference number. They identified the different horizons based on color. They discussed top soil and sub soil. They described peds of soil in each horizon as being loose, friable, firm, or extra firm. Each student made a soil profile tube by layering the soils in a tube to make the soil "cake." Soil was replaced in the holes.
Soil Sieving Using graduated cylinders, students collected 100 milliliters of soil from the Coastal Plain. They used soil sieves to identify and classify the soil parts by particle size. They sieved for pebbles, granules, coarse sand, fine sand, silt and clay. They recorded their data as a bar graph.
Soil Temperature Students used soil thermometers to measure the soil temperature in the Coastal Plain and Blue Ridge regions. They compared the two temperatures. Visit 3-April 18
Our third S.C.A.L.E. activities were done inside due to inclement weather.
Flower Dissection Students dissected azalea blossoms using forceps and identified the parts (petals, stamens, leaves, pistil, ovary, stigma, and style). They placed the stamens under the microscope to observe pollen more closely. The students then taped all the flower parts on a labeled diagram.
Fruit or Vegetable Each student was given a common food item and asked to classify it as a fruit or vegetable by placing it in an appropriately labeled hula hoop. They were surprised to learn that some of our "vegetables," such as cucumbers and tomatoes, are really "fruits" by scientific definition.
SMASH Art Students created flower prints using a Native American technique. Students carefully removed petals from a flower and positioned them on a piece of cloth. They laid a piece of paper on top. For safety, students put on goggles. Using hammers, they pounded the color from the flower to the fabric to make a print.
BUGS! BUGS! BUGS! Ranger Tim Lee, naturalist at Jones Gap and Caesars Head State Parks, visited and brought his Flexi-cam microscope. He hooked it to the television so the students could observe insects in great detail. He helped them to identify the three main body parts of an insect, the head, thorax, and abdomen. He gave each student an insect and a field guide. He challenged them to identify their insect by first drawing a detailed picture of it. Ranger Tim had them use magnifying lenses to help them identify the type of mouth it had (pinching, sucking, sponging, piercing). Students had to explain the interdependency between insects and plants.
Visit 4-April 25
Our fourth S.C.A.L.E. activities took place inside due to inclement weather.
Create a Bug Students were given a river rock found in the Blue Ridge of South Carolina. Their challenge was to use paint to create an imaginary bug. They had to give it a name and place it in a habitat. They had to explain any adaptations, which allowed it to survive in their environment. They wrote imaginary stories about their bugs and shared them with the group. This activity was based on "The Peppermint Beetle," an activity from Project Learning Tree.
Isopods: Pillbugs and Sowbugs Students were given two kinds of isopods - one sowbug and one pillbug. Students had to identify which was which by observing for specific characteristics. The Pillbug will roll into a ball if touched and the Sowbug will not. Treating the animals with respect, students investigated to see which moved faster, which climbed best vertically on a piece of paper, and how movement was affected after they were briefly placed in water.
Tree Identification and Botanical Drawings Students were given leaves from selected trees of South Carolina. They used the field guide, Familiar Trees of South Carolina to identify the tree leaves. They created very realistic field drawings by taking a Xeroxed copy of the leaves, covering it with a sheet of paper, placing it on a window or an artificial light source, and tracing it. They used the field guide to write facts about the tree. They colored the tree to match the real sample. |
