PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Though there are books about sea creatures at the Presque Isle Middle School library, it was the wall-to-wall posters created by sixth-graders in Elaine Hendrickson’s Earth science class that people were checking out last Friday.
Hendrickson’s students have been learning about oceanography since early December, and have since visited the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland.
“Since we had the opportunity to go to the Institute, I wanted to give the students some background information on the ocean,” said Hendrickson. “I came up with a unit where we have looked at tides, currents, waves, the surface of the ocean floor, and sea creatures.”
Gail Hagelstein, library/media specialist, came up with about 45 different sea creatures, and the students randomly drew a research subject from a box.
“Mrs. Hagelstein has done a lot of work with us on note-taking, so the students worked with her in putting all the notes together, and then we organized them into a draft of a poster,” said Hendrickson. “Once the posters were completed, rather than just display them in the hall, I thought this would be a nice opportunity to have an Expo and have parents come in and see what the students have been working on.”
Each student had to do three presentations.
“As part of the Expo,” Hendrickson said, “they had to present to two students and one adult. It was a good chance for them to use their speaking skills.”
The posters had to give a physical description of the sea creature, what they eat, what eats it, why humans should protect the creature, and how they protect themselves.
“I had to do the sea cucumber,” said sixth-grader Emma Parady. “I learned that sea cucumbers throw out their internal body organs to distract their predators, and then their body organs are later re-grown.
“I really liked the oceanography unit,” she said. “I learned a lot.”
Student Joel Shay had to research the mussel.
“I never actually knew that the saltwater mussel was so distantly related to the freshwater mussel,” he said. “I also learned that mussels filter about 10 to 15 gallons per day. Also, since the mussel doesn’t really have a weapon to defend itself, it uses its dense, hard shell that can be paper thin to about a few millimeters thick.”
Shay, whose father came to the Expo to see his son’s work, said he spent about two days creating the poster.
“It’s been an interesting unit,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it.”
Hendrickson said she was pleased with the students’ creations.
“I think they did a really good job for the first time at doing research skills and being able to organize and synthesize and put it all together,” she said. “They’re all colorful and informative. A couple of the students pretended to be the sea creature itself and wrote from the sea creature’s perspective. Within the parameters of the project, you can see a great diversity. I’m pleased.”
Hendrickson’s students visited the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland Dec. 12-14.
“We rode down and back on a Cyr bus watching movies,” she said. “We ate at Newport coming back, and it was really fun.”
While at the learning center, students participated in the GMRI’s LabVenture!, an interactive learning program that immerses Maine students in marine science.
LabVenture! is a hands-on learning experience that includes a multimedia group presentation, along with free-standing digital kiosks featuring interactive touch screens, an array of scientific tools, and large plasma display screens that guide students through a series of research activities.
The kiosks, which are known as LabVenture! Stations, provide an up-close introduction to the scientific method, the Gulf of Maine ecosystem, and the work of individual scientists. Students apply the tools of science – forming hypotheses, collecting scientific evidence, and drawing conclusions – to solve a science mystery.
Recognizing that the students live in Aroostook County, Hendrickson said she hoped her students learned something about the ocean during the recent unit.
“The ocean is such a big part of the state of Maine,” she said. “I hope now they have more of an appreciation for the ocean and what goes on there.”
