Our Raptor Project - Plus Bake Sale for Birdies Information!

It has become (yet another) tradition that we do a service project in December, and we seem to have settled on sponsoring a raptor at the Leslie Science and Nature Center. I believe this may be our 10th year of doing so!

From today until Winter Break, the children will be learning all about raptors. We started by each child filling out part of a K/W/L chart as a way to express what they already know, as well as what they wonder about.

I then told them about the raptors at LSNC, why they were there, and how we could help. This animal loving group is very invested already. And that's the beauty of teacher-led, student-driven projects - they are real-life, and have intrinsic motivation to learn tied in. It is authentic.

According to Buck Institute:

“Fully authentic” means students are doing work that is real to them—it is authentic to their lives— or the work has a direct impact on or use in the real world. The “real world,” by the way, could still be school, which is a very real place for students.

A project can be authentic in four ways, some of which may be combined in one project:

1. It meets a real need in the world beyond the classroom or the products students create are used by real people.

2. It focuses on a problem or an issue or topic that is relevant to students’ lives—the more directly, the better—or on a problem or issue that is actually being faced by adults in the world students will soon enter.

3. It sets up a scenario or simulation that is realistic, even if it is fictitious.

4. It involves tools, tasks, standards, or processes used by adults in real settings and by professionals in the workplace.  

Student engagement is key, and allowing students to feel like they can have an impact on the world? Priceless.

In the next several weeks, students will:

* learn about raptors through reading picture books and informational texts
* dissect owl pellets to learn about food chains and webs
* research specific raptors at Leslie Science and Nature Center, and why they are there
* make colorful posters explaining the project, and advertising our "Bake Sale for the Birdies"
* make lots of different items for the bake sale - seeded pinecones, cereal strings, cranberry rings
  and birdhouse gourds
* sell items one morning before school, then count the proceeds
* choose one raptor they researched to sponsor
* visit "our" raptor at LSNC in the Spring, and participate in a raptor learning project there


Here is the "official" flyer, soon to go out to the school community:

Susan Carpenter's 1st and 2nd graders will be holding their annual "Bake Sale for the Birdies" treat sale on  Wednesday morning, December 18th, from 7:30 - 8:45. Please stop by and purchase some beautiful handmade treats you can hang outside for your bird friends. Seeded pinecones, already strung with string, are always the most popular choice, and will be sold for $2.00 or $3.00 apiece, depending on size. Colorful cereal rings and cranberry strings will go for $1.00 apiece. This year, we will also be selling just 11 beautiful birdhouse gourds, which will have been strung, cleaned, and lightly waxed. These will sell for $20.00 each. If you feel like being extra generous, we will accept donations in any amount.

Proceeds to go to The Leslie Science and Nature Center Adopt a Raptor Program. We hope to raise enough to pay for a raptor's food, shelter, and medical care for an entire year.