All About the Weaver Bird

By Andrew

Do you want to learn about Weaver Birds and how they build their nests?  If you do, read on.

Adult Weaver Birds tend  to eat seeds and grain.  However, when Weaver Birds have young to feed they usually bring insects, bugs, and spiders to the nest to feed the baby Weaver Birds.  

Weaver Birds live in Africa and  Asia.  Weaver Birds build their nests in trees and on lampposts in towns.  Weaver Birds will sometimes build their nests over water.

Weaver Birds’ predators include the Honey Badger and the Pygmy Falcon.  Weaver Birds are related to Finches and Sparrows.

 

The following is a description of how a Weaver Bird builds its nest:  “The first thing the Weaver Bird did was to pluck all the leaves from the nearest branch.  Then he flew to the ground and yanked a foot-long blade of grass until he broke it, nearly falling over backward!  Standing on one end of the grass, the bird used his beak to tie the other end to the branch.  He repeated this until he had a rope.  The Weaver Bird perched inside the ring and built the walls and roof around himself by weaving long  blades of grass in and out,” wrote George W. Frame and Lory H. Frame.

This is how Weaver Birds live, they eat grain, one of their predators are Pygmy Falcons, and they build unusual nests.  I hope you  enjoyed learning about the Weaver Bird!

Works Cited

Frane, George W., Ph.D., and Lory Herbison Frame. "How the Weaverbird Build His Nest." Welcome to HighlightsKids.com - | HighlightsKids.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

Lunis, Natalie. A Closer Look. New York: Newbridge Educational Pub., 1999. Print.

"Ploceidae." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

"Weaver Birds." Animal Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

3rd Grade Informative / Explanatory Writing

Third Grade enrichment support students wrote informative essays that included a bibliography this week at East Pike.  Students chose an animal that interested them and that they wanted to learn more about.

Students researched the animal using three different resources: a book, a website, and an online article to gather their information.  Students utilized a graphic organizer to record the facts they learned.

Next, students wrote their informative essays in a Google Doc that they shared with Mrs. Woods.  After that, Mrs. Woods conferenced with the young writers and made suggestions for editing and revising their work. Students then completed their final drafts and added an image to their Doc.

Mrs. Woods introduced the students to the web tool www.easybib.com and together with Mrs. Woods each student created a bibliography of their works cited.

Please enjoy the students' informative essays! 

All about the Rhinoceros Viper  
By Caiden       
       

Do you know about Rhinoceroses?  Do you know about Vipers?  Well put them together and you will have the Rhinoceros Viper!  We are going to be learning about Rhinoceros Vipers. We will be learning about their habitat, characteristics, and the process humans use to create anti-venom for poisonous snakes like this one.

Rhinoceros Vipers are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa.  They live in forests.  These poisonous snakes have purple and blue skin with green triangles.  They can swallow a chicken whole by unhinging their jaws.  The Rhinoceros Viper is about 72 to 107 cm. long.  

If a human is bitten by a Rhinoceros Viper they will need to be administered a dose of anti-venom.  According to the article, Snakebike? Call the Dallas Zoo, anti-venom is created in the follow way “Healthy snakes are typically milked about every 2 weeks to collect venom.  The snake bites onto a glass funnel.  The venom runs down into a tube.  Then they make it into anti-venom.”

Now that you know about the Rhinoceros Viper, you can tell your friends about the snake’s habitat, characteristics, and the process humans use to create anti-venom for poisonous snakes like this one.

Bibliography

Lovett, Sarah, Beth Evans, and Mary Sundstrom. Snakes. Santa Fe, NM: John Muir Publications, 1993. Print.

"Bitis Nasicornis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Feb. 2016. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

"Snakebite? Call the Dallas Zoo." Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events. Dallas Morning News, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

  

Turquoise Poison Dart Frog

By Kate

Did you know that the Turquoise Poison Dart Frog has a bright color to warn emies? Well if you did not know that, you should keep reading and discover even more facts all about the Turquoise Poison Dart Frog.

The Turquoise Poison Dart Frog lives deep in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America.  The Turquoise Poison Dart Frog  lives from three to 15 years.  The Turquoise Poison Dart Frog’s size is about one inch  long.  

The Turquoise Poison Dart Frog has slimy poisonous mucus on its skin.  People who live and hunt in the rainforest use the poisonous mucus to make weapons.    

The Turquoise Poison Dart Frog has a bright color to scare off enemies.  Their only natural predator is the family of snakes called leimadophis epinephelus.  

Poison Dart Frogs eat ants, termites, and beetles.  These frogs can also eat things three times their own weight.  Poison Dart Frogs carry their eggs on their backs.  This is called backpacking.  

If you were unfamiliar with the Turquoise Poison Dart Frog, hopefully you know a lot of facts about them now and had fun learning about the Turquoise Poison Dart Frog.

Bibliography

Lovett, Sarah. Extremely Weird Frogs. Santa Fe, NM: John Muir Publications, 1992. Print.

"Animals - Animal Pictures - Wild Animal Facts - Nat Geo Wild - National Geographic." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

"Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events." Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events. Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

All About the Helmeted Lizard

By Andrew

Did you know that there are a lot of Helmeted Lizards?  This is because Helmeted Lizards are hard to catch.  There are  lots of other interesting facts about these creatures.  Keep reading to learn more about these special lizards!

Helmeted Lizards live in Costa Rica.  These lizards like warm weather because lizards like to lay in the sun.  Helmeted lizards have four legs, they are brown, and they have scales all over their bodies.  Helmeted Lizards get away from predators by puffing themselves up to look bigger than they really are.

The lizard  would beat you in  a breathing contest because according to the article, A Lizard Would Beat You in a Breathing Contest and so Would a Bird, “After the air moves into their lungs, it follows a long  system of tubes.  The air moves through the tubes but does not come back out the same way, moving in a circle instead.”

Did you know the Helmeted Lizards would beat you in a breathing contest?  Hopefully you learned a lot  about the Helmeted Lizard.

Bibliography

Lovett, Sarah. Extremely Weird Reptiles. N.p.: John Muir Pubns, n.d. Print.

"List of Reptiles Costa Rica3." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

"Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events." Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events. Los Angeles Times, 03 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

Congratulations!

March 14, 2016 

~ STEM Challenge ~ 

K'Nex at Arin IU 28

Yesterday, two teams from Horace Mann attended the K'Nex STEM Challenge.  This year, teams were asked to design a building that stood at least one meter high, could hold weight, and was environmentally friendly. 

A group of Horace Mann's boys including, Mohammad, Lee, James, and Tristan presented their green building design entitled: The Phoenix.  

A group of Horace Mann's girls including Emma, Tori, Maura, and Bella presented their green building design entitled: The Leaning Tower of Carrots. 

We are thrilled to report that out of 19 teams that competed, Emma, Tori, Maura, and Bella were awarded Third Place in the 4-6th grade category for their project.  The girls performed an original skit that shared the background story about their building.  Their creativity was evident in their skit and the props they used to enhance their presentation: carrots, bunny ears, an award ribbon, a Pi day tie, and paper money to mention just a few!

Congratulations to the creators of The Leaning Tower of Carrots!  

Final Products Ready to Go!

Left: Birth Order and Electronics
Researched by Emma

Center: Hands Up, But Do You Want to Answer?
Researched by Maura

Right: Sports = Speaking?
Researched by Tori

Statistical Poster Project Work!

Bella working at Mrs. Woods' computer- and a photo bombing courtesy of Emma and Tori!

Mohammad and Mr. Ahmed, his dad and our hero, for this project!  Mr. Ahmed helped every student in all stages of this project from conceptualization, to graphing, to writing up conclusions, to publication on the posters!!!!! Thank you so so much Mr. Ahmed!  You are amazing and we are so grateful for your help!

Lee working on his graphs!

Mohammad working on graphing his data!

Maura, Tori, and Emma working on their posters!

Sooommmeooone's Waaatchinnngg Yoooooouuuuu!
Researched by Lee

Are Poems Cool?
Researched by Mohammad

National Teams Vs. Geography
Researched by Bella

Will it Pop? OR NOT
Researched by James

Organic Vs. Non-Organic Foods
Researched by Tristian

Check out these awesome finished products for this year's St. Francis Statistical Poster Competition!  

East Pike Students' Posters are Complete!

St. Francis University's 

2016 Statistical Poster Competition

East Pike Students' Entries:

Sports and Gender
Researched by Andrew

Ice Cream Vs. Popsicles
Researched by Kate

Gender and Favorite Sport to Play
Researched by Caiden

Wonderful News! Congratulations Bella!

Bella, a fourth grader at Horace Mann Elementary, was one of 75 young writers out of 5,000 that entered, to be awarded Runners-up recognition for her Storyworks Create a Character Contest entry! 

Congratulations Bella!

1. My character’s name: Belle Age: Belle is a 5 year old Husky.
2. Hometown: Belle lives in Alaska by a great big woods. The woods is behind her dog house.
3. My character’s hobbies, skills, and dreams: Occasionally, she will go out into the woods with her best friend Rick.  Rick is the co-leader.  If Belle gets hurt, he’s ready to take the lead. Sometimes Belle and Rick get into trouble. Belle’s owner is Doug Ball. He takes her for walks.  She hopes to become a professional dogsledder. She also likes to paint and skateboard.
4. The biggest problem my character has ever faced, and how he, she, or it solved it:  In the semifinals of a sled race, when the team was crossing the finish line, Belle slipped on some ice. They won, but Belle was seriously injured. The strange thing is that it hasn’t been below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks! Will they solve the case and will Belle lead them to victory or will her hurt leg get in the way?
5. How my character might grow in the story:  Belle might grow by figuring out her problem and becoming wiser.
6. What my character looks like:  She is a Husky. She is the only girl on her dog team. She is gray and white. She is very special because she’s blind. She has green eyes. She has a great sense of smell though. She is the lead dog on her sled team and also the youngest.  
7. Other information you should know about my character: She comes from a rough childhood. She was lost in the woods and abandoned by her family.

Next week, we will be putting the finishing touches on this year’s statistical poster projects.  I have provided the kids with white poster board and will print their graphs in color.  

If you would like to send in any special materials (stickers, poster accents, paper for matting graphs, or letters etc…) please feel free to do so.  This is not obligatory, but might be nice to make the posers really POP!  

If you plan to send in materials for your child to use please have them at school by:

EAST PIKE STUDENTS: Monday, February 22nd at 9:00 AM  

If your child is conducting an experiment as home please make sure that they bring in their data and any documentation (photographs) by Monday the 22nd, as well.

HORACE MANN STUDENTS: Wednesday, February 24th at 9:00 AM

If your child is conducting an experiment as home please make sure that they bring in their data and any documentation (photographs) by Wednesday the 24th, as well.

If your child is conducting a survey, we will complete all the work for this at school, so please just consider sending in the special materials if you choose to do so.

My Scar

By Coco

“I'm more hurt than the knob!”  Oh, I didn't see you there. I was just telling a story of how I got my scar. Do you want to hear it?  You do?  Okay, I will start again.  Here is the story of how I got my scar:

I was in the kitchen and my older sister was stretching me. She was stretching my by putting my foot by my face.  All of a sudden, her hand slipped!  My foot came down and bounced off the refrigerator.  My knee came up and hit a concrete knob.

My mom and my sisters was more worried about the knob then me so, I yelled, “I'm more hurt than the knob!” They came rushing toward me. When my mom looked at my knee she decided that I needed stitches. She called my dad at work and told him that we were going to drop my sisters off at his work so that me and my mom could go to the hospital.

Once we had dropped off my sisters and drove to the hospital we had to wait for a while. I sat there changing out the tissue for my knee every once and awhile.Then finally, they called me back into the room and wrapped up my knee and then took me to get an X-ray just in case I had a piece of concrete inside my knee.

Luckily, I didn’t have anything in my knee so they gave me the stitches. After we picked up my sisters, we went home and then we noticed that the concrete didn't just cut my knee it had cut my pants too. Then a couple weeks later I had  the stitches out and had a really cool scar. 

Once I had the scar it made me a little cooler. I love my scar now that it doesn’t hurt. If you have a scar great, that’s cool, if you don’t, DO NOT GET ONE ON PURPOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Car Door Incident

By Emma

Ouch! Do you have a scar? Well, I do! I’m going to tell you a little story about how I got my scar.  This incident occurred in the summer of 2013. I lived in Oklahoma at the time. My family and I were getting in the car to go to the zoo. My sister hopped in her seat, not noticing that I was right behind her. She went to shut the door, right as I was about to get in behind her. Oh, no! she closed the car door right beside my right eye. Naturally, I got a little dizzy and started to cry. 

My parents just took one look at me and rushed me to the ER. When we got there, the doctor lay me down on a bed and asked me if I wanted to get stitches or have it glued together. I said, “Glue”. The doctor put the glue on my injury.  It stung really badly! When the doctor was finished it looked disgusting for about three months.

In the end, we got to go to the zoo afterall. Today,  I am proud of my scar and how it looks. That is my AMAZING scar story. What’s your’s?

Baseball Scar

By Charles

Do you have a strange scar?  Well I do. I have a scar on my forehead. I got the scar in a baseball game at the last minute. I was leaning against the fence when suddenly boom, crash, bang! My hands were on my forehead and as soon as I let my hands off my head blood came oozing out. My mom came running into the dugout scared to death, and rushed me into the concession stand for band aids, lots of them. 

I was so sad, not because of the injury but it  was because we lost the game. It was the worst way to end the season. In the car, we were rushing to get to the hospital. When we got there we went to the place to get my wristband, to show that I was a patient. When we were waiting a TV show was on and it was America's Got Talent, when suddenly I was called up to go to an emergency room.

After a long wait the doctor came in. He was checking my injury, and was asking my family questions, he said, “We will just need some glue.” After about 10 minutes of wait he put the glue on and told me what not to do.  I finally got to go home.

You may think scars are bad but they aren’t bad but they just make you unique in your own way.  So, if you get injured don’t worry if it becomes a scar. A story will come with it.   

My Ice Cream Scar

By Wesley

Do you have a scar? I do. The way I got it was a little painful and yucky.  Here is how it happened:

One day, I went boating, which is really fun because you can tube, ski, kneeboard and more!  Anyways, when we got back to the docks we were allowed to get ice cream.  I decided I would get a creamy ice cream sandwich.  On the way up to the refrigerator, where they kept the ice cream, I tripped and fell onto the pavement!  Daaa, daaaa, da.

It just so happened that where my knee landed there was a sharp rock.  Boy, was it painful.  I screamed and flailed.  I thought I was dead, but the really weird thing was where the cut was, it looked like ice cream.

As you can see, that stone should’ve left a mark and it did.You can’t see it that well any more but you can make it out faintly, my ice cream scar.

P.S.

Don’t be afraid to talk about your scars.