Science Study Buddies

To complement first grade's Ocean Studies unit, eighth graders in Ms. Jeakle’s Marine Science class taught a hands-on lesson about water salinity, sand and coral. The students were surprised to see how their learning overlapped this year despite the age gap.

The young Chargers examined and compared different types of sand. They measured, studied, and compared the salinity of drinking water and water collected from the 54th Ave canal (eighth graders collected the water from Shorecrest's Native Classroom.) There were also different types of coral to learn about and compare/contrast.

Find lots of great photos here.

The expert eighth graders had another recent opportunity to share their knowledge with an authentic audience. They also met up with second graders at the back of campus and gave tours of the Native Classroom. Second graders have been learning about butterflies and pollinators all year, and there was plenty to see in action!

Chargers buddied-up to talk about which plants in the Native Classroom are pollinator friendly. Students came prepared with Florida field guides to help them identify plants and pollinators. Eighth graders also explained the ongoing work they do in the space to eradicate invasive species, such as the Australian Pine, and they shared some future plans for the space as well.

Second graders wrote what they learned in their Inquiry journals after the field experience. This made it evident that the eighth graders did a great job sharing information! Here are some excerpts from their written work:

I looked with the eighth graders at the Native Garden in Shorecrest. I saw a mangrove and a pink and orange flower. I saw a grasshopper with an ant on his body.

My guide was named Sophie. I saw duck potato- they were about 2 feet tall and green. I saw the native forest. I saw spiders and spider webs. Sophie told me that the black mangroves have spikes on them and the red ones are salty.

Our second grad class went to the Native Classroom here at Shorecrest with some eighth graders. My eighth grade guides were Milly and Anna. We saw red mangroves and white mangroves. Red mangroves are sideways and look like the letter R. We saw lots of ponds. In one pond we saw a duck. At the end, I gave them a hug.

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