Jessica Fries-Gaither 

In a previous post, I described how I used primary sources and picture books to introduce my second-grade students to the history of the Christmas Bird Count, the longest-running citizen science project in the world. Today, I'm finally sharing how this primary source analysis led to our own inaugural Winter Bird Count.

The Christmas Bird Count, originally the Christmas Bird Census, is the longest-running citizen science project in the world. In 1900, Frank Chapman, an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History, put forth a call in the December issue of his magazine, Bird Lore: instead of the traditional Christmas 'Side Hunts' (where two teams competed to see who could indiscriminately shoot the most game), why not count the birds instead?

This past summer, our faculty summer read was Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant. I found the book...

Recently, I brought back one of my all-time favorite lessons: an experiential learning activity about the incredible migration of the...

I've always been a fan of picture book biographies, and there has been a veritable explosion of titles in the past few years. I've been...

Last week, I joined thousands of science educators in Atlanta for the National Science Teachers Association national conference. It's one...

My elementary school is taking a year-long look at what it means to be strong, thanks to the book Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T....

My elementary school is taking a year-long look at what it means to be strong, thanks to the book Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T....

My elementary school is taking a year-long look at what it means to be strong, thanks to the book Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T....

Are you familiar with the book, Strong is the New Pretty: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves? It is a gorgeous collection of 175...