Paris, Tenn.–The fourth grade at Lakewood Elementary was awarded a Plus Endowment Grant and a Friends of the Refuge Grant which have allowed them to have four educational outdoor classroom experiences at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge. The four experiences have been during the four seasons of the year.
The classroom experiences met most of the fourth-grade science standards, as well as, many art and physical education standards, in a real-life setting. The students were able to observe all of the wildlife that visits the refuge yearly and complete activities about their observations.
In September, the focus of the visit was on butterfly migration and pollinators. Students had a classroom experience about pollination, played an outdoor game about butterflies and pollination, observed and spoke with local beekeepers, went exploring for butterflies, and competed in an animal olympics.
The focus for the second visit in January was migratory birds. Students enjoyed a classroom experience about identifying and learning about various waterfowl, learned about the Jr. Duck Stamp program and practiced drawing ducks, then explored the refuge with binoculars looking for and identifying ducks. Later that month, the grant enabled us to hire an art education teacher to come to Lakewood for two days during science class. The students learned more about drawing ducks and completed their drawings for the Jr. Duck Stamp Program.
In April, students learned about songbirds. Students went out into the woods and completed the Cornell Ornithology Bird Sleuth Program. This included identifying birds through sight and through song. Later the students went on a CSI hike on Benton Ford Trail.
The last trip to the refuge will be in May. The students will be learning about aquatic and forest ecology. The students will also be able to try archery, many for the first time. At the end there will be a graduation ceremony because the students will be official Jr. Wildlife Managers.
Photo by Shannon McFarlin.
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