Week 6- Owl Pellet

 

What question are we investigating?

For the sixth week of Science Methods I, we would look at the questions: “How can I use Science and Engineering Practices (SEP’s) in my classroom” and “How do living things interact with their environment?”. We did this through being in small groups to do a scenario and looking at an owl pellet. Throughout these activities we would talk in whole groups about our thoughts over these concepts to see others perspectives on it.  

What did we do in lab to investigate this question?

The teacher started this lab by giving everyone a scenario over what farmers say about why corn grows. It was a decision to pick which one was the best answer individually. Eventually, we would get into small groups to discuss which farmer we thought was the correct answer and create evidence for their opinion. Then each group would explain who they thought in the whole group with their evidence and to be able to pick in the end which farmer we were going to pick. As a whole group we would pick the farmer Cullenburg was correct with saying that sugar is the food that corn uses. A group would also explain that Joslyn couldn’t be correct based on the fact that carbonated water has carbon dioxide and water which has 0 calories for the corn to grow with. 

What did we figure out?

This would allow us to get into a lab which was to look at the owl pellets with the small groups. My group would first look at the owl pellet before breaking it apart to understand it. We would eventually break apart the owl pellet to look at the objects that were within the owl pellet. We would try to slowly and carefully differentiate the different bones from each other. That would allow us to look at the picture on the white board with the different bones that could be in an owl pellet. We would try to look at the different bones to make informal observations on what type of bones could be in the owl pellet. 

What are new or remaining questions after the investigation? 

This lab taught me how to find resources to get lab materials for my future students like doing an activity with owl pellets with them. It also would teach me how to look at the owl pellets materials within it to come up with guesses on the different types of bones that could be in it. That would allow me to think of different ways to incorporate this in a future classroom and all the ways students could think of why or how the owl does this in the wild. I’m still curious to learn more about how the owl pellets will be shown in interacting with their environment in the next class.