Conceived and written by NY TIC teacher Sandy Cunningham
Objective: #
Students will capture their TIC experiences in both creative and scientific language
Materials: #
- Notebook/journal
- Pen, pencil
- Colored pencils or markers.
Procedure: #
The 7th grade will be keeping a scientific journal and writing poetic impressions of the trout as they grow through this year. Selected entries will be posted to our classroom blog.
Each person will be responsible for one stage of trout development and will produce two pieces of writing (Parts 1 & 2) as the year progresses.
Part 1: Scientific Journal Entry #
Observe the trout as a scientist would. Think about or take notes on the following questions:
- What stage are the trout in?
- What is their immediate environment?
- What are they doing? Is it observable?
- Even if it’s not observable- do you know what it is?
- Describe any interactions with: us, each other, the hatching basket/tank, water, etc?
- Write a one-paragraph entry (7-10 sentences) for our journal. Remember: you need to describe the trout so precisely that a reader who is not in our classroom can still see them.
Part 2: Poetic Impressions #
Observe the trout as a poet would. Think about or take notes on the following questions:
- What colors and shapes do you notice?
- What can you compare it to?
- What does it remind you of?
- What does it make you wonder about?
- What is life like from the trout point of view?
- What is life like from the tank or basket’s point of view?
- What is our relationship with the trout?
- What is the trout’s relationship to the environment? The community?
- Write a poem modeled after one of the forms listed on the attached sheet.
