3-27-2020 Puffin Problems

Have you ever seen a puffin? Take a trip to Heimaey Island in Iceland and figure out what is happening to the puffin population.

• Find Heimaey Island on a map and draw a picture.
• Search for Heimaey Island in Google Earth. What do you notice about the island? What do you wonder about the island?

Write the following ideas in your journal:

• What is similar to Western Washington?
• What is different than Western Washington?
• What is the problem with the puffin population?
• What do you think is the cause of the problem?
• How would you solve this problem?

Share what you have learned with those in your home, or share in a comment.

Mrs. Thornburgh takes a tour of the island. You can too!

Puffin Photo by sunrisesoup

Mary Ellen Huggins: Mount Vernon Schools Teaching and Learning
Martha Thornburgh: Mount Vernon Schools Teaching and Learning

3-26-2020 Explore Google Earth

You can learn many things by exploring maps.  The web version of Google Earth has lots of great ways to explore the world and learn new things. 

Check out the Voyager button to go on guided tours around the world.  A favorite of mine is the "Where in the World is Carman SanDiego" game.  Give it a try and see if you can help find the thief.  

Feeling Lucky?  Roll the dice to see where in the world you land.  Once there, drag the little yellow peg man onto the map to explore street view.  What interesting things can you find?  How does the place you landed compare to Mount Vernon?  What do you see that is similar?  What is different?  Can you tell what the weather is like? Use the ruler tool and measure the distance from your mystery location to Mount Vernon.  

No Tech Idea:  

• Draw a map of Mount Vernon.  What important features should you include?  Create a key for your map to help people read your map.  Share your map in the comments.  
• Hide a treasure in your home. Create a map to help someone find your treasure.  

Martha Thornburgh: Mount Vernon Schools Teaching and Learning

3-25-2020 Bird Watch

We live in an awesome place to see many different varieties of birds.  What kind of birds do you see at your home?  What could you do to help attract more birds to your yard?

Made with Adobe Spark

Here are some activities you could do while observing the birds in your area.

• Make a list of the different types of birds you see in your yard.  You can use a site like e-bird or All About Birds to help you identify the birds. 
• Make a graph showing how many of each type of bird you see in your yard this week.  
• Can you sort the birds you see by size?  What is the smallest bird you saw?  What is the larges bird? 
• How many different colored birds can you find?  Blue? Yellow? Red? White? Gray? Black? 
• Draw a picture of a bird that you see in your yard.  Can you label the parts of a bird? 
• Take pictures of the birds in your yard and make a collage with Adobe Spark.  (You can log in with your school Google Account.) 

We would love to hear from you.  Share your pictures or facts about birds that you have learned.

Martha Thornburgh: Mount Vernon Schools Teaching and Learning

March 24, 2020 Writing Prompt: What can you see from your window?

Writing about what we observe is one of the tools we can use to support our learning at home. I love to look out the window and describe what I see. From your window take a picture in your mind and describe what you see.

Mary Ellen Huggins: Mount Vernon  Teaching and Learning Department

March 23, 2020 MVTechSmart

Check out our newly revised student digital resources site MVTechSmart!  Here you will find many tools that you can use to help you create, connect and collaborate with others.  There are tools for making movies, creating podcasts, designing posters and so much more.  Check back for ideas and help on how to use some of the different tools for creating all kinds of wonderful things.  In addition to all of the cool creation tools, you will find helpful information for parents and links to learning websites.  Today is a great day to learn something new.

Explore the site. 

Martha Thornburgh : Mount Vernon Teaching and Learning Department