Sunday, October 16, 2011

Teresa Gonzales - Mesa Playa Festival

This festival was truly a great learning experience for the 97 fifth graders at Mesa Elementary School in Clovis, New Mexico. We were welcomed into a school that displays great pride and respect. students' artwork is displayed throughout the school from framed clay-artwork to painted tiles in the entrance area. The students at Mesa Elementary practice the six pillars of character which, in my opinion, lays the foundation for  learning in a safe environment and and a greater opportunity to reach the students' potential. Presenters at this festival included Robert Martin with the Nature Conservancy in Clovis, New Mexico. Joe Whitehead with NRCS in Clovis, Darryl Berkinfeld, Ogallala Commons Executive Director, Julie Hodges, OC Education Director, and myself, Teresa Gonzales, Educator and OC Intern. Robert Martin had a great reaction from the students as he presented his "Amphibians and Reptiles." He brought along a variety of frogs and snakes but his all-time favorite is his personal pet, Ms.Mc Luven. A snapping turtle he has possessed for about 5 years. He acquired it when she was just the size of a silver dollar and now she weighs a whopping 6-8 pounds. He said she eats just about anything including dog food, an occasional weiner (in 2 bites!) or 40-50 goldfish! The students enjoyed this presentation and asked him to come back. Joe Whitehead from NRCS in Clovis shined in his presentation using humor and music. The students wanted to participate as he brought his presentation to life using music. My favorite was listening to  "Jewels of the Plains" and his "Water Song" played on his guitar. The message in the songs that Mr. Whitehead delivers/writes is that our playas are necessary for survival but  are suffering due to roads, farming techniques, and the lack of education that our society has about how important playas are and  to "Take care of what we have, now that we know." Darryl Birkenfeld is the presenter for Playas. What they are how they got here, and what they do on the High Plains water cycle. I assisted in this presentation while students were tasked to compare top soil and clay using a T-Chart. They discover that there is a huge difference in the types of soils they are dealing with. They also make oral observation of the playa jars which we encourage all teachers to have in their classroom. These are a great class project as it will keep students engaged in making observations as the playa in a jar is constantly changing and will raise an awareness in nature that the students may not possess. Julie Hodges prepared the students for the day with a presentation on Nature Journaling. She begins with basic information a daily journal include then emphasizes the that journals are personal and can be completed in the form of text or artwork including mapping. With their Affective Filtered lowered, students are more likely to enjoy the journal and express themselves in a way that they are not accustomed to!

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