Dear Wildlife Rescue and Education,
Seeing pictures of Archimedes, a female Saw Whet owl, and hearing of
her rescue and ensuing loving care by Kim and David (two of our
board members) really stirred the interest of my third grade class.
They knew of the help Kim and David gave her in adapting to her
environment, even though blind.
David offered to bring Archimedes to my class. The excitement and
anticipation of seeing her was tremendous. The children began
researching in the encyclopedias for the information about Saw Whet
owls. The information was limited and difficult to find, so the
eagerly learned how to cross-reference until they were successful as
the available information allowed.
During the visit the children were so interested that they listened
intently and followed each instruction given. When allowed, due to
excellent behavior, to gently touch the owl the did exactly as they
were told and were in complete awe.
After the visit, I asked the class to write three paragraphs,
consisting of at least three or four sentences each, about what they
had learned. The results were amazing. Most of the children had been
having a bit of difficulty paragraphing and writing complete,
interesting sentences. These mini-reports were an educational
success.
The following skill sets were greatly enhanced as a result of this
exercise:
-
Listening
-
Learning
-
Retaining
-
Sentence writing
-
Paragraphing
-
Researching
-
Cross-referencing
-
Reporting information
The children were eager to thank "Mr. David" and "Mrs. Kim" so they
learned correct friendly letter form and writing. The sweet thank
you letters again demonstrated the enormous learning that had taken
place. It gave them the opportunity to express their gratitude and
eagerness for a return visit. They asked if, perhaps, he could bring
other wild creatures to class.
I am quite positive that the wonderful letter David wrote to the
class enforced their sense of caring for nature and its creatures,
keeping the world clean, and showing kindness to living beings.
Gratefully and appreciatively,
Yvonne E. Walker
Teacher, Grade Three
St. Timothy Lutheran School
