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Classroom BirdWatch
A message from the coordinator Classroom BirdWatch finished the year on a high note with the publication of the third volume of Classroom Birdscope. This student newsletter, published at the end of each year, contains research reports, poems, artwork, and essays sent by students from across the country. The final product is extraordinary, both in content and appearance. For a few days our mailroom was overflowing as we hustled to mail 30 newsletters to each participating classroom before the end of school. A few examples from the newsletter are included on page 8. In addition, look for student work on the Classroom Birdscope page of our web site at http://birdsource.cornell.edu/cfw. Approximately 325 classrooms from 40 states observed birds at their schoolyard feeders and used the Internet to submit data. Data retrieval was a new feature on our web site this year. In addition to graphing their data by hand, students can now download data from our database directly to their computers. The data can then be manipulated and graphed by commonly used spreadsheet programs. Gwen Beck, a sixth-grade teacher from Lansing, New York, summed up teachers’ responses. "I was drawn to the data analysis and research aspects of Classroom BirdWatch. Students gather their own data; they’re not just reading results from a book. It’s authentic research that kids can handle." Teachers are already signing up to participate next year. Curriculum materials and support for the 1999–2000 school year are $199; multiple-classroom discounts are available. Renewals are $39.95. For information, call (607) 254–2403, or send e-mail to classroomfw@cornell.edu. Meredith Kusch |
