Published: July 28, 2008 06:59 am      

Students to track butterflies

Fallsburg Elementary joins international project

LOUISA — Students at Fallsburg Elementary School will join others from several states, Canada and Mexico in a project to track the migratory patterns of monarch butterflies.

The students will observe and document butterflies and also hummingbirds, and report their findings to Journey North, said Fallsburg principal James Lester.

Journey North is a global study, funded by Annenberg Media, that links hundreds of classrooms to study species migration and improve education.

Fallsburg’s participation is made possible by a $38,000 HP Technology for Teaching grant that provides computers, related hardware and software, and cash, Lester said.

Five Fallsburg teachers will work with intermediate students — grades 3 through 5 — on the study. The project will incorporate studies in multiple disciplines, including science, math, social studies, reading, writing and art.

Students will start on the project in the fall and work on it throughout the school year, said science teacher Dara Moran.

The project isn’t limited to dry observation and reporting, however. The students also will actively work to improve habitats for butterflies and hummingbirds, Moran said.

For example, monarch larvae feed on milkweed, and students will work to propagate the plant locally, she said.

The computer gear will allow Fallsburg to link with other schools and share information, including maps of their findings.

Moran’s most fervent hope is that the project will illustrate to her students the real-life value of academic studies.

“Usually kids don’t make that connection,” she said. “They ask, why am I learning this, and then later in their lives they realize they should have been listening.”

Also, the immense scope of the project enhances the potential for applying it to multiple disciplines, Moran said.

Other Fallsburg teachers participating include Donna Triplett, Tina Chapman, Sarah Collins and Jamie Lawson.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.