Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge with Mrs Ellis

It's Been a Great Trip

2009-03-10T23:10:00.004-05:00

I've had a wonderful adventure!

I've seen many wonderful things.

I've seen the Northern Lights and arctic animals.

I've done some amazing things too.

I did field research, helped build an igloo, and rode on a dog sled.

I even walked out onto a frozen ocean.

But most importantly, I've learned a lot about the world we live in.

The Arctic is a special place.

I hope that all of you can visit it one day.

The Arctic needs our help.

If our planet continues to heat up because of global warming,

the Arctic and all the animals that live there will be at risk.

We can help the Arctic by saving energy!

Work with your teacher to color in your

"Cool Kids for a Cool Climate" book

to learn how we can be principled global citizens

who take care of our planet and help the Arctic.

Polar Bears!

2009-03-09T06:59:00.006-05:00

Polar bears live in the Arctic.

At this time of year, the boy polar bears

have been out on the arctic pack ice for a long time.

The polar bears go out on the ice to catch seals and fish.

This is a picture that I took of the ice.

Many polar bears have walked over this ice to go out and catch seals.

While the boy polar bears are out on the ice,

the girl polar bears are coming out of their snow dens

with their cubs!

My new friend, Mr. Seth, takes a helicopter to find

the mama polar bears. This is a picture of Seth

in front of his helicopter. He has the tools he

needs to observe the polar bears in the sleigh at his feet.

Mr. Seth took this picture of a baby polar bear.

The baby has its little foot on the mama polar bear.

Mr. Seth gives the mama polar bear some medicine

so she can rest while Mr. Seth tests how healthy she is.

The mama polar bear will lead her cub out onto the ice.

Once they are on the pack ice where the boy polar bears are,

the mama will catch food to eat and teach the baby how to hunt.

Polar bears need the ice to be able to catch food.

Polar bears eat seals and fish.

I learned they will even eat a whale!

What would happen to the polar bears if there was no ice in the Arctic?

Why are the polar bears white?

Work with your teacher to glue down some ice

so your polar bear can catch a fish.

A Frozen Ocean

2009-03-05T18:39:00.004-06:00

The Arctic Ocean is frozen, and I've seen it!

This is a picture of me on the shore of Hudson Bay.

Hudson Bay is a part of the Arctic Ocean.

And Hudson Bay is frozen solid.

Even though I'm a grown-up, I still feel small

when I stand next to the ocean.

In this picture, my teacher, Mr. Steve,

seems very small compared the frozen Arctic waters.

The Arctic Ocean is vast (that's another word for big),

but I still wanted to be a risk-taker.

I walked out onto the frozen water

and took a picture inside a large bump of ice.

The ice made this big bump because there's a rock underneath it.

When water hit the rock it was pushed on top of the rock and then it froze.

I felt so brave going out on the ice!

What are you going to do today to feel brave

and be a risk-taker?

The Northern Lights

2009-03-04T18:38:00.004-06:00

In the Arctic when it is night time you can see an amazing thing.

The Northern Lights glow in the sky.

The Northern Lights can be green like this picture, or they can be pink or red.

I've only seen green and pink.

These are pictures of the Northern Lights that I have seen.

I saw them on Tuesday night!

Even though it is night time, the Northern Lights are caused by the sun.

How does the sun make lights at night?

First graders at AGC know that there are gases around the Earth. The sun sends light and energy to the Earth. When this energy comes to Earth at night, it makes some of the gases around the Earth glow. The Arctic is one of the best places on Earth to see this glowing gas!

What do you see when you look at the Northern Lights?

What shapes do the lights make?

What do you see when you look into the sky at night?

Use watercolors and crayons to create a picture of the Northern Lights.

Remember the Northern Lights only come in 3 colors green, pink, and red.

Snow Day

2009-03-03T21:57:00.004-06:00

Today was a very busy day.

First, we rode out into the tundra in a qumutak.

The qumutak is a sled pulled by a snowmobile.

Second, I dug a hole. A big hole!

When I'm in the hole, I can see all the layers of snow.

Now that I can see the layers, I can take the temperature of the snow and find out what kind of snow crystals are in there.

The last thing I will do is fill in the hole.

Now it's time to start digging another hole! Digging in the snow is good exercise.

What will you do today to exercise your body?

Traveling

2009-03-02T18:45:00.003-06:00

Part 1:

I traveled to the Arctic. How did I get there?

I am in a town called Churchill. Churchill is in the Arctic.

There are no roads to Churchill. How did I get here?

If there were roads, I could have taken a car. But there are no roads from Chicago to Churchill.

How do you think I got here? What could you travel on to meet me in Churchill? Raise your hand to tell the teacher how you would travel to the Arctic.

This is a picture of the city of Churchill.

Part 2:

I took two planes and a train.

The first plane I flew on was a big plane. The plane was just like the ones that fly over our school. Over 100 people can fly on this plane at the same time.

The second plane I took was very small. Only 30 people can fit on this plane at one time. This is a picture of the plane I flew on, but I am not in this picture.

Finally, I travelled on a train. I spent the night on the train and ate on the train. This is what the outside of the train looked like.

This is the train station in Churchill.

This is what the inside of the train looked like. This is where I sat on the train.

And this is where I ate on the train. It was like a restaurant on the train.

Now I want you to help me get to the Arctic again. Finish the worksheet your teacher has by cutting and pasting the planes and train I took. Grow those brains!

Global Citizens are Observant

2009-03-01T20:34:00.003-06:00

Field researchers have to be observant. A lot of research and inquiry requires you to write down observations and measurements. Today we observed and measured small pieces of trees. We wanted to find out how healthy the trees are, so we looked at the ends of the branches to see how much the trees had grown in the last year. When the weather is very cold, like it is in the Arctic, trees grow very slowly.

What is happening to the trees where you live? Be a field researcher. Observe a tree. What is happening to the tree? Is the weather changing the tree in some way? Record your observations by writing them down, draw a picture, or take a picture with a camera.

We're here!

2009-02-28T19:40:00.002-06:00

I've arrived at the research center in Churchill! It was a long trip, but I'm very happy to be here. My new friends come from many places (Mississippi, Britain, Canada), and they are inquirers and risk-takers. I think they would fit in well with the global citizens at our school.

Click here to learn about the other teachers I'm working with.

I also saw my first arctic animal today! I actually saw five of them! Ptarmigan!

Even when I couldn't see the ptarmigan, I could see their tracks. Do you remember reading about the ptarmigan? They are completely white, and they grow feathers on their feet so they don't sink when they walk in the snow.

Can you find the 5 ptarmigan in the picture below? Look carefully; their white feathers help them hide in the snow.

Can you find the ptarmigan tracks? Where do you think they are going?

Expedition Expectations

2009-02-17T18:40:00.005-06:00

Dear students, colleagues, and friends:

I know what you're thinking...

"What an amazing opportunity!" "What a unique learning experience!"
"What is she thinking? It's -50 degrees!"

I've been thinking all of those things myself. This blog will be a record of my experience in the Arctic, and it will be written primarily for my kindergarten and first grade students in Chicago. It will feature short stories about the expedition, photos, questions for pondering, and classroom activities. My goal for this blog is that the language will be simple, clear, and concise.

Stay tuned for more adventure preparation!

Mrs. Ellis

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2009-02-04T15:20:00.001-06:00

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