6th grade students at Lake Geneva Middle School have learned the process of hatching chicks for the past 21 days as part of the University of Wisconsin 4H program. They received 28 eggs and were able to hatch 19 healthy chicks! Students learned to handle eggs and follow the development of the chicks.🥚🐣🐥
WONDERS OF LEARNING
By: Carol Warner
The excitement behind a young mind discovering the wonder of learning is an awesome experience to encounter. Educators receive this gift by proxy. We have a front row seat to their joy and excitement. This past week was certainly a time of wonder and celebration in our LGMS building, particularly in our 6th grade halls.
In the middle of learning about space, astronauts, and building paper rockets for our annual launch we were part of a program through the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Walworth County 4H Extension Program. This program allowed Lake Geneva Middle School to partake in observing the development of chickens over the course of 21 days. Mrs. Tonia Ward, 6th Grade Science Teacher, headed up this program for the first time. She and her team of teachers did a phenomenal job. Out of 23 eggs we had 19 survive. Daily eggs were candled, the development of the chickens were discussed during class, and the teachers assisted the students with a packet of questions they needed to complete about the daily development of the chickens.
Mrs. Ward found a way to relate this lesson to her lesson about space and astronauts. She taught about the first fertilized eggs that were launched into space in 2017. As time went on, she placed a small camera in the incubator so that the students could observe the chickens hatching from their eggs. Finally, a meg-shift chicken coup was built with the cooperation of the staff for the 19 chickens that were warmly welcomed to our LGMS family.
Mrs. Ward launched this program with the help of her team members. It was wonderful to watch the teachers, students, administrators, and custodians work autonomously. They supported Tonia’s goal to engage in hands-on learning and bring joy to the soul through the wonder of learning. Mrs. Ward’s leadership created a positive experience we will always remember.