In early March, Long-View 7th and 8th graders had the opportunity to spend five days at the Teton Science School in Grand Teton National Park. They were treated to immersive learning about the park’s ecosystem and the organisms living there. Learners and guides traversed the park on snowshoes and cross-country skis, a test of humor and humility for young people and adults alike. Skilled instructors from the Teton Science School guided the learners through experiments and observations in snow science, animal identification, geology and other facets of the natural systems….
Read MoreTomorrow will be a busy morning, as all learners will be going out on field experiences focused on art interpretation. Teal & Indigo learners are headed to The Blanton, while Auburn & Navy learners are taking a walking tour of a handful of sculptures from UT’s Landmarks Collection. All bands have been preparing for these trips through a series of Campfire conversations over the last weeks….
Read MoreStudying graphs and thinking about data visualization has been a thread across the year, most especially during Campfire conversations and in Science Block. We’ve regularly analyzed and discussed some of the amazingly beautiful and fascinating graphs highlighted in The New York Times’ “What’s Going On With This Graph?” program, and our young scientists have had many thoughtful lessons and discussions related to how scientists use graphs to analyze and communicate data (great example can be found here). Yesterday, Auburn and Navy Banders walked over to The University of Texas’ VisLab to learn more about data visualization.…
Read MoreTo kick off their environmental science unit, Teal and Indigo Bands headed out this morning for a half day excursion to Whirlpool Cave through Austin Watershed Protection. They climbed deep into the Edward’s Aquifer via caves to explore Austin's unique Karst topography and learn more about our city’s watershed. This experience will be helpful as they later move into a project focused on water quality in which the learners will develop their own water filtration systems.….
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