My final product is two-fold. First, I established a list of potential flowers for my garden. After researching which one are adult and larvae hosts, I decided to see what it would cost to start my garden. Imagine my excitement when I discovered twenty dollars would cover the financial cost (the other cost being my own labor, and the labor of other willing people)! This cost could go up some should I decide to start with plants rather than seeds. But, I feel I am pretty patient and can grow plants from seeds. My garden may not look like much for a year or two, but my research for the best plants for the butterflies in my area was well worth the time.
All of this information can be seen in my spreadsheets. Use the words in the bottom left corner to switch among the three sheets (notes, package deals, final selection).
The second product is a simple Google slide show presentation incorporating photographs and the new knowledge I acquired. This will be a good example to share with students during an inquiry project, depending on the scale of their inquiry. Feel free to view my presentation as a slide show, but be sure to check out my speaker notes where most of the information is included. To access the notes, click on the speaker icon in the lower right corner. Some notes are longer and will require scrolling to read all of them.
In looking back, I would have contacted my expert gardeners sooner. I thought being prepared for the interview with plenty of background knowledge would be great, but I forgot to factor in the limited time I had for working on the project.
I look forward to fulfilling my dream of creating a butterfly garden, thanks to the new-found information from my inquiry. I know some students would stop with the product, but I know further questions or ideas will arise.
What I am feeling now is the "sense of accomplishment" that Kuhlthau includes in Assessing the Process of the ISP model. I cannot say I have any disappointment at this point, but I can understand how this would happen. Had I discovered the cost of establishing my garden to be too high, I would've been disappointed in not being able to fulfill my dream at this time. Had I struggled to find the right information and ended up with less than I had hoped for, I could also feel disappointment.
When leading students through the I-Search model, I included a reflection time for them. Their excitement about sharing unusual facts about their topic and completing the project to their satisfaction was pretty common. Many expressed a wish for more time to gather or synthesize information. or even honestly shared their disappointment in the time they wasted. Knowing these mixed emotions could occur will motivate me to step in and be a partner with the students when they are struggling or seem to be floundering a bit. Sometimes a simple acknowledgement of their struggles is a relief; giving them the cleared head to begin focusing again.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Weaving, Wrapping, and Waving
How exciting to finally be planning my garden. I feel I have gathered plenty of information from a variety of sources. Through the process I have re-valuated my plans, been surprised at the discovery of already have many of the plants, and discovered many new facts.
To share with others, I am preparing a slide show about the 5 components of butterfly gardens, what I am going to use for each component, and the flower combinations I plan to try in the spring. I know it may take a few years to get a well-established garden, but just knowing I will be getting it started is exciting.
One of my initial questions was wondering if the area I had chosen for the garden was appropriate. It is! All my resources emphasized a sunny location and most plants that attract butterflies or act as host plants for the larvae are full-sun loving plants. Creating my garden around the antique two-bottom plow in our yard will allow me to utilize the plow as a basking area for the butterflies. It will also offer a little bit of shelter as well.
As I finalize my garden plans and presentation, I look back and realize that establishing a butterfly garden will be much easier than I had initially thought, and less expensive! It definitely helps to have family and friends who are avid gardeners who love to pass along their surplus plants! This greatly reduces the start-up costs for me.
I am glad I chose to use Delicious to bookmark my online resources because I am sure as my garden grows I will have new questions. Also, I am starting with a modest garden with plans to expand in the future, when I have more time to devote to maintaining my garden.
I regret not seeking out videos about my topic. I think I can find helpful information through videos on YouTube or through gardening websites. Sometimes I get stuck in thinking text is the main route to use in research, forgetting that other media is just as helpful, if not more helpful. This was brought to my attention by seeing P Allen Smith's show on TV. Seeking out expert gardeners such as Smith could give me additional helpful resources and help me avoid common mistakes.
I feel this has been an authentic inquiry experience for me. Looking at the Information Literacy Standards in Information Power, I see how I have address many of them through this project. I have "accessed information efficiently and accurately", evaluated my resources, used the "information accurately and creatively", and "pursue[d] information related to personal interests. I also feel that through the blogs, I've been able to contribute to others' projects, meeting standard 9: "participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information". I know I have appreciated comments from my peers that have reaffirmed my choices, shared other resources, or given me food for thought.
To share with others, I am preparing a slide show about the 5 components of butterfly gardens, what I am going to use for each component, and the flower combinations I plan to try in the spring. I know it may take a few years to get a well-established garden, but just knowing I will be getting it started is exciting.
One of my initial questions was wondering if the area I had chosen for the garden was appropriate. It is! All my resources emphasized a sunny location and most plants that attract butterflies or act as host plants for the larvae are full-sun loving plants. Creating my garden around the antique two-bottom plow in our yard will allow me to utilize the plow as a basking area for the butterflies. It will also offer a little bit of shelter as well.
As I finalize my garden plans and presentation, I look back and realize that establishing a butterfly garden will be much easier than I had initially thought, and less expensive! It definitely helps to have family and friends who are avid gardeners who love to pass along their surplus plants! This greatly reduces the start-up costs for me.
I am glad I chose to use Delicious to bookmark my online resources because I am sure as my garden grows I will have new questions. Also, I am starting with a modest garden with plans to expand in the future, when I have more time to devote to maintaining my garden.
I regret not seeking out videos about my topic. I think I can find helpful information through videos on YouTube or through gardening websites. Sometimes I get stuck in thinking text is the main route to use in research, forgetting that other media is just as helpful, if not more helpful. This was brought to my attention by seeing P Allen Smith's show on TV. Seeking out expert gardeners such as Smith could give me additional helpful resources and help me avoid common mistakes.
I feel this has been an authentic inquiry experience for me. Looking at the Information Literacy Standards in Information Power, I see how I have address many of them through this project. I have "accessed information efficiently and accurately", evaluated my resources, used the "information accurately and creatively", and "pursue[d] information related to personal interests. I also feel that through the blogs, I've been able to contribute to others' projects, meeting standard 9: "participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information". I know I have appreciated comments from my peers that have reaffirmed my choices, shared other resources, or given me food for thought.
Monday, February 8, 2010
More Wonderings
As I dug into Roth's book, I discovered some new questions:
I was also surprised to find I had more butterfly attracting plants than I first thought. They are throughout my yard, but a few (Black-eyed Susans and Bee Balm) are already in a garden of their own! By looking at my information, I can determine what plants to add to this garden plot. One expert's suggestions is to plant host plants for larvae close to host plants for adults of the same species. This will take a bit more digging, since the only information I have is that they host adults (no specific species referenced).
Another aspect of attracting butterflies is rotting fruit and manure. While I don't think I will be putting manure in my garden, I do see building a simple fruit feeder and placing over ripened fruit on it as a possibility. This will be relatively inexpensive since the materials needed are a screw and washer, a wood post, and a plate. The fruit will come from our orchard once the apples, plums, and pears start falling. If we don't eat our fruit quickly enough, I now know how to put them to good use rather than throwing them out!
In Stripling & Pitts' REACTS model, I am in the transforming stage. I have assembled information from a variety of resources and am looking at them to draw conclusions (in this case, which plants do I need and which ones are lower maintenance). As I work toward the final aspect of Synthesis, I still need to make some decisions. Knowing that I can add a few plants to an existing flower bed is exciting, but I still desire to create a new garden using the information I have gathered.
One final discovery I have made is being careful about the plants I choose. For example, thistle plants attract many butterflies, but some such as Canadian thistle is considered invasive. Being aware of invasive plants can help me do my part to avoid encouraging the invaders. This is not something I thought of at first, but discovered as I webbed. This may be an aspect where students would say "who cares" and continue their plans without considering new information, but as an adult aware of the numerous problems associated with invasive plants and animals, I cannot continue without adding this as a guideline for plants choices.
- What are asters? Are they easy to grow?
- What is ironweed? It attracts numerous adults, so I need to find out if this is a plant for my area.
I was also surprised to find I had more butterfly attracting plants than I first thought. They are throughout my yard, but a few (Black-eyed Susans and Bee Balm) are already in a garden of their own! By looking at my information, I can determine what plants to add to this garden plot. One expert's suggestions is to plant host plants for larvae close to host plants for adults of the same species. This will take a bit more digging, since the only information I have is that they host adults (no specific species referenced).
Another aspect of attracting butterflies is rotting fruit and manure. While I don't think I will be putting manure in my garden, I do see building a simple fruit feeder and placing over ripened fruit on it as a possibility. This will be relatively inexpensive since the materials needed are a screw and washer, a wood post, and a plate. The fruit will come from our orchard once the apples, plums, and pears start falling. If we don't eat our fruit quickly enough, I now know how to put them to good use rather than throwing them out!
In Stripling & Pitts' REACTS model, I am in the transforming stage. I have assembled information from a variety of resources and am looking at them to draw conclusions (in this case, which plants do I need and which ones are lower maintenance). As I work toward the final aspect of Synthesis, I still need to make some decisions. Knowing that I can add a few plants to an existing flower bed is exciting, but I still desire to create a new garden using the information I have gathered.
One final discovery I have made is being careful about the plants I choose. For example, thistle plants attract many butterflies, but some such as Canadian thistle is considered invasive. Being aware of invasive plants can help me do my part to avoid encouraging the invaders. This is not something I thought of at first, but discovered as I webbed. This may be an aspect where students would say "who cares" and continue their plans without considering new information, but as an adult aware of the numerous problems associated with invasive plants and animals, I cannot continue without adding this as a guideline for plants choices.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Wiggle Weave and Wrap, with a bit of Webbing
Nothing like a sunny but cold day to get me thinking about spring and the excitement of a butterfly garden!
I definitely can relate to students who have down-days when little is accomplished on researching and refining the search. The last couple days have been difficult due to research for our school improvement process. Being motivated to do anything similar after several hours of research/reading/searching is difficult. So, now I have set aside most of my Saturday for digging back in.
The sunshine and thoughts of an actual butterfly garden lighten my spirit and motivate me to begin weaving and thinking about wrapping my plan. I've wiggled a bit with my resources. I think the books I have are reliable and useful, especially Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Backyard by Sally Roth. She has written several books about nature, being a "lifelong naturalist and gardener" (book flap). She moved to Indiana in 1992 and writes articles for magazines and newspapers. She doesn't just write about nature, she is a researcher herself. In addition to her references, she also included resources for plants and seeds, supplies, and organizations to contact (address, email, and URL included).
Web sites sponsored by universities and well-known organizations can be generally trusted as well. Discussing this reminds me that different sources may have different perspectives on the same topic, so consulting several resources is recommended to get the most accurate information.
As I organize (weave) my information I am doing a bit more webbing (searching) to find information that fills gaps in my research. My wrapping of the project for sharing with others will most likely be in the form of a slide presentation and spreadsheet for figuring cost. I think a slide presentation will allow me to share my findings and plan for a garden, including the highlights of my findings. Anyone wanting more information could chat with me about aspects that they want to know more about. In creating a presentation it is important NOT to put too much information on each slide; simple phrases are better than paragraphs of information. If I wanted my audience to read paragraphs, I'd just give them a paper.
I can see how my information gathering can be of use to others. I can create a pathfinder of electronic and print sources for others who may be interested. Our elementary school has a courtyard garden, so this could tie into improving the garden's abilities to attract butterflies. This would directly connect to state standards such as Kindergarten Science standard 4:
Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through shared observations.(Indiana DOE Standards).
They can observe the butterflies and caterpillars in the school garden, drawing conclusions. First graders also have this standard, with a focus on interactions between plants and animals. Second graders are to start using scientific thinking to observe and gather information about their surroundings. They could observe the butterflies and gather information such as which flowers the butterflies visit the most, how many butterflies there are, different types of butterflies, and more.
Older students could use a pathfinder to collect information about plants that attract butterflies and decide which ones to add to the garden. They could support their choices by using the information they collect. They could contact local gardeners for donations of plants, find out costs of specific plants at local gardening stores, and create a fund raiser to support their addition to the garden. Our school already works to weed and maintain the garden, so this would be a feasible plan for improving the garden and connecting to state standards as well.
I definitely can relate to students who have down-days when little is accomplished on researching and refining the search. The last couple days have been difficult due to research for our school improvement process. Being motivated to do anything similar after several hours of research/reading/searching is difficult. So, now I have set aside most of my Saturday for digging back in.
The sunshine and thoughts of an actual butterfly garden lighten my spirit and motivate me to begin weaving and thinking about wrapping my plan. I've wiggled a bit with my resources. I think the books I have are reliable and useful, especially Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Backyard by Sally Roth. She has written several books about nature, being a "lifelong naturalist and gardener" (book flap). She moved to Indiana in 1992 and writes articles for magazines and newspapers. She doesn't just write about nature, she is a researcher herself. In addition to her references, she also included resources for plants and seeds, supplies, and organizations to contact (address, email, and URL included).
Web sites sponsored by universities and well-known organizations can be generally trusted as well. Discussing this reminds me that different sources may have different perspectives on the same topic, so consulting several resources is recommended to get the most accurate information.
As I organize (weave) my information I am doing a bit more webbing (searching) to find information that fills gaps in my research. My wrapping of the project for sharing with others will most likely be in the form of a slide presentation and spreadsheet for figuring cost. I think a slide presentation will allow me to share my findings and plan for a garden, including the highlights of my findings. Anyone wanting more information could chat with me about aspects that they want to know more about. In creating a presentation it is important NOT to put too much information on each slide; simple phrases are better than paragraphs of information. If I wanted my audience to read paragraphs, I'd just give them a paper.
I can see how my information gathering can be of use to others. I can create a pathfinder of electronic and print sources for others who may be interested. Our elementary school has a courtyard garden, so this could tie into improving the garden's abilities to attract butterflies. This would directly connect to state standards such as Kindergarten Science standard 4:
Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through shared observations.(Indiana DOE Standards).
They can observe the butterflies and caterpillars in the school garden, drawing conclusions. First graders also have this standard, with a focus on interactions between plants and animals. Second graders are to start using scientific thinking to observe and gather information about their surroundings. They could observe the butterflies and gather information such as which flowers the butterflies visit the most, how many butterflies there are, different types of butterflies, and more.
Older students could use a pathfinder to collect information about plants that attract butterflies and decide which ones to add to the garden. They could support their choices by using the information they collect. They could contact local gardeners for donations of plants, find out costs of specific plants at local gardening stores, and create a fund raiser to support their addition to the garden. Our school already works to weed and maintain the garden, so this would be a feasible plan for improving the garden and connecting to state standards as well.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The 9th W = Waffle
I am "waffling" - trying to decide which sources to explore more in-depth. Do I dig into the books? look for more Internet resources? explore my current Internet sources more in-depth? exercise to get the blood flowing better and then work on my project? review the must-haves and elaborate previous posts to make them better?
Well, I just looked up the verb "waffle" to make sure that was the right word. I must say it is the perfect choice. Merriam-Webster confirms that synonyms are yo-yo and flip-flop, with the example "waffled on the important issues". More appropriately the second definition is "to talk or write foolishly: blather".
I think getting my tired brain kick-started will take a review of my questions and some exploring of book sources -- I'm less likely to get off-task. Enough waffling! Let's go!
Well, I just looked up the verb "waffle" to make sure that was the right word. I must say it is the perfect choice. Merriam-Webster confirms that synonyms are yo-yo and flip-flop, with the example "waffled on the important issues". More appropriately the second definition is "to talk or write foolishly: blather".
I think getting my tired brain kick-started will take a review of my questions and some exploring of book sources -- I'm less likely to get off-task. Enough waffling! Let's go!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Web Wiggle Wonder Weave
Inquiry is DEFINITELY NOT linear. I find myself doing all of the Ws in my title. A summary of each-
Webbing:
Wiggling:
Wondering:
Weaving:
General thoughts:
I am glad I took the time to review the checklist for this project. I realized I was missing out on some crucial aspects, so I have some catching up to do! I am feeling a bit stressed-out, seeing the amount of progress needed in this last week! I now know how students feel when they are looking at the deadline and assessing the progress that must be made to meet the deadline.
I have added my online resources to my Delicious account-tagging them "butterflygarden" to make them easy to sort from the other bookmarked sites.
As I work on this project, I am also thinking about how to use this project as a model for an upcoming collaboration with the junior high English teacher. We are working on an inquiry project for some of the eighth graders, and I think sharing parts of my inquiry as an example (including my feelings along the way) will help.
Webbing:
- Library OPAC-searched for butterfly gardens; gardens; butterflies; Located four books I thought might assist in gathering the information I need
- online-located 6 website so far, one suggested by classmate, which show much promise; used Dogpile (since it is a metasearch engine and collects from Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask) to search for "Butterfly garden"; disappointed in not finding a Purdue site, but happy to find ones from Ohio State and Univ. of Minnisota.
Wiggling:
- Noticed two websites (The Butterfly Site and Butterfly Garden Website) seem to be the same information and pictures, just two different URLs and slightly different layout!
- Skimming Sally Roth's Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds to Your Backyard made me realize it was an excellent choice since author is from Indiana and information is great!
- Roth's book also reminded me how important color is to attracting butterflies, and how to trick butterflies to come using fake flowers when necessary! (Hint: purple is their favorite color)
- Skimming both The A to Z Garden Plants and The American Horticulture Society encyclopedia of Gardening gave me little information other than knowledge that butterfly bushes grow rapidly, are hardy, but relatively short lived (A to Z, 155), and the Butterfly flower prefers sandy soil (I don't have that) and are best for southern Florida and Texas (Amer. Hort. Soc., 210), eliminates it from my garden.
Wondering:
- Roth's book made me wonder how I could modify an existing flower bed to attract both butterflies AND hummingbirds; decided to focus on adding plants to attract butterflies to this area, since the hostas already attract hummingbirds
- Think Roth's suggestion for starting small and adding over the years is a feasible plan.
- Thinking about what questions would be best for an interview with a local expert gardener.
Weaving:
- Thinking about how this will tie into state standards for elementary: How can this be applied at our school?
- We have a courtyard garden. What host plants do we have? What host plants do we need? What other features should we add?
- The flowerbed I am now targeting needs to be rejuvenated (and Poison Ivy patch needs to be taken care of)
- Five parts of the garden (Roth, 18-19): nectar, water, supplemental foods, shelter, nest sites/host plants)
- Knowing that Bee Balm and Purple Cone Flowers are butterfly attractors, and that I have access to as many as I'd like through my mom (her thinning of beds is my benefit) is great. It cuts my cost and lets me focus on other aspects of the garden.
General thoughts:
I am glad I took the time to review the checklist for this project. I realized I was missing out on some crucial aspects, so I have some catching up to do! I am feeling a bit stressed-out, seeing the amount of progress needed in this last week! I now know how students feel when they are looking at the deadline and assessing the progress that must be made to meet the deadline.
I have added my online resources to my Delicious account-tagging them "butterflygarden" to make them easy to sort from the other bookmarked sites.
As I work on this project, I am also thinking about how to use this project as a model for an upcoming collaboration with the junior high English teacher. We are working on an inquiry project for some of the eighth graders, and I think sharing parts of my inquiry as an example (including my feelings along the way) will help.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Gathering Sources
Today I followed a tip about the Indy White Water Garden butterfly exhibit (see previous post comments), and found out the exhibit doesn't start until late March. That might not help me right now, but it is worth knowing in case I have the opportunity to go before I start my garden.
While I was on the Internet, I decided to use Dogpile to search for sites about butterfly gardens. I also tried to locate a Purdue site, but didn't have much luck. This is a bit frustrating since I would think they would have something along this line. On the brighter side, I found The Butterfly Site, The Butterfly Garden Site, The North American Butterfly Association, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting's tips for beginners. While not all of these are about the Hoosier state, they will give me information about butterfly gardens in general. The Butterfly site looks really promising with its articles on everything from plants for caterpillars and adults, activities you will see in a garden, and what butterflies live in each state! I am definitely excited to dive into the information and start formulating ideas for my garden. I am going to swing by the library to see if they have books/resources that will also help. Perhaps they will have one on Indiana plants.
While I was on the Internet, I decided to use Dogpile to search for sites about butterfly gardens. I also tried to locate a Purdue site, but didn't have much luck. This is a bit frustrating since I would think they would have something along this line. On the brighter side, I found The Butterfly Site, The Butterfly Garden Site, The North American Butterfly Association, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting's tips for beginners. While not all of these are about the Hoosier state, they will give me information about butterfly gardens in general. The Butterfly site looks really promising with its articles on everything from plants for caterpillars and adults, activities you will see in a garden, and what butterflies live in each state! I am definitely excited to dive into the information and start formulating ideas for my garden. I am going to swing by the library to see if they have books/resources that will also help. Perhaps they will have one on Indiana plants.
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