My name is Margaret Fauchier and I teach biological sciences at Mary Bird High School in Fairfield, California. Mary Bird has a staff of ten teachers and a student body of about 225 continuation students between the ages of fifteen and nineteen.. I will also teach an arts and crafts class for the first time this year and I am the coordinator for students who speak English as their second language. In the past I have taught physical and earth science, elementary math and work experience. I taught in Kansas and Hawaii before coming to California in 1973.
My school is wired for the Internet and we have a computer lab, but we are not yet on line. Our school district, the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District and the Solano County Office of Education are both on line.
My school is located within a few miles of the Suisun Marsh which is the largest contiguous brackish marsh in the United States. The Suisun Marsh Natural History Association conducts field trips for students on a walking trail in the marsh. They also provide classroom speakers. Some of the presentations include non-releasable wildlife. There are also many volunteer opportunities for students at their animal rehabilitation center.
Most of my students like to learn by doing projects. Gardening projects are always popular. Most years we grow blue potatoes and cook blue French fries. This year we are going to work with Wisconsin Fast Plants. for the first time. Many of my students are talented artists and I try to integrate as much art into my science classes as possible. Last year we made recycled paper using the molds and deckles I made at the Exploratorium last summer. I will be using SEPUP modules in my biology classes for the first time this coming year.
Last year I made a kaleidoscope in the Exploratorium shop. This kaleidoscope has a chamber for adding objects such as rocks, beads or shells. I kept it on my desk and allowed students who had finished their work to try different objects in it. I wrote up the directions for constructing this kaleidoscope as my Snack. In the future, I would like to build or have my students build kaleidoscopes with different numbers and arrangements of mirrors.
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