| Name | Creekside Park Elementary |
| Web site | http://CreeksidePark@asdk12.org |
| Location | Anchorage, Alaska, USA |
| Community | Suburban |
| Type | Public |
| Subjects | All subjects |
| Grades | K-1 Multiage Classroom |
| Students | 20 |
| Title | The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly |
| Insects | spruce beetle/ lady bug |
| Description | In Alaska we have suffered an enviromental tragedy for the last few years. We have had an infestation of spruce bark beetles that have decimated many of the forests in our area. Large tracts of forest from Kenai to the Chugach Hills have been lain waste by this small creature. Professionals still argue about how to control the damage and what to do with the thousands of acres of dead trees. In Alaska we like to try and control garden pests with natural predators. Ladybugs are highly reccomended as a source of deterrent for aphids, etc. that destroy gardens. Our class will be exploring how two creatures -both beetles- could have such drastic different impact upon the environment. We will be focusing on body parts to compare and contrast the two beetles and research the habitats and eating habits of the animals. Our class has 19 students. 8 kindergarten students. 11 first grade students. 8 girls and 11 boys. We have 7 students of native background. Our class works in various groups throughout the day. Students have an opportunity to work with many students. Students work as peer tutors. Each students has equal access to computer time throughout the week in the computer lab as well as in our classroom. We will be sharing the information with our parents in a newsletter created by the students. We will also send a copy to the local Public Lands Information Center with the students suggestions for taking care of the spruce bark beetle. |
| Where did you hear about Bugscope? | I was doing a web search to collect information to create a unit on hatching chicks\r\nthat would involve using technology to record and compare data. I came upon chickoscope. We will be doing a unit on bugs in May. We kick it off with a visit to our local Museum that is having a showing of BUGS in various art forms. |
