Astoria Park Elementary School
Tallahassee, Florida
Program for gifted students
The Canine Connection
Spring 2004
Mrs. Sandy Beck, teacher
 
Class News and Updates
Please check this page regularly.
 
Class Schedule

Wednesdays
1. Gifted and Able Learners Class for 1st - 3nd graders
8:45 - 11:00 a.m
Students may bring a nutritious snack.
 
2. Gifted and Able Learners Class for 4th - 5th graders
11:25 a.m. - 1:40 p.m.
Students need to bring a bag lunch to school. We eat in our classroom .
 
May 4th
On April 20th, we had a guest speaker, Sandy Davidson from the Tallahassee Dog Obedience Club and her Rottweiller, Ruby. Ms. Davidson talked about pack behavior and socialization and how dogs learn. She and Ruby demonstrated what they do in dog shows. Students also had the opportunity to work with Ruby.
 
On April 27th, students learned about the Haiku form of poetry, then wrote and illustrated original "doggie Haikus."
 
On May 4th, students learned about Dr. Stanley Coren's theory of canine intelligence (below).

Adaptive Intelligence = (A)Learning Ability + (B)Problem-solving ability
A. Learning ability is defined as the number of experiences needed for an individual to remember how to do something. The fewer number of experiences needed, the higher the learning ability.

(A)Learning ability = the rate a which a dog learns new things

Types of Learning Ability:
1. observational learning (a human opening the fridge means dinnertime will be soon)
2. environmental learning (involves creating a mental map of surroundings)
3. social learning (responding to social or emotional signals)
4. language comprehension (ability to learn verbal signals)
5. task learning (responding to specific signals that may bring rewards)
6. short-term memory
7. long-term memory

(B) Problem-solving Ability = the ability to overcome obstacles mentally or to discover new ways to apply previously learned information.

Adaptive intelligence allows individuals (humans and other animals) to adapt to their environment or provides them with skills to modify (change) their environments to suit their needs.

Students then administered Dr. Coren's Canine Intelligence Test to Maggie, my 11 year old Weimaraner.

Next week, May 11th, students will study canine anatomy.

 
March 30
(First and second graders did not come to my class this week because of testing.)
 
In class today, students:
- learned that all dogs evolved from the grey wolf then
- brainstormed and debated answers to the following questions
 
1. How were dogs first domesticated or tamed?
2. Why is the dog population so diverse or how did we get so many different breeds (about 400) of the same species -- the dog?
 
- watched a wonderful NOVA video, "Dogs and More Dogs," which presents scientists' studies, experiments and different answers (theories) to these same questions.
- learned that scientists also disagree, debate, and then redefine their own theories.
 
Next Tuesday, April 6th, both of my classes will go on a field trip to the Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center (aka the Animal Shelter). Please see March 2nd entry below for details.
 
We do not have any chaperones yet. If you can chaperone, please e-mail me. Thank you!
 
 
March 2
In class today, students:
- worked on rough drafts of their ads. Third graders did not come to class because of testing.
 
* CLASS FIELD TRIP:
On April 6th, both classes will go on a field trip to the Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center (aka the Animal Shelter). Students will: donate the poster ads they created to help homeless animals; learn about the jobs people perform there; compile statistics while tour ing the kennels; and help socialize puppies.
 
1. ASAP, please send $2 cash or a check payable to Astoria Park for each child to cover the school bus transportation.
2. Please let me know if you can volunteer to chaperone that day.
3. On the day of the field trip, students will be able to bring in an item from the Shelter's wish list. We will take these items to the Shelter with us. Please don't send them in before the field trip as we do not have the storage space. Thank you!
 
Field Trip Schedule:
9:30 a.m. - Buses leave Astoria Park
10:00 a.m. -- Arrive at the Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. -- Tour
11:00 a.m. -- Drive across the street to Tom Brown Park
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. -- Picnic Lunch/ discuss Animal Shelter experience
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. -- Bird and Turtle-watching walk around the lake
12:30 p.m. -- bus leaves
1:00 p.m. -- return to Astoria Park
 
February 24
In class today, students:
- shared the ads they brought to class, looked at others and, based on the categories they learned last week, analyzed why the ads were or were not effective.
- learned how to recognize and understand double entendres and word plays.
- worked in groups of two to brainstorm ideas for an effective ad for homeless animals at the Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center that: focuses on only one problem/solution; uses a double entendre or word play; contains an effective illustration; is big, bold and bright . . . and will get the main idea across in a memorable way, in just five seconds.
 

February 17
In class today, students:
- brainstormed reasons why 10,000 homeless pets are turned into the Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center (aka the Animal Shelter) each year and solutions for this problem.
- learned about the subtle messages that magazine ads communicate to effectively get people to do or buy something
- looked at ads in different magazines, chose ones they thought were good and interpreted the obvious message and subtle messages and discusses why the ad works.
Homework (4th and 5th grade class, only): Find one good ad, bring it to class next week and be prepared to discuss its obvious and subtle message and why it works for you.
Next week: create a successful ad for homeless dogs, make posters to display school and donate to animal shelter.
e-mail Sandy Beck
The Canine Connection
The Wild Classroom