South O’Brien Elementary, Primghar, Iowa
3^rd grade TAG

 Hello Square of Lifers! Each student observed an area, either individually or in a group, of our outdoor classroom. We were able to observe our squares before the first frost. We had an early frost, then decent fall weather for northwest Iowa. We then chose our comparison school after reading through many data lists. It was hard to choose, but we each chose a school for the Final Report comparison.   We completed a Venn diagram to help identify our similarities and differences.  We used our reference books and the internet to learn about some of the things the other schools observed.  We only chose a couple of things to compare and contrast.  Please view our Square Data for the complete list.  We will be reading other final reports to see if anyone chose us! Here are our final reports.
Our school is South O’Brien Elementary.  Our school is in the northwest part of Iowa in a town called Primghar.  Primghar is the county seat of O’Brien County.

Group 1:

The school I chose is Wheelock School.  Their school is in the city of Keene in New Hampshire.  The things we had in common are ladybugs, leaves, acorns, grass, Oak tree, clovers, rock, dirt, and litter.  We both have these things because we both observed a square outside in nature.  We also had some differences.  We had a statue of a praying girl.  A student died so they put a statue in the garden to remember her.  We also had geraniums.  These are flowers with pink and purple petals.  They had buttercup flowers.  They have five buttery petals.  They also had a horse chestnut tree.  It can be 60-70 feet and the buds are VERY sticky.  I learned how to sort and learn about plants, animals (insects), and non living things.

The school I chose is Blue Ridge Elementary.  Their school is in the city of Lakeside in Arizona.  The things we had in common are red ladybugs, flies, black ants, Oak tree, grass, bark, new leaves, spider web, rock, and soil.  We both have these things because we observed a place outside the city and a lot of nature is outside the city.  It was fall and mostly no matter where you are, all bugs are outside in fall.  We also had some differences.  We had a black tarp.  It helps the plants and keeps the weeds out.  We also had clover.  It is like a flower, but if it has four leaves, it brings good luck.  They had Ponderosa Pine.  It is a tree.  It blooms in the spring, and it can live to be 200 years old.  They also had Alligator Juniper.  It is a tree and it blooms in spring.  I learned that nature is beautiful and that you don’t need to be scared of bugs and nature.

The school I chose is Capitol School of Austin.  Their school is in the city of Austin in Texas.  The things we had in common are black flies, black ants, red ladybugs, sticks, Oak tree, grass, dead leaves, seeds, new fallen leaves, weeds, bark, dirt, and glass.  We both have these things because of the Oak tree and because somebody might have broken a window.  We also had some differences.  We had mosquitoes.  They might bite you and you will get a bug bite.  We also had a tarp.  It keeps the weeds under the tarp.  They had a snail shell.  The snail comes out of the shell and goes to find a new one.  They also had a spider.  A spider makes a web, and it might be easy to break, but it is very strong.  I learned that a lot of bugs and plants can live for a very long time.  There are a lot of different plants and bugs.

Group 2:

The school I chose is Chittick Elementary.  Their school is in the city of East Brunswick in New Jersey.  The things we had in common are black spider, earthworm, grass, rocks, wrapper, and dirt.  We both have these things because they probably could look by a garden with a trash can nearby.  We also had some differences.  We had purple mums.  It is a pretty kind of flower.  I saw it in the flowerbed.  We also had orange dead leaves.  They had tree roots.  They might have been pulled from a little tree and were on top of the ground.  They also had vines.  They might have come from some kind of plant.  I learned that sometimes we have things that are the same and some things can be different.  I was surprised what the other school had because they had a lot of different things I never heard of before.

Group 3:

The school I chose is Portside Christian School.  Their school is in the city of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia.  The things we had in common are red bricks and small rocks.  We both have these things in common because I was by a shed and maybe they were by a building.  We also had some differences.  We saw kids.  They were going out to recess.  We also found a lock.  It was on the shed and it was silver.  They had a hook and line.  Maybe someone was fishing in the area they were in.  They also had a mud crab.  That’s where that would be, in the mud.  I learned that it’s not who has more or the differences that’s important.  It’s what we have in common.  Even though we’re from different places, we still can have things in common.

Group 4:

The school I chose is North Davis Prep Academy.  Their school is in the city of Layton in Utah.  The things we had in common are live ants, grass, sticks, leaves, dead leaf, dirt, and rocks.  We both have these things in common because we observed in a grassy area.  We also had some differences.  We had a squirrel.  I saw the squirrel in a tree.  We also had an earthworm.  I found it in the earth.  They had a frog.  It was a baby frog.  They also had a fly.  It can fly.  I learned about more plants, animals and non-living things.  I learned more from my teacher and classmates.