Benton Community Elementary Schools partner with the Benton County Naturalists every year. The Naturalists visit the elementary classrooms a few times throughout the school year teaching students about plants, animals, and nature found in and around Benton County.
Students in Mrs. Cherveny’s second grade classroom were visited by the Naturalist, Aaron, who talked to her classroom about bats. Students learned interesting bat facts including: their habitat, what kinds of food bats eat, and unique features such as echolocation. Students learned about local bats found in Iowa and their adaptations to survive. Aaron taught students about two bat species in Iowa: the Big Brown bat and the Eastern Pipistrelle Bat. Students even got a chance to see examples of the two bats. This lesson carried over into cross- curricular learning within the classroom. Students read a fluency passage about bats in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico and students did their own research projects on bats. Students had to locate information online and in text to create their own research project on a bats life cycle, habitat, and interesting facts. Students then presented their projects to the class.
