Congratulations!  Judy Gawelek is the Rosen Publishing School Librarian of the Month for April. Judy is the school library media specialist at Huber Ridge Elementary School (Westerville City School District). The goal of “Chick Quest” is to use real life a real life experience to pursue inquiry-based research, using the process of hatching chicken eggs.

So how can you replicate “Chick Quest?”

Duration: The inquiry-based project takes five weeks.

Necessary Supplies: Fertilized eggs, egg incubator and supplies for sustaining newborn chicks, research template, Born from an Egg Resources from the Ohio State Extension Office, Chrome Book.

Instructions and/or Procedures to Conduct Program or Activity:

Create a timeline for incubation and hatching that aligned with school calendar. Eggs were in full view on the circulation desk and live streamed on a YouTube channel using a chromebook and IPEVO. Each day of development we displayed the state of the effs on the public Viewsonic in the hallway. Halfway through the process, the research began.  Younger students explored the process of chick development in the egg and colored pictures of what the chicks would look like as adults.  Older students created a Google Slide presentation  contained in their slides, choosing from a list of animals that Hatch from an Egg.  When the research was completed, students shared their final products with me and were compiled to share on the school’s public Viewsonic.*  Also, students were so attached to the chicks that we had “Name the Chick” activity after the chicks left the school for their new home.

The research portion of this project was replicated at a second school, Whittier Elementary School.  These students watched the hatching on the YouTube Channel and their slideshow was displayed on their Viewsonic in the cafeteria.

Final Results and Indicators of Success for the Program or Activity:

Forty-eight of 150 students at Huber Ridge completed the task successfully. But engagement on the whole was higher than research projects I’ve attempted in the past. Eighty-three of 160 students successfully completed the task at Whittier Elementary School.

There was also intrinsic benefit, not as easily measured.  Students were excited and empathetic to the small creatures. A special education class attached to the library was especially involved, getting to watch first hand one of the eggs hatching. 

Tips for Replicating this Program or Activity:

Plan your timeline carefully. Use any resources you have available to you.  Ask questions.  Make sure you have a home for your chicks at the end of the program.  Supplement with lots of visuals such as posters, electronic displays, and coloring pages.

I could not have done this without the support of the custodial staff, our media clerk, and the buy-in of the administrators.

Congratulations Judy!