1. 2012-2013

2. “Learning Today-Leading Tomorrow”
Banks Elementary will prepare all
students for success in a global
society utilizing 21st Century Skills,
high expectations, engaging
instruction, and advanced technology.

3. Carpool Information
• Drop off begins at 7:40
a.m. and ends at 8:05 a.m.
• Anyone picking up a
student is required to
have a blue or yellow tag.

5. Title I Information
• Banks Elementary is a Title I school
• Federal Funding Supports
– Three teaching positions and one Ta
position
– Technology
– Instructional supplies
– Parent involvement
To Learn More About Title I, contact Mrs.
Faulkner at 252-527-9470.

6. How are Parents involved through
Title I
• Parent, Student, Staff compacts are signed
yearly
• Parents are presented with the Title I Parental
Involvement Policy
• Regular communication through notes,
agendas and connect-ed messages
• Title I meetings
• Popcorn for Parents

7. Dates to Remember
• December 3-7 – Holiday Shoppe for Kids
PTA
• December 4 – Progress Reports
• December 19 – Early Out
• December 20 – January 1 – Holiday
• January 2 – School resumes

8. Birds
by Ms. Edwards’ 4th
grade class
2012

9. Peacock
By Anna R.
• The adaptations of a peacock include their bright feathers to impress females.
• They also have eyes on the sides of their heads to easily spot predators.
• A peacock’s short beak helps him easily chew seeds and grains.
• Some interesting facts about the peacock include that the female peacocks aren’t
called peacocks. They are called peahens.
• Also their lifespan in the wild is up to 20 years. In captivity, they live up to 30 years.
• Peacocks are also considered turkeys. They are the largest members in the turkey
family.
• The weight of a peacock is 8.75 to 13 lbs.
• The height of a peacock’s body is 35 to 50 inches. Their tails are 5 ft long and their
wingspans are 1.4 to 1.6 meters long.
www.wikipedia .org peacock
Birds. Amber books Ltd. 2009.

10. Snowy Owl
Ashton W.
• The snow owl’s lifespan is
28 years.
• Their weight is 40-70
ounces and length is 20-
27 inches. Their wingspan
is 4.5-5.5 feet.
• Their special adaptation is
that they have sharp
talons.
• It eats ptarmigans.
• It lays 7-9 eggs.
• The male is white.
• The female is like a zebra.
• They swallow their prey
hole.
• They are found in
northern Scandinavia,
northern Russia, and
northern Canada Birds.
Birds Amber Books Ltd. 2009.
www.wikipedia.org Snowy Owl

11. •They can be found in southern Europe, Asia, Africa, and
the Middle East.
• Their special adaptation is their brain. They are smart
enough to put pebbles in their mouth to drop on eggs to
eat.
• The Egyptian Vulture’s height is about to a man’s knee.
Egyptian
Vulture
• Its wingspan is 5 to 6 feet.
• It mostly eats eggs and carrion
(rotting flesh).
By: Beecham H.
• It can live up to 37 years.
• The incubation period is about {42}
Birds. Amber Books Ltd. 2009
days.
www.wikpedia.org Egyptian vulture
• The number of broods is 1 a year.

12. • The Martial Eagle’s
special adaptation is
he uses his
Martial Eagle
outstretched sharp
talons to hold down
his prey and kill his
prey.
• The eagles are 30.7-
33.8 inches. They
weigh about 14.3 lb.
• They live in Sub-
Saharan Africa,
especially Zimbabwe,
and South Africa.
• They can live up to 16
years.
• A bird’s leg has enough
power to break a
man’s arm!
• They can kill a prey
that can weigh up to
44 pounds.
• While the female sits
on the egg, she feeds
off the leaves of the Birds. Amber books ltd.
nest. 2009. Wikipedia.org.
• When the egg hatches, Martial eagle.
the male brings food
for 50 days, then it’s
the female’s turn. Bryan D.

13. Grey Crowned Crane
by Brycon H.
•The Gray Crowned Crane can
weigh about 8 pounds. It can grow
as high as 5.2 feet. A grown man is
only a few inches taller.
•It is located all around west Africa.
•They have an elongated hind toe
that gives them extra security for
unwanted predators.
•The Gray Crowned crane can
dance to communicate.
•Its wing span can be as large as its
whole body!
•If you look closely, the Grey
Crowned Crane has a red sac on its
neck.
•The crane’s legs bend backward
from human’s legs.
Birds .Amber books ltd
2009 Grey Crowned •The life span of a Black Crowned
Craned, clip art
Crane can be up to 22 years.

14. Red Billed Streamer Tail
By: Cody G.
•The weight of the Red Billed Streamer Tail is 5.2 g.
•The length of this bird is 22-30 in., including his tail which is 8.7-11.8 in.
•They are only found in Jamaica.
• They lay eggs during October-March.
•Their incubation period is around 14-21 days.
•The fledgling period is around 14-21 days.
•The number of eggs is 2.
•The number of broods are up to 3 times a year.
•Their call is a loud metallic ting, ting, ting.
•The tropical diet is nectar.
•They do not migrate.
•It was once believed that the tail made the humming sound .
•The bill is coral with a black tip. It grows 2.5 cm.
•Only males have the streamer tails.
•The special adaptations are in common with all humming birds. The
Red-Billed Streamer Tail needs a calorie rich diet. The nectar is high in
sugar and provides this. To reach the nectar, this bird has an elongated bill
and a specially adapted extendable tongue allowing it to access the nectar.
•Birds. Amber books Ltd. 2009.
•www.wikipedia.org/ Red – streamer tail

15. Steppe Eagle
By Colby T.
Birds. Amber Books Ltd.2009
www.wikipedia.org.steppeeagle.http://
Their habitat is the Russian steppes, and that is how they got their name.
Special adaptations
The Steppe Eagles can take advantage of a wide range of environments.
Vital Statistics
•The length is 62-74 cm (24.4-29.1 in).
•The wing span is 1.6-1.9 m (5.2-6.2 ft).
•Their sexual maturity is at least 1 year.
•The number of eggs is 1-3 eggs per year.
•The incubation period is 45 days.
•The fledgling period is 55-56 days.
•The number of broods is 1 a year.
•Their typical diet is birds, mammals, insects, and carrion
•The life span is up to 41 years in captivity.
•The Steppe Eagles have remarkable eyesight. It is believed that they can spot a
grasshopper from the air at 100m (328 ft) away.
The eagle’s wings are tipped with fingerlike primary feathers. These are splayed
to reduce friction and give more control in the air. Steppe Eagles are an
adaptable and successful species.

16. White-Tailed Eagle By Demetris
• A male’s weight is 4.3 kg
(9.5 lb).
• A female’s weight is 5.5 kg
(12 lb).
• Their length is 76-92
cm.30-36.2 in.
• Their wingspan is 1.9-2.4 m
(6.2-8 ft).
• Their lifespan is up to 28
years.
• Their prey is fish, birds, and
small mammals.
• Their incubation period is
38 days.
• Their fledging period is 70-
75 days.
• They mate every 4-5 years.
• The number of eggs the
female lay is 1.
Birds . Amber Books td .
• Their special adaptation is
their raucous call. 2009 .www.wibkipedia.
Org White-tailed Eagle

17. Bald Eagle By Dylan S.
• The Bald Eagle weighs about 9 lbs for the
male and 13 lbs for the female.
• The length is around 28-38 in.
• The wingspan is about 5.6 to 8 ft.
• The number of eggs a year is 1-3.
• The diet is fish, small mammals, birds and
Carrion.
• The life span is 50 years.
mberBooksLtd.2009. • Its special adaptations are sharp claws to rip
flesh and to grab on to their prey.

18. Willow Tit
By: Grayson S.
•The Willow Tits are widespread throughout sub-artic Europe and Northern Asia.
•The Willow Tit weighs 12g ( 0.4oz).
•The length of the Willow Tit is 12cm ( 4.7in).
•Its wing span is 19cm ( 7.5in).
•The Willow Tit has 6 to 8 eggs each year.
•Its diet is Intebrates in the Summer and seeds and berries in the Winter.
Sources: Birds. Amber Books Ltd. 2009
• The Willow Tit’s lifespan is up to 10 years.
• They make their nest out of soft decaying tree stumps, which are much easier to excavate.
• The special adaptations are their short bills which are used to peck insects or seeds on the
ground , but are equally useful at probing bark for insect larvae.
• The Willow Tit is half the size of a human’s hand.

19. Hawaiian Goose
By: Hannah
•The Hawaiian Goose is up to a
man’s knees.
•It is about 22.0-27.6 tall.
•It weighs up to 1.4-2.5kg.
•Their wingspan is 41.3-
53.1inches.
•Their life span is up to 30
years.
•They have a diet that is
grasses, leaves, fruit, berries,
insects, and spiders.
•You will only find them in
Hawaii and the Maui islands.
•My bird lays 1-3 eggs a year.
• The goose has adaptations which are reduced webbing to walk on old volcanoes
and lava plains.
www.wikipedia.org and Birds. Amber books LTD. 2009.

20. Emperor Penguins • Emperor
Penguins
• Emperor Penguins provide
live in the coldest insulation to
continents like keep warm.
Antarctica. • Their feet are
• Their special used to keep
adaptation is that their baby
they are clumsy on warm.
land but can swim • Their layers of
very well thanks to coat help keep
their paddled shape them warm.
feet. • They live from
• Emperor Penguins’ 23 years-27
predators are Sea years.
Lions. • The number of
• They are about 48 eggs is 1.
inches feet tall. The Birds.AmberBooksLtd.2009.
weight is about
{48.0- 81.6} By Jamir JG
ounces.

21. The Silver Gull
www.wikipedia.org/
By JP W.
The Silver Gulls can live up to 5 years. They
lay only five eggs. Only one or two eggs will
hatch. They eat small insects, carrion,
berries and small squid. It takes them
twenty-two to twenty-seven days to develop
and hatch. They live in New Zealand,
Australia and New Caledonia. They weigh
13.2-55.0g. The length is 15.7-17.7 in. The
size is 35.8 in.

22. Common Canary
•Their life
•The Common span is up to
Canaries' special 15 years.
By; Mackenzie W
adaptation is their • Their wings
traits. are short and
•The Common edged for
Canaries' traits flying through
occur as selective tight spaces.
breeding. • Common
• Their weight is Canaries are
15 to 20 grams. one of the
They're so light! earliest song
• Their length is birds.
12.5 centimeters • These birds
(5 inches). are named
after the
Canary
Islands.
Birds Amber Books Ltd 2009
WWW.wikipedia.org Common Canary

23. Hen Harrier
By Madelyn S.
• The Hen Harrier lives in Europe , Asia and North America.
• A Hen Harrier is a bird that only eats mammals.
• Hen Harriers live in open habitats, such as vegetation or farm land.
• Baby Hen Harriers are often killed while they are in their nest.
• Most adult Hen Harriers can live up to eight years.
• Hen Harriers who live in Europe and Asia migrate to a warmer climate during the winter.
• Their predators are raccoons, skunks, badgers, and owls.
• They also eat frogs, insects, rabbits, and ducks.
• Their weight is 290- 400 g. for the males and females weigh 390-750 g.
• Their length is 16-20 inches.
Birds . Amber Books ltd 2009 hen harrier
www. Wikipedia. org

24. Golden Fronted Leaf Bird
• The Golden Fronted leaf Bird has a slender tail.
• It has wings that blend in with big canopy leaves.
• It lives in Sri Lanka , Burma , India , and Thailand.
• At Sri Lanka, science shows that scientists are not
sure if this bird is a part of this species.
• Their thick feathers help them when birds grab onto
them. The feathers pull out easily.
• The life span of my bird is unknown.
• Its diet is fruit, nectar, and insects.
• It weighs 40 to 70 oz.
• It’s 18 – 20 cm .
• They lay 2-3 eggs per year.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Golden-fronted_Leafbird_(Chloropsis_aurifrons)_at_Jayanti,_Duars,_West_Benga_W2_Picture_305.jpg
Birds : Amber Books Ltd. 2009

25. The Blue Flycatcher
• Its weight is 15-18 grams.
• His length is 13 centimeters or 5.1 inches.
• The wingspan is 20-25 centimeters or 8-10 inches.
• The height is that he is smaller than a person’s hand.
• The female Blue Flycatcher lays 1-2eggs each time.
• The bird’s special adaptation is he uses his tail and eats
the insects that are in the tree’s bark.
My sources are Birds book by: Per Christiansen
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/grzimek_
birds/Monarchidae/Elminia_longicauda_male.jpg/view.html
By: Paytyn

26. • Its weight is about [13.2-28.6lb.].
By. Shane S. • Its length is about [37.4-43.3 in.].
• Its wing span is about [7.5-8.7 ft.].
• Its incubation period is about 151-53 days.
• It has one brood a year.
• This bird’s typical diet is large carrion such
as goats and sheep.
A Special Adaptation
When the Griffon Vulture soars in the sky its
amazing eye sight helps it find dead animals
to feed on.
Cool Fact
The Griffon Vulture is found in isolated pockets
Griffon through parts of Southern Europe, Southern
Asia, and Northern Africa but has been
Vulture exterminated from most of its other ranges.
Birds. Amber books Ltd. 2009
www.wikipedai.org.Griffon Vulture

27. • The Zebra Finch is located in
Timor, the Lesser Sunda
Islands in Australia, and Cape
York Peninsula.
• Its bill is bulky and bright so
Zebra Finch By: Shelby L.
it can be identified.
• The bird got its name from
the zebra print pattern on its
neck, tail, and end.
• The Zebra finch’s special
adaptation is not having to
find a different mate but
keeping the same one until it
dies. This helps the species
of bird because they are
reproducing the same kind of
bird without any changing.
• You can tell the difference
between males and females
because the males sing a lot,
but the females do not sing as
much. The males especially
sing during Mating Season so
they can find a mate and
reproduce with her.
• With the Zebra Finch’s plump
body and its seed cracking
beak, it is the most finch-like
bird there is.
• It is about the size of a The life span is about
woman’s hand
5 years.
• The males have rusty brown
cheeks and the females have
bright red ones.
Sources:
Birds: Amber Books Ltd. 2009
www.Wikipedia.org/ZebraFinch

28. Harlequin Duck
Sydney S.
•They are found in coastal areas
along the eastern side of Russia,
southern coast of Greenland, and
Iceland.
• They are a little bigger than a
woman's hand.
• Their adaptation is their colorful
body patterns which helps it blend
into their surroundings. •Another
interesting fact
• One interesting fact is the male is is their body
more colorful than female. provides
protection in
Birds Amber books Ltd.2009.
• Their wingspan is 57- the cold rivers.
http://www.polar.ca/organisms
75 centimenters. /bids/ marine/ ducks/ harlequin .htm • Their diet is snails,
• Their number of eggs http://nationalzoosiedu/scbi/migrat aquatic insect
ory bids/featured bids/default.cfm?
is 4-10. larvae, and
bird =harlequin duck.
crayfish.

29. Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
• The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird has long , straight bills
to get deep in nectar .
• Also. they can beet their wings 80 times per second.
• The Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are 7-9 cm long.
• The males have red necks and females have white necks.
• They weigh 2-7 grams.
• The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is found in the eastern
part of the USA.
• The special adaptation of this bird is shoulder joint.
Taylor P.
Birds . Amber books ltd. 2009.

30. Northern •It has a typical diet of insects, spiders,
earthworms, snails, and grubs.
Lapwing •The life span is up to 17 years.
•The special adaptation is the tall
By Thomas H.
narrow head crest can be a defense
against predators.
•The length of the
• Their habitat is in a pasture, the wet
Lapwing is 28-31
meadows, or on migration estuaries.
centimeters. That is
11.0-12.2 inches.
• The Lapwings’ wing
span is 45-58
centimeters and 17.7-
22.8 inches.
• The numbers of eggs
it lays a year is 4. The
number of broods a
year is 1.
•Birds. Amelia books ldt. 2009 . www.wikipedia.Org.
Peacock http:// twootz / bird / Lapwing.

31. •The Bateleur Eagle’s chick’s can’t leave
Bateleur Eagle until a hundred days .
•Their diet is snakes, reptiles, mammals,
insects and carrion.
•The Bateleur Eagle’s height is up to a
man’s knees.
• My bird lives up to 23 years.
• The Bateleur Eagle needs its secondary feathers
to help lift itself in the air.
• Their long fingers help them control their glide for
hours.
•This bird lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. Birds. Amber books Ltd. 2009
•They are 51 to 61 cm. 22 to 24 in. en.
• This eagle is named after French tightrope Wikipedia.org/wiki/Bateleur
walkers. By Trevor s.

32. Northern Pintail
Trey K.
• The Northern Pintails are long, slender ducks with long, narrow
wings. This earns them the nickname Greyhound of the Air.
• The Pintails are very fast fliers, holding their wings at a swept – back
angle in the air, rather than straight out.
Birds. Amber Books Ltd. 2009.
http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/northern-pintail.
• The female has a special adaptation of shorter tails and mottled,
light brown plumage. The females will lay down in their nests and
straighten out their bodies. They do this to protect the eggs from
predators.
• The female Pintails look very similar to many other species of
female waterfowl. The female Pintails are drab in color for safety.
It is the female`s job to incubate the eggs, so it is important that
females are well camouflaged.
• A male Pintail`s weight is 900g , and a female`s weight is 700g.
• Lakes, rivers and wetlands are perfect habitats for Pintails.

33. The Blacksmith Lapwing
Vraj S.
Birds. Amber books Ltd. 2009
www.Wikipedia.org
• The Blacksmith Lapwing is
found in Africa, Kenya,
Tanzania, Zambia, and
Angola.
• The length is 28-31 cm ( 11.0-
12.2 in.). • The size is twice as big as a hand.
• The special adaptation is it • The head, throat, breast, and most of
can react to the presence of the wings are black.
other lapwings within its • The typical diet is snails, water, insects,
territory with aggression. crayfish, and small mussels.
• The Blacksmith Lapwing lives • The forehead back of the neck and
up to 20 years. belly are white.
• The weight is 125-225 grams • The bill is used to crack shells of snails
(4.4-8 oz.). and small shellfish.
• When the Blacksmith Lapwing
swoops down, its alarm sounds like a
hammer hitting an anvil.

35. Ants
The ant lives under ground to be safe from its
enemy. Ants are very small. The ones that are
red are called fire ants. You need to stay away
from them. The leader of the colony is the
queen ant. There are also black ants. Ants can
carry big pieces of food on their backs.
Ants make their homes out of sand. The queen
ant makes the ants do the work but she does
not.
Ava and Anna

36. Ava Anna
They are
trying to
hide from
their enemy
and make
sure all the
ants are
safe and in
the hole.

37. Let’s Go Camping!
Henry and Mudge went camping. They saw deer,
raccoons and bears. Then they went on a hike. An hour
later, they found a good camping spot. We had a big
tent in our classroom. We love camping!
Carley-Grace and Claire

38. Camping S’more Camping S’more Camping S’more Camping S’more Camping
Carley-Grace and Claire

39. This is how you make a s’more, first get two graham crackers,
some chocolate and some marshmallows. Then, take one of
the graham cracker and lay it down. Then, put chocolate on
the graham cracker. After, put a marshmallow on the
chocolate. Last, put the other piece of graham cracker on the
marshmallow. That is how you make a s’more.
Carley-Grace and
Claire

40. The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a fruit. They can be orange, white, yellow, or red. A tiny plant is curled
in each seed. They are jagged and prickly . Tiny leave push up into the sunlight. The
vine twists and creeps along the ground. The pumpkin vine blooms with many
yellow flower.
Hunter and Weston

41. Mike’s Farm Field Trip
We watched the magic show. We road on the Haunted Hay Ride! We learned how
to make apple cider. We drank apple cider. We fed the animals.
Hunter and Weston

42. We carved three pumpkins in the class room. At Mike’s farm everybody picked a
pumpkin. We counted the seeds. We waited three pumpkins in the class room. Mrs.
Granny May told us that back in the old days nothing was the same as now.
Hunter and
weston

43. Weather Watching
In the spring the weather starts to get warmer.
Morgan and Maribel

44. In the summer we have the
longer hours of day light.
Summer is a great time for
swimming. The weather is
hot.

45. In fall the days grow shorter. The leaves
change colors.

46. In winter we have the fewest hours of day time.

47. A Walk in the Desert
Plants of the desert
The prickly pear fruit can be found in the desert.
The cactus fruit has red fruit. The saguaro
cactus grows white flowers. A prickly pear fruit
Is sweet and juicy. The hedgehog cactus has
pink flowers on it. The teddy bear cactus looks
like it has spikes.
Sanaa and Julia

48. A woodpecker pecks on a cactus. A tiny fennec fox is little
and has big ears. A jack rabbit jumps very high. A rattle
snake is dangerous. A kangaroo rat is fat and has a long tail.
A tiny kit fox can hear well.
Animals of the desert
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-
Sanaa and Julia bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/carnivora/fennec-fox.htm

49. Fun Facts
A spider knows how to make thread
called silk. It is strong. Spiders catch
food in their webs. They eat bugs.
Seth and Josue

50. Their webs are very stretchy. Scientist use
ideas from spider webs to make flexible
buildings. SETH AND JOSUE

51. SETH AND JOSUE
Butterflies are insects with
different colors wings. Some
butterflies migrate. Butterflies eat
pollen. Butterflies can be
poisonous.

52. The Robot teacher’s face looks like a
T.V. They have no arms and no legs.
They roll on wheels. The robot teacher
is a machine.Seth and Josue

53. Landforms
A hill is smaller than a mountain. A mountain range is
bigger than a mountain. A plain is flat like a desk. A
compass rose tell you ware to go and east, west,
south, north.
Shamoni and Preonna

54. An island is surrounded by water. A river is curly like
hair. A lake has many kinds of sea creatures.
An ocean is the largest kind of water on
the earth.

55. A island is surrounded by water.

56. A river is curly like hair.

57. A lake have see creatures

58. A hill is little than a mountain.

59. Second Grade Math!
Adding three numbers helps us add and subtract. We also
learned about LOTS of story problems.
Tanner had 2 drinks and
Braden has 2 drinks.
How many do they have
in all? 2+2=4
Tanner and
Braden

60. Partner houses
Partner houses help us see
fact families.
Tanner and
Braden

61. Math Mountains
help us add.
Tanner and
Braden

62. Counting on
Counting on is a strategy
to help us use our hands
to count on.
5+2=7
tanner and Braden

63. Exploring Space and Astronauts
An astronaut is a person who goes into space. A
space shuttle can also be a space ship. Eileen
Collins was a famous astronaut. Toilets have a
type of seat belt and sleeping bags are tied to
walls! Astronauts do experiments. A space
shuttle is a giant tool box! They took an x-ray to
outer space. There is zero gravity in space but
there is a little bit on the moon. Inside the
shuttle astronauts are on their way to learn
more about space.
Tori and Raven

64. Exploring Space and Astronauts
Eileen Collins was the first woman to be a leader of a
space shuttle trip. Astronauts exercise to stay strong.
Five, Four, Three, Two, One, BLAST OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tori and Raven

65. Asteroids sometimes hit astronauts space ships.
Tori and Raven

66. Rocket ships go into space. Rocket ships leave
smoke when they blast off!!!
Raven and Tori

67. Tori and Raven
This is our solar system.

68. This is the Earth.
Tori and Raven

69. This is how we get electricity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

70. Were so excited about space!!!

71. Christopher Columbus
He wanted to find a shortcut to Asia. He had three boats the
Pinta, Nina and the Santa Maria. He sailed the ocean blues
in 1492. He planned to find gold, spices and silk. It took
him 37 days cross the Atlantic Ocean. He actually found
pineapples, canoes and hammocks. The Santa Maria has 5
sails. He thought the world was small. He landed on an
island that he named San Salvador. The very first Columbus
day was celebrated in 1792. He was born in Italy.
Trey and Laci

72. Trey and
Christopher Columbus Laci
He was 41 when he sailed the ocean
blues. He begged to find San Salvador
again.

73. Trey and Laci

74. San Salvador
Many towns have parades , marching
bands and floats. Learning about
Christopher Columbus is fun.