Learning the Language

While I'm physically back in the office, I have on my mind the memory from vacation of spotting a common loon, a bird that many consider to be the symbol of the wilderness, swimming close to her newborn chick. The loon is a striking bird that is mostly black but has white markings around the neck and white squarish spots on its back. Loons often make human-like laughing sounds. The mother with the chick, however, was calling out with a sound that resembled the low moo of a cow, warning all creatures to stay away from her offspring. I'd previously seen pairs of adult loons on quiet lake waters, but this summer was the first time I saw a loon and chick.

In honor of that loon and her chick, and with a belief that environmental education helps to boost the chances that bird species like the common loon will thrive, I point you to Larry Ferlazzo's July 19 blog entry, "The Best Sites to Introduce Environmental Issues into the Classroom."

If you'll recall, after last summer's vacation, I got charged up about the possibilities of teaching English-language learners about the environment. See "ESL With an Environmental-Awareness Twist."