Welcome to 4th Grade, Crabby Friends!

 It all started with a writing assignment...

As we kicked off our Opinion Writing unit in February, we discussed real-life reasons to write persuasively. One student threw out the idea of persuading Mr. D. to get a class pet...and for a brief moment, Mrs. D. looked off into the distance, imagining a snuggly, sweet little critter bouncing around...and in that moment, the 4th graders knew they had her hooked! She could be convinced! But which pet would be best?

After narrowing down the possible pets to just four (turtles, hermit crabs, bearded dragons, and hedgehogs), we were visited by one of each possible pet! Students fell in and out of love with pets in ways they hadn't imagined- and the research commenced in earnest!

After hours of writing, researching, teaching, learning, and practicing, the opinion papers were printed and turned in: the persuasion process had begun! The persuasive techniques used were effective, and it became difficult for Mrs. D. to maintain objectivity!

The decision on which pet to adopt really came down to this: based on our collective experiences with class visits, the research and evidence provided, and the persuasive techniques used in the essays: which pet would be best suited for our first foray into classroom critter care?

 The committee made the hard decision: hermit crabs! Because they are small, relatively low maintenance, yet active and interesting, Mrs. D. approved the plan to move forward with adding three "new students" to Room 603: Home Run, named for his baseball-painted shell; Mr. Crabs, named for his grouchy disposition and pinching; and Ranger, named for his adventurous and active spirit.

 Our 4th graders started keeping notes on our new friends in their hermit crab journals, or "Crabbles," and we shifted our nonfiction reading instruction to crab-based comprehension work!

These amazing students soaked up the new informative texts like sponges (get it- sponges?) and EVERYONE in the class aced their Hermit Crab Tests! That means that everyone in the 4th grade is now CRABBIFIED, or qualified to care for our crabbies.

Here are some of the things students learned in their nonfiction readers:

• Hermit crabs' homes are called crabitats: they must include a fresh water source and a salt water source in order to keep them hydrated and to keep their gills moist! Their crabitat must also include a hideout, a food dish, substrate (the stuff they crawl around in, like sand and coconut fiber), and toys- they are curious and industrious little creatures!
• Hermit crabs are not true crabs- they do not have shells of their own! Instead, they live in discarded snail shells. Hermit crabs switch shells often, so it's important to have extra shells in their crabitats.
• Hermit crabs are nocturnal, which means that they are most active at night. 
• Hermit crabs have 5 sets of legs: two sets are reduced legs, or tiny legs which hold the crab in the shell; one set serves as walking legs, which move the crab around; one set acts as a sensory organ and allows them to smell and taste; and the front pair, the chelipeds, is the pair we would think of as the pinchers.
• Hermit crabs have compound eyes, which means that they see the world as though they are looking through a kaleidoscope. Their eyes are on movable stalks!
• Hermit crabs molt their exoskeleton...and then eat it! Eeew!

Here's something we DIDN'T learn in our readers, but we couldn't help but observe: the hermit crab is just a fascinating testament to God's insight as the Great Designer! As we looked at their little legs, their intricate pattern and coloration is just beautiful. Even though they are small, hermit crabs have so many amazing little parts- legs that act as sense organs, feelers that smell and taste, their love of companionship and learning activities- what cool creations! And how cool is this: hermit crabs have very sesitive, delicate little abdomens that curl up like tiny little crescent rolls. They are not true crabs, so they cannot live on their own without protection. It JUST SO HAPPENS that a snail's shell is the PERFECT fit for the hermit crab's curved, curly abdomen, and his little reduced legs work perfectly to hold him into the shell. How cool is that? We sure do have a cool God...and if He cares so much for His little crabs to make them special, unique, beautiful, adaptable, industrious, and amazing...wow, how much He must care for US too!

 Students have learned MUCH, much more about these little guys and their place in God's big world...stay tuned for more fun facts and fascinating frolics from our crabby critters!