If you hear a little chirping as you walk down the third floor hallway, it is the chicks in Mrs. Zimmerman’s science classroom. The chick project is held at the end of a biology unit for 8th graders. Although it was mainly for 8th grade, the 7th graders have the opportunity to learn and participate in the project too. This project teaches 7th and 8th grade students about embryology, which is the study of embryos and their development. The students also practice data, observations, and making charts and graphs. The students record everything and have assignments related to the project that they have to complete.

The chicks themselves take about 21 days to fully develop and hatch. When the chicks are still in the egg, they stay in an incubator. Even when they hatch, the newly hatched chicks stay in the incubator until all of their feathers are dry. They also stay in the incubator because it is a dramatic change from inside their eggs to the outside world. Inside the incubator, it is about 100 degrees and outside the incubator is about 70 degrees. The students study embryology throughout the entire hatching process. Unfortunately, the 7th and 8th grade will be saying “goodbye” to the chicks soon, as they will be heading to a farm in the near future.