In Michelle Herburger’s fourth grade class at Washington Elementary, the students were ready to test their knowledge about squids. “How many arms does a squid have?” Herburger asks. “Tell a class partner how a squid is different than an octopus,” she instructs.

After a few minutes, it’s obvious the students have learned a lot about these interesting ocean animals. Discussing their knowledge and writing sentences about it was the first step for the fourth graders. The next day, the students observed teachers dissecting an actual squid. Herburger talked to her students about the fact that these animals are being used for science and learning – even though they are dead, “their lives are not wasted, and we need to make sure we know what we are doing, know what to look for and learn as much as we can.”

A couple of days later, it was the students’ turn. Students paired up to dissect their squids after donning the black plastic garbage bag “ponchos,” blue protective gloves, ” and eye protection. For most, it seemed to be a combination of a lot of fun and the unpleasant smell of the specimens:

“It was fun, and I would do it EVERY DAY!”– Jack
“It was fun, it was fun, extra fun and a little stinky.” – Kendal
“It was the worst feeling of my life; it was disgusting and smelled bad.” – Morgan
“It was good, but it was bad at the same time. You had to like cut into flesh, and it was disgusting but fun.” – Rose

Herburger hopes her students have gained a better understanding of one of nature’s pretty amazing creatures from the squid unit. “Watching students learn by doing is amazing. Their focused exploration often creates more questions than answers. It is our goal for them to not only learn from this experience but to love learning and explore the world with inquisitive minds.”