We have been enjoying Chinese New Year! In music class, students sang traditional songs and even got to be a dragon!
One of our students wore a special outfit and brought us candy, chopsticks, and a mat with the Chinese zodiac symbols on it! She told us about traditions of not sweeping, wearing new clothing, and eating food with special "good luck" names.
This week's story is called Aero and Officer Mike. We were so fortunate to have Patrolman Shawn Meade and K9 Lucky come to our class to talk to us about their work as partners on the Edison Police Department.
We saw many of the same things that we read about when we watch Edison PD's training video. We saw Lucky swim in the ocean, train at a facility, visit the Statue of Liberty, and even ride a helicopter.
We still had so many questions....
What does Lucky eat? (2 cups of dry Science Diet dog food twice a day; he never eats human food)
How long have you worked with Lucky? (since September 2005)
How long have you been a police officer? (since 1986)
What are your work hours? (Usually 3pm-11pm)
Does Lucky prefer to walk on ice or in water? (He doesn't like to get rained on, but likes swimming and playing in snow and puddles)
Does Lucky get his teeth brushed? (He used to get them brushed three times a week, but disliked it, so now he has a brush-like toy.)
How much does Lucky weigh? (He weighs about 100 pounds.)
How high can Lucky jump? (He can jump over 6 feet walls.)
How does Lucky know the difference between work and play? (He wears special collars and a vest with a loop for a leash. He even has a badge!)
Is Lucky allowed to play with other dogs? (Not really; he likes to be the Alpha male, or dog in charge. He's what is called "dog aggressive" like most German Shephards.)
Where was Lucky born? (He was bred in Czechoslovakia.)
How many other police dogs are there in town? (One other canine in Edison, 2 others in the county)
What is Lucky's main job? (Besides protecting Officer Meade, Lucky is a bomb sniffing dog. He sniffed out a training scent in our classroom and was rewarded with a towel to chew on. He loves it!)
Does Lucky prefer being on a helicopter or walking on open stairs? (He actually prefers being on a helicopter, because he can at least see the ground. He doesn't really like either.)
How long does a canine work for before retiring? (About 10 years)
Are police dogs usually male or females? (They are usually males because they have more testosterone and can handle the hard work. Most females are used for breeding because they tend to have a mothering instinct, which isn't suited for "catching the bad guys!")
We found out that Officer Meade and Lucky might come back for Read Across America Day and that they would read a book that was written about them and other canines, called Police Dog Heroes.
The kids wrote thank you letters and we sent Officer Meade and Lucky one of our favorite books, Officer Buckle and Gloria! by Peggy Rathmann.
Watch the video of the book (read by John Lithgow).
Download Aero and Officer Mike Reader's Theater here.
To find more Journeys resources for Aero and Officer Mike, click here.
I need to stay away from bookstores and Scholastic.com! Here's what I bought in the last few weeks. I am so excited about what I found and they were all on sale in addition to my teacher discount!
The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark...check out my book review on the Teacher2Teacher blog...and buy it right away - you will love it!
Teammates by Tiki and Ronde Barber...a real life story of two brothers who made their dreams come true on the football field
The Twelve Days of Christmas in New Jersey by Rich Rossi - I am definitely going to read this before winter break next year. Then I'm going to have my students create their own about the Ten Days of Winter Break!
My students were super excited to know that I have ancestors of Cherokee heritage. In fact, the town of Bono, Ohio is named after them! I had heard something about it as a child, but it wasn't until did a Google News Archive Search of the Toledo Blade (where most of my mother's extended family still lives) that I found more information.
Here is a video made by a modern Cherokee Indian in Ohio. Notice how "Americanized" they look.
New Jersey was once home to the Lenni Lenape tribe. On special days, Waterloo Village is open to the public for field trips. Get more information here.
