Technology Savy: Flower Diagrams

The students created diagrams on flowers on the computer using Pixie 2 software. They used the various painting and clipart features to create their pictures. They then used text boxes and our class Brace Map to label and write about the function of each part. All of their diagrams can be seen on their KidBlog. The students export their work independently as I model it on the Promethean Board and then upload their work into their own blog.

Sunflowers: Writing to Inform

Using PebbleGo, we learned about a specific type of flower: the sunflower. The students then used what they learned to answer various questions on a Tree Map. Using the Tree Map, they wrote a shared writing to tell what they learned about the flower. Shared writing, or interactive writing, is when the students take turns writing and give each other verbal help as they write. After writing, we had a mini art lesson on how to draw a simple sunflower.

Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine

In reading we read Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine to work on comparing character traits. After reading the book the class created a Double Bubble Map to compare the two main character's traits and then they created a graphic organizer for one of the characters.

Interdependence of Plants and Animals

To assess their understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals, the students created posters to show how at least one animal depends on a plant in the garden habitat.

Terrariums

All of the first grade teachers taught a combined lesson on how to build a terrarium. The lesson was a part of our study on the interdependence of plants and animals. Each class built a terrarium out of a 2 liter coke bottle. Student volunteers filled the container with soil, followed by the flower plant, followed by more soil, and then water. Last the teachers assisted the students in placing the top on the terrariums. The terrariums are being kept in the sunshine of our science lab. The students created foldables to draw and write about the steps they took to create the terrariums.

Celery Experiment

To teach the students how water travels through the stem from the roots, we conducted a celery experiment. In one cup we placed plain water. In another cup we placed water with blue food coloring. We inserted celery stalks into each cup and left them over night to see what would happen. The next day the students were surprised to see that the celery had turned blue.

Plant Diagrams

The students created flower diagrams to show the parts of a plant and their functions. Their flowers were added to our hallway garden display.

Plant Parts and Their Functions

During our study of plants, Ms. Willemin taught the students about the parts of plants and their functions using a Brace Map. The students then worked in small groups to determine what part of a plant various vegetables belonged to.

Plant Study

To access prior knowledge, Ms. Willemin asked the students to share what they knew about plants. The information was put on a class Circle Map using the Promethean Board. The students then went on a nature walk around the school to examine various plants. Each student collected at least one leaf. In class the students created a leaf rubbing to show the different features of their leaves.

Kelp Forest

The students learned about the Kelp Forest during our ocean unit. They learned about the parts of the ocean plant and made comparisons to the parts of land plants. They also learned about how animals and humans depend upon the Kelp plant. The students created Tree Maps and diagrams to show their learning.