Measuring in the Garden

To review measuring and comparing length, we took our math lesson out to the school garden. Using pop cubes, the students took turns estimating and then measuring the various heights of plants. They compared the pop cube lengths to one another to determine which plant was the longest and which was the shortest. While we were in the garden we reviewed the parts of the plants and how bugs and plants are interdependent upon one another.

Chicken Life Cycle Diagrams

The students drew the life cycle of a chicken on an egg template to assess their understanding:

Frog Life Cycle Diagrams

The students created these frog life cycle diagrams to go along with their garden display:

Life Cycle of a Chicken

As a part of our study of life cycles, the students created a diagram of the life cycle of chickens. Here is one of the examples:

 

Sorry the picture is sideways. I tried to rotate it a few times but it was not cooperating. But, you get the idea.

Life Cycle of a Fish

The students demonstrated their knowledge of the life cycle of  a fish by drawing the stages on a paper plate.

Frog Life Cycle Shared Writing

In science we learned about various life cycles. To assess the students' understanding of the stages of the frog life cycle, we wrote a Flow Map together on the Promethean Board. The students then worked together to write on chart paper the various stages in sentence form. After they completed the shared writing, each student wrote their own sentences on frog shaped paper. They then colored a frog cover page to display with their individual and shared writing.

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.

Animals and Their Offspring

In science the students have been learning how adult animals and their offsprings resemble each other through physical and behavioral characteristics. As a part of their lessons, the students created a foldable to go along with the book Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. The students created a two-flap foldable. On the top flap they drew a picture of an offspring and then quizzed their partner about what animal would be its mother.

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.