Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Using PebbleGo, we learned about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The students then wrote facts they learned on a Bubble Map. They then chose five facts that they found the most interesting or important and added them to a handprint graphic organizer.

 

Holidays Around the World

In writing we researched and compared the role Santa Claus plays in The United States, Germany, France, and Mexico. As a whole group, we charted our findings on a grid for who the gift giver is, what he looks like, how he travels, when he comes, and where he leaves gifts. The students then took notes on their own copy of the grid. Using their notes, they chose to countries, and their version of Santa Claus, to compare on a Venn Diagram. After completing the Venn Diagram, they added heads, hats, legs, and arms to the Venn Diagram to look like Santa. Later in Social Studies we compared even more of the traditions of each country. We also looked at the traditions of Hanukkah in Israel as a part of our Social Studies lessons.

Veterans' Day

One of our first grade teachers, Mrs. Guzman, spoke to all of the first graders on Veterans' Day about here experience in the Navy. She told them some of the details of her career. She also showed them her uniform and awards. We are thankful that she served and shared her knowledge with our students.

Family Traditions Quilt

In Social Studies we talked about various family traditions. Each student then created a quilt square to illustrate and describe one of their family traditions. We then put them together on bulletin board paper to create a Family Tradition Quilt.

The Constitution

For Constitution Day, we used the website www.pebblego.com to learn about the history of the constitution. We then created a Double Bubble Map together to compare The Constitution to our class Social Contract. The Social Contract is a part of our discipline plan through the Capturing Kids' Hearts process. We discussed that The Constitution gives us freedom and rights. The students then wrote at least one thing that freedom means to them.

Cardinal Directions and Maps

In Social Studies we learned about cardinal directions and maps. The students play "Simon Says" using cardinal directions, drew a map of the classroom according to items' location in the room, and went on a walk through the school using a blueprint map.

School Rules

We have been spending quite a bit of time going over and practicing school rules and procedures. In one of those lessons, students wrote and illustrated one rule they could follow. They then shared their work with a neighbor and discussed additional ways that could follow school rules.

David Goes to School

We read Dvid Goes to School by David Shannon to practice following directions and to identify finding the parts of a book. After reading, the students created their own book with a title and author on the cover. On the inside, they wrote at least one rule they could follow from our class Social Contract.

Robots: More Pictures

Here are some close-up pictures of the students with their robots. As you can see by the smiles on their faces, they are very proud of their inventions. Their robots turned out fantastic!

Robots: I Can Be an Inventor, Too!

At the conclusion of our inventors unit, the students had the chance to be an inventor themselves. Using empty boxes covered in foil, the students created their own robots. They added numerous recycled items such as toilet paper tubes, bottles, lids, buttons, and pipe cleaners. They are currently on the revising and editing stages of writing about what their robot can do if he or she were real.

 

 

Inventors Research

In the computer lab the students used PebbleGo to research various inventors of their choice. I love PebbleGo because not only can the students read the information themselves but they can have it read to them as well. There are also various pictures, videos, and timelines to help them comprehend the material. As the students learned about their chosen inventor, they recorded facts on a Circle Map. They then used those facts to help them write a research paper about their inventor.

Inventors: Thomas Edison

Another inventor that we studied in Social Studies was Thomas Edison. After learning about his many inventions and accomplishments, the students discussed how things would be different today if we did not have his inventions. They then brainstormed various modern day inventions that use the light bulb. They drew a light bulb and then wrote some of those modern day inventions around it.

Inventors: Garrett Morgan

In Social Studies we have been learning about various inventors. One of the inventors we learned about was Garrett Morgan. We read a book about his life and inventions from Reading A-Z. As a class the students recorded facts they learned about him on a Circle Map. The students then created a traffic signal, one of his many inventions, to record at least three facts they learned about him.