Terrariums

My teammate, Mrs. Timms, who plans science for our team, taught all of first grade how to make a terrarium. Using soda bottles cut in half, the students first added soil to the bottom half of the container. As they took turns, we discussed what is in soil and how soil is used. They then added a plant to the soil followed by more soil. Next they added water. We discussed that plants need soil, water, and air. The teachers then placed the top of the soda bottle on top of the bottom piece. Once back in class, the students created a four flap foldable to indicate the steps taken to create the terrarium. On the top, they drew the pictures with labels and under the flaps they wrote sentences using transition words. By the end of the day the students were already able to see how the water was evaporating to the top of the container which lead into a discussion of the water cycle.

Fact Family Flowers

My teammate, Ms. Branch, shared an engaging math lesson on fact families that went perfectly with our garden theme. Each student traced a flower outline with four petals. They then created a stem and leaf. I gave each student a triangle fact family card. They wrote the three numbers from their fact family on the leaf. On the petals, they wrote the four corresponding fact family sentences. We then added them to our garden display.

Garden Word Problems

Using our Promethean Board, the students wrote various addition and subtraction word problems and then took turns solving them by drawing pictures. After drawing pictures to help them solve the problems, the students then wrote the number sentence and answer with label. They then wrote the related fact family number sentences.

Jeopardy!

Thank you to April Larremore, our district's Kinder/First Grade Strategist, for giving our class an electronic Jeopardy game. The students love it! We connected it to our Promethean Board thanks to the help of our Instructional Media Specialist, Sharon Thornton. The software that comes with the game is very easy to use and I was able to create several review games. My teammate, Ms. Branch, and I combined classes one afternoon during math to review various concepts. Each student had a dry-erase board to work out problems, as needed, and they took turns controlling the joysticks. They stayed engaged the entire time.

Research: Library Lesson

Our Instructional Media Aide, Mrs. Johnson, taught the first graders a lesson on how to use our library database, Horizon, to search for specific topics. The students worked in groups to practice finding specific book titles and broad research topics. Your child can look for books available in our library from home using Horizon.

Little Researchers

I've already written several posts about how we conduct research in our class but I wanted to share some pictures of my little researchers in action. It is so nice to see them excited about research and to see how independent they are in finding their own answers to questions!

Research: Garden Expert

As a part of our research over the garden habitat, one of the grandparents from our school who just happens to be a garden expert, visited with all of first grade to share infomation about plants and bring in examples. Mrs. Flowers (yes, that is really her name!) owns Pat's Plants in Grand Prairie. She explained the various functions of plants and their various needs. The students were able to ask questions they had come up with during their research. In class, they added information that she shared to their research plan handout. Mrs. Flowers was amazing! She even brought seeds, soil, and cups for each student to be able to plant their own flowers! We are saving our seeds to plant on Earth Day!

Brain Awareness Week

Dr. Perotti, a professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, taught a lesson to all of the first graders about the brain as a part of Brain Awareness Week. The students learned the parts of the brain and its various functions. They even made models of brains with Playdough. It is so nice to have Mosely parents who are willing to share their expertise!

Apples!

As a part of our writing program, the students wrote to describe an apple. They first thought of questions they had about apples such as: "What do they look like? What do they taste like? What parts do they have? How can they be used?" They then wrote Tree Maps to answer those questions. They used the Tree Map to help them write sentences. After writing their first draft, the students met with me to edit and revise their writing. While I worked with students one-on-one, the other students created construction paper apples to add to our class apple tree along with their final drafts.

Earthworms

As we studied the interdependce of animals and thier habitats, we took a close look at earthworms. The students created a Circle Map to share what they already knew about earthworms and then we read and added information from Diary of an Earthworm by Doreen Cronin. We then watched various short videos from Discovery Education about earthworms to learn about how earthworms use soil and how they help the soil. The students then drew their own earthworms and wrote at least two "Did you know?" facts about their earthworms. Their earthworms and writing were added to our class garden display.

Plant Diagrams

During our study of plants, the students created plant diagrams. They labeled the parts and their functions. The diagrams were added to our class garden display in the hallway.

Giveaway: Samson's Classroom Online Reading Program

I recently received a free one year trial of Samson's Classroom online reading program to give away! I will be choosing a winner on Friday, April 27, with a random drawing. To enter the giveaway, be a current or new follower of my blog and leave me a comment with your email address. Once a winner is drawn, I will email the company and you so that you can receive your login information. The free one year trial can be used for your current class throughout the remainder of the school year and the summer and then easily switched over to your new class for the next school year. You can learn more about their program by watching the Samson's Classroom Demo Video.

Egg Hunt

First Grade had their annual Egg Hunt today behind the school library. The students raced around finding eggs and then enjoyed a treat of popcorn and juice. It was a great way to end a crazy week (crazy weather-wise here in Texas).