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.

Addition and Subtraction with Bar-Type Graphs

Ms. Willemin taught the students how to use information on a Bar-Type Graph to add and subtract. Using the Promethean Board to display various graphs, she asked them different questions to compare data by adding or subtracting.

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.

Egg Hunt

In March, First Grade held our annual egg hunt. Thank you to the parents for brining in so many eggs. The students raced around to find eggs and then were treated to popcorn and juice.

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.

Text Evidence

In reading the students are learning to use text evidence to support their answers to questions. Ms. Willemin read Butterfly Cafe with the students from ReadingA-Z. The students then answered various comprehension questions related to the story. They had to find the answers in their books adn document where they found their answers.

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.

Author's Purpose Posters and Foldables

In reading we spent a large amount of time analyzing author's purpose. The students explored various forms of media including websites, newspapers, magazines, and product labels to determine their purpose. The students then worked in small groups to create posters to document each purpose. Then independently they created a foldable to draw at least one example of the purpose of each media.

Pattern Block Fractions

Ms. Willemin taught the students a lesson on fractions using pattern blocks. The students started with a hexagon. They then had to find which two pieces could cover the entire hexagon - two trapezoids. They then had to find three shapes that would cover those shapes - three diamonds. They then had to cover the shape with six triangles. The lesson was to reinforce that fractions are equal and that a whole can be divided into smaller parts.