More Pond Science

We are studying the life cycles of toads and frogs as a part of our pond unit.  Here is a picture of the toad tadpoles that we are observing in our Science Center.

We also made a Venn diagram which compares frogs and toads.  The "I Can" list helps us remember all of the choices of activities that we can do in the Science Center. 

Here are some first graders sequencing frog life cycle photographs in correct order and documenting their arrangement in our class Science Journal.

Here is a picture from another angle of the science center.  You will notice that we have science pond books, a science journal, magnifying glasses, live tadpoles, and two non-fiction posters.   Our poster explaining the scientific process is also available for reference.  That is the character "Frog" from the Frog and Toad series of books hiding behind the plant!

What are we learning about in science?

We are learning about pond habitats in science.  We performed an experiment last week using the scientific process.  We use the following chart that I made every time we do a science experiment, and that is quite often!   Here is a picture of the chart:

Our question was, "What kind of soil do you think you would find at a pond and why?"  To help us make an informed hypothesis, we remembered what we know about soil and also read the book, Looking at Soil by Judith Rosenbaum.  Here is a picture of the book:

We learned about three types of soil:  clay, sand, and humus.   After reading the book, we examined samples of the three different kinds of soil with magnifying glasses and toothpicks.  Here are the soil samples:

 

Here we are examining the samples.  Please notice how everyone allowed space for their friends to observe and how engaged everyone is in their learning! 

To help us learn about how fast liquids filter through the three different types of soil, we observed water passing through three filters.  Each filter held a type of soil:  sand, clay or humus.  

Everyone then predicted what type of soil would most likely be found around a pond and why.  We recorded our observations:

We came to the conclusion that soil with a lot of humus would most likely be found around a pond.  Our reasons were that water filters too fast through sand to hold the water that is in a pond.  We remembered from our Looking at Soil book that healthy plants need a way for water to filter away from their roots, so we decided that clay would not work.  We also observed bits and pieces of sticks and some wood chips in the humus, which we would expect to find in the dirt around a pond.   

Today I brought a sample of "what's at the bottom of a pond" from the pond that is on the land that my family owns.  We poked around at the plants that grew in the sample and connected the name of the plants in the sample to several of the books we have been reading - the plants are called "lily pads!" 

Caine's Arcade!

We watched Caine's Arcade last week.  The movie is about ten minutes long and tells the story of nine year old Caine, who spends his entire summer building a cardboard arcade in the front office of his dad's used car parts store Los Angeles.  Although Caine has only one customer all summer, he never gives up and continues to add arcade games that he built.  This movie was connected to our yearlong study about ourselves - what we all have in common and what is different about us.   

I won't ruin the story, but Caine gives us a tremendous lesson about a characteristic that helps us do well in school and life: perseverance.   Other lessons included are examples of the power of play, and the success you might obtain by following your dreams.  

Here is the link:http://cainesarcade.com/ 

This is one of our first graders who built his own arcade game after watching Caine's arcade.  He has built four games so far and has made $7.00 on games.

Happy Vacation Everyone

I hope everyone is enjoying their week off from school! 

What is Happening in Writer's Workshop

We are working hard towards the end of the third quarter of school.  We have concluded our Writer's Workshop unit of study on All About Books.   This type of writing aligns with the expectations of the Common Core, a set of national standards that are being implemented in many states.

Our next unit of study will be about Persuasive Writing.  This is another writing genre that is emphasized in the Common Core.   We will be writing persuasive letters in an attempt to convince our audience to change something.  We have walked around the school looking for ideas.  One of the things we decided to write about is the need for more swings on the playground.   Please look for persuasive letters to come home from your students in the next few weeks.  These persuasive letters may try to convince you to adjust your child's bedtime, eat more healthy food, or buy a new backpack!

These are some of the covers of the All About Books that we have just finished.

Valentine's Day Happenings

We made Valentines and had a special snack today.    Here are some pictures.  Sharing valentines helped us remember to be kind, one of our school rules. 

Our Winter Bulletin Board Is Finished

Thank you to Donna Johnstone, a grandmother of one of our students, for all of her work in helping me to create a bulletin board with our first graders.  This was the culminating project on our unit of study which answered the question, "What Do Maine Animals Do To Get Ready For Winter?"   Students worked one on one with Donna to create one animal from multiple craft sources such as felt, cloth, yarn, and paint.  Each child then researched facts about their animal from a variety of sources including the internet, library books, and their personal collection of books.  They each word processed (with assistance) a few sentences about what that animal does to survive in the winter in Maine.   Their choices were adapt, migrate, or hibernate.  Here are some pictures of sections of the completed bulletin board.