Sunday, January 30, 2011

We all have needs...

Last week in Science we were so busy. We began our week learning about what pets need in order to survive. The following day we learned that wild animals need the same things that our pets do. We played a great game called Oh Deer where we learned how the population of an animal is dependent on the amount of its resources. We also learned through this that we humans can impact the survival of animals if we take away its needed resources. One example discussed was how we cut down the trees in our area to make room for stores and homes. We used this information to lead us to many discussions. The next day we learned that ocean animals have the same needs as land animals. They too need water, food, air, and space/shelter. We were able to see a live lobster, hermit crab, and starfish! It was so cool. Then we watched a lot of video clips of these animals as they caught their food and found shelter. We also learned how all these animals breathe under water. Finally we discussed what we can do to help the animals in our area meet their needs (specifically birds). We decided to make bird houses from miscellaneous items. They turned out GREAT! We will be finishing them on Monday and eventually putting them out in the trees around our school.

We had a great week and I hope that the students went home to tell you each day what we were learning. Our standards board this month showcases the whole week. Our birdhouses will be hanging in the hall this week as well. I hope that you can find time to run by our classroom and see the great work we did. Here are some added highlights of our week.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

First Grade Sleepover 2011

After a long day of trying to get all our Sleepover pictures uploaded I have finally been successful. It was a great unit of study and we learned so much about our solar system. The culminating event was fabulous! Here are the highlights of our Family Night and Sleepover Event.

Our Solar System Pillows

Here are the kids with their sleepover pillows...they were fantastic!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Water Water Everywhere

Living in Florida means being around an immense amount of water. During the summer we want to be in the water all the time. But for many kids they have not learned how dangerous water can be. One of our 1st grade science standards is how to be safe in and around water. Last week we learned about all the different places we are in or near water such as pools, oceans, ponds, lakes, rivers, and waterparks. At the beginning of our unit, we brainstormed all we knew about water...which to be honest...wasn't very much. Then we watched a great video that sang a song about water and how we need to be safe in and around water. As a follow up to that, students explored different types of water scenarios and recorded how to be safe around that water location. Each group was asked to present their posters. When we finished, we discussed how each area may have different things that we need to be aware of and that no matter what there are certain rules we always must follow to be safe. The kids not only learned valuable information that may save them or someone else, but enjoyed learning how to teach others about water safety as well. I hope that this information will be a lifelong unit for them.