Is a Mealworm a Worm?

Is a mealworm a worm? That was the question posed to 1st grade students today.  What do you think the answer is?  Here are some of the answers the 1st grader students shared: "It must be a worm, it has worm in it's name".  "It has legs, so it can't be a worm because worms don't have legs".  "It has segments and worms have segments".  "What about antennae, doesn't that mean it's an insect?"  All these questions led to our discovery that a mealworm is, in fact, an insect!  Today we looked closely at the mealworms, did observational drawings of them, and became familiar with handling them.  We'll move on to behavioral experiments with the mealworms in our next series of classes.

The Journey of Reading

Just as first graders are studying the journey of the Monarch butterfly, the journey of reading in first grade continues. Students have embarked on reading "just right books" and applying strategies while reading. A just right book is one that is not too easy and not too hard. The metaphor of learning to ride a bike is an easy one for the first graders to understand. We discussed how children learn to ride a bike at various ages and that for most children a lot of practice is needed before they can take off without training wheels. A child would never want to be put on a two wheeler without training wheels at the base of a huge hill- instead, first training wheels on level ground, and then the training wheels come off while a helping hand is still supporting, and then with practice a child can begin to ride gentle hills and then finally steep ones. This made a lot of sense to children. I also read several books to the children with the theme of developmental readiness and practice. Leo the Late Bloomer and Whistle for Willie

were two of the books that resonated with the children.
Each reading workshop starts with a teacher read aloud modeling the strategy that the students will practice independently and in their small groups. Pran's Week of Adventure was the book modeled this Monday, with the children using strategies to read the pictures on the cover, using the title to help set beginning comprehension and using the story to help to decode words. All of the first grade students are reading with a partner or in  small group of three, books that have just the right amount of print for that just right amount of challenge. The children read their books together with a teacher, sharing strategies about the print and content, and then practice reading the books independently. Students are using their finger under the words as they read to help draw their attention to the words and to track the print.  As they encounter an unfamiliar word, students are thinking about the picture on the page, looking at the beginning sound of the word and thinking if the word that would make sense also matches the word in the book. Student's growing bank of sight words and facility with manipulating word chunks, short "a" is currently being studied,  are helping them also with reading words. A second reading with the teacher entails taking turns reading and discussing the current strategy the class is exploring. The first grade students are continuing to think about and write about a page they really like in their book and why they like it.  Looking ahead- the next strategy for first grade is making connections about text. More to come about this next strategy.

Introduction to Maps

As first graders begin to read we offer a variety of materials to use their new skills.  One of my favorites is maps.  They are the perfect combination of words and pictures.  We started our discussion just noticing what we saw.  Some made the connection to our classroom globe- "Look, it's the same colors!"

Someone noticed the round maps and we compared them to the globe; all around the circle, we each had different perspectives and matched them to the Global Views.

The discussion continued with lots of observations and questions.  We talked about continents, countries and oceans.  We checked out the Legend and found out why the words were printed in different sizes and colors.  Some shared their background knowledge about the earth's evolution.  Others pondered the size and we talked about scale.  The concepts of polar directions and regional names were explored.  

After the initial introduction, Susan read a book about Monarch migration and we looked at a map to see where they travel.  

  There were lots of questions and ideas brought up in the marvelous discussion we started on Friday.  We will continue to explore maps and make connections between reading and social studies and between ourselves and the world.

Finally, we will be tracking the Monarch migration of Monarch X as we read of it's travels from Ontario, Canada through the United States to Mexico with a classroom map of North America.

Journey North and Monarch Migration

The Monarch butterfly migration is truly an amazing event in nature.  In the 1st grade classroom the students are busy watching the Monarch caterpillars grow and change.  In science, we're looking at different insects and their adaptations.  Watch for some of our work with caterpillar camouflage and mealworm metamorphosis.  Today we went outside to see if we could find some Monarchs on their way to Mexico.  On the  Journey North Website, schools can add their information to a migration map (see below) if they go out to find Monarchs.  That way, students can track where the butterflies are on their journey.  We didn't find any today, but we did see milkweed, other butterflies, spiders, bees and lots of flowers.  We're hopeful that when we go out again, we can find some and add our data to the migration map!

                                      Here's where the Monarchs are right now!

                                            Recording science data.

                                                 Milkweed growing outside the 1st grade classroom!

                               After seeing Crissy's "pet spider" on her window, the class goes in to her office to hear all about what Crissy has been observing over the past few weeks.  One student observed that when the spider rolls up it's prey, it's kind of like an "insect taco"!  With the second group of students we were actually able to see the spider's egg sac.  We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this spider for the next few weeks.....

                                      Recording the weather today.

1st Grade Painting Exploration

We have started out the year in art class by exploring different types of mark-making using art tools. For our first painting project, students got the opportunity to try out two different types of brushes, both flat and round, and experiment to see what types of marks they could create. Some students even discovered that if they folded their paper in half, they could create a print! 

We then applied our new mark-making skills to a larger painting, thinking about how to fill the page with different textures that describe what we are painting. Soon we will be adding color and special details to our paintings.

-Amanda, Lower School Art Teacher