This spring the kids each researched a different Maine animal. With Mr. Fleury's help, they researched their animal on iPads, and took notes on a graphic organizer.
After collecting their information, the students recorded the audio and chose photos for a presentation of their animal. Also, students created a depiction of their animal in art class with Mr. Plourde. The animals are posted bulletin board in the front hallway of school, with a "QR Code" that can be scanned, using an iPad, so that their presentations can be heard.
This has been a fun interdisciplinary project for the kids to learn more about animals. You can view and listen to the presentations at home by clicking the following link: Animal Research Projects
We wrapped up this series of Reader's Theater with two performances today. Violet, Peter, Zoey and Noahperformed "Chicken Little," which can be found by clicking on the YouTube link below.
We were also treated to Freyja, Jeremiah, Lucy and Oscar's rendition of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," which can be found here:
Please click on the YouTube link to see our most recent Reader's Theater performance.
You'll hear Caleb as The Dog, Madison as The Horse and Ryan as The Farmer. Once again I apologize for my loud voice, as I was filming and playing the part of The Chicken. Happy Viewing!
Our first grade writers know that authors often get inspired by reading other author's books. We begin most of our weeks of writing by reading interesting books. When they make a connection to those books, those connections help to inspire our first graders in their own writing. This week, we began by reading Down the Road by Alice Schertle.
After reading this story about a young girl who gets to go to the store by herself for the first time, the children brainstormed ideas for times that they felt proud because they did something by themselves for the first time. We spent 2 days writing and editing stories with a beginning, middle and end. The students were encouraged to write about how they felt during each part of the story. Finally, yesterday, the kids were excited to share their stories with a partner. Enjoy the pictures, and feel free to check in with your child about what proud moment they wrote about!
Each of our reading groups has been working on Readers Theater, which is a wonderful way to improve fluency and reading with expression. Click on the links to see Penelope, Jack, Neil and Jackson in The Little Red Hen. Unfortunately this blog only allows short videos, so there are 2 short clips. Please excuse the my loud voice, as the narrator, since I was also the amateur videographer!
The kids were amazed today that despite the lack of sun we've had lately, the grass in our biomes have grown so much. We discussed how, as scientists we need to use a careful eye to observe what is happening around us.
After observing their biomes, the kids drew and labeled what they noticed and were able to write about how the biome had everything it needs to support a living thing (air, food, water).
The discovery of condensation on the top of the biomes invited a quick exploration into the water cycle and a discussion about evaporation. There are so many rich conversations that naturally occur with science. The kids love sharing what they already know and learning about the natural world around them.
