Science Begins!

Last week we began science!  We talked a lot about what a scientist is and what he/she can do or have.  We completed a brainstorm to organize our thinking and then made cute Science Guys with our writing tucked inside his/her lab coat.  Mrs. Watanuki, our Advanced Learning Facilitator came in and did an engineering project with us.  The kids were divided into teams and had to build a bridge with paper and cups, and then they had to see how many pennies could stand on their bridges.  Our high number was 53!  This week we will begin talking about Living and Non-living things.  We will observe a MYSTERY SUBSTANCE and predict if we think it is alive or not alive.  We will create an environment for it that IF it is alive, it will grow and breathe, and we will use proscopes to observe if there is movement or not.  CLUE... it looks like nutmeg but who knows!

This week we will begin our first writing unit called AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  We will learn all about Writer's Workshop, editing and publishing.  In first grade, grammar becomes a big part of our writing, so we will spend a lot of time not only learning to expand our ideas with details, but also on organizing our thoughts and writing in complete sentences.  This sounds easy to adults, but I assure you it is not to first graders!  Our completed projects, which will take a few weeks, will be displayed in the hallway.

We continue to practice routines and structure every day.  Many students are close to completing their "5 Finger Checks" without needing reminders.  This is helping us get so much accomplished everyday, so I commend their efforts!  I look forward to another great week!  Enjoy pics from last week...

Playing Top It in Math

Beginning the Engineering Project with Mrs. Watanuki