A classroom blog for parents and friends to let you know what is going on in Mrs. Wright's 1st grade classroom at Cypress Creek Elementary in Port Orange, Florida.
Hard to believe the month has gone by so fast. It has been a busy month with kindergarteners learning about bats, spiders, pumpkins and monsters. We made monsters after reading I Need My Monster! We made spiders and even built gates for our little pumpkin.
After reading Go Away, Big Green Monster Mrs. Novak's class used Duck Duck Moose's app Draw & Tell to make these monsters. Kinders never cease to amaze me with their talent.
Everyone knows the classic Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Kindergarteners love it when I read to them and a building challenge to follow. While reading sometimes I like to make it a bit interactive. Watch this...
It was interesting to watch them learn new vocabulary like gnash their terrible teeth and rolling their terrible eyes.
After reading the book and talking about the beginning, middle, and end I presented the challenge of building a boat out of toothpicks and cut-up pool noodles. We talked about safety of toothpicks and I made them promise with their right hand up they would stick themselves or their friends. You can never be too careful. We then talked about how could you build with these materials and I take ideas until someone says you can stick the toothpicks in the pool noodles to connect pieces. I then demonstrate how to take the boat over to the water, test the boat, and how to not get water all over the place. Their faces when they find out they get to test it out in water are priceless!
The kinders had fun with this one and it was a great introduction to STEM challenges with a literacy start. Thank you Teach Outside the Box for the lesson.
Hurricane Season is a very real thing here in Florida! My parents lost their house to Hurricane Andrew while my brother and I were at Florida State University. It was devastating to see what a hurricane can do to a home, a family, and a community. There are so many things that are different for Floridians after Hurricane Andrew. I am sure STEM careers has something to do with that right?
Our study started with learning about hurricanes and the different levels. Next came the challenge to build a shelter to keep your family dry with limited materials with some choice. I introduced the materials with a $ amount attached to each. We formed groups to then brainstorm ideas of shelters but wait there was a budget of only $10. Collaboration in groups was an experience for the students. It is sometimes difficult to show your diagram to others, share thoughts behind the design, and then decide which pieces of each you will use for building. This is a process and teaching the students to go through this process takes time. Each grouping is different so there lies another opportunity to learn from another and grow as STEM student. I love watching the students grow throughout the years. Building seems to be the most fun time for students. They are eager to put their plans into action! Materials are flying off the carts and out of the boxes. Teaching students how to use tape is something I learned early on in teaching STEM. I cannot tell you the number of times A student has used a 4 inch piece of tape to then apply in vertically rather than horizontal and waste tape. Some projects I limit the tape but this build I did not. Students could opt for wax paper, aluminum foil and color paper but those priced were for individual sheets.
Well maybe the testing is the BEST part...To meet the challenge was to keep the family dry. Things to think about were yes you needed a roof but a floor for your shelter? way in and out? what materials to use? They knew I would use a watering can to create a "hurricane". I know the wind was missing but we talked about how that would look as well. I do have some videos of the moments when we soaked the shelters. The reflection piece is what I should have filmed so you could see and hear their learning and maybe just maybe one of them will create something to help families during hurricane season.
Why Do we Wear Clothes? is a Mystery Science lesson that always grabs the attention of 2nd graders. There are giggles and laughs but what a great introduction to properties of matter. We talk about attributes of materials and when we use various materials based on need. During the lesson we are stranded at sea on our cruise ship. We only have some miscellaneous supplies and we need to make a hat to protect us from the heat, water, and grueling sun. We needed to test which materials would be best and then use our creativity to build a hat with the best supplies to keep our heads and necks protected.
After we talk about which materials were soft as to not scratch our head. Which material was absorbent since we would sweat. Which material would extend past our heads so we could stop squinting. The reflection piece is my favorite tot hear their thoughts and what they would change next time. If they get stranded these 2nd graders know what to do.
You have heard that saying Could you really fry an egg on the sidewalk? This leads us into testing the cold and hot of various materials to be an insulator. What a great way to use water bottles, tin foil, socks, and styrofoam cups to test our best guess. The funniest is when you try to get them to put socks on their hands. Mind you these socks have never been on feet, they are only used for this experiment. The faces they make are priceless. Oh and trying to get them to close their eyes as their partner slides the hot or cold cup is tough for them, you know they want to be right. The lesson is on what makes the best insulator and they are having fun experimenting.
Our properties of matter unit ends with a challenge of making the tallest tower with only index cards and paper clips. Every group receives the same materials and we quickly learn that folding and bending can make the card stronger. With partners they are to build the tallest stack. I got to see teamwork, collaboration, problem solving, measuring and perseverance while their towers toppled over. They were a bit surprised how you could stack index cards by rolling them, folding them, or bending them.
Our otters really enjoy Legos, from free builds to themes to working together with Lego Education kits. Thank you to FUTURES Foundation for helping fund the kits to supplement our learning of simple machines. I had 6 kits so most classes had 4 to a group. With kit building I found it was important to assign jobs for each student and then rotate those jobs so everyone was able to build, direct the group, find the pieces, and then check the build.
Let me share what I learned to work for our students during introduction of the kits to our 2nd graders. According to birth month each child was a 1-2-3-4. For the first session 1-was in charge of directions, getting the kit and returning the kit. 2-was the piece finder and placed the pieces on the lid for the builder. 3 was the builder and everyone groaned that was not a 3. It happens and that is why we rotate jobs. 4 was the checker and the first to try out the build. Procedures helped us to maximize our 45 minutes. Believe me 45 minutes is not long enough when you have a cart of Legos the kids want to get in to and build. The teamwork, kindness, patience, and support of one another was a beautiful thing to see. When we cleaned up we would talk about what went right and what we could improve upon. Of course everyone wanted to be the builder but then there were kids that liked finding the pieces and ones that really liked the group they worked with, and even one that said it was so fun they couldn't wait to come back to build again. Of course everyone then agreed with that student. These are skills adults use daily and I am so proud of our second graders for finding the positive with their roles and creating.
Each year FUTURES Foundation allows teachers to apply for mini-grants to support programs in the classroom. Simple machines is a unit within our science curriculum. After some research Lego Education produces kits with step by step directions creating a variety of builds using collaboration, problem-solving and teamwork. Partners again were programmers and builders and switched half way through the steps. This allowed students opportunity to learn the pieces, where they were located, and where to put them when finished. It is important to have procedures in place when working with Legos.
Things I learned to have procedures for:
How to store the Legos
where to store the Legos and the building manuals
taking off the lid-without the pieces flying everywhere
building in the lid to contain the pieces
only taking the top tray out when retrieving a piece from the bottom
programmer uses the book and gets the pieces for the builder
builder can ask for help at any time and work together
switch roles halfway through the building steps
Our 45 minute class sessions went by so quickly and they students begged for more time. We started with vocabulary clock-wise, counter clock-wise, rods, 2x3, flats, cranks, etc. I would leave them with a question to find out during the build. They needed to talk to one another to have an answer and demonstrate the concept of the build. Once they called me over they could add to the build and even experiment by trading gear sizes or extending pieces. There were so many "Aha!" moments I got to see from the most amazing students. I am so grateful we have organizations like FUTURES Foundation that provide the means of having these experiences for our students. Sofia Walker co-wrote the grant with me and all of 3rd grade benefited from the materials and lessons. She is the BEST!!
Along the same lines of using tangrams I tried an unplugged activity with our 2nd through 5th grades. While visiting the LEGO store at Disney Springs I was able to buy a container of selected LEGOS. I bought pieces in sets of 15 so I could make at least 15 bags and maybe even a few in case they were lost. I would put the same pieces in each bag and have 1 master model. Partners were then asked if they were better builders or programmers? See programming is a set of directions or steps to follow. After rock, paper, scissors one partner got to pick builder or programmer.
I held the master copy and the programmer was allowed to look and touch the master model as many times as they needed while they told the builder what and how to build, BUT could not touch any of the pieces. Probably the toughest part for the students. The builders were to follow the programmer's directions and when they thought it was done they could check it against the master.
With the second grades I used fewer pieces which made for a less complicated master model.
Here are some 5th grader programmers and builders.
Everyone was engaged and when we were done we took them apart and I had a different model while they switched roles. We had a breakout session at the end of pros and cons. It was interesting listening to them give their perspective. Oh and for the 2nd one they had to give directions without using color words. Yes it was a bit tougher. Great learning experience to see how detailed directions needed to be and patience for the builder. It was interesting to see which programmers needed more time with the master model. Some didn't tough it at all where other students literally had to walk over step by step to give building instructions.
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