Lessons and Themes

Day one

Teacher: Rachel Foster                       Date: September 
Class/Grade Level: Science/first grade      Lesson Title: The Reason for the Seasons
Objectives:
The students will:
  1. Observe and use a model of the earth. (1.6.1)
  2. Demonstrate how the earth moves and seasons form.
  3. Identify their favorite season and where the sun is located at that time.
Materials Needed: globe, flashlight, sticker, rubber band, ball, straw, plastic cup, sun and earth paper
Subject Content: Science
Vocabulary References: spring, summer, fall, winter, axis, globe, equator, earth, sun, tilt, rotate
Class Procedures:
Set:
  1. The teacher will ask the students what they notice about the different seasons during the year.
Review/Connection to Previous Learning: NA
Procedures:
  1. The teacher will set up the room for demonstrating how the earth turns and makes the seasons.
  2. The teacher will set the students around a flashlight, makeshift earth on an axis and platform.
  3. The teacher will explain to the students that the earth turns on a tilt and has an equator. (The teacher will show the students the globe and the markings on it.
  4. The teacher will then point out that the dot on the makeshift earth is where they are on the earth.
  5. The teacher will explain that the earth turns on this tilt (axis) and because of that the sun hits it in different spots when it turns throughout the year.
  6. When the sun hits in different spots the seasons change from: spring, summer, fall, and winter.
  7. And when the seasons change the weather changes too.
  8. The teacher will now demonstrate the different seasons by turning the makeshift earth and allowing the sun (flashlight) to hit it in different spots.
  9. Each student will get a chance to spin the earth and experience the different seasons.
  10. The students and teacher will then discuss what they experienced. They will talk about where the sun hits when it is spring, summer, fall, and winter.
  11. The teacher will then write on the board on the different seasons and the sentence starter. My favorite season is _________.
  12. The students will write their favorite season on the paper and then color the sun and earth paper.
Closure:
  1. The teacher will ask each student to identify their favorite season and where the sun would be hitting the earth to make that season.
Evaluation:
Objectives:
  1. Did the students observe and use a model of the earth? yes
  2. Did the students demonstrate how the earth moves and seasons form? yes
  3. Did the students identify their favorite season and where the sun is located at that time? yes
Personal Reflection:
  1. Did I explain clearly about the seasons and the way the earth moves to make the seasons? Yes, I used my models to explain the way the earth moves to make the seasons. The students really enjoyed this lesson and they wanted to learn more about the solar system.
  2. Did I check to make sure that every student was beginning to understand how the earth moves and creates the seasons? The students were so interested in the lesson that they all asked questions about it. I asked them questions explaining how the earth moves to make the seasons as well.
  3. Did I engage the advanced learners at an appropriate level while keeping the lower learners engaged and learning as well? Yes, I went into detail about the movement of the earth and how it rotates on its axis. I explained about the moon, sun, and earth, different time zones, and the spinning of the earth.
References: Crayola.com, Exploratorium.edu

Day Two

Teacher: Rachel Foster                              Date: September 
Class/Grade Level: Science/first grade            Lesson Title: Spring Winds
Objectives:
The students will:
  1. Make predictions about objects in the wind. (1.1.2)
  2. Observe how wind is formed.
  3. Make kites and decorate them.
Materials Needed: Fans, feathers, leaves, pieces of paper (different sizes), tissue, Styrofoam ball, marble, the winds blow sheet, sticks, tape, paper with fold marks, string, cardboard, ribbon
Subject Content: Science
Vocabulary References: 
Class Procedures:
Set:
  1. The teacher will ask the students what they know about spring. Ie… where the sun is and what happens in the spring.
Review/Connection to Previous Learning: NA
Procedures:
  1. The teacher will explain that in the spring it rains a lot but it is also very windy.
  2. The teacher will explain that we can’t see air or wind, but we can see things that the wind is moving: particles of dirt or sand, leaves on the trees, the clouds scurrying across the sky, sailboats moving across the lakes, and the flag boldly waving. The students will be observing the movement of various materials and comparing their distance traveled. The air moves because it has been warmed by the sun. Wind is caused by the uneven heating of the air by the sun. As the sun heats the air, it expands and rises. Air from cooler areas then rushes in to replace the heated air. Cold air is denser and has higher pressure; warm air is less dense and has lower pressure. Air flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.
  3. The teacher will hold up two objects and ask the class if the wind was pushing them what would go farther.
  4. The teacher will get out a fan and turn it on. She will explain that today we will make the wind by using the fan. She will drop the two objects in front of the fan and will see which one when farther.
  5. After the teacher has done this a few time with the class she will have students come up and drop the items and she will record it on a graph.
  6. The students will also record their guesses to which items will go farther.
  7. The teacher will then explain that lighter items travel farther distances then do heavier items.
  8. The class will then discuss other items that can fly in the wind.
  9. The teacher will show the students how to make homemade kites.
  10. The teacher and students will fold their kites together and then the students will decorate them.
Closure:
  1. The students will then each get a chance to fly their kites in the wind (fan) and talk about why the kite is flying.
Evaluation:
Objectives:
  1. Did the students make predictions about objects in the wind? yes
  2. Did the students observe how wind is formed? yes
  3. Did the students make kites and decorate them? yes
Personal Reflection:
  1. Did I involve the students in making predictions about the wind and objects? I allowed the students to pick different objects to put in front of the fan. They made guesses on to which object would go faster. We then looked at the apples hanging from the ceiling and how they started to move.
  2. Did I help students to understand that in the spring the wind is strong because of the suns light on the earth? I drew a model on the board that explained the suns light on the earth and the wind during the spring. Then we used the fan to demonstrate this.
  3. Did I ensure that the students followed my directions on how to make the kites? The next time that I make kites I am going to organize it a little bit better. It went really well but I will make fold lines on the other side so it will be easier for the students to fold the kites by themselves.
References: Theteacherscorner.net

Day Three

Teacher: Rachel Foster                              Date: September 
Class/Grade Level: Science/first grade            Lesson Title: Summer Flowers
Objectives:
The students will:
  1. Draw and label the parts of a flower. (1.1.1)
  2. Discuss how a seed travels and then begins to grow.
Materials Needed: Colored paper, white paper, pencils, The Tiny Seed book and big book, labels
Subject Content: Science
Vocabulary References: root, stem, petals, seeds, leaf
Class Procedures:
Set:
  1. This week we are learning about how things grow. The teacher will ask the students if they know how flowers grow. 
Review/Connection to Previous Learning: NA
Procedures:
  1. The teacher will read The Tiny Seed by: Eric Carle to the students.
  2. After the book is finished the class will talk about how the seed was carried in the wind and found a perfect place to rest. It went through the seasons and then in the summer it became a beautiful flower.
  3. The teacher will discuss the parts of a flower and draw the parts on the board.
  4. She will display her flower that she made and the class will help to label the flower.
  5. The students will then create their own flowers and label the parts of the flower.
Closure:
  1. The teacher will call on a few students to show their flowers and talk about the different parts.
Evaluation:
Objectives:
  1. Did the students draw and label the parts of a flower? yes
  2. Did the students discuss how a seed travels and then begins to grow? yes
Personal Reflection:
  1. Did I explain how a flower develops throughout all the seasons and then forms into a flower in the summer? Yes, I read the book the tiny seed which explained how the seed travels, grows and develops into a flower. The students loved to see how the flower formed and grew.
  2. Did I give enough time for the students to figure out how to label their flowers? I went through the different parts of a flower and discussed how I made the parts. Then I pointed to the parts and the students told me which ones the parts were. They made their flowers and then they labeled the parts.
References: I made this lesson

 Day Four

Teacher: Rachel Foster                       Date: September
Class/Grade Level: Science/first grade      Lesson Title: Fall Leaves
Objectives:
The students will:
  1. Collect and describe leaves.
  2. Use the colors of fall to create a leaf collage.
Materials Needed: Leaves, note home, paper, crayons
Subject Content: Science
Vocabulary References: NA
Class Procedures:
Set:
  1. The teacher will have sent home a note with the students from the week before asking the parents to help their student collect leaves of different sizes, shapes, and colors. They will then write about where they found them and the surrounding area together.    
Review/Connection to Previous Learning: NA
Procedures:
  1. The class will bring in their leaves and they will sit on the floor together and look at all the leaves.
  2. The students will read what they wrote about the leaves and surrounding areas.
  3. The teacher will talk about how the leaves change colors because of the warm days and cool nights.
  4. The students will pick up their leaves and take them back to their desks.
  5. They will then do a leaf rub on paper. The students will take the leaves and place them under their paper and take different color crayons and rub them over the leaves to get the picture of the leaf.
  6. The students will use different fall colors, and different sizes of leaves to rub.
Closure:
  1. The teacher will ask the students what changes they have been noticing during the fall season.
Evaluation:
Objectives:
  1. Did the students collect and describe leaves? yes
  2. Did the students use the colors of fall to create a leaf collage? yes
Personal Reflection:
  1. Did I encourage the students to use descriptive words while we talked about leaves? Yes, the students loved this project and some even went above and beyond what I expected and made an actual leaf collection. They used the names of the trees and describe the exact location of where the leaves were.
  2. Did I give enough information about why leaves change colors? Yes, we talked about how the weather gets cold at night and warm during the day and that is when the leaves start to change color. The students are too young to understand photosynthesis at this age.
References: I made this lesson
  
Dear Parents,

        This week in your first graders class we are starting a unit on the seasons. Your child will be learning about spring, summer, fall, and winter and some of the weather changes that happen during those seasons. You will be seeing the different season projects come home with your child and hearing lots of discussion of why and how the seasons happen.
        On Monday, September 29th we will be talking about fall and why the leaves change colors. As a take home project I am asking that you and your child collect leaves that are different colors, sizes, and shapes. After collecting these leaves sit down and write about what they look like and where you found them. Please put all the leaves and the writing project together in a bag and send it to school on Monday with your child.
        On Monday we will be looking at these leaves and reading about where and how we found them. We will then create an art project with the leaves that were sent to school.

Thank You,

Day Five
Teacher: Rachel Foster                       Date: September 
Class/Grade Level: Science/first grade      Lesson Title: Winter Snow

Objectives:
The students will:
  1. Identify the difference between a solid, liquid and gas. (1.3.1)
  2. Make snowmen out of shaving cream and glue.

Materials Needed: Shaving cream, glue, paper, pencils, red, black and orange paper, and scissors, Santa Claus book

Subject Content: Science

Vocabulary References: liquid, solid, gas

Class Procedures:
Set:
  1. The students will be given snowflakes to look at and observe.    
Review/Connection to Previous Learning: NA

Procedures:
  1. The teacher will ask students if they know what a solid is. A liquid and gas.
  2. The teacher will write all the words to describe what a solid, liquid, and gas is on the board.
  3. The class will talk about what they think snow is.
  4. The teacher will ask the class what happens in the winter and what season changes happen.
  5. The class will talk about snow and the different shapes that it comes in.
  6. The class will then make snowmen out of shaving cream and glue.
  7. The teacher will have the class draw the outline of their snowmen and then mix the glue and shaving cream together. They will then spread it out and cut out the hat, noise, scarf, and buttons for their snowmen.
  8. After everybody’s snowmen are made and everything is cleaned up the teacher will read some pages out of the Santa Claus book.

Closure:
  1. The teacher will ask students what things are solids, liquids and gasses.

Evaluation:
Objectives:
  1. Did the students identify the difference between a solid, liquid and gas? yes
  2. Did the students make snowmen out of shaving cream and glue? yes

Personal Reflection:
  1. Did I explain well enough what a gas is? Yes, we talked about different places where you find this gas and how ice, condensation, and water is the same form but different properties.
  2. Did I explain how snow is made so students would understand? Yes, we talked about the clouds have lots of moisture in then and then it is too cold so the water/rain turns to snow. We also talked about how every snowflake was different.

References: I made this lesson




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