A First Grade Class

by Robert Lamothe, first grade teacher, copyright June 1999

Think of the things that you loved when you were in first grade and the natural enthusiasm you and your classmates had. Included here are only a few examples of the countless activities and tasks that teachers and student teachers all over the world do to help build on that enthusiasm and love of life and learning:

My teaching methods are based on the whole language philosophy, the writing process , and a math system based on manipulatives and problem solving. We eventually published our stories on the world wide web on a page entitled "The First Grade Home Page". (see sample front page not currently on line) Reading is integrated into and is a major part of every activity including science, math, and social studies. The reading activities that we do are meaning and content oriented and are intended to provide an opportunity to develop higher thinking, classification, and analytical skills. The intent is to totally immerse children in the reading , writing, speaking, listening, and thinking processes. Lessons and activities are intended to optimize learning, provide motivation and enthusiasm, and build the self esteem of the children in my class.

I try to provide a wide variety of picture story books, nonfiction subject books, and books and poems published by the children in the class. Charts of songs, poems, and chants etc. are available to be used in whole class groups, small groups, or individually during centers time and other times. When we read charts we analyze various meaning and phonetic aspect of the poems, songs, and fact charts. Picture books as well as chapter books are also read frequently to the class during group times.

Also available are unit reading books relating to the particular science or social studies unit we are currently working on. In addition, each child has a three ring binder that includes reading material for the various science and social studies units as well as the song and poems that are on charts. Additional reading material and displays are provided in the science and social studies center.

I have used computers extensively in my class to develop children's language, writing, and math skills. Children in my class have also written group stories together with the use of a computer projection screen. Included in the room is a listening center that has tapes to listen to as children read along in the book.

An opportunity for enrichment is a video viewing center where children use head phones and view various educational programs that I have taped on the VCR. These include such programs as 3-2-1 Contact, Reading Rainbow, and programs related to their units like Nature and National Geographic specials. We also watch various programs as a class that relate to the subject that we are studying.

Another dimension that was added to the listening center was a booklet of poems and graphics that I scanned. With the assistance of a former student we have recorded these poems and songs that I play with the children on the guitar. The children read or sing along with the booklet as they are listening to the tape.

SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES UNITS

The units that my class work on include a number of experiments and projects that greatly add to their understanding of concepts and the development of language skills:

The Pollution and the Environment unit includes a decomposing experiment where we take a number of organic and inorganic materials such as apple peels and Styrofoam and bury them in a bucket of dirt. At the end of the year we dig them out and discuss what objects decompose and to what degree and why they decompose. Another experiment for that unit involves each child growing two sets of plants. One plant is watered with regular water and the other is "watered" with a container of toxic chemicals such as oil, window washer fluid, floor wax, etc. We then observe the difference in growth of the two.

The Machines and Electricity unit is usually done in third or second grade but can be done in first grade. The unit includes an experiment that creates hydroelectricity from a working model of a hydroelectric power plant. It also includes a field trip to a hydroelectric power plant as a follow up to the hydroelectric experiment that we do with the school hose. The unit also includes individual and group experiments with pulleys, electric motors, solar motors, a working model of a well, working windmills that they build, and working street lights. One year we built a model of Franklin in the Year 2001 that the children built as part of the Machines and Electricity unit and the Pollution and the Environment unit. Another part of the unit is a writing exercise that asks them to write a story about a machine that they invent and a math lesson that requires them to use their knowledge of the metric system in building their windmills.

The Animal Habitats unit includes a classification activity where they have to place words on note cards into the various habitats such as the woods, marine, or polar habitats. Another activity asked them to observe and record the parts of preserved insects purchased from a local biological company. They also draw diagrams of various insects.

The unit on Native People includes a project that asks them to build a model of a village that shows many details of what life was like for the Native people of North America. Another activity was a role play between Native people and settlers from Europe that utilized a giant map of Europe and North America.

Other units that we work on include Food and Nutrition, Black History, and The Solar System.

Included with my science and social studies units are intensive cognitive and vocabulary development activities such as semantic mapping, word classification, the "Einstein Questioning Game" and the “Wilbur Word Attack Game".

· EINSTEIN QUESTIONING GAME:

A list of several words relating to a unit or a book are written on the board or chart paper. The teacher or child pick a secret word and the children guess what word they are thinking of. They are given the opportunity to ask as many questions as they want in an attempt to narrow down the choices in figuring out what word it is. They only get three guesses though. The questions must be meaning based, i.e., they can’t ask what letter it begins with etc. The intent is to provide an educational experience where children develop their classification and higher thinking skills in the questioning and elimination process. for example, if the words are: SHARK, BIRD, OCEAN, DIRT, FOREST, ROCK, DEER, HUMAN, and WOLF, a child might ask; does it live in the ocean? Answer: NO. Is it alive. YES. Does it live in the forest? YES. Does it have four legs? YES. Does it have antlers? NO. Does it howl? YES. Guess: Is it a wolf? YES. The same could be done with a list of characters from a story.

· WILBUR WORD ATTACK GAME:

Words from a story or relating to a unit are written on note cards, some with pictures depicting the word, some without. A group of three or four children take turns holding one of the cards on their forehead where that child can’t see it. The other three children give descriptions of the meaning of the word without actually using the word in their definition. The child with the word on her forehead tries to guess the what the word is. This activity seems to work better if the children are given the opportunity to say their clues rapidly without necessarily taking turns. If one or more child isn’t having a chance to give clues, then the activity also works well with turn taking. The rapid type questioning generates a lot of enthusiasm and is a good motivator. Sometimes the teacher might need to facilitate with a clue or two or hints at types of clues. After the word is guessed the next child has a turn and so on.

Individual skill and vocabulary development activities are also available. These include three different kinds of word building "machines" that help children focus on developing specific skills in word beginning, middle, and ending sounds, consonant blends, vowels, and so on. Other educational "games" that I have made include such things as the Alphabet Fishing Game that focuses on letter recognition and letter orientation.

Excerpts From a Class Newsletter

UNICORN-SWAN SCIENTISTS (we picked Unicorn-Swans as the class name)

As part of our Animals and Their Habitats unit we have been learning many interesting facts about animals and their habitats and recently have been spending much of our time learning about insects. Last week our fourth grade book buddies from Ms. Siebert’s class joined us for a Chart Reading Marathon that included reading all of our insect charts and poems.

Everyone worked very hard on their science booklets and their insect diagrams. We read many fascinating things about animals. The class did a great job conducting scientific observation of giant grasshoppers, walking sticks, giant water bugs, bees water scorpions, cockroaches, and katydids. The class also did a great job on the “Einstein Questioning Game”.

UNICORN-SWAN READERS

We have been spending much of our time reading a wide variety of trade story books, charts, songs, poems, and context material relating to the animal habitat unit or factual material in general. Reading is integrated into and is a major part of every activity including science, math, and social studies. The reading activities that we have been doing are meaning and content oriented and are intended to provide an opportunity to develop higher thinking, classification, and analytical skills. Trade books, poems, songs, and science and social studies also provide an opportunity to expose the class to intensive skills instruction within an interesting and meaningful context. As part of that we frequently use phonics, word attack instruction, sight word identification, and context clues to help develop reading ability.

Some additional reading activities that we have done and will be doing include semantic mapping of stories and characters, story sequencing, word classification, the Einstein Questioning Game, and the Wilbur Word Attack Game.

UNI-SWAN WRITERS

The class has been creating some terrific stories using process writing techniques as many authors do. This includes several steps in the process of creating stories that will be published by 1L.

The steps include: 1. Brainstorming- thinking of interesting ideas for stories and characters for the stories; 2. Writing a first draft; 3. Editing the first draft on their own; 4. Editing the story with the teacher in a story conference; 5. Sending the story to the publisher (computerized printed version) and doing the illustrations; and 6. Author’s Chair-sharing the story with the class. In addition, there will be several specific topic writing assignments coming up including such things as letter writing, “About the Author”, and writing assignments related to the environment, pollution, and others.

AUTHOR’S CHAIR COMPUTER PROJECT

We are in the process of making computerized versions of stories written by our class that can be viewed with the overhead projector or can be read on the computer. We are also planning to scan in the illustrations to make them part of the story. We could use additional help on the project. If you have access to a color scanner or can help with the publishing, please let me know. (computer training provided)

UPCOMING UNITS AND MINI-UNITS

Some of the units planned include: Health, Safety, and Nutrition; Black History; and The Environment, Recycling, and Pollution. For Black History Month we will be participating in a town wide activity. Muraco School’s has been asked to focus on political figures. All three first grades will be learning about Rosa Parks and her contribution to the civil rights movement.

THINGS NEEDED FOR THE CLASS

· MARKERS

· COLORED PENCILS ·

· VCR and COLOR TV-for video enrichment center.

· USE OF COLOR SCANNER

· PC/IBM COMPUTER-386 or higher.

· COMPUTER PROJECTION PANEL

· PAPER PLATES AND NAPKINS

· POWER STRIPS

· JUMP ROPES AND BALLS ETC.

Thanks,

Mr. L.

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Thanks,

Mr. Lamothe