First Grade Videos
I hope you enjoy these videos from our school year.
2023 - 2024
On this page are videos from some of this year's science lessons. Students will be reflecting on inquiry-based observations, activities, investigations and experiments in order to increase their understanding of science instruction. Interpreting, analyzing, and interacting with science is a critical aspect in the classroom and can be seen in these videos. It is my intention that these videos spark conversations at home about science and what we are learning in the classroom.
*FYI - THIS WEB PAGE IS BEST VIEWED FROM A LAPTOP OR DESKTOP - WHEN VIEWING FROM A MOBILE DEVICE SOME IMAGES MAY APPEAR TO BE CUT OFF. Some formats that I use to create these videos give me control over the music volume when students are talking and some do not. I apologize if some students are harder to hear.
Science Topic: Dental Health
LEARNING GOAL: Students will learn about and understand the importance of taking care of their teeth through proper dental hygiene and healthy eating.
Dental Health
This unit is taught in connection with Mrs. Kane in Wellness. The girls are learning about the importance of dental health.
Recently, the girls experimented with eggs because the shell is also made from calcium (a similar component of our teeth). We put the eggs in a cup of soda to see how it will stain the egg shell and demonstrate the importance of brushing our teeth.
In the video, the girls learned about the best practice to brush their teeth and then each student was given their own toothbrush and toothpaste to practice in school. They took their new toothbrush home with them to continue using what they learned at school. The girls also used disclosing tablets which are chewable tablets used to make dental plaque visible. The tablets temporarily stain the plaque a bright color so the students can see where they have missed spots while brushing. They were surprised when they saw what they missed when brushing in the mirror. They have another tablet to try this again at home. (I tried to get pictures of everyone but I also need to assist students with the activity... I apologize if some students were not pictured.)
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video.
Science Topic: ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
LEARNING GOAL: Organisms use camouflage to mask their location, identity, and movement. This allows prey to avoid predators, and for predators to sneak up on prey. A species' camouflage depends on several factors. The physical characteristics of the organism are important. An animal's environment consists of many different things. The climate, the kinds of food plants that grow in it, other animals that may be predators or competitors- the animal must learn to adapt to each of these factors in order to survive.
Why do birds have different beaks?
As part of our study of animals we looked at birds beaks and noticed that different types of birds have different types of beaks. We wondered why they would be different? So we experiemented using a tweezer to act like a pointy beak. We were able to pick up tiny food. Then we used a modified cup to act like a duck's wide beak. We could use this to scoop up many more pieces of food at one time. BUT THEN, we added rock in the way. We don't want to get rocks in our stomach so we had to decide which beak would be better to pick up ONLY food and NO rocks. Here are some photos from our lesson.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Fish Prints - Science & Art
Continuing with our study of animals and body coverings, we looked at and felt real fish scales. The girls learned about the print making process including ghost prints. They used a combination of real fish and rubber molded fish to make their own fish prints in this science and art combined class. Some girls were excited to touch the fish because they had never touched a fish before and others were more hesitant at first. We are proud of these brave and adventurous scientists / artists!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Exploring Animal Body Coverings
Animals have different types of body coverings. The students learned about the different types and then had a chance to look at and touch some real animal body coverings. We saw shells, scales, feathers, and fur. What a great day to explore!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
The Science Of Skin Color
(Science & Art)
In science the students are learning about different animal adaptations as well as the science of skin color. The girls are learning how melanin was an adaptation our ancestors needed to protect themselves from the sun. We are reading the book, All the Colors We Are, by Katie Kissinger. As part of this mini-unit the girls had a combined SCIENCE and ART class where they mixed their own personal skin color. On a separate day Mrs. Schiliro and I taught a combined lesson on this topic as well.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Opposable Thumbs
After learning about opposable thumbs, the girls did an activity to see what it would feel like to NOT have opposable thumbs. We taped their thumbs and did several activities such as writing their name, zipping a tunic, drawing a picture, and more! My favorite quote of the day was when one student took off her gloves and said, "I am so happy to have my little thumbies back! I missed you!"
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Science Topic: EARTH MATERIALS
LEARNING GOAL: In this unit, students will focus on their natural interest in the world around them. Students will look at and compare rocks and other earth materials by their physical attributes. Students will also understand that Earth is made of materials including rocks, soil, water and air, that rocks can be recognized and grouped/sorted by physical properties, and senses can be used to observe soil.
Eggshell Geodes!
We have been learning about what is in soil and we have been exploring geodes. We made a simulated geode using eggshells, alum powder, and food coloring. This year, for some reason, they didn't all turn out the way we hoped - but that is what happens in science sometimes. Here is a video of the finished product.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Worms!
Today we worked with REAL LIVE worms!!!! The girls were amazingly gentle and brave! We watched how worms moved, we tried to see if they liked wet or dry spaces and light or dark spaces. Some girls started off unsure but in the end they were sad to say goodbye to their worm friends. No worms were harmed in the making of this video!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Excavation
As we continue to learn about soil, we discovered that fossils can be found in soil. We learned about archaeology and what tools are used by archaeologists. The girls were each given a "dinosaur egg" to excavate. They each had a pick to dig deeper and a brush to uncover the fossil more carefully. We used a chart in class to determine which dinosaurs were uncovered. We used goggles to protect our eyes and our lab coats to protect our uniforms.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Color & Milk Experiment
Question: What will happen when you put a drop of soap into a container with milk and food coloring? Watch and find out!!! We followed the scientific method starting with a question, then charting our hypotheses, doing the experiment, discussing our observations, and taking note of the conclusion.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.