First Grade Videos
I hope you enjoy these videos from our school year.
2021 - 2022
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: ANIMALS
LEARNING GOAL: Students will learn that animals help humans in so many ways, from professional support (as guide dogs for the blind or as therapy dogs) or offering us love and companionship in our daily lives. ... Animals reduce the fear of their owner in threatening situations; they guide the blind; they warn those in danger of diabetic or epileptic fits. Students will also be able to identify ways animals have made human life much easier by providing us with food, medicine, clothing etc. ... Animal hair can be used to make blankets, jackets helping us to keep ourselves warm in winters. They are also used for economic purposes.
First Grade Coding with Bee-Bot and Life Cycles
Today while the girls were learning about the life cycles, they were able to do some coding with our friend, Bee-Bot. As are most things we are still learning about, we didn't always get it right the first time... and then we can practice resilience. These girls did an amazing job and had fun too!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Turning Milk into Butter!
As part of our unit on animals the girls are learning about how people use animals. One of the ways we use animals is for food. We discussed how we get milk from a cow and then the girls were asked a question: What will happen to milk (cream) if you shake it very hard? They recorded their hypotheses and then we conducted our experiment. At the conclusion of the experiment we went outside to eat our creation...delicious butter on a cracker! I hope you enjoy the video.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
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.
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 read 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 Ms. Beamon and I will teach 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.
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.
Opposable Thumbs
After learning about opposable thumbs, the girls did an activity to see what it would feel like to NOT have opposable thumbs. They wore gloves that had a knot in the thumb 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.
Bird Feeders
To continue our unit on animals we are exploring how animals eat. We made bird feeders and on another day we brought them outside to share with the birds (and squirrels) that also call Agnes Irwin "home."
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Worms!
Today we worked with 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. 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.
The Hunt for Camouflaged Butterflies
Check back on Friday for part 2....
After learning about how some animals can camouflage to blend in with their environment, first graders selected a location in our room (the environment) that their butterfly would be placed. The girls colored their butterflies to blend in with that particular surrounding. On a separate day, the girls went on a hunt for butterflies (with binoculars). Some butterflies were very tricky!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
If I Were A Scientist....
Today we learned about what science is.... and it is a lot! So many different things are part of science. We talked about what a scientist looks like and what a scientist does as well. The girls shared what topic they would like to explore if they were a scientist.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
First Day of Science:
Shrinky Dink Experiment
Question: What will happen when you put a sheet of plastic into an oven? Watch and find out!!! We used special shrinky dink paper for this experiment and we talked about how melting the plastic to make it smaller would be helpful in recycling. We also talked about single use plastic vs. multi-use plastic. The students watched as their creations twisted, curled, and shrank in the oven and they were able to take home their creations today. Please enjoy this video from our time in science .
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.