1st Grade Track
1st Grade Track
1. The Read
Title: A Mountain Named McKinley
Hi 1st Graders! Welcome to the Summer Summit.
Our school is named McKinley Elementary. Did you know we share our name with a giant mountain?
President William McKinley was a leader of our country a long time ago. People wanted to honor him, so they put his name on the highest peak in North America. That mountain is in Alaska. It is very cold and snowy at the top.
We live in Utah, where we have lots of mountains too! Hiking up a mountain takes strong legs and a brave heart. You have to watch where you step. You have to drink water. But when you get to the top, you can see the whole world.
This summer, we are going to be hikers. We will hike through books and learn new things!
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Standard 1.1.2: Summarize the contributions of a diverse range of historical figures and groups in their community, state, and nation, and evaluate their significance
Virtual Field Trip: Mount McKinley www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rNpqtcZGcs
2. Vocabulary Power
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Peak: The very pointy top of a mountain.
Trail: A path through the woods for walking.
Explore: To travel around a new place to learn about it.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It
Activity: Go outside and look at the mountains. Are they green (trees) or brown (rocks)?
Question: What do you think you would need to put in your backpack if you went on a long hike? (Water? Snacks? A map?)
Standard 1.SL.2: Speak clearly and audibly while expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas while asking and answering questions.
4. The Challenge: "Build a Cairn"
Hikers stack rocks to show the trail so others don't get lost.
Mission: Go outside and find 5 flat rocks. Stack them on top of each other. Can you make them balance without falling? That is called a "Cairn."
Standard 1.V.P.1: Explain why some objects, artifacts, and artworks are valued over others.
1. The Read-
Title: Footprints on the Moon
Have you ever walked in the mud? You leave a footprint behind.
A long time ago, an astronaut named Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. The Moon is covered in gray dust. When Neil stepped on it, he left a boot print. Because there is no wind on the Moon, that footprint is still there today!
To get to the Moon, astronauts rode a giant rocket called the Saturn V. It was louder than a thousand thunder storms! When they looked out the window, Earth looked like a small blue ball.
Space is full of mysteries. There are red planets like Mars, giant gas planets like Jupiter, and millions of stars.
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Standard 1.1.2: Summarize the contributions of a diverse range of historical figures and groups in their community, state, and nation, and evaluate their significance.
Virtual Field Trip: Rocket Garden www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao-HrmbVDnA
2. Vocabulary Power-
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Crater: A bowl-shaped hole on the moon made by a space rock hitting it.
Orbit: To go around and around something in a circle. (The Earth orbits the Sun!).
Suit: The special clothes astronauts wear to breathe.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It-
Question: Would you like to sleep on a spaceship? Your sleeping bag would float in the air!
Observation: Look for the "Man in the Moon" tonight. Can you see the dark spots that look like a face?
Standard 1.SL.2: Speak clearly and audibly while expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas while asking and answering questions.
4. The Challenge: "Oreo Moon Phases"
Mission: Ask a parent for 4 Oreo cookies.
Twist them open.
Eat the cream to make the shapes of the moon: Full Moon (all cream), Half Moon (half cream), Crescent Moon (tiny sliver of cream), New Moon (no cream—eat it all!).
SEEd Standard 1.1.1: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the movement of the Sun, Moon, and stars to describe predictable patterns.
1. The Read-
Title: Meeting in the Middle
Imagine a time before airplanes or cars. If you wanted to move to the West, you had to walk or ride a horse for months. It was very hard!
America decided to build a "Transcontinental Railroad." That is a big word! It means a train track that goes all the way across the land.
One team built from the ocean in the East. One team built from the ocean in the West. They worked hard every day. Clang! Clang! Clang! went their hammers.
They finally met right here in Utah at Promontory Summit. They were so happy to be done that they drove a Golden Spike into the ground to finish the track. Now, trains could zoom across the country!
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Standard 1.2.2: Differentiate between natural and engineered geographical features in an area (for example, engineered geographic features include highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, reservoirs).
Virtual Field Trip: Golden Spike National Historic Site www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWD_yWsi-4c
Standard 1.1.3: Use primary sources (for example, artifacts and documents such as photographs, newspapers, speakers, stories, songs) to make inferences about why certain events in history are remembered.
2. Vocabulary Power
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Steam: The white cloud that comes from boiling water. Old trains used steam to move!
Passenger: A person who rides on a train or bus.
Travel: To go from one place to another.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It-
Question: Trains carry people, but they also carry "cargo" (boxes/stuff). Count the cars on the next train you see. Is it a long train or a short train?
Map Skills-Social Studies Standard 1.2.3: Look at a map of Utah with your parents. Can you find where we live?
Standard 1.SL.2: Speak clearly and audibly while expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas while asking and answering questions.
4. The Challenge: "Tape Tracks"
Mission: Use masking tape (painter's tape) on the carpet or floor.
Build: Tape a long railroad track down the hallway. Make it curve! Make it go under a chair (a tunnel)!
Play: Run your toy cars or trains along the tape track.
1. The Read
Title: The Utahraptor
Utah is famous for dinosaurs! One of the coolest ones found here is called the Utahraptor.
The Utahraptor was very fast. It had a long tail to help it balance when it ran. It also had a giant claw on its toe that looked like a hook!
We know about dinosaurs because of fossils. A fossil is like a secret message from the past. Sometimes a bone turns into rock. Sometimes a dinosaur stepped in mud, and the mud turned to rock, saving the footprint forever.
Scientists who study dinosaurs are like detectives. They look at the bones and guess what the dinosaur ate and how it moved.
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Virtual Field Trip: Dinosaur Park www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwh5W-ZE6Yc
2. Vocabulary Power
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Skeleton: All the bones inside a body connected together.
Prehistoric: Something from a time long, long ago before people wrote history books.
Discover: To find something new.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It
Question: Some dinosaurs ate meat (Carnivores) and some ate plants (Herbivores). Which one are you? (Do you eat chicken? Do you eat salad? Or both?)
Imagination: What color do you think dinosaurs were? Green? Purple? Polka-dotted? No one knows for sure!
Standard 1.SL.2: Speak clearly and audibly while expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas while asking and answering questions.
4. The Challenge: "Playdough Prints"
Mission: Flatten a piece of playdough (or mud outside).
Imprint: Take a small toy dinosaur (or a plastic animal) and press its feet into the dough.
Inspect: Lift the toy up. Look at the footprint. You just made a fossil!
1. The Read
Title: The 50 Stars
Happy Birthday, America!
On July 4th, we see flags everywhere. Have you ever looked closely at the American Flag?
It has red and white stripes. It also has a blue square with white stars. There are 50 stars on the flag.
Why 50? Because there are 50 states in our country. Utah is one of those stars!
We also have a national bird: the Bald Eagle. Eagles are strong and free. They build giant nests in tall trees. If you are lucky, you might see one flying near the mountains in Utah.
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Standard 1.3.4: Identify the symbols, landmarks, and essential documents of the school, community, state, and nation (including the national motto and state emblem). Demonstrate how to show respect for those items, including care and disposal of the United States flag.
2. Vocabulary Power
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Symbol: A picture that stands for something else. (The flag stands for the USA).
State: A part of a country. We live in the state of Utah.
Freedom: Being able to make your own choices.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It
Question: The colors of the flag are Red, White, and Blue. Can you find something in your house for each color?
Art: Draw a picture of a firework exploding. Use your brightest crayons!
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
Standard 1.V.CR.1:
Engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with art materials, and use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art.
4. The Challenge: "Patriotic Windsock"
Mission: Get an empty toilet paper roll.
Decorate: Color the roll blue or cover it with blue paper.
Streamers: Glue strips of red and white paper (or tissue paper) to the bottom so they hang down.
Fly: Tie a string to the top and hang it outside to catch the wind!
Standard 1.V.CR.2: Explore the use of materials and tools to create works of art or design; use art materials, tools, and equipment in a safe way; and identify and classify uses of everyday objects through drawings, diagrams, sculptures, or other visual means.
1. The Read
Title: The Sea Monkeys
Did you know we have tiny pink creatures living in the lake near us?
The Great Salt Lake is too salty for fish. But it is perfect for Brine Shrimp. You might call them "Sea Monkeys."
These shrimp are tinier than a grain of rice! They swim in the water and eat algae (green plant slime).
In the summer, millions of birds fly to Utah to eat the shrimp. It is like an "all-you-can-eat" buffet for birds! The birds get energy to fly south for the winter.
The Great Salt Lake is an important home for these animals. We have to keep the water clean for them.
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Virtual Field Trip: The Great Salt Lake www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbelLyaK2Jk
Standard 1.2.2: observing patterns of external features of living things that survive in different locations
2. Vocabulary Power
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Salty: Tastes like salt. Ocean water is salty.
Shrimp: A small sea animal with many legs.
Protect: To keep something safe from harm.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It
Question: Why can’t we drink the water from the Great Salt Lake? (It has too much salt!).
Experiment: When you take a bath tonight, see which of your bath toys float and which ones sink.
Standard 1.SL.2: Speak clearly and audibly while expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas while asking and answering questions.
4. The Challenge: "Salt Painting"
Mission: Draw a simple shape (like a star or a heart) on paper using a bottle of liquid white glue.
Sprinkle: Pour table salt all over the wet glue. Shake off the extra.
Magic: Dip a paintbrush in watercolor paint and touch the salt. Watch the color spread along the salty line like magic!
Standard 1.V.CR.2: Explore the use of materials and tools to create works of art or design; use art materials, tools, and equipment in a safe way; and identify and classify uses of everyday objects through drawings, diagrams, sculptures, or other visual means.
1. The Read
Title: The Boy Who Dreamed
Do you like to watch cartoons? You can thank a boy from Utah named Philo.
When Philo was young, he lived in a log cabin. He loved to read science magazines. He had a big imagination.
One day, he was plowing a potato field. Back and forth. Back and forth. He looked at the lines in the dirt and had a big idea. He realized he could send pictures through the air in lines of light!
That idea became the Television.
Philo teaches us that kids can have big ideas. You don't have to be a grown-up to be an inventor. You just need to ask, "How can I make this better?"
Standard 1.R.6: Read a variety of texts including those from diverse cultures to identify and retell the main idea and key details of a text. (RL & RI)
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. (RL & RI)
2. Vocabulary Power
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Idea: A thought or plan in your brain.
Machine: A tool with moving parts that does a job.
Screen: The glass part of a TV or phone where you see the picture.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It
Question: If you could invent a robot helper, what would it do? Clean your room? Do your homework? Make pizza?
Detail: Draw a picture of your robot and give it a name.
Standard 1.SL.2: Speak clearly and audibly while expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas while asking and answering questions.
4. The Challenge: "The Box Car"
Mission: Find a cardboard box (shoe box or cereal box).
Create: Turn it into a car for your stuffed animals.
Add: Draw wheels on the side. Cut a hole for the top. Give your teddy bear a ride!
Standard 1.V.CO.2: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding that people from different times and places have made art for a variety of reasons.
1. The Read
Title: Ready for Second Grade?
Wow! You have hiked all the way to the end of summer.
You learned about presidents, space, dinosaurs, and trains. You are a Super Reader!
Soon, the school bell will ring. You will walk into McKinley Elementary again. You might have a new backpack or new shoes.
The most important thing to bring to school is Kindness.
A kind student shares. A kind student says "please" and "thank you." A kind student asks, "Do you want to play?"
When you are kind, you make our school a happy place. We can't wait to see your smiling face in the hallway!
Standard 1.R.4: Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
Standard 1.3.5: Demonstrate characteristics of responsible citizenship (for example, respect others property, treat people with dignity, find solutions to conflicts, take responsibility for ones actions, take care of school grounds).
2. Vocabulary Power
Definitions to discuss with your child:
Prepare: To get ready for something.
Kindness: Being nice and helpful to others.
Community: All the people living and working together in one place.
Standard 1.SL.1: Participate effectively in a range of conversations with various partners, using age-appropriate vocabulary on topics and texts.
3. Talk About It
Question: What was your favorite memory from this summer?
Goal: What is one thing you want to learn in school this year? (Reading bigger books? Math? Art?)
Standard 1.SL.2:
Speak clearly and audibly while expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas while asking and answering questions.
Standard 1.SL.3:
Use age-appropriate language, grammar, volume, and clear pronunciation when speaking or presenting and use visual displays, when appropriate, to describe or clarify information to others.
4. The Challenge: "The Backpack Race"
Mission: Put all your school supplies (or just some books and a pencil case) in a pile.
Race: Have a parent say "GO!"
Action: See how fast you can neatly pack your backpack and zip it up.
Wear: Put it on your back and stand by the door. You are ready!