1st Grade
Welcome to the 1st Grade Innovation Lab Journal
We'll use our 1st grade journal to share about each month's lessons and learning activities with the Innovation Lab Program. Teachers and Parents can follow along with the learning and find lesson resources that can be printed or shared and used to connect the learning to the home or in the classroom.
1st Grade Lessons April 2023
Annual Innovation Showcase 2023
Students at Innovation Lab schools in CUSD were invited to after school events showcasing some of the most engaging learning happening in the program this year. This event showcased a variety of STEAM activities and encouraged children and families to explore, create, and innovate together.
One of the most popular stations at the event was the Dash programming station. Participants had the opportunity to program the Dash robot to move and meet challenge criteria. Exploring the basics of coding and robotics, this station encouraged visitors to think critically and problem-solve.
Another popular station was the Bee-Bots programming station. Children used coding skills to program a Bee-Bot robot to navigate a maze using sequencing and problem-solving.For those interested in video game design, the Minecraft programming station allowed children to use coding skills to quickly build houses in a Minecraft world. Children and families also experimented with different coding blocks and learned how to create using Python code.
At the Scratch programming station, children could learn the basics of coding through interactive games and animations. Scratch cards at each station allowed visitors to create their own stories, games, and animations. This activity taught children the importance of creativity and logical thinking. For those interested in building, the Lego Buildtionary station challenged children to build various structures using Lego bricks. This activity encouraged children to think creatively and experiment with different building techniques.
Finally, the Soundtrap DJ booth allowed children to explore music production by creating their own tracks using digital tools. Innovative DJs could experiment with different beats, loops, and sound effects to create their own unique compositions. Parents took over this station at both events to show off and explore their creativity!
Innovation Showcase Night was an amazing event that offered a fun and engaging way for our school communities to learn about the program, our integrated learning and the profile of a graduate competencies. With a variety of activities ranging from coding and robotics to music production and building, there was something for everyone.
Families enjoyed the Lego "Buildtionary" station as they were challenged to think creatively and build using different techniques. (We created this creativity booster in the spirit of pictionary.)
1st Grade Lessons: March 2023
Throughout March, our first-grade students in the innovation lab immersed themselves in a world of environmental stewardship. From watching an animated video to practicing waste sorting and playing interactive games, they developed a deeper understanding of sustainable practices and their role in protecting the environment. By channeling their creativity into inventing solutions for reducing waste and conserving resources, these young innovators showcased their potential to make a positive impact on the world around them. Through their experiences in the innovation lab, the first graders are not only becoming informed stewards of the environment but also gaining the confidence and skills necessary to contribute to a sustainable future.Throughout the month, their learning revolved around understanding the importance of caring for our planet and taking actions to make a positive impact. Let's take a closer look at their enriching experiences.
First graders delved into hands-on activities that promoted responsible waste management. They eagerly engaged in sorting a surprise pile of reusable and recyclable items into designated bins. Through this activity, they gained firsthand experience in distinguishing between items that can be reused and those that can be recycled. By actively participating in this sorting process, the students developed a deeper understanding of waste reduction and its impact on the environment.
In the second lesson of the month, the students' creativity took center stage as they embarked on the task of creating their own inventions. Guided by the theme of reducing energy waste usage, minimizing water waste usage, or making reusing and recycling easier, the young innovators put their imaginations to work. They brainstormed and designed unique solutions to address these environmental challenges. Through this hands-on experience, the first graders not only honed their problem-solving skills but also discovered the power of their ideas and actions in shaping a greener future.
1st Grade Lessons: February 2023
In February California ReLeaf announced that one of our first graders was a winner in this year's the Arbor Day Poster Contest! The theme this year was "Trees Plant a Cooler Future".
Mrs. Delaye helped students create posters and enter in the California ReLeaf Arbor Day poster content. One of the first graders in our Innovation Lab program, Henri Widmer, was chosen as the winner in the Imagination award category. Congratulations, Henri!
Too see all of this year's winners as well as Henri's winning design, visit California ReLeaf's Arbor day poster contest on their website.
1st Grade Lessons: January 2023
First Graders had the opportunity to design posters for the Arbor Day Poster Contest. The theme this year is "Trees Plant a Cooler Future".
Mrs. Delaye had students think of the many ways trees are cool and how trees help keep us cool. Students discussed this multiple meaning word, went outside to observe trees, looked at pictures of trees, and even practiced drawing trees. Students agreed trees are homes to animals, trees give us food to eat, trees are beautiful to look at, and trees give us shade on a hot day.
Students sketched out a design for their poster in their Innovation Journals. They included some of their favorite reasons trees are cool in their designs. Students were encouraged to add branches and realistic details to their drawings.
In a second session students took their designs a step further to create posters for the California Releaf 2023 Arbor Day Poster Contest.
This first grader's poster shows roots, branches and fruit.
1st graders begin to practice planning by drawing directly onto their desks and then building directly on top of their drawings
First graders this month are beginning to practice planning and designing before building and executing a project.
The nation's Next Generation Science Standards recommends that students in grades K-2 begin to practice planning and executing an experiment or a demonstration. While this skill is essential and extremely beneficial to master before diving into performance expectations in 3rd- 5th grade, it can be challenging for students this age. To pursue this skill with younger learners, we will be practicing a few basic skills related to designing and planning before building a model.
Students in K-2nd grades will work through a series of lessons starting with the upcycled materials that they are accostomed to and then moving on to legos for more skilled practiuce in drawing and designing.
< Note from Mr. Pittman - I designed this lesson series to start with the simple practice of drawing a picture of the object that the student intends to model. As we work through the lessons, I plan to add estimating materials, drawing for accuracy and writing to describe the plan into student planning sheets.
1st Grade Lessons December 2022
First Graders are finishing up early biology units of study, learning to program "bee-bot" robots and engaging in many taskls designed to promote collaboration.
Mrs. Delaye and Mr. Pittman met with first graders to continue their practice in developing probelm solving skills and collaboration as well as learning more about the needs of living things.
In Mr. Pittman's class, students engaged in their last lesson of the early biology unit that were created to compliment and provide extra practice with simultaneous TWIG science lessons in classrooms. In this lesson student groups chose to either focus on the needs of an animal or plant. Then the group created a representation of their living thing, and used pre-defined spaces at their table to create images of the life needs of their chosen species. The result is a table-sized "poster" detailing the needs of each organism.
While students have gained appropriate grade level knowledge of the life needs of organisms, student practice in planning and collaborating is still emerging for many students. these lessons gave us great practice in speaking, listening and working together to plan and execute a project.
1st graders made "posters" to identify the needs of living things. Posters were created with mosaic style pieces of wood, fabric and cork.
< Note from Mr. Pittman - This week I used an animated version of myself to introduce the lesson:
This "cartoon" Mr. Pittman showed students how to create their poster showing the needs of living things by using unconventional materials as mosaic tiles.
1st Grade Lessons November 2022
1st graders build on their understanding of animal life needs to develop their ideas about behavioral and structural adaptations. To deeply uncover this concept, students learn about animal body parts and behaviors and then build a device that mimics the animal's adaptation.
This week students continue to practice and develop their understanding of the living systems. Students are also working to develop the habit of building a model or designing an experiment to explain or explore this concept. For the K-2 age band, the Next generation Science standards recommend that students begin to develop skill in planning and building models and experiments. this multi-step process takes quite a bit of regular practice to develop.
In order to practice this essential science and engineering practice, first graders started by identifying and drawing a plant, and then adding representations of the ways that the plants life needs are met. This drawing then become a basis for a simple build using upcycled and natural materials.
Students then identified the life needs of animals while returning to the carpet for a large group discussion. As we progress into next week's lesson we will follow the same pattern of using representational drawing to capture the life needs of animals and then building to follow the plan/ drawing.
While this takes a lot of practice to become a useful and understandable practice for students in the K-2 band, it is extremely powerful once students have adequate practice.
1st Grade Lessons October 2022
1st graders understand how amazing fava beans are as they use body measurements to measure the bean next to their finger. The bean is two knuckle marks in size when placed next to a student's finger. They also understand the needs of plants as they create a hole in the soil with their finger to plant the bean
This week Mrs. Delaye invited Tony Kienitz our Garden/Teacher Liaison to come help us plant fava beans.
The first graders have been learning about how amazing plants are. Fava beans, also known as broad beans definitely are amazing! They are one of the oldest cultivated crops. There is evidence of fava beans being found in Egyptian tombs. Students added scientific drawings of a fava bean to their innovation journals and labeled the bean. Learning to observe and make drawings like a scientist supports students in noticing patterns in science and nature.
Students also continued to develop their understanding of the needs of living things this week. 1st graders worked with 4th grade table assistants to use ipad matching and other activities, as well as using upcycled materials to build a garden that includes representations of roots, leaves, stems and flowers doing their "jobs" (roots absorb water, leaves make food/ sugar, stems transport water and food, flowers make fruits and seeds.) and made leaf rubbings.
First graders focused most of their build and exploration time on understanding the physical adaptations of plants (plant parts) and their functions.
< Note from Mrs. Delaye -
It was wonderful to get outside and get our hands in the soil. Mr. Tony, as the students call him has many wonderful stories to tell students as they begin to explore their school's garden. Garden stories help students observe their natural world and ask questions. We will return to the garden to observe the favas as they become young plants. We can then compare young plants to adult plants as we watch them grow through the winter and into the spring.
1st graders are using iPads to photograph "Wow work" that they are proud of. They then record a few words about how their work, growth and progress.
This week innovation teachers meet with students in small groups in their classrooms to help each student create their digital portfolios.
Mrs. Delaye and Mr. Pittman met with students in small groups and helped each student log into Seesaw and create the first post in their personal journals. Student’s posts included images, voice recording, video, text, and other digital graphics and highlights. Students and classroom teachers identified work that students felt represents “Wow Work” or writing, art, or video that is an artifact of challenging learning activities that resulted in growth.
< Note from Mr. Pittman - Students at every grade level created their first post, so it was remarkable for the innovation team to observe and facilitate the spectrum of elementary performance expectations across each grade especially in language arts and math. It is a unique tool to leverage as a “specialist” teacher in any role that works with all elementary grades throughout weekly rotations.
Lesson Resources:
"The Needs of a Plant" call and answer song
SeeSaw's Youtube video to help student select "Wow work"
Download and view/ print our Digital portfolio introductory slides
1st Grade Lessons September 2022
Build-a-plant including roots, stem, leaves and flower.
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In general, during build time, my focus is on encouraging students to work together and share ideas by working in sub-group teams of two to quickly build and try things out. My challenge then is, "As soon as your team finds something that works or is interesting, show it to the team and share how it was built." I carry a camera connected to the classroom screen or projector to take pictures of student work and share student examples with the class on the fly-to help spread ideas among teams and keep the collaborating moving and productive.
This week, 1st graders visited the school gardens and built models of plants to understand the survival needs of plants.
The students started by reviewing what plants need to grow and how the plant parts use these resources. We learned that plants need water (H2O) and take in water through their roots. We also learned that roots send the water to leaves and combine the hydrogen and oxygen with carbon that leaves take in from the air to create sugar or food energy.
Students in first grade are working towards demonstrating their understanding of life needs of plants and animals by designing a solution to a human problem that is inspired by plant or animal parts, or physical adaptations that help living things survive. So we are starting by modeling plants and their useful organs as we build toward the performance expectation.
1st graders also visited the schools gardens this week to find sample leaves, roots, stems and flowers
The students searched for samples that we could collect and observe in a small terrarium. We made observations in the classroom, and then used our unique upcycled building materials to create models of plants that demonstrate roots absorbing water, leaves making sugar, and stems transporting water.
< Note from Mr. Pittman - Most of the kit items can be found around the house, and part of the reason we use these "up-cycled" materials is to build habits around responsible use of resources, so I'm only including the link here to illustrate what the "cars" might look like, and share some of the learning targets.
In another 1st grade lesson students explored the plants growing around their school site.
Students discovered some very amazing plants growing around their school. They used their senses to observe and talk about the plants they found growing on their school campus.
We focused on collaboration and critical thinking skills as students worked with a partner to locate a plant they found to be amazing. The students used their senses to observe the plant, they also thought about some other questions: How do you know it's living? What do you know about it? What do you want to know about it?
These questions helped students make connections with their school (a familiar setting) and the science concepts they are learning. They realized plants can be different sizes and different colors. Some plants are smooth and some are fuzzy.
We ended the session reflecting on our learning. We asked more questions: Why do scientists ask questions? What was the best part about today’s activity? What did you learn about plants today? One student asked if a palm tree was a plant? He then proceeded to about how his dad's job is to climb palm trees and trim or cut them. This student used critical thinking skills to connect his real world experiences to our learning.
< Note from Mrs. Delaye - Visiting the school garden or areas around the school with plants growing in them helps support students observation skills. The students really enjoyed using magnifying glasses and the opportunity to learn outside the classroom. I took pictures of the students with the amazing plant they found, When we returned to the classroom students were so excited to share the plant they found with their classmates.
A "Build-tionary" scientist
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These "up-cycled" materials are low cost and present welcome learning challenges in building that we can use to give students practice with several valuable skills. These materials are great in practicing creative problem solving, visual communications, abstract expression, and in engineering linkages that meet certain functions. Many Campbell teachers have the RAFT Makerspace-in-a-box in their classroom or schools, but there are many similar objects that can be collected around the classroom or at home and used in the same way. Clean natural materials like wood, cork, cardboard, boxes, plastic bottles, sand and fabric scraps are great items to save and use in art and engineering practice.
Our first week of learning in the new innovation lab, was as exciting for the innovation teacher team as it was for students. We feel the positive energy every day on campus, and it felt like a positive and productive start. We began with lab safety, exploring the new lab spaces and the new resources, internet and online tool safety, team work and collaboration, and began to explore modeling and prototyping with our unique up-cycled building materials.
During the lessons this week, students opened with a quick greeting and getting-to-know-your-team activity. Then students were invited to explore the classroom and pick out elements of the classroom that they would like to explore. Students chose an interesting tool, display or resource in the room to explore and ultimately demonstrate to the class how to use properly and safely.
Next we moved on to an activity that called "Build-tionary." An obvious riff on Pictionary, students begin to learn the rapid prototyping process by drawing a card that has printed a word, always a common noun, and a simple line art image that illustrates the word. Student teams then try to "build" the word/ image on the card with their team. Students use increasingly challenging "building materials" such as corks, wooden blocks, small colorful wooden shapes, math manipulative blocks, CD-roms, plastic spoons, cardboard tubes, a sheet of labels, rubber bands, brads and anything I can find that will stack, fold, fit or otherwise link together in interesting ways.
After a few minutes, students compare and try to guess each other's words based on the model they have created. Then shuffle the cards and repeat. The objective is to help students become familiar with and build habits that work well in using the unique materials in the lab. As well we want students to practice working together in small groups to share and test ideas quickly.
At the end of every lesson I ask students to reflect on three questions:
"What is something that was productive, went well or feels satisfying overall from the learning activity?"
"What is something that was challenging or difficult, but led to something productive today?"
"Who would you like to thank or share gratitude with?" (Think of a teammate to thank for great collaboration or sharing an idea or materials...)
< Note from Mr. Pittman - This "Student Guided Tour" of the lab helps students to spend a few minutes with some of the very interesting, but perhaps overly distracting robots, tools, materials terrariums and other exciting things in the lab. We take a few minutes to talk about using each resource safely and effectively before we start using the lab.
Lesson Resources:
The five senses poster used in this week's lessons.
