LOGICAL THINKING - Grade 1
Lesson 4 of 8
Activity 1
(Teacher read aloud)
Today you will learn about a character that behaves like a scientist.
The Curious Collector
Randy Raccoon was not like most raccoons. He didn’t sneak around at night looking for snacks—he explored the world looking for answers! Randy loved to observe things and collect data. He always carried a small journal to write down what he saw and learned. Whether it was how many birds flew past his tree or how many kinds of bugs lived under a log, Randy wanted to know it all.
One sunny morning, Randy was relaxing in his treehouse, flipping through a book about woodland creatures, when his friend Ruby Robin flew by.
“Hey Randy!” she chirped. “Would you like to come on a picnic in the woods?”
“Absolutely!” Randy said. “And I’ll bring my journal—just in case I discover something interesting!”
The woods were peaceful and full of life. Ruby spread out a blanket and shared berry sandwiches and walnut cookies. As they ate, Randy noticed something colorful at the edge of the clearing—wildflowers!
He wandered over and gasped with delight. There were flowers with different looking pedals and leaves. He had never seen these before.
Randy gently picked a few of each kind to take home. “I want to learn all about these!” he said excitedly. Back at his treehouse, Randy opened his books to look up the flowers. But none of them were in his field guides!
“That’s strange,” he said. “If the books can’t tell me, I’ll figure it out myself.”
Randy carefully laid out the flowers on his table. He pulled out his journal and began writing down what he noticed— petal types and leaf types.
Then he began grouping them. First by looks. Some groupings didn’t make sense, so he tried again. After a few tries and changing his ideas (he called them hypotheses), he finally found a way to group them that made sense! “I did it!” Randy cheered. He was proud of his detective work.
Finally, he found a way to sort the flowers that worked! He grouped them by their petal shapes.
“Success!” Randy smiled. “I made my own classification system!”
Ruby Robin flew by just in time to hear the good news.
“You’re amazing, Randy!” she said.
Randy beamed. “Being curious and asking questions is how we learn! I can’t wait to explore again tomorrow!”
How is Randy Racoon like a scientist?
