Charter Lessons-Kindergarten

Lesson Description

In April and May we worked with the other Division 1 classes to learn more about how plants and animals grow. Please check out the plans for those projects in the following slideshows.

Lesson Description

Our study on plant growth extended into learning more about trees. We examined so many trees - from wish trees to truffala trees to the trees around our schoolyard. One important thing we learned during our study was that trees take carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen for us to breath. Wow!  We also used our tree study checklist to take a closer look at individual trees beyond our school fence. We each had to choose a tree and decide whether it was tall or short, fat or skinny, had rough or smooth bark, and had needles or leaves. That last part was a little more difficult since the leafy trees didn't have any leaves yet. That gave us the chance to learn that leaf trees are bare over the winter and don't have new growth until the warmth of spring arrives. Studying trees gave us many opportunities to use our skills as artists as we had to create a few different trees to showcase our learning. Check out the NHCS Fine Arts page for a peek at some of our creations.

Charter Goals:

• I can identify the basic needs of plants (i.e. sunlight, water, nutrients, fertilizer)

• I can identify natural cycles involved in the needs of plants (water cycle, seasonal changes, etc.)

Charter Methods:

• experiential learning

• multi-grade projects

• learning journals

• sensory, graphic, and interactive scaffold learning

• STEM

Alberta Program of Studies:

Science

• properties of objects that can be perceived using one or more of the senses such as: colour, size, and texture

• describe properties of various objects

• environments can be explored using the senses

• changes can be observed in enviromnets such as plants growing

• environments are important and should be protected and respected

• use the senses to make observations about environments

• represent objects found in nature and those constructed by humans

• record observations of changes in environments

Lesson Description

How do plants fit inside those tiny seeds? We started our investigation byreading the book Love Grows Everywhere written by Barry Timms and illustrated by Tisha Lee. We each chose yellow or green beans and then tucked them into bed with wet paper towels inside clear plastic bags. After documenting this stage in our Nature Journals, we hung them in our classroom windows, hoping they would soak up some sunshine. 

We soon found that some of our seeds kept falling out of their beds and were not getting any water. We decided that we needed a better home for our seeds, so we replaced the paper towels with wet cotton balls. Over the next few days we noticed that more of our beans were sprouting. Once we returned from spring break, we planted our beans into pots and watered with care. We're very excited to see how they grow now that they have some soil to root down into. 

Charter Goals:

• I can identify the basic needs of plants (i.e. sunlight, water, nutrients, fertilizer)

• I can identify natural cycles involved in the needs of plants (water cycle, seasonal changes, etc.)

Charter Methods:

• experiential learning

• learning journals

• sensory, graphic, and interactive scaffold learning

Alberta Program of Studies:

Science

• environments can be explored using the senses

• use the senses to make observations about environments

• represent objects found in nature and those constructed by humans

• record observations of changes in environments

Lesson Description

We wanted to learn more about how animals sleep so we started an exploration on the topic. First, we thought about how we sleep and then wondered how our barnyard animals tuck themselves into bed each night.  We recruited our Grade 2 Reading Buddies to do some experiential learning with us so we all headed out to the barnyard together. We took a look at the spaces where our steers, sheep, ducks, and chickens all lived and then tried to figure out where they sleep. We found nests and sleep spots in each pen. Later, we read the book How Birds Sleep written by Sarah Pedry and David Obuchowski. We worked with our individual Reading Buddies to create sleep spots for our plastic animals out in the snow, figuring out the best ways to build up snow walls to better keep them warm.

Environmental Outcome:

• materials from our natural world can be used in many different ways. 

Charter Goals:

• students will demonstrate problem solving through adaptability, resilience, and critical thinking

Charter Methods:

• experiential learning

• multi-grade projects

• sensory, graphic, and interactive scaffold learning

• STEM

Alberta Program of Studies:

Science

• Objects in environments can be natural or constructed by humans

• Changes can be observed in environments

• Use the senses to make observations about environments

• Represent objects found in nature and those constructed by humans

Social Studies

• Students will develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking

• Students will provide ideas and strategies to contribute to decision making and problem solving

• Students will demonstrate the skills of cooperation, conflict resolution, and consensus building

• Students will work and play in harmony with others to create a safe and caring environment

Lesson Description

After our potato painting success we wanted to  continue our exploration of possible art materials.  We had a lucky streak of weather at the begining of the month so we were able to collect our new supplies after the snow had melted away. We looked around the schoolyard for natural items that we thought might work as paintbrushes or stamps. Things like leaves, twigs, and rocks seemed like they would be good to try. We even snagged a few fresh cedar chips from our playground. Shh! Don't tell anyone!

We found that we could make some different designs than we had with our potatoes. Rather than circles, we had straight lines, dots, swopes, and swirls. Rocks made some similar shapes and patterns as the potatoes. Twigs made excellent paintbrushes and we enjoyed adding stripes and lines to our creations. Leaves were good for stamping and clusters of spruce needles made really cool dot patterns. We were proud to add our creations to our Nature Journals as a keepsake of our Kindergarten year.

Environmental Outcome:

• materials from our natural world can be used in many different ways. 

Charter Goals:

• students will demonstrate problem solving through adaptability, resilience, and critical thinking

Charter Methods:

• experiential learning

• learning journals

• sensory, graphic, and interactive scaffold learning

Alberta Program of Studies:

Science

• children examine properties of objects

• an object is anything that can be perceived using one or more of the five senses

• objects may be similar in one or more properties and different in another property

Lesson Description

We love french fries! But some of the potatoes that we harvested this fall would not have made very tasty-looking fries. During our harvest with our Grade 2 Buddies, we learned that digging up root vegetables can sometimes hurt them. Instead of wasting the potatoes that were scarred, green, or had unsual growths on them, we decided to use them as art supplies. Dipping potatoes chunks into tempera paint resulted in some pretty colourful designs. 

Agriculture Outcomes:

• exploring different uses of potatoes to help prevent waste

Charter Goals:

• students will recognize and understand agricultural literacy

• students will demonstrate problem solving through adaptability, resilience, and critical thinking

Charter Methods:

• experiential learning

• multi-grade projects

• learning journals

• sensory, graphic, and interactive scaffold learning

Alberta Program of Studies:

Lesson Description

With the help of our Grade 2 Buddies, we were able to dig up all of the potatoes that we planted last spring when we were still in Humble Beginnings Playschool.

Agriculture Outcomes:

• learning about crop growth from seedling potatoes to full-grown potato plants

Charter Goals:

• students will recognize and understand agricultural literacy

Charter Methods:

• experiential learning

• multi-grade projects

Alberta Program of Studies: