Matter & Energy
Grade 1: Matter & Energy
Energy in Our Lives
For PDSB Educators: if you are looking to reach out to the Peel Field Centres for further ways to connect your learning to the environment visit the PDSB Field Centre Share Point site.
Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...
Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for students to look for connections between the energy from the sun and students' surroundings. Their nature journal allows them to write/draw their observations helping to cement the concepts being taught.
At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and It reminds me of..." become very intuitive. However, the last statement becomes very important for making the connections. Encourage students to begin writing using single words or simple sentences. Please note that spelling is not the focus in a nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture. It is about their observations. Please see the link below for tips on giving feedback. Using a combination of words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission, Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.
Here are some more ideas to get you started.
Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Make leaf rubbings
Trace the items they are looking at
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Measure as much of the phenomena as the students can using non standard and standard units of measurement.
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."
GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie
NOTE: You are encouraged to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.
Energy In Our Lives
This activity can be done over a couple of days completing one task per day.
Everyday we use energy in our lives to turn the lights on, heat our homes, potentially watch TV and so much more.
1) In your home think about all the things that require energy and make a list. Once that list is finished come up with ways to reduce your energy use. An example would be turning lights off when you leave a room. Can you put these ideas into practice?
2) Energy is used in the lives of different people and living things all over the world. In this next activity describe how they would be affected if there was no electrical energy. Some groups to consider are the following:
Families
Farmers
Business and stores
Plants and animals
Any other groups you can think of
3) The sun is the principal source of energy of the earth. How does the sun affect the wind, air and water? For this task you will complete two experiments.
Go outside or open a window in the morning, afternoon and evening and write down what the temperature feels like and then compare that to the other times of the day. For example was it colder in the morning and warmer in the afternoon? Why or why not? Explain your answers.
Put a dish of water outside in the sun and another in the shade or one in a sunny window and one in a shady spot inside. Observe what happens and write about it.
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.
Build A Wind Device
The Energy In Our Lives activity, above, needs to be completed prior to this activity.
Wind is another source of energy that can be used to make energy. For this task you will become an inventor and build a device that uses the energy of the wind. This can be anything from a kite to a musical instrument.
You will need to do the following:
Collect materials from outside or around your home to create your device
Material could include the following: sticks, leaves, pinecones, fabric, string, glue, recycled plastic bags, paper or any other material that you think will work
When you are finished try it out and take a video
If it didn't work, what could you do to change your design?
BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN!
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.
Planting
The Energy In Our Lives activity, above, needs to be completed prior to this activity.
The sun is the principal source of energy on earth and makes it possible for all living things to have their basic needs met (food, water, shelter, space, air).
For this activity you will plant seeds in two containers. Place one container in the sunshine either outside or in a sunny window and the other in a place that receives little or no sun either inside or outside.
In a journal, document which plant grows the best using simple sentences and pictures
Which seeds do you think will grow the best? Why?
Why is the sun so important to all living things, especially plants? Use Peel BYOD library (link on the left) or the internet to help you research this.
Why are plants important to humans and animals?
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.