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How Scientific Life Science First Grade

Essential Question: What do plants need to survive? Science Core Standards: Core Standard 5 This lesson will focus on the first part of Core Standard 5 which is as follows:

• Describe the different resources that living organisms need for survival.

Core Standard 1

• Make observations about the natural world through the use of tools. • Draw pictures and write descriptions of the features of the objects

or phenomena being studied. Science Indicators: Indicator 1.1.3

Recognize that and demonstrate how people can learn much about plants and animals by observing them closely over time. Recognize also that care must be taken to know the needs of living things and how to provide for them. (This lesson will focus on plants.) Indicator 1.4.4 Explain that most living things need food, water, and air. Indicator 1.1.1 Observe, describe, draw, and sort objects carefully to learn about them. Indicator 1.1.4 Use tools such as rulers and magnifiers, to investigate the world and make conclusions. Indicator 1.2.7 Write informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations.

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Language Arts Core Standards: (There will be opportunities for review of the following Standards and Indicators through the Science lesson.) Core Standard 1: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development

• Use phonemic awareness skills and basic phonics knowledge to aid in decoding and comprehension.

• Read common sight words. Core Standard 2: Informational Text: Structure, Comprehension, and Analysis

• Find the title, author and table of contents of a text. • Identify the main idea and answer who, what, when, where, why, and

how questions with information from the text.

Core Standard 4: Writing- Informational, Research, and Persuasive Texts • Discuss ideas and select a focus for writing, asking questions to guide

topic selection. • Put related information from different sources together for writing. • Write for different audiences and purposes, using descriptive words

to convey a central idea. • Revise writing for others to read.

Core Standard 5: Writing- Literary Text

• Discuss ideas for writing. • Write brief narratives and descriptions, using varied words to convey

a central idea. • Revise writing for others to read.

Core Standard 6: English Language Conventions

• Write complete simple sentences, using knowledge of spacing, plurals, contractions and end punctuation.

• Capitalize the first words of sentences, names and the pronoun I.

Core Standard 7: Listening and Speaking • Listen attentively to form relevant questions, follow directions, or

retell what is spoken. • Recite short pieces and stay on the topic when relating information or

story events.

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Content: Needs of Plants Skills: Recognize, demonstrate, explain, observe, describe, investigate, draw, write Location: Our Schoolyard Concept: Growth Vehicles: Study Trip, books, experiments Resources: www.readinga-z.com

Grow Vegetables Grow www.hubardscupboard.org Seeds www.enchantedlearning.com A Sprouting Bean Timeline: at least one week Assessment: “How Scientific” journal entries, anecdotal records Lifeline of the Week: Curiosity

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Day One – First Grade

Essential Question: What do plants need to survive?

(SUN, WATER, AIR, SOIL) Hallway Greeting:

Look! Look! I see a scientist. It is a 1st grader.

Welcome Message

Hi, 1st Grade Scientists! Please read this song with your learning club.

Sun and Water Tune: “Clementine”

Sun and water, sun and water, sun and water for the seeds. Air and soil, air and soil, air and soil are its needs.

Task: Write in your “How Scientific” journal the four things plants need. Don’t forget to put your name on your journal. (Don’t forget to go over journal procedures.)

Literacy Links Phonics – What is another word that rhymes with sun? Predict – What do you think we will be learning about today? Put in Order – What is the first letter in the word water? The last letter? Connections – Have you ever planted seeds? Comprehension – What do seeds need in order to grow? Fluency – Let’s sing the song together. Fun – Let’s sing the song again and act it out.

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Agenda Skills to Highlight – Write the agenda using as many sight words as possible on sentence strips. Arrange sentences in a pocket chart. At the end of the day, take sentence strips out of pocket chart and pass out to individual students. Have them put the sentences for the day back in the pocket chart in the correct sequence. (Who has the first thing we did?) Example: We will read a book about plants. We will go on a study trip. We will eat lunch. We will have math. Agenda Title – Moving into Plants Monday

Say It We will be going on a study trip today to look at plants growing in our schoolyard. We will look for seeds that grow on plants and bring some back to our classroom. We will sing our Welcome Message song “Sun and Water” to three plants (tree, grass, flower) on our hike.

Study Trip Song Tune: “Muffin Man”

Oh, do you know what we will do? What we will do? What we will do? Oh, do you know what we will do? We’re going to look for seeds. Oh, do you know what we will see? What we will see? What we will see? Oh, do you know what we will see? We’ll see plants and lots of seeds.

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Community Circle: Name a plant we might see on our study trip. (Teacher records answers on chart paper.) When you return to the classroom, have students glue seeds they find next to the plant word they predicted they would see. You may need to add some other plant names to the list and some seeds may not be able to be matched to a plant name because they are unidentifiable. Before we can begin our study trip we need to set procedures. You could use this one...............................

Behavior Procedure for Taking a Hike

Do the Right Thing • Stay on the trail. • Observe living things carefully and quietly. • Pick up litter and pack it out. • Listen to the group leader.

Treat Nature Right • Use self-control. • Be respectful of plants and animals. • Have patience while looking for seeds. • Show kindness to your hiking friends. • Be honest when you reflect on your day. ,,,,,,,,,,, or you can create a Study Trip Procedure with your class (which is recommended) We will do the right thing.

• • •

We will treat people right. • • •

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Go on the Study Trip. Review Behavior Procedures when you return to the classroom and have students reflect if they followed them. Celebrate with a CHEER “Round of Applause or one of your favorites” if things went smoothly. If things did not go smoothly, review the procedures and revise them with student input to make them clearer for the next time you go on a study trip. In their “HOW SCIENTIFIC” journal, have students reflect on the study trip.

This is what I saw on the study trip. I found these seeds on the study trip. I did the right thing(s) on the study trip when I.........................

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Play It Set 1 Yellow Cards – Cell Phone Buddies (See your yellow cards for behavior procedure for cell phone buddies. See resource section of this packet for master of cell phones you can run off to give to your students if you don’t have them prepared already.) • Get with your number 1 cell phone buddy and sing the “Air and Water” song

together. • Tell each other the four things plants need. • Think of the plants we saw on our study trip. Discuss how they get the four things

they need in order to survive.

Relay It When we were on our study trip we sang our Welcome Message song “Air and Water” to three plants we saw on our hike (a tree, grass, and a flower). Choose one of these plants to draw in your “How Scientific” journal. Draw and write how this plant gets the four things it needs.

Weigh It Check with individual students and have them share their drawing/writing with you. Ask them to name the four things a plant needs in order to survive. On your class roster, record the number of correct things they were able to share. We will be working on this essential question all week, so some children may only remember a couple of needs this first day. We should see mastery by the end of the week.

Teacher Reflection: What do you think went well today? What were some challenges? Share a few thoughts in your “How Scientific” journal.

Home Connection: Explain and send home seed hunt homework paper on next page.

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Dear Parents, We are studying seeds. We will be learning that seeds need four main things in order for them to grow into plants. They need soil, sun, water, and air. Here is a song we have been learning in class. Sing this song with your child as you go on a hunt to collect seeds in your house or outside.

Sun and Water Tune: “Clementine”

Sun and water, sun and water, sun and water for the seeds. Air and soil, air and soil, air and soil are its needs.

Find an old egg carton. Glue a different kind of seed into each hole. See how many holes you can fill. Label the seed if you know its name. If you don’t know what it is called, that is OK. Have your child put their name on their egg carton and bring it to school. These seed museums will become part of our classroom information center. Thanks for helping your child become a seed detective. --------------------------------------------------------------- Fill in and return with your seed collection. My name is _________________________________________________

Smallest Seed Largest Seed

Favorite Seed Most Unusual Seed

Seed Hunt Homework Skills: Observing, Comparing, Counting

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Day Two – First Grade

Essential Question: What do plants need to survive? (PLANTS GROW FROM SEEDS. SEEDS NEED FOUR THINGS IN ORDER TO GROW.)

Hallway Greeting:

I am a seed. What do I need?

Welcome Message

Read the copy of the song that is on your desk with your learning partner. I’ll Plant a Little Seed

Tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”

I’ll plant a little seed in the dark, dark, ground.

Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.

Down comes the cool rain,

soft and slow

Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow!

Task: Share your Seed Hunt homework collection with your learning club. Then tell your elbow partner what these seeds need in order to grow?

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Literacy Links Phonics – What word rhymes with ground? What word rhymes with rain? Predict – Do you think anyone else brought the same kinds of seeds as you did? Put in Order – What is the second thing the song says a seed needs to grow? Connections – Have you ever planted a seed before? Where? With whom? Comprehension – What is another word for ground? Fluency – Learning Clubs one and two sing the first stanza, Learning Clubs three and four sing the next stanza. Continue. Fun – Sing and act out the song.

Community Circle: Choose one student to sit or stand in the middle of the circle. Ask students to describe the person when it is their turn to share. (black hair, blue shirt, black shoes, etc.) Let’s dig deeper into the song and look at describing words.

• Write the following words on the board. ____ seeds ____ ground ____ sun ____ rain

• Have students tell you the words from the song that describe the noun listed. Record ideas.

• Then brainstorm other possibilities and record. • Ask students to draw a picture illustrating one of the nouns and a describing word.

Have them share with their elbow partner. Ask them to try to guess their partner’s noun and describing word.

• Encourage students to use describing words when writing observations in the “How Scientific” journals.

Agenda Skill to Highlight – describing words Write sentences using describing words. Example: We will eat a yummy lunch. We will read a good book. We will write a funny story. We will do many problems. Agenda Title – Talking Seeds Tuesday

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Say It o Whole Group: Have students read the book, Seeds chorally with the teacher. o Cell Phone Buddy Number Two- Practice reading the book together. o High Ability Students- Have them read the book, A Sprouting Bean

independently or with a partner.

Play It • Give each partner group a Seeds sequencing paper. • Have students cut pictures apart and place in the correct sequence. • High Ability Students- Have them draw and write the sequence of growing a

bean in the “How Scientific’ journals.

Relay It • Have partners practice retelling the story using the pictures.

Weigh It • (Matching oral words to written words) - Have students pick one picture to

write about. Students will give this sentence to the teacher as their exit slip for the day.

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Play It Making Words Activity Directions: Give each student the letter cards below. Have them cut them apart and place in a row across the top of their desk. The teacher reads the directions out-loud and the students follow them. They pull the letters needed from the row at the top of their desk to the middle of their desk to make the word as directed.

1. Start with the word seed. 2. Take out the s and put an f in its place. Write the new word on your

whiteboard. 3. Take out the d and put in a t in its place. Write the new word on your

whiteboard. 4. Take out the f and put in an m in its place. Write the new word on your

whiteboard. 5. Take out the second e and put in an a in its place. Write the new word on

your white board. 6. Move the e to the end of the word. Write the new word on your whiteboard.

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7. Take out the m and put an l in its place. Write the new word on your whiteboard.

8. Put a p before the l. Write the new word on your whiteboard. 9. Put an n after the a. Take off the e. Write the new word on your

whiteboard.

s e e d t f a m l p n

Relay It • Use the letter cards and try to make words on your own. (Some possibilities

are: see, a, am, tea, team, leap, sad, pad, mad, etc.) • Write the words you make on a piece of paper or your whiteboard. (This will

provide for differentiation.)

Weigh It • The written list of words students generate can be used to assess their use of c-v-

c patterns, sight word recognition, or beginning/ ending sounds.

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Relay It Experiment

Essential Question: Do plants need sunlight to grow and survive? • Why is it important for a plant to get sunlight? • What will happen if a plant doesn’t get enough sunlight for a lot of days? • Can a plant get too much sunlight?

Materials Needed:

• 2 small plants (same type, same size) • A brown paper lunch sack • Water • Sunny window

Steps to Follow: (whole class) • Number the plants 1 and 2. • Put the plants in a sunny window. • Cover plant 2 with a bag. • Water each plant as needed, but always keep plant 2 under its bag. • In your “How Scientific” journal write Do plants need sunlight in order to

grow and survive? at the top of a page. Put today’s date on the next line and tell what you did.

• The class will observe the two plants. • Every Friday (or more if time permits) write in your “How Scientific” journal

your observations. You may want to draw a picture of the two plants each time and write what is happening. Don’t forget to date your observations.

Home Connection: Help us Make Seed Shakers (to use when singing songs) Ask each student to bring from home:

• two paper or foam cups (any size) • seeds to fill one of the cups ½ half full (place seeds in zip-lock for easy transporting to

school) Seeds may include such things as popcorn, field corn, beans, soybeans, etc.)

Teacher Reflection: What do you think went well today? What were some challenges? Share a few thoughts in your “How Scientific” journal.

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Day Three – First Grade

Essential Question: What do plants need to survive? (SEEDS, continued)

Hallway Greeting:

Hey! Hey! What do you say? Seeds need sun and eating them is fun.

Welcome Message

Hello, Scientists! Choose a new friend to read this song.

We Need Seeds (Tune: The Muffin Man)

Oh, do you know that we need seeds,

We need seeds, we need seeds? Oh, do you know that we need seeds To grow and grow and grow?

Task: What are some seeds you eat?

Literacy Links Phonics – How many words can we rhyme with grow? Are they all spelled the same way? Predict – How many kinds of seeds that we eat will we think of? Put in Order – If I start with the word grow and take off the g, what will I have? Connections – What do people need to grow? Comprehension – Why do people need seeds? Fluency – Sing the song in rounds. Fun – Pretend like you are eating some seeds. Learning partners guess what the seed is.

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Agenda Skill to Highlight – shapes (seeds come in different shapes) Write sentences on different shapes. Talk about what the shape is called as you read the agenda. Agenda Title – Wondering about Seeds Wednesday Community Circle: Tell why you like being a scientist.

Say It

I Will Plant Some Little Seeds

Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

I will plant some _________ seeds in the soil, I will plant some _________ seeds in the soil, I will plant some _________ seeds; sun and water’s what they need. I will plant some _________ seeds in the soil. With some water and some sun, the seeds will grow. With some water and some sun, the seeds will grow. They will grow, they will grow; leaves above and roots below. With some water and some sun, the seeds will grow.

We will eat lunch.

We will read a book.

We will go to music.

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Music/Art Smart Activity

Seed Shakers (to use when singing songs)

Yesterday you asked each student to bring from home: • two paper or foam cups (any size) • seeds to fill one of the cups ½ half full At school: Procedure for Making Seed Shakers:

• Ask each child to place the seeds they brought from home in one of their cups and invert their other cup over it.

• Encourage elbow partners to hold the two cups together, while they seal the cups together by securing masking tape around the middle of the two cups.

• If they wish, they may decorate their shakers with markers if they brought plain cups in to use.

• Discuss if the shakers all sound the same. Why or why not? • Use the shakers to add a little rhythm to the songs you sing.

Have students plant a few of the seeds they brought to make shakers. They can fill in the blanks on the song “I will plant some little seeds” with the name of their seed.

Procedure for Planting Seeds

1. First scoop some soil into a cup.

2. Pat the soil down gently.

3. Poke 2 holes into the soil with your finger.

4. Drop a seed into each of the holes you made.

5. Cover the seeds with some of the soil.

6. Use the spray bottle to water your seeds.

7. Put your cup by the window and watch it grow.

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Play It Roll the Potato- sight word and vocabulary practice

Procedure: 1. Give each learning club 10 file cards or pieces of paper. Ask students to write air, water, soil, sun, seed, plant, grow, and 3 sight words of your choice. 2. Ask students to place words face up on the floor near their learning club. 3. Pass out a potato to each group. 4. The person with the most brown on goes first. They roll the potato and try

to land on one of the word cards. They say the word (or the word closest) to where the potato stops.

5. The potato is passed to the next person. Continue until everyone has had a turn.

Relay It

Observing Seeds We Brought From Home.

Name of Student Kind of Seed I Brought From Home Write the name of the seed and glue a sample of it on the chart

Colors

Name the colors that you see on your seed.

Shapes

Draw the shape of your seed.

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Weigh It Have students self-reflect on how they did on the activity above and/or their day. I worked hard. ________________________________ I finished my jobs. ______________________________ I did my best. ________________________________

Teacher Reflection: What do you think went well today? What were some challenges? Share a few thoughts in your “How Scientific” journal.

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Day Four – First Grade

Essential Question: What do plants need to survive? (WATER) Hallway Greeting:

Onto the ground A seed you sow. Into a plant That seed will grow.

Welcome Message

Hi, Boys and Girls! Read this song with your cell phone buddy number 3.

We Need Seeds (Tune: The Muffin Man)

Oh, do you know that seeds need rain, Seeds need rain, seeds need rain? Oh, do you know that seeds need rain to grow and grow and grow?

Task: What is this song telling you? Draw a picture in your “How Scientific” journal.

Literacy Links Phonics – What words have a long e sound? Write them on your whiteboard. (seed, need) Write two more words that rhyme with seed. Share with your partner. Predict – What do you think we will be learning about seeds today? Put in Order – Connections – Do you need rain to grow? What is something like rain that you do need? Comprehension – In this song, only one thing that plants need is mentioned. What are the other three things plants need that we learned yesterday? Fluency – Boys sing first time, then girls sing, then everyone sings Fun – Pretend you are a seed in the ground and then you start growing.

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Agenda Skill to Highlight – beginning, middle, end Write sentences about the day using as many sight words as possible on sentence strips. Have students help you arrange them in the pocket chart under the headings (beginning, middle, end) Agenda Title – Thirsty Thursday

Say It Whole Group – Students will read and discuss book, Grow, Vegetables, Grow!

• On each page have students highlight each vegetable name. Extension for High Ability Students: Have them brainstorm other vegetables not mentioned in the book and have them write more verses to share with others.

• Refer to Information Center and look at seed packets/seeds of some of the vegetables mentioned.

Read Aloud – Read a book you find at the library, such as Growing Vegetable Soup and compare the two stories, if desired.

Play It Set 3 Cards – Give and Take (Refer to your blue cards for behavior procedure). Students can use their white boards or a sheet of paper to record their answers.

• Without looking back in the book, write down/draw all of the vegetables mentioned in the book Grow, Vegetables, Grow!

• When you hear the chimes get with your number 3 Cell Phone buddy and share answers. You can add vegetables to your list they had but you didn’t.

• When you hear the chimes get with your number 1 Cell Phone buddy and share answers. If they have other vegetables you don’t already have you can add them to your list.

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Relay It Experiment

Essential Question: Do plants need water in order to survive? • Why do we have to water our seeds so they will grow into plants? • What will happen if we don’t water for one day? For lots of days? • When the seeds begin to grow can we stop watering them? • Do all plants need the same amount of water?

Materials Needed:

• 2 small cups per student • Potting soil • Seeds students bring from home to make shakers with or other seeds they have

that they can donate. • Water • Sunny Window

Steps to Follow: (individual)

• You will need two cups of soil. • Put a couple of seeds you brought from home in each cup. • Make a label for each cup (water, no water) • Water one of the cups and place it in a sunny window. • Do not water the other cup and place it in a sunny window. • In your “How Scientific” journal write Do plants need water? at the top of a

page. Put today’s date on the next line and tell what you did. • Observe your two cups each day. Water cup one when you notice the soil is

getting dry. Don’t give it TOO MUCH WATER! Do not water cup two. • Every Monday and Thursday, write in your “How Scientific” journal your

observations. You may want to draw a picture of the two cups each time and write what is happening. Don’t forget to date your observations.

Weigh It • Running Records - Ask individuals to read Grow, Vegetables, Grow!

(You do not need to assess the whole class, perhaps five students this week is enough.)

• Writing Sample – Use the Literacy for Life Writing Rubric to assess one page of students writing in their “How Scientific” journal.

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Home Connection: Ask students to bring a sample of the soil they have in their yard at home. A small zip-lock will be a large enough sample.

Teacher Reflection: What do you think went well today? What were some challenges? Share a few thoughts in your “How Scientific” journal.

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Day Five – First Grade

Essential Question: What do plants need to survive? (S0IL) Hallway Greeting:

It’s a soft dark home for roots to grow It’s where I plant my seeds. I keep it nice and wet I dig out all the weeds.

Welcome Message

Hello, Seed Growers! Read this song with a friend.

We Need Seeds (Tune: The Muffin Man)

Oh, do you know that seeds need soil, Seeds need soil, seeds need soil? Oh, do you know that seeds need soil to grow and grow and grow?

Task: Tell your learning buddy some other names for soil.

Literacy Links Phonics – What is a word that rhymes with soil? Predict – How many words did we come up with for the names of soil? Put in Order – Look at the word soil. If we put the s on the end of the word, what new word did we make? Connections – What kinds of things can we find in the soil? Comprehension – Are all kinds of soils the same? Fluency – Sing the song slowly, then faster, and faster. Fun – Pretend you are something that you might find living in soil. Act it out for your partner and have them guess what you are.

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Agenda Skill to Highlight – letter writing Write your agenda in the form of a letter. You are modeling this second grade skill. Agenda Title – Finding Out About Soil Friday

Say It Let’s go on a quick study trip to look at the soil that is on our schoolyard. We will take a small shovel and some zip-lock bags to collect some samples.

• Review study trip procedure before and after the experience.

Play It Table Talk- Set 1 yellow cards (see card for behavior procedure)

• Cover desks with newspapers. Have students place a small amount of the soil they brought from home (or what was collected on the study trip) to observe.

• If you have a magnifying lens, pass it out to provide experience with this tool. • Have students share their observations with each other in the learning club. • Clean up area. Place zip-locks of soil that was not used in the information center.

Relay It Experiment 1

Essential Question: What kind of soil do plants grow in the best? Observe different kinds of soils you collect around the school grounds or ask students to bring in a baggie full of soil they have outside their home.

• What is different about these soils? • Will seeds grow the same in each one? • Which soil do you think will be best for growing the seeds? Why?

Materials Needed:

• 3 distinctly different kinds of soil (sand, clay, potting soil) • 3 cups per learning club

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• Lima beans (soak overnight so they germinate faster), 6 per learning club • ruler • Water • Sunny window

Steps to Follow: (Learning Club)

• Learning club members will work together and place three different kinds of soil into each of their cups. Example: Cup 1 has sand in it. Cup 2 has clay in it. Cup 3 has potting soil in it.

• Label the three cups (sand, clay, potting soil) • Now make two small holes in the soil and place lima beans into each of the holes.

Continue with the other two cups. • Water each cup the same. • Set cups in a sunny location. Water as needed. • In your “How Scientific” journal write What kind of soil do plants grow in the

best? at the top of a page. Put today’s date on the next line and tell what you did.

• Learning clubs will observe their three cups each day. • Have them use rulers to measure growth. • Every Wednesday (or more if time permits) write in your “How Scientific”

journal your observations. You may want to draw a picture of the three cups each time and write what is happening. Don’t forget to date your observations.

Experiment 2

Essential Question: Do plants need soil to grow and survive? • Can seeds begin to grow in other things besides soil such as water, rocks, or

cotton? • Which seeds will grow the longest? Will the seeds begin to grow? What happens

after a period of time? Materials Needed:

• 4 clear cups (per classroom) • 8 lima bean seeds (2 per cup) Soak seeds overnight so they germinate

faster. • Water, rocks, potting soil, cotton to fill each cup. • Sunny Window

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Steps to Follow: (whole class)

• Label the cups (potting soil, water, rocks, cotton) • Put two lima beans in each cup. Fill cup with one of the mediums from the

above list. • Place each of the four cups in a sunny window. • Water each cup as needed. • In your “How Scientific” journal write Do plants grow as well in other things

besides soil? at the top of a page. Put today’s date on the next line and tell what you did.

• The class will observe the four cups. Every Tuesday (or more if time permits) write in your “How Scientific” journal your observations. You may want to draw a picture of the four cups each time and write what is happening. Don’t forget to date your observations.

Weigh It Make anecdotal records when observing students participating in the experiments.

Name of Student Observation

Teacher Reflection: What do you think went well today? What were some challenges? Share a few thoughts in your “How Scientific” journal.

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Information Center

Student Tasks Hands-on Materials in the Information Center. Students can bring objects from home and you can collect them when you visit your location. 1. Use the vocabulary cards in the basket on the table and place them on the objects.

Language Arts Standard 1.1.11 Read common sight words.

2. Classify the seeds into categories.

Language Arts Standard 1.1.18 Classify categories of words. Vegetable Seeds fruit seeds tree seeds Come up with other ways to classify the seeds. Big – Medium – Large Smooth – Prickly

3. Work with a buddy to make your own labels for the objects. Use descriptive words

when writing your labels. Language Arts Standard 1.5.4- Use descriptive words when writing.

Examples:

soil seeds

brown, prickly seed black, dark soil

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4. Make a picture dictionary. Draw pictures of the objects and place them on the

appropriate page. Write the word under the picture. Language Arts Standard K.5.1 Draw pictures and write words for a specific reason.

5. Use the objects on the table and make a list of the words using the noun chart. Language Arts Standard 1.6.3 Identify and correctly use singular and plural nouns.

Example: singular nouns plural nouns

seed seeds vegetable vegetables

Printed Materials in the Information Center 1. Use the topic chart in your binder and try to find at least one word for each letter to

add to your chart. Use the words on the wall, the books or other charts in this area. Language Arts Standard K.1.19 Learn and apply knowledge of alphabetical order.

2. Read the charts on the wall. Then complete this chart in your binder. Language Arts Standard 1.1.2 – Identify letters, words, and sentences.

letters words sentences_________________

Seeds in

My Life

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Books in the Information Center 1. Read one of the books by yourself.

Language Arts Standard 1.1.12 – Use phonetic and context clues as self-correction strategies when reading.

2. Read a book with a buddy.

Language Arts Standard 1.1.15 – Read aloud smoothly and fluently in familiar text.

3. Sort the books into two piles, fiction (fantasy) and non-fiction (reality).

Language Arts Standard K.3.1 – Distinguish fantasy from reality.

4. Put the books in alphabetical order by the title of the book. Try it again using the

author’s last name. Language Arts Standard K.1.1.9 – Learn and apply knowledge of alphabetical order when using a classroom library.

5. Choose one of your favorite books and make a poster about it. Your poster should tell

others why they would want to read the book. Include the title, author, and illustrator of the book on your poster. Language Arts Standard 1.2.1- Identify the title, author, and illustrator.

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What is an Information Center?

• Information Centers are POWERFUL Literacy Stations! • Specific Language Arts Skills are practiced by students when they visit the

Information Center. Activities can be assigned to students based on their needs. • It is a mini-research area, easily accessible to students. • This area gives students a visual focus of the topic being studied. • It can be a place where students go to find out more about the topic. Teachers

direct students to visit the center to find out answers to their questions. • Students look at the print in the Information Center when checking the spelling of

vocabulary they use during writing assignments.

It usually includes space on a wall (bulletin board) and a table or shelf in front of it. The wall display may have:

• A mural created by students • Student work • Graphic organizers, such as mind maps, topic charts, and Venn Diagrams. • Photos of the experience (study trip, visit by a resource person, etc.)

The table may have: • Actual items that are collected from the location or items students bring in

from home. • Fiction and non-fiction trade books related to your topic. This text will

provide additional reading material and can be used by students for further study and research. Activities based on Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Multiple Intelligences can be assigned to students using the text in this area.

Sometimes a computer is nearby so students can hop on-line to find out more about the topic being studied. At the beginning of the study of a new topic, the information is almost bare...it builds and becomes alive after you visit your location; you read and write about the topic with your students, and collect books and hands-on objects. Students should take part in creating the Information Center. This is not an area just for “show”. Children should be constantly interacting with the objects and print found there. Many teachers change the information center four times during the year (each time they start a new component)

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Planning Sheet for Developing an Information Center Topic/Component ________________________________________________ Grading Period __________________________________________________ Wall Display Ideas _______________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Language Arts Skill/Standard Information Center Activity How I will Assess this Activity Think About: Phonics/Phonemic Awareness, Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension, Writing Genres, Writing Skills, Grammar Skills

Computer Sites __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Graphic Organizers _______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Books/Print ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________