Museum of Life and Science

The students had an awesome time at the Museum of Life and Science.  It was a great chance for them to see many of the bugs we have been studying, among many other engaging science exhibits.

Amazing Authors

As part of our study of insects, the students have been writing a non-fiction book about an insect of their choice.   Mrs. Husketh helped the students use the laptops in the media center to help them research their insect's habitat.  I can't wait to share each student's non-fiction book with you all during the first quarter conferences.  Check out the link below to Mrs. Husketh's blog to see some pictures and read more about the research the students completed.

1st Grade is a Buzz!

Sorry for the delay!

Hi first grade families!  I apologize for the delay in posting some of the great things we have been doing in class.  Browse below to see some snapshots from the past few weeks.

These are some pictures from our Bug Hunt.  Each group of students caught a bug and brought it back to class to examine and record observations.

Here are a few pictures from the PTA fundraiser at Wheels.  It was so much fun to see Club students and their families on roller skates!

I'm so proud of the kids that participated in the Summer Reading Program.  Here are some snapshots from the Summer Reading Celebration.

Check out our class project on DonorsChoose.org!

These first graders love science.  What better to foster their curiosity and love of learning than some classroom materials to support their explorations?

Check out our classroom project by clicking on the link below.  The best part is, if you donate to the project by September 27, and use the code INSPIRE, Donors Choose will match your donation (up to $100 per person)!

Click here to support our first grade scientists!

Don't forget to use the code: INSPIRE

Please share our project link with any family, friends, coworkers, or businesses you think may be interested in helping support our first grade scientists.  

A Tomato Worm...And Wasps Too!

Last week, a child from Mrs. Roach's class brought in a tomato hornworm which looked like it was covered with grains of rice.

The little white objects are actually the cocoons of a parasitic wasp, which lays its eggs inside of the tomato hornworm.  When the eggs hatch, the wasp larvae eat the caterpillar from the inside out.  Soon after emerging from the caterpillar's body, they make small cocoons.  Mrs. Roach took the hornworm home with her this weekend so she could let us know if anything happened.  I can't wait to share the update I heard from her with the kids!  As gross as this process may sound, they really enjoyed hearing about it and watching a video of what happens on YouTube.  I had never seen them so excited!

This video by National Geographic explains the process:

This video shows the type of cocoons found on our caterpillar:

Guidance with Mrs. Shaw

We had our first guidance session with Mrs. Shaw on Tuesday.  We talked about the different jobs people have at our school, as well as the jobs we would like to have when we grow up.

From Caterpillar to Chrysalis

Two weeks ago, I found a caterpillar as I was walking back from taking the bus riders to buses.  Mrs. Larrabee took it home with her and did some research.  She discovered it was a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar.

This is what it looked like:

Soon, it started to make a chrysalis!

We discussed the changes the caterpillar was going through as part of its metamorphosis.

We all took some time to get a close-up view of this exciting development!

The chrysalis has now turned a light brownish color.  Check back soon for more updates on him!

Here is a diagram of the Black Swallowtail's life cycle:

BugFest at the NC Museum of Natural Science

The NC Museum of Natural Sciences is having a BugFest tomorrow.  It is free.  I have never been before but have heard great things about it!!!  It sounds like it would be a great extension to what we are learning in class.

Here is the link to the BugFest information on the museum's website:

BugFest 2013

Be sure to check out the post about our classroom's Donor's Choose project below!

Check out our project on Donors Choose.org!!!

These first grade students LOVE science.  We have had a blast catching bugs, observing them, and researching them.  But our classroom needs some tools to help us further our exploration of organisms as well as other science topics in the first grade curriculum.    To do this,  I've created a classroom project request at DonorsChoose.org, an award-winning charity.

I'm asking for donations of any size to help my kids. For the next week, if you use the code INSPIRE,  any donation you make to my project will be doubled (up to $100). If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. Your donation will brighten my students' school year, and you'll get photos and thank yous from our class.

Click on the link below to read about the project and make a donation.  (It doesn't matter how small-every dollar helps!)

Super Scientists Project


To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, enter the match code INSPIRE on the payment screen. This awesome match offer lasts through September 27, 2013.

My students and I greatly appreciate your support!

Short I

The students are practicing the short i sound this week.

The beginning of this song is all about the short i sound.  The kids love it!

The following link has different activities your child may do to practice this week's spelling words.

Short i Spelling Words Practice

After going to the link, your child can click the "Teach Me" or "Play a Game" option.  There is also a link above the list of spelling words that you can print a handwriting sheet of the words.  Be sure to check it out!

Fantastic First Graders

We took our first whole-group photo last week.  These kids rock!