Today JMC first graders had a truly awesome learning experience! Our field trip to iFLY in the SF bay area was one that they will forever remember! iFLY director, John Boyce, lead students in a presentation about weight & gravity, the workings of the wind tunnel, and the thrill of flying in the wind tunnel itself. Of course, the highlight of the field trip was the opportunity for students to have their own "flying" experience. Many thanks to our JMC families, parent volunteers, PTSA, and the Intrepid LIGHT Awards Foundation, for providing such an amazing opportunity for our students!
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Today JMC students were treated with a presentation from Wild Things! Students were excited to look at and learn about a variety of animals...especially Izod the Alligator:) Our assembly also made a great connection to our Animal PBL unit, which students just recently completed. We had a room full of animal experts! Students have been learning about geometric shapes in math. One of the recent homework assignments asked students to create a 3D structure using household items. Here are a few examples created by students who took a picture of their structure to share with the class. Thank you to Vivi, Mason, Adison, and Rylan for involving us in your learning! Great job Imagineers!
Valentine's Day brought a day of exploration, fun & friends! During our Genius Hour time, students worked on a Valentine math activity using candy hearts. After observing their heart collections, students engaged in discussions to answer questions and compare answers. Next, they sorted hearts by color and graphed the data. Then, students practiced estimation skills to determine the number of hearts that would outline and fill in a larger heart. During this exploration time, students also happily took turns passing out their Valentines. It was the perfect way to celebrate our friends! "HOOT"-ray for the students who earned perfect attendance for the short month of December through the month of January! These students were here every day and on time! That's quite an accomplishment!
The past couple of days students have been learning about the four components of flight: weight, thrust, drag, and lift. We explored each of these components doing some engaging activities. Take a look below to see a few pictures of how we connect learning and fun! Exploring weight by jumping!Exploring thrust by shooting rubberbands!Exploring drag by tugging with jump ropes!Exploring lift using straws and ping pong balls!Today first graders started their new PBL unit on Flight. Our focus will be on the aspect of floating and building that connection with the construction of parachutes. We played parachute games during P.E. time as an entry event to engage students' interest. I would have to say that, YES... they were definitely engaged, happy, and having fun! Today was the day for our first graders to celebrate all of their hard work on their Animal PBL unit! Each class took turns presenting to their peers. They had the opportunity to display their learning and practice presentation skills at the same time. It was so rewarding to see the pride in their work and the excitement in sharing their projects! First graders have been busy and working hard on their Animal PBL unit. Their learning has centered around the the essential question: How do animals use their external features to survive, grow, and meet their needs? They've now started the culminating project, in which they will work in groups to research a mammal, write an informative report, build its habitat, and create a clay model of their animal. Once completed, the first grade classes will share and present their projects to each other. Students are doing an amazing job and I am so proud of their efforts! Creating animal habitats & clay models!Final Write!Conducting animal investigations & research!Exploring mammal videos on our First Grade Research Page! |
AuthorMrs. Archer teaches 1st grade at John MCCandless Charter School. She is excited to be a part of building a STEM school together with staff, students, and families! Archives
October 2019
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