More Signs of Spring

First graders are getting up close and personal with a slimy, squirmy, squishy creature in the science lab. Those are their terms, by the way. I just call it the "Earthworm". Students started making observations of the worms, making notes in their science journals about things they noticed were on the worm,or not on the worm. They also noticed how the worm moved, by "scrunching" and stretching, one end moving, and then the other end catching up. What was really fun about this first lab was the fact the first graders helped the JK students learn about the worms, too. The first graders became the teachers and taught the JK students how to hold the worm, how to know which end was the head, and which was the tail, and many other facts about the worms. The JK students took notes and made observations right along with their 1st grade friends. It was exciting to see how grown up our 1st grade friends really felt. Both myself and their teacher were very proud of them. Today the 1st graders designed a way to test the worm's response to wet or dry conditions. Next week, they will try to test for response to light or dark, and warm or cold. Our first graders have really grown up and are now using the scientific method (even if they don't realize it yet). Good job, first grade!