New School year... here we come!

Can't believe summer has come to an end in a blink of an eye.  I had a great, eventful summer with my kids! Mason is starting kindergarten this year and Tyson will be in preschool.  Can't believe how my babies are growing up so quickly. 
I am looking forward to the start of a new school year with a new group (23) of students.  So, cheers! Here's to an awesome school year for all of us!

Long awaited traveling caravan theme song

(Song set toGilligan's Island theme song)

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale.
A tale of a CRAZY trip.
That started at the CSIU.
A board this swaying bus!

The tour was a long and painful one.
 The driver brave for sure.
The passengers embarked that day for
A HIS-TOR-Y TOUR.
A HIS-TOR-Y TOUR!

(C   R   A     S.     H)

The crowd started getting rough,
The air conditioner broke
And Rhonda...., driver JOE was just about to choke!
Just about to choke!

The trip wound down on shore of this, historic Presque Isle
With Sir Isaac,
FUN Christine too.
The LIBRARIANS, all two!

The pregnant girl,
Kindergarten through 5th grade.
Her on this HISTORY  TOUR!!!!

final entry 8 -- Maple Syrup

 

 

 

Maple syrup is usually made from the sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in the spring. Maple trees can be tapped by boring holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap. The sap is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup. Maple syrup was first collected and used by the indigenous peoples of North America. The practice was adopted by European settlers, who gradually refined production methods. Technological improvements have further refined syrup processing since then. (CONTENT)

Having already discussed jobs of people from our community, we will discuss the task of tapping trees, collecting the sap and making maple syrup and other products from it.  We will watch a short video on You Tube called “How to Make Maple Syrup” by Ethan and Justin Spencer.  I will then ask them to recall the steps. (DOK 1) We will then discuss that the process is still the same as it was long ago but point out that some of the tools have changed. We will then distinguish between those changes. (DOK 3)  Next we will discuss the different ways we can use the product and learn the steps to make maple sugar as we did at Somerset Historical Society. I did find that some people recommend using a Kitchen Aid Mixer to do this but I feel the students would enjoy doing it the “old fashioned” way. In conclusion I would have students create a series of pictures showing the steps to making sugar and then write simple sentences to explain. (DOK 4) (Standards 1.4.1.B, 1.5.1.C, & 1.9.1.A)

Domains: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c

 

 

                                                                                                           

Simple Machine--uses today and in history

 Entry 7

Students will learn that a simple machine is a tool that uses force to make work easier.  An inclined plane, lever, pulley, and a wheel and axle are examples of simple machines.  Children will learn how these machines make work easier.  While machines have many moving parts, a simple machine has none or few moving parts.  A force is a push or pull that can change the way something moves.  Any push or pull is a force. Review with children that heavier objects require more force to move.   Some objects are so heavy that people need machines to use them. A simple machine can change the direction or significance of a force in different ways to make work easier. It can change the way a force is used to make it more effective.  A ramp, or inclined plane, is a simple machine with a slanted surface. It helps people and things move between higher and lower places. A lever is a simple machine that consists of a bar that rests on a fulcrum, or a point that does not move. A lever can also help lift up heavy loads. A wheel and an axle work together to make a simple machine. Explain that a wheel turns around a rod, called an axle. A wheel and axle can help move things faster or easier, and also help things turn. A pulley is a simple machine that has a rope or cable that goes over a wheel. A pulley helps people lift things up and change the direction of their force. You pull on a rope to make the load go up. You can also connect pulleys together, creating a combined pulley that requires less than half the force otherwise needed to lift up a load. Combining simple machines can also help to make work easier (CONTENT).

 

After reading, Simple Machines from our Reading Street series at school, we will discuss the simple machines that we have encountered in everyday life. Examples might include a slide, flagpole, stapler or pencil sharpener.  (DOK 1) We will also discuss that these are not “new” inventions but that people have been using this technology for thousands of years.  Being that we have discussed transportation from “then & now” we will learn how the Allegheny Portage Railroad used these inventions to drastically reduce the travel time from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.  We will then identify the simple machines used for the railroad (DOK 2).  Upon completing our content and discussions, students will then go through 3 stations where they can make their own simple machines.  (CREATIVE ACTIVITY)(Standards 3.2.1.B1, 3.2.1.B7, 8.1.1.B, 8.3.1.C)

Station 1: Ramping Up – Students will create ramps using books and building blocks.  They will then take cars and cylinders and roll them down the ramps.  I will ask them to measure the distance it travels and then ask them to change the steepness to see how the distance changes.  Students will share their findings (DOK 4).

Station 2: Pulley Message System – Students will make their own pulley.  They will take two small spools of thread and put a pencil through the center. Then tie the ends of a length of string together to create a loop.  Have two students hold the pencils and spools and spin them slowly to create a pulley system. Then have another student write a message and attach it to the thread using a paper clip.  Use the pulley to pass the message from one person to the other (DOK 4).

Station 3:  Give a Lift – Tape a pencil to a table.  Then place a ruler on top of the pencil to create a lever.  Place an object on one end of the ruler and press down on the other end to lift the object up.  Try using objects of different weights.  What happens?  Is it easier or harder to lift heavier objects?  Then have your child move the ruler so that the fulcrum is closer or farther away from the load.  When does it become easier or harder to lift the load?  Does the load ever become too heavy for the lever, and if so where is the fulcrum (DOK 4)?

Domain 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b and 3c

entry 6 --change change change...

Entry 6

Who are the people in your neighborhood? Jobs and responsibilities people have in their communities have changed over time. Firefighters, police officers, and paramedics help keep community members safe. Doctors, nurses, and dentists help keep people healthy. Drivers and conductors transport people from place to place. The jobs of teachers, librarians, mayors, farmers, sanitation workers and more are all present time occupations that we see in our community.  In the past, community job were much different.  Blacksmiths, shoemakers, coopers, farmers and a tanners are all some of the important jobs held by people in the 1800s (long ago). I will explain to students what each of these jobs are and show examples on the smartboard using youtube or another source.

(CONTENT)

The lesson will start by having a classroom discussion on present day jobs/professions.  Students will identify some of the jobs they are familiar with in their neighborhood/community. (DOK 1) (Standard 8.3.1C)  Read a book to inform students how jobs have changed over time (1800s to present day).  Students will compare jobs then and now and draw conclusion as to why some of the popular jobs from the past are no longer (advancement in technology)  (DOK 3) .  Culminating activity to follow will be having students create a foldable of “THEN and NOW”.  (DOK 4)  Students will demonstrate understanding of how life has changed for people over time in each of the following four categories: 1) transportation 2) clothing 3) jobs  and 4) school.  Students will illustrate the changes on the foldable (Standards 8.3.1.C, 1.4.1B)

(CREATIVE ACTIVITY)

Domains: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c

Entry 5-- Transportation NOW and THEN

Entry 5

Transportation refers to the means and methods of moving people and products from one place to another. This includes organized systems, such as public transport, or private use means, such as cars and private jets.  First graders are likely to have personal experience of various means of transport. This helps you create activities in the classroom presenting the history of transportation, specific uses and attributes of each means, as well as how people use transportation to reach their destination. Explain to children that man needed means of transportation to reach his destination faster or to carry goods more easily. How has transportation changed over time? Discuss with children. Explain that hundreds of years ago, people traveled or transported goods with the help of animals. They rode horses or carriages to travel. A journey across the country could take months of travel in uncertain weather conditions. After the steam engine was developed in the 1700s, people could travel faster and more easily with locomotives. Goods could be transported beyond just the local areas. The steam engine is one of the inventions that was a key player in the Industrial Revolution and helped develop economic growth. In the 1800s and 1900s, people began using gas-powered automobiles for transportation and soon cars were mass-produced for consumers, changing the way people traveled forever. Have children think about how cars from fifty years ago compare to cars today. Some children may point out that today's cars might run on electricity, solar power, or on both gas and electricity.

(CONTENT)

I will begin the lesson by reading the students the book, “TRAVEL (Then and Now)” by Vicki Yates. The left-hand page of each book looks at what something was like in the past, and the right-hand page looks at what it is like today.It features fascinating photos of the past to bring history to life for young reader.Show more

Show less

After the story students will be asked how they got to school.(DOK1) (Standards 1.2.1A) After students respond, explain that people get to different places using various forms of transportation. Ask students if they know what transportation is. (DOK1) Explain that transportation helps us move from place to place and that there are various means of transportation that have changed over time. Ask students how people traveled long ago before there were cars and planes.(DOK 1) After listening to various student responses list modes of transportation into three categories : land, water, air.(DOK 2) (1.2.2 B) Discuss how travel has changed over time. (DOK1) (Standards 8.3.1C).  Students will be given the option, based on their ability level, to show understanding of how transportation has changed over time. Students may either create an illustration or write a journal about what it would be like to travel to a faraway place then and now.  (DOK 4)(Standard 1.5.1A, 1.4.1B)

Domains: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c

Entry 4--Timeline of Lewis and Clark

This is a first grade lesson that will follow my previous lesson on Lewis and Clark/journaling. President Jefferson asked Lewis to be his secretary.  President Jefferson wanted to train Lewis for an exploring mission.  Thomas Jefferson was very curious about the WEST.  He wanted to learn about the land, plants and animals and about the people (Indians) that lived there.  William Clark was assigned to be Lewis’s partner in command.  Together they would explore the unknown land of the United States that had just been bought from France—it was known as the territory of Louisiana.   The two men took soldiers, scouts, and boatmen with them on their journey. One of the most valued members of the group was Sacagawea, a Native American woman, married to one of the scouts. Without her help, Lewis and Clark's mission would have been far more difficult for she knew which nuts and berries to eat, and how to cook and stew meat. She also knew how to communicate with the Native Americans they encountered on their travels. Lewis and Clark created maps, explored rivers, collected and documented plants, captured and drew animals such as buffalo, bears, and jack rabbits. Jefferson wanted Lewis and Clark to establish relationships with the Indians and prepare for trade with them.
(Content)

Build a classroom timeline of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  We will string a clothesline across the room. Using clothespins to clip cards onto the clothesline, each card should include the date and the event you're adding to the timeline. Add events to the timeline as you learn about them.  Combine the timeline with a map to document the travels of the expedition. Place pins in the map at the locations of significant events. Draw in the path of the expedition as you learn about it. These two activities give the first graders a visual reference for the facts they learn about Lewis and Clark (DOK 1 & 2).  As an extension to this activity I will have students create a timeline of important events in their lives with the help/support of their family (DOK 4). (Standards 8.1.2.A)

Domains: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c