Thinking Like Scientists

First graders have been thinking carefully about what scientists do. When we began our science unit students brainstormed an extensive list highlighting the qualities scientists possess and detailing things they do when they are 'doing science.' A few examples include:

• They mix potions
• They use telescopes and microscopes
• They look at things up close for a long time
• They find out about things no one knows about yet.  

To start out the unit students practiced looking at natural objects with scientific eyes. They chose shells, rocks, or pieces of wood and looked closely at them with magnifying glasses. Then they drew them very carefully and shared what they had observed and created by looking closely. Stay tuned for notes on our INSECT unit! 

After this investigation we looked closely at leaves. We thought about the environmental factors that make leaves change color and learned about pigments in New England leaves. After a leaf collection time outdoors we came back in the classroom and created leaf mobiles, painting coffee filters to resemble leaf colors.

We cut the leaves out using templates traced from leaves we collected and then strung them across sticks gathered from the playground.  If you visit our classroom you will see the beautiful mobiles twirling from the ceiling.