Help First Graders Learn to Read about Science and Nature
My students need non-fiction books to learn about the world around them, a label printer to help create an organized library, easel, and charts to help with math.
First grade is a year of reading and using books for exploring. My students love to read books to find out more about the animals, plants and rocks that drive their curiosity. Cheetahs? Yes! Mountains and Rocks? Yes! Sled Dogs of Alaska? You bet! What did you read about when you were six years old?
For young learners, exploring is first nature and First graders love nothing more than to read books about animals and science.
First grade is the year where many students start to ask questions about how the world around them works and for many it is their first structured exposure to science. My students attend a K-5 school in a large city in Oregon. Our classroom is a diverse community of 6 and 7 year old learners from an inner city neighborhood. Many of my students are learning English as their second language. My students need to learn in a way that has been proved to help children fully understand all subjects. I believe that quality teaching includes presenting subjects through the lens of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math). My students count items in nature and use their skills to measure ingredients in our latest science experiments. My students are bright, happy and eager. Their smiling, inquisitive faces show me they are ready to learn!
My Project
First grade students love to learn about nature and animals. Learning about science needs to be hands on experience for young students. A large easel will allow students to view science and nonfiction books as a group, keep learning items within hands reach and allow them to draw and share their ideas.
Important skills are acquired while experimenting in any subject. Students learn how about math with pocket charts that show place value. They learn about science and nature from experiments at the same time as they learn life skills such as patience, perseverance and sharing. Learning to care for books is an important skill and will be helped by the addition of a label printer. Our library will shine!
Self-confidence and a love for nature all start in elementary school. Students will learn to read as they enjoy nonfiction books and study about their world. Adding nonfiction books to our classroom library will directly impact the way my students are able to learn about many subjects.
My hope is that reading about the natural world that they love will inspire them to continue reading, doing research, and possibly choose a future career in science.
Please help me get the items I need to positively influence my students as they begin their love for science and reading. Together we can encourage a scientific, questioning thinker and a budding reader.
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