FIRST GRADE
Scroll down to view the Living Classroom lessons that first grade teachers can schedule for their classes this year.
FALL
POWERFUL PLANTS
Students are introduced to the concept of photosynthesis and the vital part that plants play in the food chain. Students plant seedlings, participate in a fun photosynthesis skit, and snack on the six main parts of a plant: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS:
Performance Expectations: 1-LS1-1
Disciplinary Core Ideas: LS1.A
Science & Engineering Practices: SEP-8
Cross Cutting Concepts: CCC-1
TWIG Science: Museum of Leafology
DATES OFFERED: 9/17/24-11/8/24
LESSON LENGTH: 60-75 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 3
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TRAVELING SEEDS
Students investigate the different methods of seed dispersal and design and test their own seed prototype.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS:
Performance Expectations:1-LS1-1; 1-LS1-2; K–2-ETS1-2
Disciplinary Core Ideas: 1-LS1.A; 1-LS1-B; K–2-ETS1.B
Science & Engineering Practices: SEP-2; SEP-6; SEP-8
Cross Cutting Concepts: CCC-1; CCC-2; CCC-6
TWIG Science: Museum of Leafology: How are Seeds Dispersed?
DATES OFFERED: 10/1/24-12/20/24
LESSON LENGTH: 60-75 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 2
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ANIMAL HOMES
Students discover why and how animals build homes and then go on a scavenger hunt to find some!
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS:
Performance Expectations:
1-LS1-1; 1-LS1-2
Disciplinary Core Ideas: LS1.A
Science & Engineering Practices: SEP-8
Cross Cutting Concepts: CCC-6
TWIG Science: Animal Reporters
DATES OFFERED: 10/29/24-12/20/24
LESSON LENGTH: 60 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 2
WINTER
GROWING VEGETABLE SOUP
Students harvest the vegetables they planted during their Powerful Plants lesson and make a yummy soup to eat. This lesson should follow the Powerful Plants lesson when the vegetables are ready to harvest.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS: 1-LS1-1
TWIG Science: Museum of Leafology
DATES OFFERED: 1/7/25-3/21/25
LESSON LENGTH: 75 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 4
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THE BEST NEST
Students learn that birds build nests to raise and protect their young and that nest size, shape, and construction vary among different bird species.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS: 1-LS1-2
TWIG Science: Animal Reporters
DATES OFFERED: 2/25/25-3/28/25
LESSON LENGTH: 60-75 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 2
SPRING
GARDEN TEA
Students learn about the history of tea around the world and see how light passes through transparent, translucent, and opaque liquids. They also make their own tea bags!
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS: 1-PS4-3
TWIG Science: Shadow Town
DATES OFFERED: 3/25/25-5/30/25
LESSON LENGTH: 60-75 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 3
FIRST GRADE RESOURCES
POWERFUL PLANTS LESSON RESOURCES
EAT A RAINBOW!
Try our Eat a Rainbow Everyday challenge! Check off the colors of the fruits and vegetables you eat each day and see if you can eat all the colors of a rainbow. Click here to print.
ZERO WASTE HEROES!
Learn how to pack up those incredible edibles and bring a zero waste snack or lunch where ever you go! Click above to watch the video.
TRAVELING SEEDS LESSON RESOURCES
BUILD YOUR OWN SEED PROTOTYPE
Gather items from around the house and build your own seed prototype! Will it fly, float, or catapult?
GO ON A SEED HUNT!
Go on a seed hunt in your schoolyard, backyard, neighborhood, or park, sketch the different seeds you find, and try to determine how they disperse!
FLIP, FLOAT, FLY READ ALOUD
Click the book cover above to enjoy a fun read aloud about seeds and all of the amazing ways they disperse! This story is read during our Traveling Seeds lesson.
PARTS OF A FLOWER
Did you know that the job of a flower is to attract pollinators and manufacture seeds? Learn about the parts of a flower by dissecting one and exploring each part! Click here for an illustration of the flower parts.
ANIMAL HOMES LESSON RESOURCES
VIRTUAL GARDEN SCAVENGER HUNT
See how many animals and animal homes you can find in this garden exploration video.
ANIMAL HOMES SPEED MATCHING
Cut out and color the animals from the Animal Homes Matching Game and then see how fast you can match them to their homes. Click here for a key to the game.
DO TURTLES SLEEP IN TREETOPS
Click the book cover above to enjoy a fun read aloud about animals and the different homes they live in. This story is read during our Animal Homes lesson.
BUILDING A WORM HABITAT
Learn how worms help create amazing soil while trying your hand at building a worm habitat!
BUILD A FORT AT HOME!
Hands are an amazing adaptation that people use to build things including their homes and even fun forts! Use pillows, sheets, and blankets to build a fun fort/shelter.
MAKE A BUG HOTEL!
Learn about Nature's FBI: Fungi, Bacteria, and Invertebrates. Invite the FBI to your yard by making a bug hotel!
BEST NEST LESSON RESOURCES
THE BEST NEST
Are you curious about how and why birds build their nests? Find out and build one yourself! Click here to watch the video!
WATCH THE OSPREY LIVE CAM!
Thanks to Golden Gate Audubon Society, you can watch SF Bay ospreys nesting on the SS Red Oak Victory, a ship docked on the Richmond shoreline. Click here to watch the Live Cam!
GARDEN TEA LESSON RESOURCES
HOW TO MAKE GARDEN TEA
Watch Living Classroom's "How to Make Garden Tea" Green Time video to learn how to make tea and even a tea bag out of a coffee filter and string!
MISS SPIDER'S TEA PARTY READ ALOUD
Wary insects do not dare stop by Miss Spider's for tea, but when a wayward moth falls into one of Miss Spider's cups, she graciously rescues it and soon finds herself surrounded by new friends. Click the book cover above to enjoy this fun read aloud!
ADDITIONAL NATURE-BASED ACTIVITIES
SAVING SEEDS FROM HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
Learn how to save seeds from heirloom tomatoes and grow your favorite tomatoes year after year!
ZERO WASTE HEROES!
Learn how to create a zero waste lunch and live more sustainably!
LIVING CLASSROOM'S ART IN NATURE SERIES
NATURE CREATURES
Go for a nature walk and collect natural materials to make fun nature creatures. You can even make your own self-portrait! Collect each part of a plant: root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed.
SPELLING WITH NATURE
Collect natural materials on a nature walk to make words with. You will need to collect each part of a plant: root, stem, leaf, seed, flower, and fruit.
QUIET LEAF TRACING
Find three leaves to creatively trace and color. Use this activity as an opportunity to relax and meditate.
Flying Foxes at the Lubee Bat Conservancy
Jellyfish at the Aquarium of the Pacific
Mississippi River Flyway Cam
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