Happy Final Friday of the School Year! As the morning message indicated, today was a spider-centric day in Room 104. However, the first graders did also take their thirty-fifth and final spelling test of the year. The super bonus word was clairvoyant.
The students began this special day by making spider headbands to wear. Fluffy the Tarantula greeted everyone and stayed nearby for the day. We read a mini-book "All About Spiders" and labeled a diagram showing the life cycle of a spider. We also read a poem about spiderwebs, and created spider necklaces. Then, the first graders made tiny books about how spiders spin their webs as well as lift-and-look books about how those webs are used to catch their prey.
We began the day by reading the National Geographic Kids book Spiders. After this, we focused on what a spider does with its prey. The first graders used their imaginations to become spiders enjoying a meal. They each used a cup as a web, a sugar cube as an insect, a straw as fangs to paralyze or kill the insect, a green drink as digestive juices to liquify their prey, and then the straw again to drink their meal. Delicious!
Not all spiders catch their prey in webs they spin. Some hunt for their prey. This is what tarantulas like Fluffy do. Fluffy loves eating crickets so she was delighted that her first grade friends were able to experience how she eats her meals! We read a fact sheet about tarantulas, looked at a diagram of a tarantula to identify its body parts, and made a paper model of a tarantula. Fluffy also received visits from her admirers in school.
Not everyone is a fan of spiders, so I read the book I'm Trying to Love Spiders to the class. The students then had several other spider activities from which to choose: a word search, Fact or Opinion sheet, True or False worksheet, and coloring page. We ended our Spider Day by reading the book The Lady and the Spider during closing circle.
There were so many awesome spider experiences planned for the day that I tabled our sharing of autobiographies until next Monday. However, I encourage you to check out the First Grade Autobiographies slideshow with your family! Also, here is Part 7 of The Little Prince read-aloud videos.
Parents, here are the items your child will need for school on Monday/Tuesday: the Scholastic News and Science Spin articles we have not read yet, Math Chapters 8 and 9, a ruler, last foam craft kit (it has a horse and mountains), and his/her autobiography project.
Please return the whiteboards your child used during the year to school. You may keep the markers. Also, please return any Room 104 books you may still have at home. All the math materials and other items are yours to keep!
Finally, remember to save the End of the Year Goody Bags for now. The bags for the Pod A friends are waiting for them at their desks. They may be opened after the last day of school on Tuesday, June 22!
Please return the whiteboards your child used during the year to school. You may keep the markers. Also, please return any Room 104 books you may still have at home. All the math materials and other items are yours to keep!
Finally, remember to save the End of the Year Goody Bags for now. The bags for the Pod A friends are waiting for them at their desks. They may be opened after the last day of school on Tuesday, June 22!