Rocks and Minerals

Hello students and parents! Get ready to rock your socks off this week with our rocks and minerals blog.

How do you classify rocks and minerals?

• hardness
• luster
• color
• smell
• streak

Challenge yourself at the Who Am I Site. Use the characteristics to guess which rock it is. Parents, you may want to help read the characteristics. The reading level is higher than first grade, but it is a great way to learn properties of different rocks and minerals.

At the Rock Information Site, learn about where rocks come from and what they are made of.

At the Mine Games Site, test yourself and learn more about certain rocks and minerals by taking an interactive quiz.

I hope that you "rock and rolled"through the blog, and had fun!

Earth's Natural Resources

Hi everyone!

I am excited for you to go on an adventure through this week's blog. In class, we are studying earth's natural water resources.

What are some of earth's natural water resources?

• rivers
• lakes
• streams
• ocean
• seas

As you have noticed, all of our lessons so far are in the TEKS (Texas Knowledge and Skils). This concept is also in the TEKS!

At the Use it Wisely Site, play an animated memory game with water related items. When each card is flipped, a tip pops up on the bottom left corner. These tips tell us how we can save more water!

At the Oceans Exploration Site, browse the map to see how much of the earth is made up of the oceans. How many oceans are there on earth?

Help Teddy get down the river safely at the River Rafting Site. Watch out for the rocks!

I hope you had a wonderful time this week, until we meet again! Be ready for rocks and minerals next time. Stay dry!

Weather During the Changing Seasons

Hello again Parents!

This week, the class is learning about how the weather changes with the seasons. Your children enjoy talking about how leaves change color outside of our classroom window. What a great time to learn about our seasons!

What are the four seasons?

1. Autumn (Fall)
2. Winter
   
3. Spring
4. Summer

What happens in autumn?

• leaves change color and fall off trees
• weather starts getting colder
• pumpkins are harvested
• children start the school year

What happens in the winter?

• it begins to snow
• we celebrate different holidays
• the plants hibernate and store energy for the spring
• we wear warm clothes

What happens in the spring?

• it rains more often
• begins to get warmer
• flowers grow
• leaves on trees grow
• animals come out from hibernation

What happens in the summer?

• it is very sunny
• we go swimming
• we have a break from school

This lesson is required by the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). In class, we have been reading and writing about the autumn season. We also went on a leave hunt to collect leaves that have fallen from the trees!

At the Seasons Puzzle Place, you and your child can choose which season puzzle you would like to do. These puzzles are very kid friendly and fun!

At the Matching Picture site, children place which season each picture will go in. It is very colorful and interactive. Hope you do not "fall" for any tricks!

Enjoy your musical talent at the Songs and Poems site. Here is where you can learn more about each season in a fun way. You can also sing and rhyme! Hope you have a good time! :)

At the Weather Wiz site, test your brain by playing the weather memory game! Flip the cards until you find all of the matches. Don't let a mistake "rain" on your parade!

Hope you had fun this week! Your children have been doing an amazing job in the classroom learning about these scientific concepts. Next, we will be exploring our earth's natural resources. Keep up the good work!

Living and Non-Living Things

Dear Parents,

We are now comparing living and non-living things, as it is part of the 1st grade science TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills).

What makes an organism a "living" thing?

• made of cells
• reproduces
• possess and use energy
• responds and adapts to the environment
• grow and develop

Here are some fun and educational sites that you can visit with your child. These sites will build upon what they already know about living and non-living things.

At the Sorting Site, you and your child can move the objects on the screen and sort them into the living or non-living columns. In order to decide where each item should be placed, the student can use what they already know about living things. After you are done sorting, you may check your work by clicking the "check" link at the bottom right corner of the screen.

At the Plants and Animals site, you can take pictures of the living things that are on the playground! Once you have taken the pictures, you play a game to remember where each living thing was found on the playground. Have fun!

At the Information Site you and your child can view a short poem that describes different types of living things. It also provides additional information about these living things, and more links that can be used as resources.

At the Living Tree Site, learn about trees by watching a video. Not only will you learn why a tree is a living thing, but you will get the chance to discover even more about these green, leafy wonders!

Thank you for checking out the blog this week. The class and are excited and looking forward to learning about weather. I will create a new posting for more online fun. See you then!