UOI 3 - How The World Works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; and the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
Integrated Subjects:
- Mathematics - Students will explore a variety of concepts related to patterns and cycles in Mathematics. Students will look for number patterns within a hundred's chart and use those patterns to help them master skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's. From there, students will be introduced to the concept of repeated addition (5+5+5+5). This is the foundation for early multiplication, so is very important to understand and practice. Students will also be inquiring into how to interpret, extend and create patterns in Mathematics which may relate to colour, shape, size or number. This is a powerful thinking skill that is transferable to many subject areas across the curriculum. Within this broad unit on patterns and cycles, students will also have the opportunity to learn about ordinal language (First, Second, Third, etc.) and time. Students will be working to tell the time to the nearest hour and half hour, using language such as "o'clock", "half past", "in the morning", "in the evening".
- Literacy - Students will have the opportunity to access non-fiction texts related to patterns and cycles. They will learn to read for information by using text features, and how to recall facts and new information. They will learn how to select books which serve their specific research purpose, and use non-fiction books to answer specific questions and learn more on a topic of interest.
- Students will be learning to write information reports. Students will start by asking a question about a cycle they are interested to learn more about. Using the strategies they have learned for reading non-fiction texts, they will collect information about their cycle of interest. From there they will practice the skill of note-taking and summarising information. The Grade 1's will explore what a diagram is and explain how diagrams can deepen the reader's understanding. As a class, they will come up with criteria of what makes a good diagram and work to create a series of diagrams that illustrate the cycle from their information report.
Becoming scientists
The Grade 1 students have begun their transformation into scientists with the launch of our "How the World Works" unit. We trekked into the Khao Pra Taew National Park, and will return every Tuesday morning for 4 weeks. This week we were searching for evidence of patterns and cycles in the jungle. Using their senses and observation skills, the Grade 1's collected decomposing leaves, seeds, snail shells, a butterfly wing and berries as proof that patterns and cycles are all around us. We even found a tadpole that we brought back to school to study the frog life cycle!
Outdoor Education is a valuable experience for all children, as the learning that takes place in the natural world is critical to the healthy emotional and physical development of children. The human brain and body evolved in outdoor environments that were constantly changing, and a wealth of research shows the benefits of regular outdoor experiences on child development. For more information, please read, "The Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv or check out this article. We are so lucky to have access to such rich and diverse environments close to the school! |
Exploring Cycles
Grade 1 has also been reading children's literature about cycles, such as the "Very Hungry Caterpillar" and the "Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle. We have explored various animal and insect life cycles by looking at models. From there, we have practiced drawing various life cycles in the form of a diagram.
pattern huNtIng
We have looked for different patterns and cycles in the world around us by finding patterns in nature. We searched high and low to draw and record patterns inside the classroom and outside in the playground and garden. Furthermore, the boys and girls have been having a blast bringing in evidence of patterns and cycles to the classroom. Students have brought in shells, seed pods, seeds, leaves, insect castings, insect exoskeletons and even tadpoles!
The scientific method
As this unit has a focus on science, of course we will be doing lots of Science experiments! Hugo has started us off by bringing in a science experiment he did at home with his mum showing that water can refract light and cause a magnifying affect. Through out the unit, students will be focusing on using the scientific method to ask questions, make a hypothesis, create a plan, make observations and form conclusions.
non-fiction texts
Students have been exploring non-fiction books and developing their strategies for accessing information about cycles in the world around them. We have been learning about what makes a non-fiction book different from a fiction book and how to use text features in the book to find out information.
What Causes the cycle of Day and Night?
The Grade 1 students asked a very important question... What causes day and night? Does the sun go around the Earth? or does the Earth go around the sun? We started this inquiry by gather our prior knowledge by writing down and drawing what we thought caused day and night. From here we decided a science experiment could help us to learn more about what causes day and night. Kru Eva taught Grade 1 about the Scientific Method, and the different steps to doing an experiment. Then we went outside and built our very own sundial! The students were able to observe how the shadow moved around the circle at different times during the day. It's been quite cloudy the past few days, but we keep checking back on our sundial to collect more data. This also has helped us think about time, which we are beginning to learn about in Math. Back in the classroom, Kru Eva did a demonstration to show how the sun moves around the Earth and how that causes day and night.
Seed Dispersal
Our amazing scientists in Grade 1 wondered if we could find evidence in the jungle of the different ways seeds travel. We used our viewing skills to search high and low for seeds that cling, seeds that get eaten, seeds that fly, seeds that float, and even seeds that explode! We collected a sample of these seeds and recorded our findings using diagrams and written notes. What an exciting investigation!
Information Reports
The Grade 1's have been using their thinking skills, research skills, and communication skills to write a research report on a cycle we want to find out more about. The students started by formulating questions and collecting data. they did this in the form of note-taking. We practiced putting the facts we found from books and the internet into our own words, making sure we aren't copying someone else's writing. This helped us to practice using our communication skills, such as viewing, listening and writing. We organised our data by arranging our sticky note facts into different categories for our report. When we got back from the holiday, we got to work writing our very own non-fiction book. We wanted to write an information report to teach others about what we learned. This helped us practice using our presenting and writing skills. Our reports were complete with a table of contents, diagrams, and a glossary!