All lessons align to Grade-Level ELA Standards.
Lessons at a Glance
Grade 1 • Firenze’s Light
Investigate how light passes through various materials and design light filtering outfits for Firenze.
Grade 1 • A Visitor For Bear
Design a type of trap or way to capture the mouse and bring him away from the house.
Grade 1 • The Very Busy Spider
Design a spider web that can catch and hold at least 20 flies for 1 minute
Grade 1 • The Day the Crayons Came Home
Help Duncan stay organized and make his crayons happy again by designing a well-measured Crayon Organizer.
Grade 1 • Violet’s Music
Students will use their knowledge of sound and vibrations to design and build a musical instrument
Full Lessons
Grade 1 • Firenze’s Light
Firenze’s Light
Lesson Summary
Firenze is a firefly who is embarrassed about her light and attempts to cover her beautiful glow. Through personal growth and the help of her friends, she learns that her light is a wonderful trait that makes her special.
Students will investigate how light passes through various materials and will collaborate, plan, and create light filtering outfits for Firenze.
STE or Math Standards
- Physical Science:
1-PS4-3. Conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing materials that allow light to pass through them, allow only some light through them, block all the light, or redirect light when put in the path of a beam of light. - Engineering Design:
1.K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change that can be solved by developing or improving an object or tool.
ELA Standards
- Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
- Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly and using appropriate vocabulary.
- Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Video
Firenze’s Light by Jessica Collaco
Grade 1 • A Visitor For Bear
A Visitor For Bear
Lesson Summary
Design a Mouse Trap/Carrier
A Visitor for Bear tells the story of a bear who lives alone and does not like visitors. A persistant mouse comes to visit and won’t go away despite the bear’s insistence that he does not want the mouse in his house. Finally, the bear lets the mouse stay and the two become friends.
In this activity, students are challenged to design a type of trap or way to capture the mouse and bring him away from the house. The trap/carrier must have a handle and be able to support the weight of 3 unifix cubes (or other selected measure).
STE or Math Standards
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Engineering Design:
1.K.2.ETS.1.1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change that can be solved by developing or improving an object or tool
1.K.2.ETS.1.2. Generate multiple solutions to a design problem and make a drawing (plan) to represent one or more of the solutions
1.K.2.ETS1.2. Generate multiple solutions to a design problem and make a drawing (plan) to represent one or more of the solutions.
ELA Standards
-
Speaking and Listening Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media
- Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
- Produce complete sentences appropriate to task and situation.
Video
A Visitor For Bear by Bonnie Becker
Grade 1 • The Very Busy Spider
The Very Busy Spider
Lesson Summary
Design a Spider Web
A spider spends her entire day building her web and has no time to play with the other animals. By the end of the day the spider is so tired that she falls asleep, only catching one fly.
Students will learn how different spiders make all kinds of webs and then design a spider web that can catch and hold at least 20 flies for 1 minute so that the spider has lots to eat after playing with it’s friends.
STE or Math Standards
- Inheritance and Variation of Traits:
1.LS3.1. Use information from observations (first-hand and from media) to identify similarities and differences among individual plants or animals of the same kind. - Engineering Design:
1.K.2.ETS1.2. Generate multiple solutions to a design problem and make a drawing (plan) to represent one or more of the solutions.
ELA Standards
- Comprehension and Collaboration:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1.A. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1.B. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1.C. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
Video
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Grade 1 • The Day the Crayons Came Home
The Day the Crayons Came Home
Lesson Summary
Design a Crayon Organizer
Duncan’s crayons are scattered all over and they are very disappointed and want to get reunited with their pal, Duncan.
Help Duncan stay organized and make his crayons happy again by designing a well-measured Crayon Organizer.
STE or Math Standards
- Measure lengths:
1.MD.A.1. Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
1.MD.A.2. Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. - Represent and interpret data:
1.MD.C.4. Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another.
ELA Standards
- Speaking and Listening (SL):
SL.1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media
SL.1.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Sl.1.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
Video
The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt
Grade 1 • Violet’s Music
Violet’s Music
Lesson Summary
Problem: Design a Musical Instrument
Violet loved music from the time she was a little baby. She thought about music constantly and even built her own horn. Violet was always on the search for more children who see music everywhere too. One summer day, she found others who loved music just as much as she did and together they started a band.
After listening to the story, students will use their knowledge of sound and vibrations to design and build a musical instrument so other children can join Violet’s band too.
STE or Math Standards
- Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer:
1.PS4.1. Demonstrate that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.
1.PS4.4. Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to send a signal over a distance.
ELA Standards
- Comprehension and Collaboration:
SL.1.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL.1.1.A. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
SL.1.1.B. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
SL.1.1.C. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
Video
Violet’s Music by Angela Johnson