Toddler Class
The Toddler Class began the school year with an insect search. After examining many, many leaves the students discovered two Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars on the parsley in the herb garden. The students were able to observe them as they grew and changed into brown, papery chrysalids. We took a walk to the frog pond were we saw many tadpoles and finally netted a fat, slippery bullfrog. The toddlers had the opportunity to observe a caged squirrel in the classroom and discovered that he liked to eat many of the same foods that people like, such as apples, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. Before the leaves had a chance to change to their fall colors, the class made an autumn leaf mural by taping green leaves to a table, covering them with sheets of paper, then using colorful "cupcake" crayons to discover the shapes beneath. We made Healthy Haystack Cookies using honey rather than sugar, cocoa rather than chocolate chips, and coconut oil rather than butter. Finally the students learned how to husk and shell ears of popcorn that were harvested from the PJS Garden. Their reward was a bowl of freshly popped popcorn!
Preschool Class
The preschool class began the school year with an insect search. They examined many different plants before finding Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars on some parsley in the herb garden. The students took a walk to the Frog Pond where we netted for frogs and tadpoles which were brought back to the classroom for observation. The class learned about squirrels and had the opportunity to meet "Harvey" a caged, domesticated squirrel. Students added materials such as pine needles, sticks, and dried leaves to his cage to make a cozy "drey" or squirrel's nest. Before the leaves had a chance to change to their brilliant fall colors, the class made an autumn leaf mural. They taped green leaves to the table, covered them with sheets of paper, then used colorful 'cupcake' crayons to rub over the paper, discovering the shapes beneath. A watercolor wash completed their work of art. We made Healthy Haystack Cookies using rolled oats, honey, coconut oil, and cocoa. Finally, the students learned how to husk and shell ears of popcorn that were harvested from the PJS Garden. They learned that the tiny amount of water in each kernel is what causes it to pop when it is heated. Then they had the fun of watching it pop and, at last, getting to eat it.
Kindergarten
The Kindergarten class began the school year with a trip to the PJS Garden, where they harvested beans and tomatoes. They learned about the lifecycle and migration of the monarch butterfly and spent time outdoors, searching in vain for the once abundant monarch caterpillars. The students learned about four common habitats and the animals that live in each of them. They learned about the parts of insects, they netted for insects in the Upper Meadow, and then they observed and sketched them. The class looked at different leaf shapes and made bark rubbings. They learned about popcorn and tested it to see if it was ready to harvest. It did not pop because it still contained too much moisture but a raccoon raid on the PJS Garden hastened the corn harvest. A Rube Goldberg inspired video How Things Move got students thinking about how they could construct the contraptions in the movie. The Kindergarten read "Grungy Germ" and learned about the importance of thorough hand washing. Then they had the opportunity to use a special gel that glows under black light to see how well they had washed their hands. Many students were shocked to see how many "germs" remained on their hands. The class read A Tree Is Nice and completed an paper activity that included windows that could be opened to view the creatures that make the tree their home. Finally, they harvested the heirloom Anasazi bean pods that had been allowed to dry in the garden.
Grade 1
Grade 1 harvested the tomatoes and green beans growing in the PJS Garden. They learned about the lifecycle and migration of the monarch butterfly and searched the milkweed plants on the school property for monarch caterpillars. The class learned about four common habitats and the animals that live in each of them. Wheat that was grown in the garden was threshed and winnowed by the students, in preparation of grinding the seeds into flour. Grade 1 students reviewed Insect Anatomy and drew illustrations of various live insects. The class had the privilege of releasing the one monarch butterfly that emerged from its chrysalis. They harvested, husked, and shelled popcorn and sketched the kernels before and after popping. The students read "Grungy Germ" and learned about the importance of thorough hand washing. Then they had the opportunity to use a special gel that glows under black light to see how well they had washed their hands. Many students were shocked to see how many "germs" remained on their hands. The class learned to make delicious mozzarella cheese, using milk, citric acid, and liquid rennet. Finally, the heirloom Anasazi beans were harvested from the garden.
Grade 2
Grade 2 began the school year by drawing detailed personal bioglyphs.The students used a code to draw a picture of themselves that reflects their physical appearance, birth date, likes and dislikes,number of siblings, etc. Then the students were challenged to identify their fellow students' bioglyphs using the code. The class explored the meadow and used the booklet "Wildflowers of the PJS Meadow" as a field guide to identify the flowers in bloom there. Then they planted native grasses in the meadow to increase the diversity of the flora. Next Grade 2 looked at the Color Spectrum and tied that with the colors in nature. Using their prior knowledge of how trees appear through the seasons, students made predictions and drew pictures of how a particular tree on the school grounds will look as the school year progresses. They learned of the plight of Martha, the last living passenger pigeon.This tied in with our look at monarch butterflies, which were once prolific at PJS. Now they are a species in crisis, in danger of becoming extinct, like the passenger pigeon. Many classes were held outdoors where students had the opportunity to experience the change in seasons.They conducted an inventory of the Upper Meadow, learning leaf ID. The class collected various leaves, then played a competitive game of Capture the Leaf, which used their leaf identification skills. Grade 2 used their five senses to describe autumn. The students read "Grungy Germ" and learned about the importance of thorough hand washing. Then they had the opportunity to use a special gel that glows under black light to see how well they had washed their hands.Many students were surprised to see how many "germs" remained on their hands after washing.
Grade 3
Grade 3 began the school year with a trip to the garden where they harvested beans and tomatoes. The students drew detailed personal bioglyphs .They used a code to draw a picture of themselves that reflects their physical appearance, birth date, likes and dislikes, number of siblings, etc. Then they were challenged to identify their classmates' bioglyhs using the code. The class used the booklet that they made last year,'Wildflowers of the PJS Meadow" as a field guide to identify the flowers blooming in the Wet Meadow. Next, the class looked at visible colors of the electromagnetic spectrum. They learned that the color an object appears to be is actually a reflection of that color: the other colors of the spectrum are absorbed by the object and are not visible. The students learned of the importance of thorough hand washing with a special gel that glows under a blacklight. After washing their hands, they were shocked to see the amount of "germs" left on their skin.
They learned of the plight of Martha, the last living passenger pigeon.This tied in with our review of the lifecycle and migration of monarch butterflies, which were once prolific at PJS. Now they are a species in crisis, in danger of becoming extinct, like the passenger pigeon. In response, Grade 3 students have been researching six different Endangered birds of the U.S.and thinking of ways we can help keep them from becoming extinct, like Martha.
They learned of the plight of Martha, the last living passenger pigeon.This tied in with our review of the lifecycle and migration of monarch butterflies, which were once prolific at PJS. Now they are a species in crisis, in danger of becoming extinct, like the passenger pigeon. In response, Grade 3 students have been researching six different Endangered birds of the U.S.and thinking of ways we can help keep them from becoming extinct, like Martha.
Grade 4
Grade 4 began the year with a unit on Nutrition to coordinate with the classroom IB unit of inquiry. The students learned how to choose foods for a healthy diet, using a points system. They played the Nutrition Blastoff Game which required the selection of a balanced daily diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and 60 minutes of exercise daily in order to" blastoff". What People Eat in a Day gave an eye opening glimpse into the disparities of food distribution worldwide. The students researched the agriculture of some countries that lie on the same latitude as Lawrence, NJ and found that many of the crops they grow are the same as grown here. Grade 4 learned of the merits of cattails, which have been used for hundreds of years for food and shelter. They dug many, many cattail roots, scrubbed , chopped,and mashed them to extract the starch, which was allowed to dry into flour. The flour was then used to make Cattail Pancakes.The whole process was a lot of work and gave us new respect for the native Americans who had to process their own foods. Next the class took a trip to the Farmer's Market to purchase some supplies for pizza. Students ground wheat seeds into flour; they cooked tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs to make sauce; and they used milk, citric, acid, and rennet to make fresh mozzarella cheese. The "from scratch" pizzas were delicious! A trip to Wegman's Market was educational and everyone had fun sampling the foods. Finally, the students learned of the importance of proper hand washing. They used a special gel that glows under black light to see how well they had washed their hands and were surprised to see how many "germs" remained on their skin. This led to the exploration of microbes. Students swabbed various surfaces around the school and cultured the samples in a petri dish. The microbes that grew were quite colorful. Currently, we are repeating the sampling to see if we get the same results.
Grade 5
To begin the school year, Grade 5 students were introduced to the mathematics of the Fibonacci sequence. Then they used the spiral to draw an object in nature, following the mathematical sequence. Students learned about the life cycle and care of Bombyx mori an insect commonly known as the silkworm. Soon after the miniscule eggs arrived and hatched, students were each assigned a pair of the tiny caterpillars to raise to the adult stage, the silkworm moth. In coordination with the silkworm rearing, the students are reading Project Mulberry in the classroom. Each day, the silkworms devour mounds of mulberry leaves. They have grown from barely visible larvae to 2 1/2" long caterpillars which will soon begin spinning their silken cocoons. The students have been studying Plant Morphology ( plant parts and what they do). They have learned about different types of roots, the functions of stems, and the parts of leaves. The class learned why leaves change color in the fall and the different pigments in the leaves that form these colors. They will be conducting a chromatography activity which exposes the hidden pigments.
A leaf Collection Project was assigned on September 17th. The final project is due on November 5th. Please contact me with any questions.
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A leaf Collection Project was assigned on September 17th. The final project is due on November 5th. Please contact me with any questions.
[email protected]