Science

Thanks to some clear, gel-filled ant farms, First Graders got to peek into what goes on below the surface of ant colonies this week. We used magnifying glasses to look at the ants up close, in order to create detailed diagrams of their bodies. We labeled the head, thorax, abdomen, six legs, antennae, and eyes. Ants are amazing to watch, and our students were mesmerized by their hard work. Our ants have made lots of tunnels and rooms already!

Art

One of the ways that we integrate learning at The Cooper School is by using Art to further student learning. Learning is more coherent when students read books about insects, write about insects, sing songs about insects, and paint insects. This week, in Art class, they created amazing symmetrical paintings of butterflies. After painting the left side of the butterfly, students carefully folded their papers in half and pressed hard to create a mirror image. They then went over their lines with a paintbrush to finish the outline. It was so much fun!

Writing

Our writers are improving every week! Students got a chance this week to look back at some of the personal narratives they wrote during the third week of school (not very long ago). They found that their work was rife with spelling errors, had lots of details missing, and were much too short! It is amazing how much young children can learn in just a few weeks of direct instruction and independent practice.