The first and second grade students in Mrs. Walter’s room have been studying animals. They have researched types of animals from insects to mammals and have been learning about the similarities and differences between them. Some have backbones, some do not. Another characteristic is how animals have babies – some animals lay eggs, and some have live babies. All birds lay eggs and most reptiles lay eggs but there are some reptiles that do not. Almost every mammal has live babies but there are two that lay eggs. Students have learned that mammals and birds are warm-blooded. They have learned that cold-blooded animals are the same temperature as the air around them. It would be hard to be a cold-blooded human on a snowy day. The students have also created a habitat for an animal to live. Their habitat has to have the proper environment to provide for the needs of the animal; shelter, food, water, and air.

For the last three weeks, Ms. Truman's classroom has transformed into a mini garden.  Her students started the unit off by collecting seed samples down at the pond.  Then, they examined the seeds under a digital microscope, and later, catergorized them into types of seeds.  After they discussed how seeds travel, they then began to plant.  The class discovered that plants grow at different rates, they must have sunlight, soil, and water to survive, and each part of the plant plays an important role in the growth of the plant. 

See the Slideshow of our Garden Project (requires Windows Media Player).