Alana McSharry- Blog 2- Implementation of Spring PBL

During the first week of the project I read books about different types weather to the students. Many of the books had interesting pictures and information for the students to learn about weather. The students began a list of weather words. As they presented the weather words I added the words to the list with a picture next to it. On the first day of the project we graphed the weather and continued with the graph throughout the whole project. The students also went home with a calendar so they could track the weather at home with their parents. During the first week I filled a container up with water, dyed the water, drew a line, wrote the date and placed the container on top of the refrigerator. The idea is for the students to observe how water evaporates over time and how this evaporation is part of the water cycle. In art class the students started an art project that related to rainy weather. The students splatter painted blue on their paper to represent the rain. Each week the students worked on the project until they completed it.

During the second week of the project the students watched videos about different types of weather. The videos explained tornadoes and hurricanes in a way that allowed students to understand those types of weather. The students continued to graph the weather every day at school and at home. The students observed the container with the water and realized that the water had evaporated into the air. The students continued to work on their art project during art class. The students drew and colored a person holding an umbrella. 

During the third week of the project the students began to use the information about weather to participate in different activities. One activity was to observe the water cycle. Each table of students had a cup of water, a cup of blue water and eye droppers. My assistant and I went to each table of students and placed shaving cream on top of the water. The students took turns dropping the blue water onto the shaving cream and watching how the blue water soaks through the shaving cream and into the water. The students related the action of the blue water and shaving cream to the water cycle and how rain forms in clouds and falls down to the Earth. After the observation the students drew and colored a picture of what happened to the water. Then the students dictated a sentence to the teachers. The students worked with "snow" and made a snowman and decorated it. Another activity the students observed how a tornado swirls around in a funnel. The students had a cup of water with glitter in it. They took a pencil and stirred the water. After stirring for a few minutes the students removed the pencil and noticed how the water spun like a tornado. The students participated in other activities during the week. They continued to observe the container and how the water continued to evaporate throughout the weeks. During art class the students created a snowy day. They started by drawing and coloring grass, a tree and a snowman.

During the fourth week of the project the students worked on their artistic representation of their chosen weather. First the students chose the weather that they wanted to create artistically. Then the students worked with an adult on their artistic representation. The students chose the materials to create the weather. The students used paint, paper, shaving cream, glue and other materials. They enjoyed the creative process and had pride in their work. At the end of the fourth week we finished graphing the weather. We asked and answered questions about the graph. During art class the students finished the snowy day by painting over their picture with blue paint.

During the fifth week of the project the students worked on writing about the weather that they created artistically. The students worked with an adult to write about their chosen weather. The students had to write at least one sentence. The students talked with the teacher about their chosen weather. The teachers helped the students sound out words during their writing. If the students had questions about their chosen weather the teachers had the students look at a book to refresh their memory about the weather.

At the end of the project the students had the opportunity to share their weather work with their parents during a student-led conference after school and with a first grade class during the day. The parents enjoyed looking at their child's work. The students talked about their project with confidence and pride. The students were excited to present their work to their first grade friends.