Wiggly, Squiggly Earthworms: Unit Overview
This unit seeks to explore the importance of worms and composting to the community and to the Earth. It was designed for a first grade classroom. My unit fosters critical-thinking by challenging students to consider what the world would be like if worms no longer existed. Throughout this unit, students will engage in discussions and activities that introduce them to the earthworm. We will look at how the needs of earthworms compare and contrast to the needs of humans. We will investigate where earthworms live, looking at the conditions that are ideal to worms. This investigation will lead into the creation of a compost pile that will hopefully work with/for a school or community garden that is already in place. This unit was designed to be literature-rich, using both fiction and non-fiction texts, because first grade is a time of literature infusion. I have designed the unit to be interdisciplinary because younger students are more adept to remember and make connections to material that is presented as a whole and not compartmentalized.
Hello, I'm Meghan Brennan, an undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan University who is currently working towards a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in both Integrated Science and English Language Arts. I will be student teaching during the winter 2014 semester in a first grade classroom in Livonia, MI.
I believe that each child deserves an education that is rich, stimulating and provokes critical thinking in order to visualize solutions. I want my students to leave my classroom with a greater understanding of how they fit into the larger world so that they can understand their rights and responsibilities. I believe that education should be hands-on and inquiry based because this allows for more powerful connections to occur so that learning is impacting and engaging. I also believe in the power of place-based education as it allows for students to make connections and feel empowered within their community.
I believe that each child deserves an education that is rich, stimulating and provokes critical thinking in order to visualize solutions. I want my students to leave my classroom with a greater understanding of how they fit into the larger world so that they can understand their rights and responsibilities. I believe that education should be hands-on and inquiry based because this allows for more powerful connections to occur so that learning is impacting and engaging. I also believe in the power of place-based education as it allows for students to make connections and feel empowered within their community.
Photo from www.theguardian.com