Project Based Learning Curriculum 1st Grade PBL Activities

In this Project Based Learning Science and Social Studies Bundle you will have what you need to teach using PBL this year! Creating these units are time consuming for any teacher and this bundle will save you hours and hours of work, planning and your time. It includes a Plant Unit, Solar System Unit, Community Service and Citizen Project, and an Animal Adaptation Project. These are all the top selling 1st grade PBL units that we have.

If you want to see some of the products in actions, check out these blog articles:

Plant Unit

Community Service and Johnny Appleseed Unit

Animal Adaptation Unit

PLANT UNIT OVERVIEW

With your students you will be able to teach them all about the parts of plants, their functions, do activities with the parts of plants, grow your own plants using experimental methods, read about plants in Close Reading articles and Mini Books, do sequence writing with informational articles, craftivities, inquiry based Science Stations, dissect, make a plant flip book, figure out what plants we can eat, and end it all with a culminating event.

SOLAR SYSTEM UNIT

It includes Step by Step lesson plans that are very detailed in guiding the teacher. It has close reading articles about the moon and the sun, they are differentiated to two levels, Colored (Black and White too) Mini Books about the sun and the moon (Differentiated), comprehension questions abut the close reading articles, technology extensions, a lesson using shadows, interactive solar system orbiting lesson, observations about sunrise and sunset, Moon Journals, Sunrise and Sunset journal, the seasonal patterns of sunrise and sunset, Oreo Moon Phases project, art project about the sun, writing book project in which they write about seasons.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT WITH JOHNNY APPLESEED

This is an all inclusive PBL Unit that includes step by step lesson plans, informational writing unit on Johnny Appleseed, inquiry based community service project that shows the impact of being a citizen even as a child and has the class working together using 21st learning techniques. It includes numerous other activities as well. This unit is also differentiated for 3 levels. This unit is perfect for 1st grade.

ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS

Digital & Printable: Students learn about the various animal features and how these animals need particular features to help them survive in the wild. Students use 21st century learning skills to work with a group to dive into researching about one particular animal and then are able to present their findings to the class or an audience showcasing their informational writing, a craft project and their group work that answers the question to their problem.

NGSS STANDARDS

• NGSS 1-LS1-2
• NGSS 1-LS1-1
• NGSS 1-LS3-1
• NGSS 1-ESS1-1
• NGSS 1-ESS1.A
• NGSS 1 ESS1.B
• NGSS 1-ESS1-2

INCLUDES

• Step by Step Lesson Plans in each unit. I guide you through each lesson and prepare you along the way.
• Driving Questions that are 1st grade appropriate
• PBL Steps: I follow the Project Based Learning Concept and include each part in the unit.
• Entry Events that will help your students to get excited about their next unit. It will peak their interest.
• Inquiry Based Activities: These activities are perfect for Science Inquiry Centers. It will help your students to think deeper.
• Inquiry Based Questions to use whole group or in a small group
• Planting Experiment to help students see exactly what plants need to grow
• Dissecting Flowers Experiment to help students look a little closer at the inside plants and the similarities and differences between plants.
• 4 Mini Books About Plants (Differentiated) and What Plants we can eat. These books work great as independent work, in science stations, or whole group.
• Activities to use with each of the Mini Books
• Comprehension Questions that go with the close reading articles
• Sequencing Mini Lesson
• Sequencing Writing Lesson for the Life cycle of Plants
• Writing Craftivities that looks great up on the bulletin board
• Eating the Parts of Plant Activities. Students love learning about which plants they eat every day and learning to try new ones.
• Plant Journal to keep track of their plants each, it includes questions to answer.
• Parts of Plant Flip Book is a great activity to show what they have learned and helps them tell others about it.
• Interactive Lessons. Most of the lessons included are very interactive and get students out of their seats, working with others and doing more than worksheets
• 12 Vegetable Posters (Parts of Plants). These go with the section where students are learning about which parts of the plant they are eating. They go well inside the Inquiry Science Centers for those activities.
• Assessment Ideas to use along the units
• End of Unit PBL Projects: Each PBL unit has a problem to solve, students get to solve the problem
• Culminating Event Ideas. This is a guide on how a culminating event can be done with this unit.
• Rubrics that go with each project
• 13 Different Animal Pictures with a short article about them. It is written in student friendly language
• Close Reading Articles on animals
• Informational Writing Activities
• Differentiation Lesson Plans and activities
• Mini Books About the Moon & Sun (Differentiated)
• Close Reading Articles About the Moon and the Sun
• Phases of the Moon Lessons and activities
• Moon’s Orbit Lessons
• Moon Phases Activity using Cookies
• Moon Journal Activities and Lessons
• Sunrise/Sunset Lessons & Journal
• Moon/Sun/Earth Cards
• Shadow Lesson
• End of Unit PBL Project- Seasons Book
• Various Johnny Appleseed Day Ideas that can be done separately
• Small Group Activities where students are given real life jobs to work together to complete a project
• Citizen Activities
• Graphic Organizers to help with the Writing Project and the final legacy project

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE

Since this unit is a Project Based Learning Unit, it includes the standards from various subject areas. Depending on your ELA and Writing Block, many of the activities in this unit can be used during that time.

Also, many of the activities work very well in Inquiry Science Centers or for small group rotations.

The mini books and Close Reading can be used during a reading block.

Interested in Project Based Learning? Read this article on how using PBL in the classroom can be effective for your students.

You may also be interested in my other Project Based Learning Units, click here for more information.

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Thank you so much,

Special Treat Friday, Heather McKinsey