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Glue Soup: My Day in First Grade
Apr 19, 2012 8:34 AM
By James Hutchins - FF/S
Sticky and thick muck drizzled across tabletops and caked under fingernails. The objective: to make maracas for Cinco de Mayo out of egg cartons, dried pinto beans, popsicle sticks, and paper mache drenched in “glue soup.”
Senora Evans and Mrs. Montgomery moved from table to table assisting kids in taping the hollows of two egg cartons together to form the maraca, inserting popsicle sticks into the egg cartons as makeshift handles, and wiping up the occasional misplaced glue smudges. However, once the initial instructions were given and the creative juices started flowing, the kids were completely submerged in a world of creativity and hands-on learning.
The level of responsibility that these first-graders took in their own learning was amazing. They were active learners, experiencing real frustration when they couldn’t manage to get the paper mache to glue ratio just right or when the pop sickle sticks repeatedly fell out of the maraca. I found myself smiling at the intensity at which they worked and the grasping of uncoordinated hands. The level of hands-on involvement that the task required was met with equal focus and concentration on the part of the first-graders.
I observed the same level of dedication and perseverance when they learned about geometric shapes. Mrs. Monk taught them about a geometric shape and they would find objects in the room that matched that shape. When it came time to find a cylinder, one student eagerly searched the room. His face lit up with delight as he clutched what he thought was an example, pointing toward a clock. Mrs. Monk corrected him in good humor and explained to the student that the clock didn’t fit the qualifications of a cylinder. After several failed attempts, the student found the answer he was looking for. He pointed to a water bottle and the teacher congratulated him for his persistence. Yes, a water bottle was a good example of a cylinder. Proud of his efforts the student smiled.
Whether it was making a maraca, finding an example of a cylinder, doing a cross-word puzzle, or painting ponchos in art class, “hands-on minds-on” was the observation of the day. I was truly amazed at the responsibility and interest that the students took in their learning. With instruction from the teacher, occasional teamwork, and a little trial and error the students mastered the task at hand and were active participants in their own education. The contentiousness, dedication and perseverance among these first-graders were quite refreshing and utterly uplifting.
Thank you to the first-grade class for another delightful and educational visit!
Senora Evans and Mrs. Montgomery moved from table to table assisting kids in taping the hollows of two egg cartons together to form the maraca, inserting popsicle sticks into the egg cartons as makeshift handles, and wiping up the occasional misplaced glue smudges. However, once the initial instructions were given and the creative juices started flowing, the kids were completely submerged in a world of creativity and hands-on learning.
The level of responsibility that these first-graders took in their own learning was amazing. They were active learners, experiencing real frustration when they couldn’t manage to get the paper mache to glue ratio just right or when the pop sickle sticks repeatedly fell out of the maraca. I found myself smiling at the intensity at which they worked and the grasping of uncoordinated hands. The level of hands-on involvement that the task required was met with equal focus and concentration on the part of the first-graders.
I observed the same level of dedication and perseverance when they learned about geometric shapes. Mrs. Monk taught them about a geometric shape and they would find objects in the room that matched that shape. When it came time to find a cylinder, one student eagerly searched the room. His face lit up with delight as he clutched what he thought was an example, pointing toward a clock. Mrs. Monk corrected him in good humor and explained to the student that the clock didn’t fit the qualifications of a cylinder. After several failed attempts, the student found the answer he was looking for. He pointed to a water bottle and the teacher congratulated him for his persistence. Yes, a water bottle was a good example of a cylinder. Proud of his efforts the student smiled.
Whether it was making a maraca, finding an example of a cylinder, doing a cross-word puzzle, or painting ponchos in art class, “hands-on minds-on” was the observation of the day. I was truly amazed at the responsibility and interest that the students took in their learning. With instruction from the teacher, occasional teamwork, and a little trial and error the students mastered the task at hand and were active participants in their own education. The contentiousness, dedication and perseverance among these first-graders were quite refreshing and utterly uplifting.
Thank you to the first-grade class for another delightful and educational visit!
