To culminate their science unit on the structures and functions of living things, Elmont’s Clara H. Carlson School first graders in Mrs. Jaeger and Mrs. McNamara’s class became scientists and engineers; collaborating in groups to design and create objects that solve a problem through Project-Based Learning. 

Throughout the unit, the students learned about the various structures and functions of plants and animals, such as how webbed feet can help aquatic animals swim in water, feathers help keep birds warm and allow them to fly, and how tails help to keep their balance. 

As part of the PBL, the first graders were introduced to the overall driving question of the unit, “What features and behaviors of living things help them survive?” To create their projects, the groups utilized the guiding question, “Can animal and plant parts give people ideas to make a tool that solves a problem?” 

 Each group designed a useful tool based on the function of a plant or animal’s feature, such as a helmet to represent a turtle’s shell, a window pole for a giraffe’s long neck, a seed organization box for a sunflower, and a drinking device for a flower. The students utilized household items – like bubble wrap, straws, popsicle sticks and tissue paper – to create their objects in class.

Click here to view the First Graders at Clara H. Carlson School Create Useful Objects as Part of Science Unit on Plants and Animals slideshow.

Date Added: 1/31/2025