Away We Grow

Dear Parents and Families,

            Our class is beginning our new unit in our reading program called, Away We Grow. Throughout this unit we will read and discuss selections that cover various aspects of plant life.  This unit will provide students with a basic understanding of plant life and how plants work together in our environment.  Students will read about, write about and explore plant-related subjects, such as how a seed grows, gardens, flowers, and plants that eat animals.

            You can enhance your child’s learning in this area by helping him or her locate additional educational resources dealing with the topics covered in each lesson.  Your local library and the Internet can provide a great deal of supplementary information for your to explore together.  In addition, outdoor excursions will help your child place the information he or she is learning into a meaningful context.  Walks and hikes can help your child identify the features he or she is discovering in class.  First-hand observation can also lead you and your child to further areas of exploration.

As always, your help at home is important in helping to make this a meaningful unit of study for your child.  Here are some activities you may wish to try:

Make a list of foods that grow from seeds.  Buy a few at the grocery store and compare the seeds.  Can you count the seeds?

There is a great variety within the world of flowers.  How many different flowers can you name?  Go to a local grocery store or green house and look at the many variety of flowers.

Help your child acquire firsthand experience by going to a local greenhouse together.  Encourage your child to explore the greenhouse and observe the conditions needed so that plants may flourish.  Help him or her investigate which plants are annual and perennial.

Concept and Question Board:

You may wish to contribute to our unit concept and question board by sending in pictures or drawings of plant life.  You can look for pictures in magazines, newspapers or take pictures of plants that you have worked together to help grow.  Students may also wish to look for seeds and place them in a ziplock bag to share with the class. Anything that you think will help the students to learn more about plant life would be helpful.  Thank you for your continued support at home to supplement our learning at school!