Water, Water, Everywhere

Today I taught the lesson water, water, everywhere about how water is used by humans, animals, and plants and we are all connected through our use of water. The children really liked this lesson and I enjoyed teaching it. We made a large group list of the many ways that we use water. For example the children told me they use water for washing hands, bathing, drinking, fishing, swimming, scuba diving, surfing, and splashing. In addition, the children knew that plants and animals used water for drinking and life and those animals also bath and play in the water. After the lesson and a strop called the Drop in My Drink, the children were asked to draw a picture of one way they love to use water and try to label their picture. Some children made picture of themselves fishing, surfing, boating, and even swimming with sharks. They did a great job of labeling their work. Currently we are working with the children to use their best guess spelling strategy. In other words, rather than asking the teachers to spell a word for them, they have to use their knowledge of sounds and letters to sound out the word as best they can. This is a great tool for children to use and I have found that it gives students a level of independence that they would otherwise lack.