From Ideas to Structures: Year 1 Builds Homes

Year 1 has recently started their second unit How We Organise Ourselves. Using our central line of inquiry: We build a home to satisfy our needs, students have been defining what a home is, how it looks and who can  live inside of one.

Students have explored how homes can look similar and different depending on who lives there and where the home is. Using different fiction and non-fiction texts, they have looked at how homes can move and how people and animals can change homes depending on their needs.

They have looked at different rooms we have in a home, the things we find in those places and what makes something a need versus a want. They created bar charts and began looking at pictograms to collect data about favorite rooms in their homes. In anticipation of building homes, students have been looking at different kinds of materials and making decisions about what will work best for their own designs. 

Through writing and drawing, students have begun designing a perfect home for a specific person, animal or creature. As they explored different materials and practiced building structures using items from around our classroom, they naturally began developing an understanding of 3D shapes and how they can be used to construct buildings. Using their knowledge of materials, 3D shapes, and who they have designed their home for,  they will now begin building these homes. 

Ms. E. Chidsey Year 1 Teacher