UNIT TITLES: Economics
THEME: How we organize ourselves
CENTRAL IDEA: Around the world people find ways to satisfy their material needs
and wants.
AN INQUIRY INTO:
  • The use of limited resources for unlimited wants and needs
  • Goods and services
  • Opportunity costs/ consequences of economic decisions (needs vs. wants)
  • Supply and demand
  • Aztec Market and Way of Life
UNIT TITLE: My Family and Me
THEME:Who We Are
CENTRAL IDEA: Students begin to develop a concept of family and an awareness of similarities and differences among families.
AN INQUIRY INTO:
  • The interdependence within families
  • Diversity of family structures and changes they have over time
  • Diversity of familiy beliefs
  • The needs of families
UNIT TITLE: Weather Around Us
THEME: How the World Works
CENTRAL IDEA: Weather affects humans and has characteristics that can be
observed and described.
AN INQUIRY INTO:
  • The interdependence within families
  • Diversity of family structures and changes they have over time
  • Diversity of familiy beliefs
  • The needs of families
UNIT TITLE: Ecology
THEME: How We Share the Planet
CENTRAL IDEA: Plants, animals, and people are interdependent.
AN INQUIRY INTO:
  • How human’s actions affect plants and animals and earth
  • The needs of all living things
  • How we change the earth
UNIT TITLE: Personal Histories
THEME: Where We Are In Time and Space
CENTRAL IDEA: Personal histories reflect our current multicultural identities.
AN INQUIRY INTO:
  • Family life long ago, including historical figures
  • Generations
  • Heritages of students and ancestors
UNIT TITLE: Communicating Ideas
THEME: How We Express Ourselves
CENTRAL IDEA: Personal ideas and feelings can be expressed orally, musically, artistically, kinetically and through print.
AN INQUIRY INTO:
  • Oral expression of stories, poems, and songs
  • Speaking expressively and audibly with clear articulation
  • Communicating thoughts and ideas in complete sentences
  • Expressing our ideas and feelings through the arts
Updated: 4/30/03lm

FIRST GRADE
Units of Inquiry

















































Our Mini Unit of Inquiry

We start our year by using this mini unit of inqury to teach students questioning strategies.

UNIT TITLE:Worms
THEME: How the world works
CENTRAL IDEA: Worms are animals that help the food chain.
AN INQUIRY INTO:

TEACHER QUESTIONS:
  • What do worms look like?
  • How do worms eat?
  • Why are worms slimy?
  • Do worms change over time?
  • How do worms affect the rest of the world?
  • Do people like worms in their garden?
  • How can we help worms do their work?
STUDENT QUESTIONS:
  • Why do worms have a ring around their body? Aly
  • Two worms have two mouths? Cory
  • Why do worms make tunnels?
  • Why are worms afriad of the sun?

PARENT QUESTIONS: Parents ~ Do you have any questions about worms?  Please email to us at laura.wentworth@bvsd.k12.co.us.  We'd love to investigate your questions.


Whittier Table of Contents
Back To First Grade
BVSD HomePage