First Grade Reads About Bird Nests and Eggs

The signs of spring are everywhere- birds nesting and laying eggs are the harbingers of spring. First graders have brought their background of knowledge to our reading, thinking and writing about why birds build nests, the features of eggs and how eggs are protected. After sharing what they already knew about nests and eggs, students generated questions that they hoped our reading about this topic would answer. The next step was the reading of the book Eggs and Baby Birds. The importance of the title, headings, captions, pictures and photographs was discussed as ways that authors of nonfiction books give information to the reader. After listening to the book, students shared information that was interesting with a partner, and as a class we generated a list of important facts. Each student then chose the fact that was of most interest to them. After writing this fact in their own way, they illustrated the fact.