Back in the olden days (during my first years of teaching) I used to spend the first day of school going over rules, regulations and procedures. Sure, we would play a few games or maybe do a little art project, but it was basically Mrs. Magner yacking away all day long. I still talk a lot on the first day of school, but I really love jumping right into a few subjects. The kids are excited to get going!
Science is my favorite subject, so the logical place to start is with a crowd-pleasing science activity. This year I decided to do a Gall Inquiry Study with the kids. A gall is that little round ball you see on goldenrod stems. It is made when a Goldenrod Gall Fly lays her eggs on the stem of the plant. The maggot then burrows into the stem, producing a chemical that makes the goldenrod plant produce a ball around the little worm. Eventually the maggot becomes a pupa and then hatches out as an adult fly. The fly emerges from the gall, mates, lays eggs and the cycle begins again. It's all pretty fascinating, if you ask me.
Today each student received a gall. They were to draw it, make observations and ask five questions. After much anticipation, the galls were cut open to reveal a little white maggot. Then the students drew and wrote observations about the inside of the gall. Finally, we went out to the school forest to go find some galls of our own. I always consider a science lesson successful when the kids talk about it at home. Hopefully my students shared what they learned at the dinner table that night. (But, sorry it had to be about maggots - not exactly the best dinner time conversation.)
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