First grade students in Ms. Regolino's and Ms. Ortiz's class were introduced to theMacy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. After watching clips of the very first parade back in the 1920s and the 2021 parade, the class discussed the differences and similarities between the two parades.
The students read "Balloons Over Broadway" by Melissa Sweet and then learned that they would be designing their own parade floats with their group members during a two-day PBL project.
On day one students worked with their groups to come up with a sketch of their balloon, a name, and the characteristics of their balloon. After they had some time to plan, they presented their ideas to the class. On the second day, the first graders put their balloon-building skills to work. They were able to choose from a wide range of supplies including balloons, string, cardboard, markers, and more. The students in each group worked together to assemble their parade float but were tasked with trying to make the balloon stand up rather than fall to the floor.
This Project-Based Learning activity allowed the students to work together and problem-solve. Once each group completed assembling their ballon, they presented their final product to the rest of the class.
Check out pictures below! (link for app users)