1st Grade Activities
The Diary of a First Grade Teacher

1st grade activities often include many hands-on activities ...

These activities require that the first graders participate. And, of course, the more the students participate, the more they learn AND retain ... And that creates exactly what we want - a classroom for success.

Largest Dinosaur

Naming the largest dinosaur that ever lived is not an easy thing to do because it all depends on the category.

You may have been taught that the king of the carnivores was Tyrannosaurus Rex, but – according to the current state of paleontological research – it’s now believed that Spinosaurus was the biggest carnivore ... He was a tad bit heavier!

But there’s no doubt T. Rex is, by far, the most popular of all dinosaurs. He’s the star of a huge number of books, movies, TV shows, and video games.

I knew my class would enjoy a 1st grade activity with dinosaurs as the theme because the kiddos in this classroom are crazy about dinosaurs! They play with the tiny plastic ones at recess and talk about them as often as they can.

I read a book to them about dinosaurs and showed them pictures of the various types ...

Then, after a video about dinosaurs, the students were instructed to draw a picture of their favorite one. And to write a sentence about their illustration.

Right away, Stevie waved his hand. “I already got mine!” he cried, "and he's a MEAN ONE!”

He ran to show me. “But now he’s a good guy. See?”

He shoved his artwork into my hands. “I had to pull all of his teef, so he won’t BITE ME no more.”

“Yes?" I said, laughing at his big imagination. "How did you do that?”

“EASY! I climbed up on his neck and yanked REAL HARD!”

"Great story!" I told him, "And I like what you have written here."

I read it aloud, "You big an bad. i will fix you. So we can pla.”

Then, Tommy spoke up. “Look at MY picture! That’s me with a fire-sting-wish-er ‘round my neck."

Pointing admiringly at his masterpiece, he continued, "Ever time my dinosaur gets smart with me, I just hose that rascal down!”

Dinosaur Song

Tyrannosaurus Rex

During the activity, Weesie calmly said, “Teacher, I need help.”

When I first responded, my back was to her. “Help with your sentence?”

She never answered, so I turned to see.

She glanced at me, shrugged, and looked down.

As I approached her, I said, “Where’s your ...” Then, I gasped.

“See, my glue’s leaking and … NO, I wasn’t EVEN chewing on it!”

White liquid glue covered her dress, her desk, her work, and even her little chin! Like a white crushed slush from a coastal glacier, it crawled and spread and left its trail.

I reached for her arm, to help her stand, to move her away. “How did this happen?”

She looked around nervously. Wide-eyed and serious, she looked me dead in the eye and confessed on his behalf, “T. Rex done it!”

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