A guide for using our resources

Children will learn about ice hotels that are built every year and discuss whether they would like to stay in one.

Vocabulary: hotel, melt, experiment

Science Focus: states of matter

CCSS (and states that have similar standards): RL.1.1 key details; RF.1.2 vowel sounds; W.1.2 writing; RI.1.10 read and discuss first-grade texts; SL.1.2 ask and answer questions

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

• Follow Ice Boy’s adventures out of the freezer as he transforms and goes through the water cycle!

• In Tell students about the magic of the letter e, which sometimes silently joins a word and makes a vowel say its name. Have students find all the words in the issue that follow the c-v-c-e pattern. How many can they spot?

Skill: predicting, experimenting

Materials: Ready, Set, Melt! skill sheets, pencils, ice cubes, clear and sealable sandwich-sized bags

• Have an ice race! Students will make predictions, do an ice melting experiment, and review their results.
• Ask students to think about places in the classroom that would make ice melt. Have students share their ideas, and ask why they chose that area. Will students pick places close to a radiator? A window? A place that has a lot of light? As a class, choose three spots in the classroom for an ice race!
• Have students draw the chosen spaces on their Ready, Set, Melt! skill sheet. Then they can make a prediction by choosing where the ice will melt the fastest.
• It’s time for the experiment! Put the same number of ice cubes in each clear bag. Place the bags in the chosen spots in the classroom. Throughout the day, have students take turns checking the bags of ice. When only water remains in one of the bags, have students revisit their skill sheet and record the results of the experiment!