Halloween Week

We are able to learn through investigations during. We make predictions and then check our predictions.  We checked our understandings on pumpkins sinking and floating, seed counts, circumference, and weight. We then graphed our results. Our pumpkins provided us writing, science, and math for the week.
Be sure to check the website picture links for October pictures to see some great costumes from Halloween. 

Group Work and Presentations with Non-Fiction Texts

The Iowa Core requires 2nd graders to be able to:

Comprehension And Collaboration

• SL.2.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and textswith peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
• Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.
• Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

 We continue practicing these skills by working in cooperative groups, speaking, and presenting to the class all of our learning. This week was no exception. The students completed two activities to work on collaboration. We started by learning how to look for text features when we read to deepen our understanding and comprehension of a text. We then worked in groups with a non-fiction series from Pebbles on Animals in Australia. Each group took turns reading the text and using the text features. Then, each group talked about the animal they studied and the text features that helped them. At the end of the week we again broke into groups to study different attributes of the Polar Region when studying the Arctic Habitat. The groups presented what they learned. We then used this information to show how a word web can organize our information to put into an informative writing piece. This informational writing will be practiced and put into action next week!

Field Trip

To complete our science unit on animals we were able to have a field trip to Langwood Education Center with the Louisa County Conservation. The students enjoyed making casts of animal prints, going on a scavenger hunt, hike, playing prey and predator, digging up bones and reconstructing the skeleton, and learning about owls. We finished by snacking on hickory nuts that were gathered on our hike. Sally the salamander was a big hit and one student commented that this was the best day of his life. I know he meant at school!!! Parents, don't forget that all the pictures are posted in the picture links on the classroom website. Here are some really cute pictures.

Me on the Map

In Social Studies we have been learning about needs, wants, consumers, producers, and maps. We had a fun activity that we used with the book, Me On The Map. The students enjoyed putting this activity together and seeing where they fit in our community, state, country, and world.