We are busy practicing for our Tide Pool Condos Play.
Mark your calendars for Friday, April 5th from 8:45-9:15
Arrive as early as 8:30 for a good seat! We are learning so much about the creatures of the sea and we can't wait for you to see the show!
* Costumes are very simple and many of the costume parts will be provided. The teacher that your child is working with will be sending out a note with a description of the costume. Please let us know if you need any help with the costume. Please bring in costumes after Spring Break. The dress rehearsal for the school is Thursday- April 4th so we will need our cast to bring their costumes to school by then.
Tide Pool Field Trip- Thursday April 11th from 9:00 to 1:00
If you have not turned in a volunteer slip and are able to help out please let me know. It is a fabulous day of discovery!
New Unit Title- Commotion in the Ocean
Central Idea: The ocean's ecosystem is essential to the balance of life.
Lines of Inquiry-
The physical characteristics of the ocean
The largest and most diverse food chain on the planet
The impact of technology and human beings on the ocean
Our summative assessment for this unit-
Each student will create a newspaper in the style of Time for Kids that highlights a sea animal that they have researched. The newspaper will highlight facts and pictures with captions. Students may also include other interesting facts about the unit, ocean jokes, poems, drawings, comics, a word search, crossword puzzles, a question and answer section, etc... I will be posting dates that we will be researching. If you are available and would like to help us research please let me know. Your help is greatly appreciated.
April 5th at 8:30 is our Tide Pool Condo Play. The show begins at 8:45!
April 11th -Join us at the Tide Pools for a day of fun filled discovery!
We dove right into our new unit last week! We began our unit with students brainstorming things that might cause a commotion in the ocean. Their response included animals, waves, wind, garbage, oil and human beings. They generated the lines of inquiry we will be learning about throughout this unit. We spent the week plunging into the depths of the sea. Students are learning about the abyss and the fascinating creatures that call it home. We explored the physical characteristics of the ocean floor; learning about underwater volcanoes, ridges, seamounts, guyots and much more. We will be learning about how the special adaptations sea creatures have and why these adaptations are so important.
Please go to the Websites on Sqworl section of our class blog for more videos on the ocean.
Pictures of Student Led Conferences
Students were so proud to celebrate their learning at Student Led Conferences.
Thank you so much to Ms. Larson-Hicks for taking over for me during the afternoon. She took some great pictures so that I could see the rest of the conferences!
Mystery Skype Sessions
We are learning so much about researching and communicating during our Skype sessions. Last week our Mystery School was located in the birthplace of Calvin Coolidge our 13th President and the home of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It was also 38 degrees there when we skyped with them on Friday. BRRRR! Check out the new Mystery Skype page at the top of the class blog. You can read the clues with your child and then visit the school's website. We are buddying up with the schools that have student blogs. It is exciting to see what other second graders are doing around the world!
We are cheering for our Mystery Skypers! After we gave them our clues and they did their research they inferred that we were located in Hawaii.
Mr. Morrison, LJA high school science teacher was our guest speaker today. He came to help us answer our inquiries about the Elements and the Periodic Table. He even brought in some real elements to show us. He taught us some songs about the elements and then took us outside where he showed us what happens when elements react to each other. The students were ready to join his 10th grade science class. Ask your child to tell you about his visit!
The classroom is a busy place! We wrapped up our Journey of Exploration Unit. Students practiced their skills as cartographers and created maps of the playground complete with a map key, discoveries and labeled coordinates. We also enjoyed an expedition right in our own backyard. Thank you to Ms. Shigehara for being our scout and guide on our hike into the hidden trails on our campus. We made so many discoveries! Students discovered crystals, red clay, bird nests, an animal skull, an abandoned car, and much more! Most importantly, students were thrilled to be exploring nature firsthand!
Books and Bagels
It was great to see so many parents and happy readers last week during Books and Bagels. Thank you so much to everyone who brought in goodies for us to munch on while we read Dr. Seuss books. A gigantic thank you to Mrs. Ford for designing a spendiferous Seuss inspired picture frame. It was perfect for picture taking!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Student Led Conferences this upcoming Monday!
We are diving into our new unit- Commotion in the Ocean
Upcoming important dates
April 5th- Tide Pool Condo Play (More details coming soon!)
April 11th- Tide Pool Field Trip
Please join us for a fun filled day at the Tide Pools!
Check the Friday envelope for important details
I recently uploaded all of our picture albums- Check out the picture page to see your child in action!
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