Halloween Fun!

Here are some highlights from Halloween! We started with our school parade.

We had some wonderful parent volunteers. And they planned some super-fun activities!

Thank you to Mrs. Hoover, Mrs. Dubois, Mrs. Tommasi, and Mrs. Lepore!

We played bingo

 and stacked cups as high as we could go!

We wrapped up a mummy

 and made scary bats!

Happy Halloween!

Our Adopted Tree

On October 11th, we visited our classroom tree. We recorded our observations. We will visit our adopted tree and make observations throughout the year.

Our tree in fall.

We learned what bark is and where to find the maple tree seed. We saw lichen and moss on our tree.

We collected items from the ground beneath our tree and looked more closely at them with  hand lenses and microscopes. 

 We also wrote about the things we noticed.

A few days later, we went to the courtyard and collected leaves.

What a beautiful day to explore the gardens!

What do you think we did with the leaves? Check back soon to see...

Math Tubs

The students were excited to begin the first few days of school exploring pattern blocks during "Math Tubs". At first it was a free exploration which led them to eventually learn the names of each shape, as well as, their specific attributes. The students were encouraged to use the correct names of the shapes and other "math talk" in their discussions with their groups or partners.

They came up with some beautiful creations.

Next, they tried using the pattern block design cards. During the following few days, the students were asked to build within a specific shape, using only the number and type of pattern blocks provided. Sometimes it took several tries (and some flexible thinking!) to get it right!

Overall, I would say "Math Tubs" was a positive, successful way to begin our day and is definitely worth repeating at another time. The feedback from students was that they really enjoyed this exploration time!

Fun on Day One!

Our first day of second grade was wonderful! We shared pictures and talked about our families. I read the book First Day Jitters. (Boy, were the campers surprised at the ending!) We practiced a fire drill. And we had some time on the playground!

We are off to a great start!

Wow! What a year!

Well, I can't believe it but our year together is now over.
It has been a great year! I have enjoyed spending my days with these amazing campers. They made me laugh and smile. I am so proud of these kiddos because they worked hard and learned a lot. They matured and grew as learners but also as citizens in our school community.
I will miss you all. 

To all the parents and families of my happy campers, I send 

my sincere thanks for being so supportive.

To my happy campers, THANK YOU for being you.

Here are your summer rules.

Have fun!

Be a kid!

Remember to

 and

Wherever life takes you,

whatever path you choose,

be true to yourself.

And I hope you'll visit or let me know how you are doing. Love,

The Power of the Penny

Mrs. Baker came in to read a special book to the class. It is called The Power of the Penny.

Later we were able to Skype with the author, Elaina Redmond. Thank you to Mrs. Baker for arranging this special event for the second graders. Several students were able to ask questions. It was interesting finding out that her book started with a poem she wrote. 

She explained how much she admired Abraham Lincoln as a child and wanted to be a hero like him. The book is full of inspiring information.

Hands-on Math!

Touch it! 

         Count it!

                 Move it! 

                         Write it! 

                                              ...Learn it!

               

Each math unit allows for the use of hands-on materials. These are some of the ways we use materials to make sense of math concepts. Here is an example of students building arrays with bingo chips. 

Students also used a hole punch to create arrays.

Sometimes there are visuals in the workbook and sometimes 
we have to create the visual.

Before drawing in the workbook, we can build the groups with cubes and plates.

Here is an example of "4 groups of 3".

                             

Here we are digging into coins. We used coins to help us solve coin riddles. 

We also solve shopping problems during calendar time. When learning about money we use coins and bills to practice counting different amounts of money. We can also use coins to compare different amounts of money. Here's a fun song to learn about the dollar.

                              

Hands on math works at home too! Empty out your wallet or piggy bank and count coins and make change. Also, grab a ruler or measuring tape and find the height and length of household items. Take out a bathroom or kitchen scale and weigh things. Have fun and explore!

President Projects

President Projects

                           

Several students completed a president project as an optional homework assignment during February. The students were given a template to create and/or decorate a George or Abe figure, using any materials they liked. 

They were also given several questions about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln to research. Once completed the students shared this information with their classmates. 

It was fun to hear the interesting facts they learned about these popular presidents!

Mrs. Begin

Toontastic

In the fall. Ms. Conroy introduced our class to the Toontastic app. The students and I were very excited to learn how to use the app to make movies to tell our own stories. 

(You can learn more about the free Toontastic app HERE.)

 

 Ms. Conroy created a story with the students to practice. First, they had to select a setting. The app provides many to choose from. Next, they selected characters and decided on a problem one of the characters would have. Finally, they determined the solution to the problem. The students learned that they would create the actions and the voices of the characters. In fact, they would be able to use different voices and accents to speak as the characters. 

Students explored the Toontastic app on classroom ipads during writing time and WIN time.  They chose characters from those available or created their own using a drawing feature. Students touched the screen to control the movements of the characters and recorded the dialogue of each character using their own voices. This ties in with our second grade reading standards. We practice using different voices when reading dialogue orally.

  One of the benefits of Toontastic is that the story-making process is broken down into five steps, which gives students exposure to the structure of a well-told story.

 

Students also have the option to enhance the mood of each scene by selecting appropriate background music. Once students complete their story, they title their movie and it is saved to the ipad,
where it can be viewed by others.

When we began our genre study of Animal Fantasy, Ms. Conroy showed the students how to create their own Animal Fantasy story, connecting reading and writing. 

Students used a story web graphic organizer to plan their Animal Fantasy story.  Ms. Conroy also created a dialogue graphic organizer that students used to plan out what their characters would say. This allowed students the chance to rehearse the voices of the different characters.

 

The students enjoyed writing their own stories with dialogue. Below are some of the standards addressed during reading and writing time. 

This app is certainly a fun way to practice these skills!

RL.2.6 Craft and Structure 6. Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
W.2.3 Text Types and Purposes 3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
W.2.6 Production and Distribution of Writing 6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.                                                                                          Mrs. Begin