There's a lot to think about when you're in second grade.
We spent some thoughtful moments writing our hopes and dreams and creating poems and art that reflected who we are.
We use real coins to learn to count money. First we gave them a good cleaning. Once we could read the markings, we explored the dates and places where our coins were minted.
What a great day!
It may have been raining outside but the sun was shining in here! We had a room full of smiling, friendly faces ready to start a new year.
We met on the rug for morning meeting and everyone contributed an idea for a classroom rule. It seems that everything we do or say fits into three categories. RESPECT YOURSELF, RESPECT OTHERS, RESPECT THIS PLACE. Those will be our three classroom rules. We had a chance to try them out at indoor recess.
Our class did EXCEPTIONALLY well during library class, earning 10 hearts!!!! We earned another 10 during the day. We are up to an unprecedented 20 hearts on the first day of school! Everybody earned a raffle ticket today. WOW, what a class!
Our African Dwarf Frogs Blue and Berry had a great first day back too. They enjoyed the attention from their new classmates.
Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!
Stop by our classroom on Thursday, September 1 for a sneak peak at the room.
You are welcome to bring in your supplies and set up your desk that day too!
Room 205 will be open from 2:30 - 3:00 pm
Summer's not over yet! What's left on your bucket list?
I've found many little furry friends to snuggle with but I'm always on the lookout for new opportunities!
I've gotten lost in the pages of several great books this summer. I think there's time to squeeze in one more.
Can you spot the dragonfly?
Have you been watching the Olympic Games? Imagine what is must be like to have the title of the fastest man or woman in the world or to be the very best at your sport. Were you inspired to try anything new?
See you soon!
What a week we had! It all began with opening ceremonies Olympic style. We stamped our passports and headed for Brazil. After making visors and flags, we met our fellow second grade athletes down at the field and recited the Olympic Oath together. Festivities kicked off with an Olympic torch relay.
Later on we made rain sticks to represent the rainforests in South America then we were off to Australia.
We practiced some of the slang from down under and played a fun game called "Who's caught the roo?". After learning about the Aboriginal Art form of dot painting, we tried it out. Mr. Gansenburg showed us how to play a didgeridoo!
The next day we stamped our passports to enter China. We joined our fellow Olympians for a chopstick chicken relay. Back inside we practiced using chopsticks, made tangram pictures, painted fans with Chinese symbols and played Chinese Checkers.
The next day we explored Africa. We began in the northern region learning about the customs of Egypt. Decked out in gilded headdresses and collars, we worked on reading and writing hieroglyphics. In the afternoon we traveled south and explored the cultural tradition of African mask making and played Mancala.
Our last stop was India. Two first grade students visited to teach us traditional games they play. In the afternoon we had fun learning a tag game called Ko Ko. We learned about the art form of henna and practiced some designs. Later, we read a traditional tale and played snakes and ladders. Mrs. C. brought in hand carved wooden elephants from India. We listened to traditional music as we colored in mandala elephant designs.
Where can your imagination take you?
Sorry for the delay with this post. We've been SO busy in class publishing books and finishing projects. I have posted a few recent pictures on Twitter lately. I hope you've seen them! @mrsholm2
We had a great time visiting the New England Aquarium in Boston. This trip supports our science curriculum as we study animal habitats and adaptations. Thank you to our chaperones for your help and time and for the great photos!
We saw a sea lion show upon arrival. This was a great demonstration of how intelligent animals are and how effectively humans and animals can work together.
There were several opportunities for hands on discovery including a new exhibit about turtle rescue and rehabilitation.
Some of the highlights of the trip were the penguin exhibit, the sting ray and tiger shark touch tank and the IMAX 3D show "Secrets of the Ocean".
Look what a little creativity and a lot of
Model Magic can do!
Now we're learning about fossils, roots, and shoots!
What did you learn today?
There's never a dull moment around here! There is so much to learn and so many ways to do it. In social social studies we've been learning about famous landmarks in the US and around the world. Now that we know all the continents, it is interesting to learn about the natural and manmade structures that add to the history and culture of each place.
Since we're also learning about geometry and measurement, we worked in groups to build landmarks from base ten and attribute blocks.
Everyone chose one landmark to research then constructed it from model magic. Look for an upcoming post to see the results....they came out great! We learned many amazing facts.
In addition to academics, we're always working on showing HEART. We recently filled our HEART jar and celebrated with a games party.
We've been very busy writing stories. Everyone has chosen a favorite story to make into a hard cover book. Recently two local authors visited the second graders.
Kristine Asselyn gave us great advice for writing and showed us some of her published fiction and non fiction books.
Erik Matson inspired us to try our hand at science fiction and signed our class copies of his books.
Be sure to ask your child what he or she is writing about!
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