Soil Scientists

Our newest science unit is a hands-on discovery of soil, an incredibly interesting, accessible material that surrounds us in our daily lives, both figuratively and literally. As soon as we began our unit, discussions among students were centered around the idea that soil is important for many reasons. After an impromptu lesson on food chains, we all agreed that without soil, we couldn't survive, even if we aren't vegetarians!

Earlier this week we each constructed our own compost bags from soil and compost materials around our school's perimeter. In the bags we put damp soil, and a handful or 2 of composting leaves, twigs, etc. A few lucky scientists even ended up with some bugs!

After exploring the local soil and compost, we added live earthworms to our bags. We brainstormed a list of predictions regarding what the worms will do in our bags. Unfortunately, earth worms do not transform very much. Students were pretty bummed about that, until they saw their worms burrowing holes in their soil!! 

Next, we experimented with three types of materials: natural clay, sand, and humus (not the snack!). Students used 4 out of their 5 senses to describe each material. They also observed each material being shaken in a test tube, and predicted what would happen after the mixtures settled overnight. 

G'day Mates!

Yet again the scholars of Room 9 are jet-setting across another ocean, this time for Australia, the land down under! Australia is home to many unique animals, landmarks, and types of climates. To begin our unit, we discussed together what we already know about Australia. Most of our ideas included things about kangaroos and koalas. Next, we brainstormed questions we have about Australia. We have done this in the past - it's known as a KWL chart. We list what we Know, Want to know, and Learned (at the end).

For our first activity, we took a trip to the zoo! Students were split into 5 different groups. At each station, as they opened numbered envelopes including photos and information about a certain animal, they made predictions about which animal they were learning about. 

At the end, after each group rotated to all 5 spots, we came back together and reviewed some of the facts we learned. Did you know that the platypus is a mammal that lays eggs? Ask your child what we call that!

Next, we spent time conducting research on different landmarks, famous places, and important aspects of Australia. As groups rotated around the room watching different videos, reading nonfiction texts, or looking at photographs, they recorded factual information on a poster. There was one catch - your fact must be original! There cannot be repeated facts on the poster. To make things more challenging, students ended the activity in the same spot they began, making it more difficult to add a fact not yet written by another group!

Sensory Images

 

As readers, it's important to be active learners with each book we pick up to read. Recently we have been learning about making Sensory Images while we read. What is a Sensory Image? Try it now. Pick up a book, newspaper, or something to read. Use your 5 senses to make a mental picture in your head. Are you reading a news article about the snow record in Boston? Try using your sense of touch to help you "feel" how cold the air is. 

To begin the unit, we read two books:

 

 

Before we began reading, students activated 4 out of their 5 senses by seeing, smelling, hearing, and touching things that came from the ocean! We checked out beach photos, smelled a bottle of sunscreen, heard waves crashing and seagull sounds, and touched small seashells and sand. Then, students listened to the book as it was read aloud to them, without looking at the pictures. Afterwards we talked about how they made sense of the story. They used their sensory information to make images and movies in their head while they heard the words.

Throughout this unit we will not only be making sensory images together, but we will be challenging ourselves to make sensory images on our own. Today, after reading Dragons Love Tacos (silliest book!) we determined that sensory images help readers do 3 important things:

• Understand the story better
• Keep us more engaged
• Help us with a stronger retell 

Encourage your child at home to make sensory images while he or she is reading!

Pourquoi Tales

After reading countless Fairytales and Folk Tales over the past few months, we zoomed in on a specific type of Folk Tale that explains why things happen and why things are the way they are in terms of animals and nature. Here are some examples:

These kinds of Folk Tales are called Pourquoi tales, literally meaning "why" in French. 

After reading a few examples, we began brainstorming kinds of Pourquoi tales we could write: why a cheetah is the fastest animal; why an elephant has a trunk; why a giraffe has a long neck; why a rainbow is colorful; why the sky is blue... our list goes on! With the help of many graphic organizers, students have been writing their own Pourquoi tales for a few weeks, and they are coming out beautifully. The details are creative, the characters are developed well, and the structure of this writing has been strong. We cannot wait to share them with you!

(Disclaimer: I had hoped we could send these home before February vacation but the wrath of Mother Nature has put quite a damper on our Pourquoi publishing. They will be sent home as soon as we are finished after break!)

How are we the same? How are we different?

The 2 main guiding questions for our China unit of study have been

How are we the same?

How are we different?

By experiencing some of the cultural traditions of children, students, and families in China, we have been able to compare what we know about our day to day lives with theirs. We first began learning about typical meals of students in China by viewing photos and reading descriptions. Ask us about some of the things on the menu!

Our favorite part was definitely when we had the chance to use chopsticks during snack. We watched a video showing us how to use them properly, and then tried it out ourselves!

Last week we also began practicing how to say numbers 1-10 in Chinese! We listened to a silly rap song that includes auditory and visual cues in a catchy rhyming pattern. We'll be continuing to listen and practice. After reading the book My Pet Dragon that aligns Chinese symbols with illustrations, we painted Chinese characters with black watercolor paints, even making up our own. We learned that although the symbols in our language may look much different, we all use them in the same way.

Performing Fairy Tales

What better way to learn about familiar Fairy Tales and Folk Tales than acting them out yourself? Beginning last week we read, reread, and reread some more some more 3 Fairy Tale plays perfect for a group of second graders. During reading, this gave us an opportunity to focus heavily on reading our lines with fluency: does your voice change with your character? Should you sound sad or excited here? How would you say that line if you were your character? Check out these awesome actors and actresses hard at work!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Activity

Last Friday we sat down together to talk about the reason for the long weekend. It's more than just a nice break in January! We remembered that we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday on this day. We discussed what we knew about MLK Jr. - he was accepting of people, he helped people of all skin colors, he made a very famous and very important speech... the list goes on. After our discussion, I told the class that while I read aloud Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, they could take the paper and crayon I was handing out to them and color a beautiful picture. Sounds relaxing, right? Well, there's a catch. Here's what they got...

It took so much willpower (on my part) not to call on the hands that were shooting up in the air as soon as they got their materials! A few minutes into the story, I looked up at 18 blank stares and 18 "blank" pieces of paper. "Where are your pictures?! I told you to draw a beautiful picture!". The muttering was beginning to grow louder until one brave soul cried out "Miss Guerriero, I can't use this black crayon on black paper!" They decided, almost unanimously, that they should switch colors with a friend. What ensued was nothing short of special - not a voice could be heard, only the work of 18 artists drawing the beautiful pictures I had asked for earlier.

When I finished the book, we talked about why I asked them to color with the same paper and crayon, and what this had to do with MLK Jr. It was one of the best group discussions of the year. Ask your child about it at home!

Thank you to herdingkats.blogspot.com for the inspiration!