February Fun…and Learning!

Cold February temperatures led to indoor recesses. Those February indoor recesses seem so far away now. Here’s Shiloh sharing her k’nex creation made during indoor recess.

We congratulated Alexis for receiving her certificate for completing Addition on Xtramath!

On February 13th, we celebrated 100 days of learning together!

Here the C8 students are proudly displaying their 100th Day of School certificates!

The next day, on February 14th, we celebrated Valentine’s Day by exchanging valentines and eating yummy food. Here are the bags we used to exchange our valentines.

Here is Maddox’s project.

We did clay projects in art class using the pinch technique.

Mrs. Mullins chose some of our project for display in the lobby for the whole school community to see. The other projects were sent home with the students.

Shiloh’s is on the left and Timmy’s is on the right.

Here is Keviane’s project.

Kaylee’s is on the left and Kendall’s is on the right.

We did a unit in Geography unit in Social Studies. In this unit, we learned how to read maps and how to identify types of landforms and to locate the world’s continents and oceans. The students worked on world map posters and landform posters.  Here are some photos of them working hard on these posters.

Andrew using his social studies book for reference.

Some worked at their desks while others preferred to use the floor as their workspace.

Some students worked independently while others discussed and problem solved together.

The Red Sox table working hard.

Victoria, Ethan and Evan working on their world map posters.

Amber, Adrianna, Alexis and Timmy are hard working second graders!

Shiloh and Calista coloring their continents!

We sure had some fun times working and learning together in February!

100+ Days of Second Grade – Part 3

We came back in 2019 ready to learn! We worked on money with some math games…”Roll to a Quarter” or “Roll to a Dollar.” Mrs. Nelson, Mr. Marion and I supervised and assisted the students in playing these learning games.

We have been studying the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctica as well as matter in Science. That means hands-on experiments that we wrote up in writing as lab reports. The students got to experience what it was like for polar animals to survive in icy water habitats. They put their hands in ice water first. Then they did it again with a “blubber glove” and felt the difference. Below is just one photo of this experiment. You can see more under the Student work 18-19 tab.

Annesta demonstrating the “Blubber Glove”.

The students also did experiments with matter. We saw water change state of matter by putting ice cubes on our heater. We also did an experiment with making a chemical change by mixing vinegar and baking soda to make a gas. Here is the photo of this experiment.

Samil and Nathan assist in this experiment. The students were excited to see the balloon fill up with the gas created by the vinegar and baking soda.

We culminated our matter unit with matter projects that the students made at home and shared with us at school. Here are most of the matter projects. Individual photos can be found on the student work 18-19 tab.

Oops . . . I almost forgot to post the photos of these matter projects that came in late.

Although we haven’t had any snow days, there have been many days that have been too cold to go outside. Luckily we have lots of things to play with indoors. Here are some photos of some of the students creations at indoor recess.

On the 100th day of school we had another challenge from Zero the Hero. He brought 5 containers and the students had to estimate the amount in each container. They also had to decide if that number was greater than, equal to or less than 100.

When they were finished with the challenge, they were able to receive a baggie with three cookies from Zero that they had to use to build 100.

It’s been a busy 100 days of learning in C8 and the rest of the school year will be just as busy!

February Finished With Lots of Learning Fun!

IMG_3196

We are 100 Days Smarter!

We celebrated the 100th Day of School on February 24th! The students did a 100th Day Estimating Jar hands-on math activity. They were asked to estimate the objects in the jar. Then we counted each of the jars. Finally the students figure the difference between their estimates and the actual amounts.

IMG_3194

Brian thinking hard about his estimate!

IMG_3195

Estimating is harder than it looks!

IMG_3198

We counted the unifix cubes and plastic animals by tens and ones.

IMG_3199

The sugar cubes were counted by hundreds, tens, and ones.

IMG_3200

The wooden color cubes were the easiest for most students to estimate.

Learning time was more fun when we used our bodies to make the clock. Kinesthetic learning is just another method to help the students make connections and understand. Twelve students were the numbers and two more were the hands.

IMG_3214

Brooklynn was the minute hand and Nick was the hour hand.

IMG_3223 - Version 2

The students are enjoying writing on the whiteboard with the smart projector pens.

We are getting more proficient at using the Epson smart projector that we are lucky enough to have in our classroom. I am learning along with the children. It has really enhanced our instruction and the students are very engaged in the lessons. We are using the technology in all subject areas from language arts, to math, to science and social studies.

IMG_3228

Here Mrs. Marvin is using the Ziggy document camera to flash our Fundations flashcards for our daily drill.

IMG_3192 - Version 2

The word web the students created in our grammar lesson on verbs.

IMG_3265_2

The students graphed their favorite Boston sports team in math. The data is more meaningful if it is personal to the children.

IMG_3220

I wish this photo was able to capture how impressive these students were.

Finally we had an assembly for Jump Rope for Heart! Students from Londonderry, NH did an amazing job demonstrating their unbelievable jump roping skills while they also taught the children about healthy food choices and exercise. 

Celebrating Special Children and Caring for Others in C-8!

We celebrate love and caring in the month of February. One of our classmates, Hannah, was recognized this quarter at the special PAWS recognition breakfast. Hannah was one of eleven children in the school to receive this recognition. She was nominated for her patience and kindness toward a fellow classmate when she helped him in their reading group. Hannah received her award from State Representative Colleen Garry. We are very proud of you Hannah!! You set a great example for the rest of the students!

10491283_787272121342379_5589842093711811421_n

Hannah front and center after receiving her special PAWS recognition award.

 

We are also proud of two of our students who have completed the Addition level of Xtramath!

Way to go Brian and Victoria!

IMG_3178

IMG_3180

Finally, as part of our Brookside Community of Caring, our class participated in the second grade Read-a-thon. They spent the entire day reading! This reading took the form of independent reading, buddy reading, listening to a book on CD or read aloud by a teacher. We even read math literature! The money we raised will enable us to create and donate book kits to the Dracut Library that can be used by the entire library system. Thank you to all the families and friends who generously donated to this special cause. What a great way to show that we care about reading and giving to others. I hope you enjoy looking at these photos of the Read-a-Thon.

IMG_3182

Comfy children reading on the rug!

IMG_3183

Snuggled up with their books!

IMG_3184

Gabriela and Alyssa….best buddies with their books!

IMG_3185

Reading is double the fun in C-8!

IMG_3186

Some of our boys took over the library!

IMG_3188

Gaige and Brian so deep into their stories they didn’t even see me capture this moment!

IMG_3189

Sharing a penguin book with a friend while istening to the CD at the listening center.

IMG_3181

Looks like a sleepover!

Special Visitor Today!!

IMG_1602

Today we had a special visitor, Kate Ahern, who is an adaptive technology consultant who works with our classmate Kendra. She spoke to the class explaining Rett Syndrome to the children. The children learned that it is something that some girls are born with. They learned that it comes from genes and it is not something that you can “catch”.  They discussed possible rules for helping Kendra to be successful at school and how to be a good friend to her.  They learned that it is important to give her space and how to watch her eyes and her body language to figure out what she may want. They learned that they need to be patient and give her time to respond.

They learned that the same rules apply that they would any other student at school. There is no need to talk to her any differently than they would to another classmate. Even though Kendra can’t speak, she can understand and she can get her feelings hurt just like any other second grader. They promised to help her and to help other students at school to learn how to help her too.

Then Kate showed the children Kendra’s “talker” which is the specialized computer that helps her to communicate with her eyes. She asked the children if they would help Kendra learn to use her new program on her computer by being “aided language input helpers”.  We will be having one child a day spending some time using the computer with Kendra. The children thought it was a great idea.

Finally, Kate informed us that girls with Rett Syndrome can get sick easier than other children and it takes them a lot longer to recover from illness so it is very important for the children to be careful about being sick around her.  She then asked the children if they had questions. They certainly did and Kate stayed and answered every single one of their questions. We were very lucky to learn more about Kendra and Rett Syndrome from Kate today. Thank you Kate!

Lots of Learning to Share ~ Part 2

We have been finishing up our Habitats Science & Language Arts Unit by sharing our Arctic and Antarctica Animal Projects. We are learning a lot by sharing these wonderful projects with our classmates. Some children made posters. Others made dioramas. We even had two crossword puzzles and one written report. All of the children really worked hard and the projects look amazing! We hope to have them all shared and sent home by Friday. Here is a photo of all the projects but I will be posting all the individual projects on our new student work page. Please check them out!IMG_1591

The start of the Winter Olympics coincides with the start of our Geography Unit in social studies/language arts. The students are learning about the 7 continents and the 5 oceans. I showed the children a neat website where they could see a globe turn into a map and back again. You can also tilt the globe to look at it at different angles. The children asked me to give you the link so they can share it with you at home. The link is:

http://www.digital-week.info/education/mapping_our_world/mapping_our_world/05-GlobeUnwrapped/GlobeUnwrapped.htm

Today we had a shared geography hands-on activity with Mrs. Saucier’s class. The children were paired up with a child from the other class and they were assigned a country that is involved in the Winter Olympics. They received a blank country worksheet and a outline of that country’s flag. The children had to work together to use beginner atlases to research important information about that country and record that information. Then they had to color the flag in the authentic colors of that country’s flag. As you can see by the photos, the students were very engaged in this activity and it was a nice change to work with students from another classroom. We will be adding this work to an Olympic display that is being constructed on the hallway wall with the World Map. I’ll post a photo when they are all hung up.

IMG_1547

Sal and his partner get comfortable on the rug.

IMG_1551

Hailey and Jordan discuss what they are learning.

IMG_1553

Garrett and Gavin researching with their atlas.

IMG_1560

All the students worked very hard the entire time!

IMG_1554

Gabe and his new friend writing down the facts.

IMG_1559

Fatima and her partner worked well together.

IMG_1562

Jayden and his partner working very hard too!

IMG_1546

Amelia and Maggie locate their country on a map in the atlas.

IMG_1548

Jacob, Thomas and Kendra work on a team of three.

IMG_1556

Katie and her partner point to details they notice in their atlas.

Finally, we have some exciting news to share. Our classmate Kendra was recently recognized with a special honor. She was one of eight Brookside students who were chosen to participate in our PAWS recognition breakfast. To get this honor, students need to be recognized for going “above and beyond”.  She was nominated because of how well she has adapted and adjusted to her new school experience at Brookside. Kendra received her certificate from our principal, Ms. Smith. She was congratulated by the Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Stone and school committee members, Dr. McNamara and  Mrs. Murphy. We are all very proud of our friend, Kendra!

IMG_1539

Kendra’s mother escorts Kendra to receive her award while our special guests look on!

IMG_3850

Miss Jen and I are so proud of Kendra!

 

Lots of Learning to Share! ~ Part 1

February is such a busy month at school. We learned about Chinese New Year. Our class got to try out the tool that the DHS Mandarin teacher demonstrated when she was here earlier in the year. The students used brushes and water to try to create characters. It was hard to wait for the water to evaporate though. They enjoyed it so much that they continued using it during bus dismissal!

IMG_1519

Danielle demonstrates for Kendra how to use the brush.

IMG_1523_2

Cecily and Tierra try to create some Chinese characters.

IMG_1520_2

Meah takes the writing seriously!

IMG_1522

Katie and Maggie try it too!

IMG_1521

Ryan and Michael discuss their work!

IMG_1531

Khushi, Tierra, Oorjaa and Fatima still writing while waiting for the buses to be called!

Danielle brought in a Chinese money envelope that  contains actual Chinese money which the children got to touch and examine. We discussed how it was the same and how it was different from American money.

IMG_1534

Thank you Danielle for sharing this with your classmates!

IMG_1524_2

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

The students also wanted to share the Chinese Dragon puppets they made in art!

 

 

It’s Antarctica Calling! – A VideoChat with Neil Foley

Tuesday was a very exciting day to be a second grader in the Dracut Public Schools!  We were able to participate in a live video chat with Neil Foley, a graduate student and scientist in Antarctica. Ryan R. is one our second grade students in C-8 and Neil is his cousin. When Ryan’s mom, Andrea, heard that Mr. Berube had visited our classroom to teach the students about his time in Antarctica in the 60s, she suggested the video chat.

DSC_0499

Everyone waiting for the video chat to begin!

DSC_0493_2

Second graders ready to talk with a live Antarctic scientist!

After a lot of planning, the event finally happened Tuesday and included all of the second grade students at Brookside, Campbell, and Greenmont. The children had the opportunity to interact with Neil by asking questions.

DSC_0496

Ryan R. greets his cousin Neil!

photo

Neil was pleased to see a familiar face!

asking_our_questions_crop

Then Ryan got down to business and asked Neil a question about frostbite!

DSC_0495

More students got to ask Neil questions too.

Neil not only chatted with the Dracut second graders in real time, he provided the children with a wonderful powerpoint he created with photos he has taken in Antarctica.

DSC_0497

While Neil talked to the students on the screen on the right, we displayed his powerpoint on the screen on the left.

DSC_0500

The children learned so much by listening to Neil explain the photos he included in his powerpoint.

The children saw the beauty of the land of Antarctica and its wildlife. Neil also showed photos that explained his scientific work there and how the scientists like Neil lived both at McMurdo station and in the “deep field.”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Mrs. Riordan introduces Mr. Berube to Neil. Mr. Berube was a naval Seabee in the 60s who helped to build McMurdo Station where Neil is living.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Two Antarctic explorers enjoy the opportunity to chat for a minute or two.

This unique learning experience was very exciting for everyone involved…the students, the teachers, and other interested adults such as Mr. Berube. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible including Mr. Stone, Ms. Smith and the rest of the Dracut Public Schools administration who were so open and supportive of this wonderful opportunity. Special thanks to Mr. Ken Moge who provided invaluable technical support throughout planning stages and coordinated the participation of all three elementary schools on the actual day of the event. Thank you to Mrs. Porcello and the rest of the second grade teaching team for their help and flexibility. Thank you to Andrea R. for the initial idea and connecting us with her cousin, Neil and to Mr. Berube for his yearly visits which inspired this event. We’re glad you were both able to attend. Lastly, thank you to Neil Foley! This event would not have been possible without you! You took the time to share a fantastic learning experience for our second grade children which they won’t soon forget! Hope we get to meet you in person some day!