Writing
As students wrap up their research on their chosen topic, we have moved on to new parts of our nonfiction writing packet. On the “Be a Teacher” page, they are using the notes they have taken to create question and answer based facts on their topic. Students continue work alongside a partner for these pages. They have also started to explore the Glossary page found in many nonfiction texts. During their research, students were to pull out three vocabulary words from each source. They chose 4 or 5 of these words to place in the Glossary page in ABC order, including the definition for each. We look forward to combining and sharing this information in a class book in the near future!
Science
Wow, do we have a lot to share! As mentioned in previous posts, we have been connected with a school in Atlanta, Georgia for an Environmental Exchange Box! Students came up with a list of items we could include as a class and have begun working on these components. Last week, we began by researching a few common birds of our area. These birds will be added into our box via paper craft! A few students will work on creating these birds with construction paper, adding facts about each on the back (students worked in table groups to collect this information last week). This is just one exciting piece of our box! Students will also take the lead in what photos we would like to include, what drawings we could make of our area, what we should include in our letter greeting the other class, and even how we could create a video that shows more of our environment! They have come up with some spectacular ideas.
The class also worked on ways to use less paper in an effort to make a more positive impact on our planet. Congratulations to our students! They certainly reached their goal. We discovered that in one week, we had used 376 sheets of paper. After brainstorming ways to make that number decrease, we tried tracking paper another week. This time, students only used 207 sheets of paper. Well done!
Another very exciting change is that we are moving into our Sun, Moon, and Starts unit. Last week we heard some exciting star stories from Ms. Naomi, who shared with us the cultural explanations for how the sky became filled with the stars and moon. To hear more, we will be setting up a portable planetarium in our very own gym! Ms. Naomi will lead the way as we gaze at the stars and their constellations. We are very excited for this opportunity coming up this Tuesday.
Spelling
I’d like to send a special thank you for keeping up with spelling amidst some very unexpected weather and schedule changes. Students have done a great job taking responsibility with their homework and preparation! Please continue to encourage this daily practice for successful Friday quizzes. My hope is that this will teach a valuable skill as they move into 3rd grade and experience other assignments with which they must show this responsibility in learning. Great work, class!
Head on over to Mr. Smith’s page to see more updates on our morning classes!