Learning and More Through Quarter Four

Traveling Letters (Flat Stanley Project)

Remember how special it is to get a handwritten note from a friend?  Some say letter writing is a lost art, but I’m here to say it is alive and well- at least in second grade at Columbia Elementary School!  We sent out 150 letters to family and friends around the globe.  Our return mail was posted on a large wall map stretching from California to Australia and many places in between!  Yes, the art of handwriting is indeed alive.

                   

 Are you in the green routine?  We definitely are in second grade!  This unit focuses on conservation of resources and environmental consciousness.  To get in the green routine, some students created inventions using recyclable materials.  Did you know a park bench can be made from 480 gallon plastic milk jugs?  The steam was really pouring out of the compost piles!  Everyone can take leaves and grass clippings to the Recycling Center to help build the rich compost!  This really wowed our students!

    

   Second Grade Classes Go “Prehistoric”

The second grade teachers have been doing this project for several years.  It makes the study of dinosaurs more interactive for students.  Students will start this project by researching the many types of dinosaurs from their iPads, in the computer lab, and from library books.

After researching their dinosaur, they will begin writing, drawing and illustrating.  The students will step into their character and vividly describe their dinosaur’s appearance, eating habits and habitat.  The students will love becoming teachers, as they present their dinosaur to fellow students, family and friends.

Toontastic iPads

I'd like to start out by saying that my second grade classroom  thorougly enjoys using iPads to learn. We have had many opportunities with many different Apps to explore learning to become stronger readers. Perhaps the most fascinating App for my second graders has been Toontastic. This App is a cartoon App where students can tell their own story and animate it with their own characters, voice and creative ideas. My students have had a great time creating their own stories or using stories and animating the characters. This App allows the students to choose characters, props and settings or create their own by drawing them. My favorite part is hearing the students voices as they begin to retell a story. I feel like my second graders are very motivated to use this wonderful App to continue to grow in the area of fluency.