Every Friday the 2nd graders have show and tell. At St. James, our students are active in public speaking in various forms. “Show & Tell” is a great way for students to become excited and confident in speaking in front of crowds. In tying in with our animal science, we had some special visitors for show and tell. The students who brought their animals were very knowledgeable and gave great information to the class. This is one of several ways that we learn through hands on learning.

The 2nd graders have library time once a week. This is a very exciting day for all of us! The library volunteer starts off with a read-aloud when we arrive at the library. Afterward, the students are able to checkout a book to take home and read. We then go to our classroom to have independent reading time. The students are provided with flexible seating areas to enjoy their reading before we start our next lesson. Library time helps create a greater love for reading for our students.

The second graders wrapped up their unit of study on matter by doing a root beer float experiment. The students discussed the three forms of matter and made predictions about what would happen when the liquid was added. They were all very excited to enjoy the treat that was the product of the experiment. Afterwards, the second graders wrote a reflection in their science journal about the outcome of the experiment.

The second graders did a collaborative activity on the first day of school. The students were put into groups of four. Each group was given a plastic cup, gummy worm, gummy lifesaver, and a paperclip for each person. After going over the rules for the activity, the students collaborated on ways to achieve the activity. This was a great activity because it required each person in the group to be involved in problem-solving different ways to get the gummy worm into his life jacket without poking any holes in either one, and without touching them with their hands. The students really enjoyed it and wanted to do the activity again!

The second graders at St. James do a landform project that ties in with our science. The parents are involved with helping their child create various landforms. We had some great projects. Some were created out of food! Some had erupting volcanos! We even had a running waterfall! The students researched and learned about several landforms before deciding the type of project that  they were interested in creating. The parents enjoyed the project just as much as the students did!