I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas Break! I know I did. Returning to school and seeing the second grade smiling faces was such a happy moment for me! These kiddos truly are the best. This month has been very busy. Two of the weeks in January involved a teacher quarantine, virtual math lessons, and Mrs. Kandice as the 2nd grade teacher. She was so sweet to the kiddos and communicated often about what a kind and bright group of students are in 2nd grade this year. Mrs. Kandice also bragged on what hard work and perseverance was demonstrated during my absence. Fun STEM Friday was taken to the next level when Kandice had the students explore how to use baking soda and shaving cream to make snow. The class also researched types of paper airplane designs, created their own paper airplanes, and competed in a distance contest. Since then, all indoor recesses involve some type of paper airplanes. Thank you, Mrs. Kandice for inspiring 2nd grade to become scientists and engineers!

This week, students participated in a Writer’s Conference. During the conference, students are required to listen to each others writing pieces and give positive and constructive feedback. We established a set of rules that included being good listeners and respecting each others accomplishments and areas of improvement. Writer’s Conference encourages taking ownership of writing and promotes face-to-face constructive conversations. Each student was required to compare and contrast two different animals and they were excellent researchers. We learned facts about the walrus and harp seal, Guanaco (related to the llama) and Fennec Fox, Dracorex (extinct dinosaur) and the Boa Constrictor, and even the Regal Horned Lizard that shoots blood from its eyes and the Red Bellied Piranha. Way to go kids!

In technology, students started a month-long group project. Ms. Kirkland had the students create storyboards that included: characters, setting, plot and climax of a story. After story boards were completed, students then designed and constructed a scene from their story. The students are currently creating movies of their story by taking series of photos using I-pads and green screens.

Upcoming events include:

-Grandparent’s Day (be on the lookout for precious art for grandparents and a video)

-Winter Break: February 15-19 (early dismissal Feb. 12 @ 11:15)

Merry Christmas from SJDS 2nd Grade! We have had an excellent first half of the year and we are looking very forward to a long break! Recently in 2nd grade, we have studied landforms and bodies of water. Students were challenged to create a playdoh model of a landform or body of water last week. They did an exceptional job!

Students also participated in this year’s Candlelight through video recorded songs and readings. Click the link below to see our very special, yet unconventional Candlelight program. Our very own Reagan Goodman and Thomas Quinn were chosen to participate in one of the readings. Good job Reagan and Thomas!

https://youtu.be/XYp6dfc2KH8

We’ve had some Christmas fun the last couple of weeks as well. Students have been very busy creating presents for their parents. They even wrapped them and put the bows on themselves. They were very proud to do this independently!

We ended our Christmas fun with a friendly STEM competition of building the tallest STANDING Christmas tree using gumdrops and toothpicks.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

How is October almost over? This month has flown by with lots of learning and lots of fun. Students are very excited about the Friday Fall Fun on October 30th which is also Book Character Day. Check back for photos of these two events soon.

Last week, second graders carved a pumpkin and counted the seeds they found inside. Some students really enjoyed getting their hands dirty while others were more inclined to watch the seed counting. We discovered there were a whopping 397 pumpkin seeds. I took the seeds home to clean and roast. Students were NOT very fond of roasted pumpkin seeds, but they did like store bought pepitas.

Last week, in technology, students were challenged to build structures that would roll. At the end of class they were allowed to use a type of robotic software to move their structure. Some students found they needed to rebuild, focusing on stability and wheel size/similarity. This was a really neat time for the kids.

Second graders received their chrome books! This has been a hot topic for many weeks. Ms. Kirkland was finally able to issue the Chromebooks and we have spent much time learning all about google classroom, Jamboard , and internet safety. Students are currently creating their own Jamboards and using the Chromebooks for an animal research project.

Happy Fall everyone! We have loved the cooler mornings the last couple of weeks and have taken full advantage of a cooler recess time! Second graders love recess at St. James. The last couple of weeks have been full of fun! We counted to 1000 recently using straws as an introduction to our new math module dealing with place value, counting, and comparison of numbers to 1,000. Students worked as a team to bundle 1000 straws into units of 10, then units of 100, and finally 1,000. They were so proud when they finished such a big job.

We’ve also been reading all about glaciers and how they can change the surface of the earth. We learned that glaciers are HUGE and can move very slowly, however sometimes a glacier can move quickly, even up to 150 feet in one day. The students watched a tutorial on how to draw a glacier. Check out their work! They are so smart and very talented artists.

If you didn’t know, second graders start every morning with reciting the classroom rules. Each week a new student is chosen to lead the group in reciting the rules. We like to start our day with high expectations. Other classroom jobs are pencil sharpener, door holder, and line leader. The students take these jobs very seriously and I am proud of their pride in our classroom.

Rule Reader

At least once a week the class participates in “workshop”. Workshop is a series of stations set up around the room that students rotate through. Stations are designed each week to practice skills that were introduced such as new spelling sounds, counting strategies, language art skills like synonyms and antonyms, and writing skills. Workshop also builds responsibility in the students as they are their own boss and must complete the tasks independently. This week the students were so diligent in their workshop stations and showed a great amount of hard work and accountability.

Second grade is looking forward to Book Character Day on October 30th. Students are allowed to choose their favorite book character and come to school dressed as that character.

*Parent conferences are next week, October 15th starting at noon. I look forward to meeting with parents and sharing the awesome work that has taken place thus far in second grade.

Blog Update!

We have been so busy the last couple of weeks finishing up our reading unit that focused on TEAMWORK and entering new math territory with adding and subtracting units of measure. In science we have moved on from a unit study on matter to studying forces in motion which are push and pull. We closed the door on Teamwork with a group challenge. The activity was called “Who Can Save Fred?” Fred the friendly worm’s boat capsized on a lake leaving him stranded on top with his life preserver stuck under the boat. Students were only allowed to use paperclips to flip the boat, put the life preserver on Fred and get him safely back in the boat without letting him drown in the water. This was a great learning experience on planning, assigning tasks, and working together to achieve a goal. Students learned very quickly they would need each other help and communication would be essential. Check out the pictures and video of their teamwork experience.

On Friday we always have a science experiment or investigation of some type. Last Friday we began to investigate force and motion with a Hot Wheels ramp experiment using different types of ramps and measured the distance of the cars. Students learned that the SLOPE and MATERIAL of the ramp determined the distance the car would travel. We also had a little bit of fun pushing and pulling each other in a bucket on the soccer field. You should really check out those photos.

This week we got a new student! Meet Easton! We are so happy to have him at St James Day School.