2011 Christmas Concert

I wanted to say thank you to all of the families who attended yesterday's Christmas concert and potluck dinner! The show was an absolute success and I was so proud of the second graders and all of the work they put into preparing for it. I also am so thankful for our music teacher, Ms. Fox, who really stepped up the magnitude of the performance. All of the students were able to showcase their talents in a show that really got us into the Christmas spirit!

Dinosaur Science Project

The second grade's dinosaur science project was given out today. It is due back on Tuesday, December 13th. Each student was given one dinosaur to read about and research. There are two physical things due on December 13th. First, each student should bring a model representing their dinosaur. This model can be sculpted, painted, or drawn, but should not be just printed off of the computer. The second thing they will need to present is a piece of yarn or string that is the length of their dinosaur.

Every student will have time that week to present their dinosaur to their classmates. During this presentation, they should be able to pronounce their dinosaur's name. Lastly, they will be asked to describe what their dinosaur looked like and also tell three interesting facts about their dinosaur. At the end of the oral presentation, their classmates will have time to ask any questions they have about the dinosaur. Please help your child prepare for this longterm project at home.

Dinosaur Project Due: Tuesday December 13th

iPad Centers

Every Thursday the second grade class works in five centers around the classroom. Centers are small group areas in which each student works on a different skill. A good example of centers that we use are: an individual writing center at desks, listening to books on tape, and reading in a small group with a teacher. For the past few Thursdays, the second graders have been using a new, very exciting center - an iPad center!! Each child gets a chance to work with a partner on building words or connecting sounds to letters. I have been very impressed with how quickly the students in this classroom have learned to use the iPads appropriately and carefully. Ask your son or daughter which iPad app they worked on this week in centers!

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween from the second grade class at St. Sylvester School!

Hispanic Heritage Month!!

Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated from September 15th - October 15th. To culminate our studies of Spanish speaking countries, St. Sylvester School had a cultural touring day last Friday, October 14th. The second grade class studied Chile in South America. Each student made a Chilean flag with tissue paper and compared it to our own flag. Then Ms. Brittany shared a beautiful poem by Chilean poet laureate, Pablo Neruda entitled "Bird." Each student had a different section of the poem that they needed to illustrate. Next, the students made fact maps of Chile. When you lift the flaps, you can find the answers to questions about Chile!

While the first, third, and fourth grade students visited our classroom for ten minutes each, the second graders took a tour of the other classrooms in our wing to learn about three other Spanish speaking countries. Ask your son or daughter about the other countries they "visited" and what they learned about them. Lastly, the first and second grade classes were invited to Senor Hurley's spanish room to learn about many of the other countries in South America. We had a great time learning about Hispanic culture and I think the students learned so much!

Author Study: Arnold Lobel

This week the second grade class has been studying one of my very favorite children's authors - Arnold Lobel. Arnold Lobel is best know for his Frog and Toad book series, but created over one hundred books in his lifetime. We started the week by learning all about Mr. Lobel's life; reading worksheets and even doing research on the computer. Next, each small reading group received a different book from the Frog and Toad series to read at home and in school.

After reading the first couple of stories, the class put together a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the two main characters: Frog and Toad. This a great way to organized comparing information and we will be using them throughout the school year. The last activitiy was a "five finger summary." On this organizer, each child traced their hand and put question words atop each finger. By answering the question words for their favorite Frog and Toad story, they are summarizing the most important information. Be sure to ask your son or daughter which story was their favorite and look for all of their outstanding Arnold Lobel work in the hallway outside our classroom!

Plants

The second grade class just wrapped up their first science unit which focused on plants. A few weeks ago, we went outside and everyone planted soaked lima bean seeds. Three seeds were planted in each cup and then watered and left in the windowsill. As we discussed plant parts, how seeds are scattered, and how people use plants, we observed the changes our own plants undertook. At one point, we noticed all of the plants were leaning towards the window. Ask your son or daughter about why that was happening and what happened when we turned them around.

The science test this week to finish the chapter will focus on new vocabulary, facts about how plants grow, labeling plant parts, and drawing pictures of how seeds are scattered. Please be sure to study hard as there is a lot of important information to remember!!

Cubs Game!

On September 21st, the first through eighth grade students took a field trip to the Cubs game! The weather ended up being great and the Cubs even won! Thank you to our six parent chaperones for helping with bathroom breaks and snack buying. Also, a big thanks to Mr. Jim Zangrilli for the awesome tickets!

Grapefruit Tasting

Poppleton the Pig is one of my favorite characters in children's literature. This week the students read the story Poppleton and the Grapefruit by Cynthia Rylant. Ask your son or daughter to summarize the story for you! Each child completed a few different activities to go along with our reading.

First, the students made "open-mind portraits" of Poppleton. To do this, they needed to color and cut out an image of Poppleton and then attach paper silhoutettes to the back. On each paper they wrote about what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. These are hanging in the hallway outside our classroom.

The other activity the students did was to observe grapefruit with all of their senses. First, they looked at the grapefruit, touched it, and finally smelled it. Next, they listened to the sound of it being cut and the juice being squeezed from a segment. Last, everyone partook in a taste test. The students took notes in their writing journals on this experience. Some children enjoyed the grapefruit, while many others did not; just like Poppleton. You can watch the slideshow of all of the children's reactions to their grapefruit tasting in the sidebar.

Ask your son or daughter whether or not they liked the taste of grapefruit!

Welcome to Second Grade!

Welcome to the second grade blog! I have included some pictures of important things in our classroom. Ask your son or daughter to let you know more about these specific areas - they should know them well by now! Thank you to all of the parents who attended Back to School Night this evening! Remember that your attendance earned your child a free dress down day for this Friday, September 2nd! I look forward to communicating with you often throughout the 2011-2012 school year!

Science Fair 2011

Yesterday the second grade students went to visit the junior high students' science projects. Today, the second grade's buddy class, seventh grade, came to visit our projects. Each student was judged by their seventh grade buddy on both their oral presentation and their written work. Thank you for helping your child completed this project at home. I will send home their rain gauge and wind socks today so that you can continue "weather watching" at home!

Science Fair

Next week the second grade class will partake in the school’s annual science fair. The topic that they will be investigating is the weather. Each student has constructed a windsock, a rain gauge, and a cloud chart in school. Today these instruments along with a thermometer were sent home. You will also find a few different “weather watching” charts in your son or daughter’s folder. The first days have been completed on these charts here in school. Over the next four days, each student must use the weather tools sent home (the cloud chart, wind sock, rain gauge, and thermometer) to measure and record the weather. One chart records wind direction and strength, another cloud cover, and the last is for both precipitation and air temperature. Please assist your son or daughter in completing each of these charts over the next four days. On Tuesday, May 10^th, all of the student’s work should be returned to school. The paperwork that they have completed can be put into a folder or simply stapled together when it is finished. I would also like the students to bring back to school their measurement tools to be displayed at the science fair along with the charts. If you have questions, please contact me at school.

Native American Shelters

Today the last of the second grade students presented their projects on different Native American shelters and their cultures. Everyone did such a wonderful job and I have loved getting to see how creative their projects are and listening to all of the interesting facts they learned. Thank you for all the help with these projects at home and don't forget to stop by the Open House this Sunday April 3rd to see them on display!