Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas to all of our St. Sylvester families! Enjoy the time off with your second grade angels and have a healthy and blessed New Year!

Special Fossil Lesson

This year our school has been lucky enough to be chosen by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to partner with on how to improve learning in science. This partnership will afford many opportunities to our school, teachers, and students all year long. The teachers at St. Sylvester have already attended a few workshops hosted by the museum. Last week, two of the educational directors at the museum came to teach a lesson on fossils to our second grade class.

First, they presented actual fossils to each of the small groups of second graders to examine and discuss. There were remains from both plants and animals identified.



Then, the students listened to a description of the steps in which a fossil forms. The last portion of the activity was when each of the second graders made their own"fossils." Everyone put clay on the bottom of a cup and then pressed a seashell into the clay to make an imprint. Later, we filled each imprint and cup with plaster. Once these are set, the students will remove the clay and the imprint left on the plaster will act as a fossil. Look for these "fossils" to come home sometime this week and ask your son or daughter how it was formed!

 

Christmas Concert

 What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit! The whole school came together this past Sunday to share their singing and instrumental talents for all of their school peers and families to enjoy. After a lot of hard work by Ms. Fox, their music teacher, they were ready to perform! Thank you to all of the families that attended the annual Christmas concert and also the family potluck afterwards. We truly are blessed to have such an activity and vibrant community here at St. Sylvester School. 

Dinosaur Project

The second grade's dinosaur science project was given out last week. It is due back on Monday, December 17th. Each student was given one dinosaur to read about and research. There are two physical things due on December 17th. 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 or purchased at a store. 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: Monday December 17th

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have been getting ready for the holiday in Room 205! First the students celebrated an all-school Mass together this morning. Prior to the beginning of the Mass, the second grade class presented all of the canned goods that were donated for the St. Sylvester food pantry. A large section of the altar was filled with all of the wonderful foods and treats families brought in over the last month. Thank you to all of the families who participated by sending in the much appreciated food donations.

Back at school, the second graders paired up to work on a Thanksgiving poem. Each group made a small poster that went along with their spoken part. Everyone worked together very nicely and at the end of the day we were able to present the poem to our seventh grade buddies!

Everyone should see the turkeys that the second graders worked hard on this afternoon, as they were sent home today. The students used their footprints and handprints to put together a colorful turkey decoration. They also thought hard about all of the things they are thankful for in their lives to write on the feathers. I hope that this decoration helps brighten up your home this season!

Lastly, I would like to wish each and every one of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Butterfly Life Cycle

As I am sure you have heard, we have some classroom pets in Room 205! Two weeks ago, we received ten caterpillars in jars. We watched them grow dramatically in size and eventually pupate into chrysalis. These chrysalides were then transferred into a larger netted cylinder where they eventually will emerge as Painted Lady butterflies. Every child will have a chance to sit with the caterpillars, chrysalides and finally butterflies to observe closely these amazing creatures. Every family should receive back their child's caterpillar diary in a couple of weeks. In it the students recorded some of their observations. We will keep the butterflies in our classroom through their life cycles as it is too cold to let them go outside. I really believe this project helped the students understand life cycles better and is ultimately an unforgettable experience. I have posted pictures here of the caterpillars getting ready to go into the pupal stage as well as a couple of students showing off their caterpillar diary work.

Halloween

       
       

Buddy Time

Every month this year, the second grade class will be meeting with their seventh grade buddies to do an activity. In the past, these buddy activities have really brought the kids together and friendships have bloomed. Today, the students met their buddies for the first time and read to them. Afterwards, they drew an illustration of their favorite part of the story. The seventh graders are real leaders and helped the second graders feel comfortable. Ask your son or daughter about who their buddy is and what book they read together today!

Arnold Lobel Author Study

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 Venn Diagrams comparing and contrasting the two main characters: Frog and Toad. This a great way to organize comparing information and we will be using them throughout the school year. The last activity the students completed 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!

Hispanic Heritage Month: Chile

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month the second grade class has been learning all about Chile. We have read and discussed the geography, the arts, sports, and food and drink.  The culmination was a video the students put together showcasing some of their new knowledge. Ask your son or daughter about the most interesting thing they learned about Chile!

Plants

Our class has begun the first chapter in science. They will be learning about plants throughout this chapter. This week, each child started their own science dictionaries in which they will include important information, new vocabulary, and predictions/outcomes of experiments done in chapter one. The main ideas in this chapter are:

-There are different kinds of plants.

-Plants need water, air, and sunlight to grow.

-Parts of a plant are roots, stem, leaves, and flowers.

-Flowers make seeds.

-Seeds are scattered by wind, water, and animals.

-Food and other useful products come from plants.

In school, every child planted seeds last week. What better way to study and observe plants than to grow our own! The above picture was taken one week after planting. Look at how much they have already grown. Be sure to ask your child about how their plant is doing over the next days and which of the above topics we are covering.

  Each student also put together a diagram of a plant and labelled the most important parts: the roots, stem, leaves, and flower. On the backside they wrote about the three things that every plant needs in order to grow. We will be sure to continue to care for our plants and watch as they change and grow each day!

Three Addend Addition Video

In this video, two second graders describe how they add three numbers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dljazYfLAXA

Enjoy!

Grapefruit Observations

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!