2nd Grade Science
Animals in Winter
News and Happenigs
Dear Second Grade Parents,
WOW!!!! 2nd grade scientists have been incredibly busy! They finished their insect reports in digital format either on Educreations or Book Creator. Together, we have learned a tremendous amount about using apps in our 45 minute science time. First, Mrs. Gendron’s class started using Educreations and the other classes used Book Creator. With Mrs. Hincks help, we learned how to use PebbleGO to research and we used KidzSearch to locate pictures for our reports. Children were instructed to report on metamorphosis, food, habitat, and a fun fact. Not everyone included the specified information; HOWEVER, I was amazed at their creativity and technical savvy. They took pictures of plastic insects or they found pictures of insects in school. They made their own insect noises. One student titled a page “The OMG page” and I thought this must be FABULOUS- something very “sciency.” Instead, the child figured out how to list emojis… OMG= emoji in kid spelling. Hahaha
I know this is such a busy time of the year; it is difficult to watch or do one more thing, but I am sending a video of each class’s insect reports. Your kids would love to watch the whole thing- you might just want to see your child, so I will send a note indicating each child’s time in the video. Your children are very proud of this accomplishment- I hope you're able to watch it. Please note- as with any first attempt at something new there were a couple of glitches- lost projects, incorrect information, improper alignment or “mouths” that didn’t open. As I said, we all learned a great deal.
The next thing on our list was learning about animals in winter. We researched using books from the library, went to the Stage Nature Center and created a winter scene using pictures from the Upper School Woods and Michigan animals that might be found in those woods. The children made dens/burrows for their hibernators. The best part came when we collaborated with Mrs. Hincks and Mr. Haratsaris and used ChatterPix to make the animals mouths move and tell the story of hibernation, adaptation or migration. True gems! The videos will be linked at the bottom of the letter- they’re short- 5 minutes tops! Thank you to Mrs. Hincks, Ms. Mattson-Draper, Mr. Haratsaris and classroom teachers as we pulled kids out to finish their segment.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Wishing you happy holidays and a healthy new year filled with love and laughter! Remember to bring back a small bag of sand from your travels- we'll add it to our collection.
Carpe Diem!
Diana Matthews
Insect & Animals in Winter Videos
Insects:
Animals in Winter:
Mrs. Lockhart's class-
Insects:
Animals in Winter:
Mrs. Gendron's class-
Insects:
Animals in Winter- produced by Mrs. Hincks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2KXGMZI_ms
Dr. Ludy's class-
Insects:
Animals in Winter:
Upcoming Events
Upcoming events- STEM session 2 will start immediately when we get back from break (1/5). Sign up will go live December 22nd or 23rd. You will need to put in all of your information…again, but it will be good for the 2016 year. It should be listed under the Sumer Programs button on the portal.
Family Engineering Night is back and will be better than ever! Mrs. Morgana and I have been planning like crazy. Monday, February 1st - more details to come after break.
Please consider taking a pet home over break- Cinnabon, the Guinea Pig or Princess Yoda, the little dwarf hamster ;)