Park Specialists' Newsletter
Second Grade Edition - First Trimester
First Trimester Recap
From Park's Art Instructor - Mrs. Ovadje
For the first trimester, students from Mrs. Neubarth, Mrs. Langins, Mrs. Olberg, Mrs. Harlander and Mrs. Starke's respective classes attended art.
Half of the second grade classrooms visit the art classroom every other day. In January, my art students will go to STEM and I will get to meet the rest of the second grade students!
In art, we explore many materials and create numerous projects each year. Students work with a variety of materials, including markers, crayons, watercolor paint, tempera paint, collage, pastels, oil pastels, paint sticks and clay. While making art, students explore line, shape, color, texture and space.
Projects completed this trimester:
- The Dot, based on Peter Reynold's book, "The Dot"
- Shading pumpkins with oil pastels
- Creating our own version of "Starry Night" - inspired by Impressionist painter, Vincent Van Gogh
- Wacky Picasso portraits
- Choice-based art, inspired by Mondrian
Students are keeping their artwork in a portfolio. At the end of January, students will bring their portfolios home. Some of the fabulous art pieces will be kept for the art show in the spring and then returned to their creator.
Works of Art
Works of Art
Work of Art
From Park's Librarian - Ms. Shadis
In the Library:
One of our favorite activities was reading some great books, such as: Biblioburro, The Man who walked between the Towers, Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton, How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, Rabbit's Snow Dance, and Thank you, Sarah, the Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving. The book covers are provided below the article.
Learning about Destiny Quest:
Second grade began the year by reviewing how to take good care of books. We found the new online library catalog, Destiny Quest, very exciting! Students can network by sending book recommendations to friends. To access Destiny Quest, visit destiny.isd423.org/ and follow the steps provided below.
- Select Park Elementary
- Login with the username: first and last name (no space)9. Example: joeschmoe9
- Enter the student's password. It is: TigersXXXX (X=lunch number)
Considering giving your child a special book for the holidays?
Here are some resources that can help:
http://bccb.ischool.illinois.edu/files/2017/11/GBGB2017.pdf
http://www.readingrockets.org/books/buyingguide/
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/
Check out Park Elementary's FREE e-books!
Below are two resources for students to access that work on any internet-connected device:
- http://www.tbcjr.com/ This website contains longer books for advanced readers. Login information is: Username: park423. Password: login
- http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/ (grades K-3) Students can listen to books while following along with the text at a variety of levels. Check it out! Login information is the same as mentioned above: Username: park423. Password: login
Need Anything Further?
You are also very welcome to contact our Teacher-Librarian, Ms. Shadis, 320-234-2616 for personalized recommendations. Thank you for encouraging the children you know and love to read -- it's an important lifelong skill!
Electronic Library of Minnesota.
Tumble Book Library
Come to Park Elementary's Book Fair! When: Thursday, Jan. 17, from 3:30-8:00 PM; Friday, Jan. 18, from 8 AM-3:00 PM. Location: Park Elementary Foyer
From Park's Technology Integration Instructor - Mr. Durheim
The first trimester of TechTime was filled with challenges and learning for second graders. We focused on three main topics.
Computational Thinking - How do we think when we try to solve a problem? That’s computational thinking! We worked on challenges which helped us learn more about our thinking strengthened problem solving skills.
Online Safety - Each year we build student knowledge about being safe online. This fall we met Clicky the yellow robot who taught us the first two NetSmartz online safety rules. We will continue to review online safety throughout the year.
G-Suite for Education (formerly Google Apps for Education) - Second graders learned how to login to their online account and access the Google Drive. Students have also been learning how to use some of the basic tools of Google Drawings including line, shapes, text boxes, and font tools .
UP NEXT: During the month of December students will participate in the Hour of Code and learn about being a responsible consumer by analyzing advertising gimmicks in our Media Literacy unit.
Please visit the TechTime website to learn more about specific activities, websites, and learning goals.
Keep up-to-date on the happenings around Park Elementary by viewing the multimedia Daily Announcements. Anyone can view these videos on Park’s website. Second graders will all have a chance to record the Daily Announcements during the third trimester.
Keyboarding Skills
We are in our second year of keyboarding as a part of the specialist rotation schedule. The program is self-paced and students progress at their own speed. Classes meet for 30 minutes every four school days.
This year, students are learning keyboarding skills using a new program called Typing Quest. This program teaches students to type on a computer keyboard and builds their skills so they can more efficiently use a computer. Students began with “TypeTastic!” games which help students to learn where keys are located on the keyboard and also develop fine-motor mousing skills. Next, students moved to “Keyboarding Kickstart” games that introduced using proper keyboarding position (home row keys). After completing all of these games, students move into the “Typing Quest” lessons which teach proper finger movements and help students to memorize key location through practice and fun games.
Some Typing Quest lessons and games are available free to home users at typingquest.com/personal. Many other typing games are available online for extra practice outside of school. A favorite of many students is DanceMatTyping.
From Park's Phy Ed Educators - Mrs. Hahn & Ms. Mueller
A typical day in the Physical Education class begins with a fitness warm-up activity. These activities vary from cardiovascular, muscular strength/endurance, and/or flexibility. The purpose of these activities is to increase the students’ awareness and level of fitness. After the warm-up, students have a lesson that focuses on the skills that will help them to be successful in the games in a unit. The, students participate in an age-appropriate game using the skill(s) practiced in that lesson.
Units covered during the first trimester:
- soccer skills
- football skills
- fitness tests
- volleyball
- bowling
Sportsmanship:
Students discussed and demonstrated good sportsmanship during Physical Education and evaluated their own sportsmanship. To continue this throughout the year, a traveling sportsmanship trophy will be awarded each month to a class that demonstrates good sportsmanship.
Reminder:
With the coming of snow and the need for boots, please help your child to remember to bring his/her tennis shoes on days that they have Phy Ed.
Sculpture Stroll Recap:
A big thank you for all your help in making the "Sculpture Stroll" a success! It was great to see students and families get out and explore our community through a healthy does of exercise. "Slices of Heaven" was selected as the students' favorite sculpture. The bulletin board is looking awesome! It is pictured below.
Walking for a Good Cause:
We will once again be doing the "Walk for Hunger" Food Shelf Drive on December 13-14.
This event combines wellness and community service for our students. All items must be brought to school by the event date so that we can get items to the McLeod County Food Shelf in time for the holidays. Last year, our students collected 2,068 pounds of food. We will be needing volunteers once again this year. Please contact us if you are able to help at 320-587-2837 or email us at bonnie.hahn@isd423.org or maggie.mueller@isd423.org
Healthy Tips:
1. Never use food as a reward. This could create weight problems later in life. Instead, reward your child(ren) with something physical and fun - - perhaps, a trip to the park or a quick game of catch.
2. Sit down to family dinners at night. If this is not a tradition in your home, make it one. Research shows that children who eat dinners, at the table, and with their parents, have better nutrition. Additionally, they are less likely to get in trouble as teenagers. Don't know how to begin? Start with one night a week, and then work up to at least three or four nights so that you can gradually build the habit.
3. Prepare plates in the kitchen. You can put the right portion of each item on everyone's dinner plate, instead of offering up a food buffet or serve-yourself style. This way, your children will learn to recognize healthy portion sizes. If adjusting to healthier portion sizes means smaller portions for your family, help make the switch seem less shocking by using smaller plates.
From Park's Music Teachers - Ms. Hauth & Mrs. Hoeft
Second grade is a time to have fun with music as students work towards the development of their music skills. During music class, students continue to explore the use of their respective singing voice and are working to increase their ability to control it. Movement, instruments, and games are incorporated into the singing of songs on a regular basis.
Students are learning to read music notation using Solfege syllables (Do, Re, and Mi), which they were introduced to in first grade. Students hear and echo the pattern first, accompanied by hand signs for each pitch. We have also begun to learn how to read patterns and songs on the music staff. Additionally, we are working on rhythmic activities designed to strengthen the ability to feel and respond to the steady beat and different meters; we have reviewed songs, rhymes, and rhythm patterns using quarter notes (“ta”), eighth notes (“ti-ti”), and quarter rest (“silence”). Students have been working hard on their aural skills and rhythmic dictation skills; being able to hear a 4 beat pattern and then say it back or write it down using the correct notation.
One of our dances this trimester was a folk dance from Sweden titled Fjaskern (Hurry, Scurry). It focused on large motor skills, moving to the beat, and responding to changing tempos. It was a lot of fun! We found Sweden on the map and wondered if children there were dancing the same dance. We also did a dance from Denmark called Syvspring (Seven Jumps).
We have a full set of Orff instruments, including xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels in each room, allowing every child to participate on an individual instrument as we play songs together as a group. We have reviewed mallet skills, steps, leaps, repeats, and direction in melodies as we have played on these instruments. Little Puppy, Little Kitty, and the storybook Mortimer are favorites to play on these instruments.
Songs students sang this trimester include: Apples and Bananas, Bow Wow Wow, Aikendrum, Happy All the Time, Little Puppy, Little Kitty, The Acorn Song, Autumn Leaves, Stirring the Brew, Frog in the Meadow, Five Little Pumpkins, Armed Forces Medley (for our All-School Veterans Day Program), Hot Cross Buns, and Jump Frog Jump. Click here to see one video of a second grade class singing, whereas another one is available below the article.
From Park's Science Specialist - Mrs. McDowell
Throughout all of the STEM projects students are continually following the Engineering Design Process to ask questions, plan, create, make observations and improve their designs along the way. Check out what your child/student has been up to these last couple of months in STEM!
Catapults!
Second grade STEM students finished their first official STEM project in early October! This project encouraged them to design and build a catapult that could launch a piece of candy corn at a target that stood 10 feet away. In order to better understand how catapults work, second graders were engaged in a series of self-discovery lessons where they learned more about levers, fulcrums, force, and motion. Finally, students followed the Engineering Design Process to ask questions, plan, create, make observations and improve their catapults along the way.
Airplanes!
Following their catapult project, second graders worked on another project that involved force and motion. They created paper airplanes that could hold a set amount of cargo (aka washers.) We had groups who built airplanes that could hold as many as 25 washers and still be flown in a straight line over a distance of 9+ feet! In order to get a better understanding of how paper airplanes work, students tested several paper airplane designs and discussed why certain ones flew better than others and what the best design would be for their project. We also discussed different forces (gravity, lift, drag and thrust) and their role in getting the airplane to fly properly. We ended this project with a Final Flight day in which students got to showcase their paper airplanes to their class, and discuss the differences of each and why some planes worked better than others.
Friction Ramps!
Their most recent project involves force yet again, but this time a different kind, known as friction. Students discovered and discussed what friction is and how it plays such a vital role in our lives; without it we wouldn’t even be able to walk, bike or drive anywhere. They were challenged to create a ramp that could slow down the speed of a washer, which is opposite of how most students are used to thinking. Typically, classroom challenges are looking for the fastest speeds/times. Using a tissue box for support and a cardboard piece for the ramp, students taped, poked holes, crunched and folded several items to slow the speed of their washer as they sent it down. They discovered which materials worked best, which did not, and why. They also discovered different techniques and tricks that could be used for the future, if of course, they were ever to do this challenge again!
STEM Challenge
STEM Challenge
STEM Challenge
Park Elementary School
Email: dan.olberg@isd423.org
Website: isd423.org/park-elementary/
Location: 100 Glen Street Southwest, Hutchinson, MN, United States
Phone: (320) 587-2837
Twitter: @parkelem