Second Grade update

Second Grade has been very busy lately.  I would like to catch you up on many of the various activities we have participated in over the past few weeks.

Recently we completed our Native American unit.  We learned about the kind of food they ate, how they gathered/hunted for it and how they preserved it.  To aid in this lesson, we sampled dried berries, pumpkin seeds, jerky, and nuts.  We wrapped up our Native American unit by having a pow wow.  We projected a burning fire on the SmartBoard to simulate a campfire.  Each person of our “tribe” read the legend they wrote.

We also wrapped up our science unit about animals and fossils.  At the end of the unit we made replicated fossils out of clay and leaves.

Our primary grades are participating in Journey North, which is a National Science experiment.  A few weeks ago, we planted our tulip bulbs in the community garden.  We will log and track our tulip’s progress over the next several months. For more information about Journey North, you can visit their website at: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Second grade is also preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth.  In one math activity, Mrs. Murray handed the students strips of paper of various lengths along with a ruler.  Mrs. Murray called out a measurement, and each student had to find the strip of that length and glue it on to the ornament.

Finally, our class spread some Christmas cheer by caroling at a nearby nursing home.  After we sang for the residents, we delivered our handmade cards.

“She gave birth to her first born, a son.  She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:11

Native American projects

2^nd grade was assigned an at-home project.  Each child was to choose what which replica they wanted to make.  They could make one of the following: pottery, a drum, a tomahawk, a dream catcher, or a rain stick.  Check out these wonderful creations!

Native American crafts and games

Our class has continued the study of Native Americans.  We have constructed a few items to further reinforce the Native American culture.  One activity was creating beads.  We painted xeroxed paper which had long acute triangles printed on it. 

 Afterward, we cut over the black lines and rolled each triangle from the base to the tip.  We glued down the tip creating a “bead.”  Finally we strung our beads on natural fiber thread.

Another activity we made was a "dart and hoop."  This was a popular game among Native American children.  The toy was constructed of a stick connected to a small hoop by a long string (both the hoop and the string were usually leather).  The object of the game is to swing the hoop up in the air and jab the stick through the hoop. We made our hoop and darts using a stick, natural fiber thread, and cardboard.  The kids had a lot of fun  playing this game of coordination!

Native American Dress-up

Our class has worked very hard creating headbands and beads for necklaces.  We added "tatoos" before going to lunch.  Other classes dressed as Pilgrims and Native Americans as well to reinact the first Thanksgiving.

Field Trip to Museum of Discovery

2nd grade went on a field trip to the Museum of Discovery to further enrich our unit about Native Americans.  The first presentation we visited was "Animal Tales." Dave and Kevin entertained the class with many Native American legends.  Additionally, we learned more about animals and how they shape the Native American culture.

                                                     Dave shows the class the skin of a
                                                   Western Diamondback rattle snake

                                             Kevin shows the class "Zack" the painted turtle

Dave showed the class "Brownie" the brown tarantula, which is native to Arkansas.  With Dave's permission, some of us were brave enough to touch its abdomen!  We learned that brown tarantula's bites are no more harmful than the sting of a wasp and they only bite when provoked.

The second presentation was given by the Dancing Eagles.  The Pahsetopah Family is from Oklahoma and performs Native American dances.  We were invited to do some of the easier dances with them.

Red Hat Winner!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! One of our very own 2nd graders won the Red Hat contest for Red Ribbon Day!

Mrs. Murray is Missing!

The 2^nd grade blog will be on a sabbatical as Mrs. Murray is on her 6-week maternity leave with her new little cowboy.  Dakota Edward Murray was born on Sept. 27, 2012 weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 19 inches in length.

Poet "tree"

          This week we delved into an autumn project and combined that with an art lesson and the history of haikus.

Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed this technique in 1886, which was inspired by the impressionism era.

The haiku originates from Japan and is always nature inspired.  Haikus consist of three unrhyming lines.  The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the last line concludes with 5 syllables.

Each student painted an autumn tree using the pointillism method (with q-tips) and wrote an autumn haiku.

         

Check our some of the pointillism artwork...

                                     (above) Lily
                                     (below) Jacob

Here are the fabulous haikus our 2nd grade wrote:

fall is wonderful

leaves are falling forever

we are having fun

…Walt…

__________________

Leaves fall to the ground

Off the treetops in the air

As they make no sound

…Kailey Grace…

           _____________________

leaves turn red, orange, yellow

birds fly south for the winter

leaves fall from the trees

…Devon…

__________________

the wind is blowing

the leaves are changing color

apples on the tree

…Lily…

_________________

fall is really cold

the leaves fall down in the fall

in fall the leaves change

…Jacob…

________________

Wind blows in the sky

Ripe apples on every tree

The leaves are falling

…Owen…

squirrels and mice store food

chipmunks, rats, bears, skunks sleep in

pumpkins are ripe too

…Michael…

____________________

 

 

"Gourd"geous characters

This past week our class used gourds from our community garden.  Each 2nd grader chose a gourd and painted it to resemble a person.  They gave their gourd a name and created a personality.  After painting the gourds, each student wrote about the characteristics of their gourd.  You are welcome to visit our gourd community in the primary hallway! :)