Our friends the penguins

We have been learning a lot about the Polar Regions and the animals that live there: i.e. their life cycles, what their habitat is like and how they have adapted to survive in that habitat. We have begun to learn more about penguins and the kids are very excited! Please check out the live web-cam from Sea World Orlando to watch our little penguin friends in action. There are 3 different camera angles you can choose from at the bottom. Then, be sure to post a comment below on our virtual bulletin board. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!!
** Remember to double click anywhere on the gray background to start a note, fill in your name (first name only) and then answer the questions. Remember to write in complete sentences using capitals and punctuation!.**

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Upcoming Happenings in Room 210

Hello again! I apologize for the lapse in postings - hopefully all of the following information will help get everyone back up to speed. Please also check out our updated wish list tab above, as there are several things that we need for the classroom. Thanks in advance! Here is an overview of the exciting things to come in second grade... Reading - We are coming to the conclusion of our study of fables and folktales. The children have learned so much and are working on demonstrating that knowledge through a final book report on a chosen fable or folktale. They can't wait for you to see their beautiful finished work! (Common Core RL.2.2 Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.)  Next month we will switch our focus to non-fiction texts. The children will learn about the organization and special features that help readers gain the most information out of a text. (Common Core RI.2.5 Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.) Math - We have just begun our unit on metric measurement and continue building our knowledge of basic math facts. Before the February break, they will take the Math in Focus Mid-Year Exam which covers all concepts they have learned since September. This is a lengthy exam that will be broken up over three days.  Writing - Our creative writing stories almost finished! Next we will be moving on to researching and writing our polar animal reports. Stay tuned for more details! (Common Core W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations.)) Science - After learning about the Arctic and the Antarctic, we will soon move on to learning about penguins, along with other polar animals. 'The Penguin Lady' is scheduled to visit us on February 10th! 

Our butterflies are here!!

Our first butterfly!

Wow! We had quite an exciting Friday yesterday! Not only did we arrive at school in the morning to see that one chrysalis had already opened, but we actually got to witness the birth of NINE more butterflies - all before lunch time! The red dots you see are not blood, but a leftover fluid from metamorphosis. I took a few pictures but they really can't capture the beauty of these little creatures. Our painted lady butterflies are just amazing to look at, and we made many detailed observations in our journals about what we saw. We were able to see their wings change from being limp and shriveled when they hatched, to broad and colorful within the time span of only a few hours. Here are our pictures and some awesome videos that captured the excitement in the room when they were hatching. I love to hear how the kids cheered them on. :)

What did YOU learn from watching the butterfly's life cycle? What was your favorite thing to watch?

Life cycle observations

We were so excited that our caterpillars arrived last week! By Monday several of them already transformed into chrysalides, and we have been watching the rest of them change right in front of our eyes. It has been fascinating to watch these little creatures change. Click here to watch the life cycle of the butterfly.

Our amazing caterpillars

How long do you predict it will take for our caterpillars to go though complete metamorphosis? Be sure to write your predictions. We will be checking back to see how accurately you predicted!

Audubon Adventures!

Boy, did we luck out with the weather for our field trip! We had a wonderful field tip into the Audubon and found TONS of exciting creatures like crickets, spiders, salamanders, crickets, frogs, worms, crickets... and did I mention crickets?! We learned about complete and incomplete metamorphosis, how to tell a male from a female cricket, and what makes an insect an insect. This aligned perfectly with the MA science standards we have been focusing on (Recognize that plants and animals have life cycles, and that life cycles vary for different living things.) Thanks to all the parent volunteers who helped out today! We couldn't have done it without you! (*A special thanks to Mrs. F for all of the beautiful pictures!)

Salamanders!

Catch of the day!

It's got 3 body segments and 6 legs - it's an insect!

Excellent observers.

Out in the field.

Loving seeing them close up.

Really cool grasshoppers.

A crab spider!

Can't wait to explore...

Awesome tree frog!

What was YOUR favorite part of the trip? What did you learn about insects?

Maritime Museum Field Trip

Despite the very rainy weather, we had a blast visiting the Gloucester Maritime Museum last week! From the awesome animals in the touch tanks, to looking at real plankton through a microscope, to learning so much more about whales and making our own beautiful sea animal paintings - we had a busy but very exciting day! Thanks again to our parent chaperones for coming along and keeping us all safe. :)

Water Cycle craftivity

As we launch our Oceans unit in Science, we began by reviewing the water cycle. We learned a song to help us remember the water cycle, and then made bracelets with different color beads to represent all of the steps. Now the children can point to each bead and sing the song to remember the order. What a fun way to end the week!

  

A visit from a whale!

On Friday, Mrs. McInnis (a.k.a. the "whale lady") visited Steward with a true-to-size inflatable whale! We had the chance to learn all about these amazing ocean animals and the best part was going inside the whale to learn about its body. What an amazing experience!