Before winter break, the students studied habitats, environments and animal adaptations.  As a culminating, cross-curricular project, the students worked with myself, Mrs. D. the art teacher, and Mrs. L. the technology teacher to do some research on an animal of their choosing, write and type a paragraph, draw pictures of their animal and design a model of an assigned environment.  All of the products were compiled into a power point presentation, which the students presented to their parents!

Thank you, Mrs. Horton, for visiting our class to teach us about Coretta Scott, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s wife and to celebrate MLK Day with us.  We enjoyed the soul food–mac n’ cheese, and thought it was so cool to learn that African Americans have used music throughout history to lift their spirits during difficult times.  We had fun pretending to march in the Civil Rights’ March, but recognize that it was a very sad, unjust time in our country’s history.

In collaboration with the second grade’s study of the human body in Science, students are also learning about the body in Spanish.   Recently, students encountered an alien friend named Mauricio that came to visit class.  Mauricio came to class because he was need of some help.  He had so many aches and pains! Second graders were able to help Mauricio identify which body parts were hurting him.  Second graders concluded that Mauricio should probably go to the hospital in our community that we constructed for our last unit. ¡Qué buena idea clase!

Do you know about the life cycle of a meal worm?  We do!  In fact, a meal worm is actually the larvae stage of the life cycle of a beetle.  Throughout the first trimester, the second graders were able to observe this for themselves, watching a meal worm change into a pupa and hatch before our very eyes into a beetle.  We learned that this big change is called metamorphosis.  Very neat!

Recently, the second graders visited the Audubon Society in Fairfield to participate in the “Pond’s Alive” program.  They learned more about animals that live in and near the Larsen Sanctuary, a freshwater habitat.  They also learned more about how animals survive in their habitat and animal adaptations.  Did you know that snakes and other reptiles have scales to protect their body from rocks and other hard materials on the ground?  And that a duck has a protective covering that keeps its body dry as it swims in water?  After an interesting discussion, the students moved outside to discover and identify living things in the pond.  We had a lot of fun discovering small insects and trying to identify them.  We also saw a turkey vulture!  Good job, second grade nature lovers!

In collaboration with second grade’s study of community in Social Studies, students are also learning about community in Spanish. Using an interactive SmartBoard program, students first learned the big concepts: home (el hogar), neighborhood (el vecindario), community (la comunidad), and country (el país). Then, we took a closer look at different places that can be found in each community. To help us master some of these terms, we visited a website that gave us a virtual tour of Mexico City: its fire station, library, museums, etc. Our final step is to create our own virtual community on the classroom wall! Still a work in progress, students are focusing on one community establishment each, labeling it and creating a visual representation of it. In the end, each student will contribute to the community construction on our wall.

Recently, the big buddies visited the second grade to instruct the class on twenty common classroom objects. Sitting with their buddies, the second graders observed a student drawing of the classroom and the various objects in the room. Then, each set of buddies was responsible for seeking out two objects in the classroom and labeling them correctly in the classroom. Once all twenty labels were up, we were able to practice the pronunciation and location of the objects altogether with a fun, interactive activity.

The second graders recently had their first author’s celebration!  We were celebrating the first “published” stories that we wrote this year.  Our first unit of study was “Small Moments” (personal narratives.)  First, the students learned some strategies for generating and organizing their ideas.  Next, the students learned some traits of good writing, including the idea “show, don’t tell,” or step-by-step details, sensory details, thoughtful word choice, and interesting characters that talk.  They learned about bold beginnings, mighty middles and excellent endings.  Using an editing checklist, the students edited and revised their stories, wrote final copies of a selected piece and designed a cover and dedication page.  Our first author’s celebration was just for us, but we’d like to invite you to another soon!

Accompanied by the first graders, the second graders recently visited Patty Popp at her farm, Sport Hill Farm, in Easton, to learn about seasonal vegetables as part of our “Farm to Fork” program at Unquowa. The Unquowa School has had a partnership with Patty for many years and she provides many of the organic, seasonal vegetables on our dining room salad bar.  Back at the school, Chef Peter discussed the nutritional value of whole foods, and we got to help him prepare some yellow squash with thyme.  Yum!!

Recently, the second graders visited the Fairfield History Museum to learn more about what makes a community and to explore the history of the Fairfield community and how it has changed over time.  We visited the Old Academy school, the tavern that George Washington and Ben Franklin may have stayed at, and the Old Burying Ground.  Did you know that Roger Ludlowe founded Fairfield?  And guess who he bought the land from… the Unquowa Native Americans!!