Our special incentive for the day was…bubble gum! We viewed a short video clip on how bubble gum is made and then we tried to blow a few bubbles. It was fun to try, but we only had a few successful bubble blowers. Below are a few pics of our bubble blowing attempts. We also practiced our fractions with these adorable gumball machine craftivities! We also had a vista from the BG Children's Opera this afternoon. They performed a fractured fairy tale version of Jack and the Beanstalk. One of our Whiteford 4th graders got the chance to play the cow. She's a star in the making! We rounded out the day with a gas explosion! We are studying matter in science and learning about changing states of matter. Today we combined liquid (Diet Coke) and solid (Mentos) and watched as the two created a gas explosion! Below are my two handsome and daring assistants! And…drumroll please! The explosion!
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Our final week of school has arrived! Next week we have several special events planned. We will have full days of school on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, June 3rd we will recognize 2nd grade students at an awards ceremony from 9:30-10:30am. Following the awards ceremony, students will return to the classroom and will be dismissed for the day at 12:10pm. Thursday, June 4th will be our last day of school. We will celebrate with a beach party! All students are asked to bring a beach towel and a favorite board game. I will provide a snack for students and we will play games and celebrate a great year of fun & learning together!
Today we celebrated our countdown to summer with…pickle day! We taste-tested sweet and sour (dill) pickles and graphed our results. Below you can see students casting their votes! Here are a few snapshots of students enjoying their pickles. Eighteen out of nineteen students loved the dill pickles, but only two out of nineteen enjoyed the sweet pickles! We also made these adorable pickle crafts! So cute!
We work hard in 2nd grade learning all about adjectives so that our writing will burst with flavor! While working with adjectives, it is always fun to get a little crazy! Next week, on Tuesday, June 2nd we will be having an adjective runway show and I would love for each student to participate.
On the day of the show, allow your child to come in full fashion attire. This could be dressy, tacky, wacky, or anything in between. Students can wear a suit, camo, fishing gear, fancy dresses, 80's gear, or dress like a famous celebrity. The possibilities are endless! It's all up to you and your child! On the day of the show, we will be describing each outfit while creating a list of adjectives. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Be sure to check the blog for pictures of our adjective runway show! Today we began our official countdown to the last day of school! Every day at morning meeting we open an envelope with a special treat or activity for that day. This morning, we opened an envelope that said, "Let's chalk 2nd grade up to a great year!" We opened a brand new box of sidewalk chalk and played outside this afternoon. Keep tuning in to the blog to see our fun activities for each day! We also conducted a very fun science experiment this afternoon. We put balloons filled with Pop Rocks candies on top of a bottle of Diet Coke. We posed the question, "What will happen to the balloon when we dump the Pop Rocks into the Diet Coke?" Many students thought that the balloon would explode and a few thought that the balloon would expand with gas. We went down to the cafeteria for our experiment just in case it got a little messy! Below are the results of our experiment! On Thursday we will do another fun experiment, so check back for pictures! We also read Henry & Mudge The First Book and completed these super cute sequencing dog collars. It was a fun day in second grade!
A BIG thank you to the WPA for organizing, planning, and pulling off a successful carnival for all of our Whiteford Elementary students. A fun time was had by all! In Other News...The homework packet that came home yesterday will be our last homework packet for the year! Please continue to check the blog every day for updates on what we are doing in class. Each day will be a themed day to celebrate the end of 2nd grade. Have a fun Memorial Day weekend!
This week we began a new study of matter during our science time. Earlier in the week, we learned all about solids, liquids, and gases. We filled balloons with air (gas), water (liquid), and ice (solid). We popped the balloons to see what would happen to the matter inside when it didn't have a container to hold it's shape. Today we learned about molecules in matter. Our students in the picture below show what solid, liquid, and gas might look like under a microscope. In a solid, the molecules are packed tightly together and do not move around allowing the solid to keep it's shape. In a liquid, the molecules have a little more room to move around and change shape. With a gas, the molecules have room to move and are jumping around like crazy trying to spread out! Next, students demonstrated their understanding of molecules in different types of matter using Fruit Loops! We wrapped up our lesson by sorting and classifying different types of matter.
We had a fantastic day at the Sylvania Historical Village on Friday! All of the students were very well-behaved and we received several compliments on how well we listened. I was very proud of our 2nd grade students! We began our day in the Carriage House where we learned all about the Ottawa Indians who used to live in our area. We were able to see a deer toe, a bear claw, a woven grass basket, a moccasin, and many different animal furs. Below, you can see several of the students showing off some of the interesting things we were able to pass around, touch, and smell! We even got to pass around a skunk fur which was surprisingly soft, but not stinky at all! Next, we headed to the log cabin to learn all about pioneer life. We learned how a fire would help to help to heat the home, provide light for the home, and cook the food. Fire was very important to the pioneers! We also learned about different clothing that pioneer boys and girls wore. Below you can see some of our second grade students modeling pioneer clothing. We also learned all about the saying, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." Pioneer families used to stuff their beds with hay from the barn and sometimes the hay would contain bugs that might bite at night…yikes! Our third stop was the barn where we learned about different trades during the time of the pioneers. Many people were farmers, but if you had a special talent, you might have been a blacksmith, a cobbler, a milliner, or a cooper. Students were able to choose a trade that they might have had during the pioneer times and make their own sign to advertise their business. Below are pictures of them working hard on their signs! Our next stop was the train depot. Civil War soldiers walked on the floor of the depot that we visited! We also were able to climb up into an old train engine and caboose. Lunch in the Carriage House. Everyone was STARVING! Following lunch, we headed to the museum where we got down to work dipping candles and churning butter. Students marched in a circle as they dipped their candles in wax and ice water, churned the butter three times, and then received a bead as payment for their hard work from the taskmaster. I got to be the taskmaster and pay all of the students for their hard work! After all that hard work, it was time for some play! We walked over to the train barn and learned all about games that pioneer boys and girls might have played. Mrs. Horkey, retired 2nd grade teacher from Whiteford, volunteers at the museum. It was fun to see her and hear about all of the parents of current students that she used to teach! We also learned all about what a one-room schoolhouse would have been like during pioneer times. Students only attended school from first grade until sixth grade. After sixth grade, it was time to grow up and get a job! One of my favorite parts of the day was when we headed back to the barn to play the Opinion Game. Two of the volunteers at the museum would both hold up a tool or household item used during pioneer times. They would both provide an explanation of what the item was and students had to vote on which opinion they thought was true by holding up a blue or red card. Below you can see students holding up their cards to vote! Our final stop was back at the Carriage House where we made journals to record our own history. The kids were so quiet while working on their journals, you could have heard a pin drop!
Our story for this week is Babu's Song. Our spelling words can be found by going to Spelling City or by clicking the link below. This will be our final Treasures story for the year!
Our final reading and spelling tests will be on Friday, May 22nd! Weekly Spelling Words Also, our final math test of the year will take place next Monday, May 18th. A review will come home on Friday, May 15th. The review will be due Monday morning and we will go over any questions that students may have before taking the test. Following our final math test, we will continue to work on multiplication and an introduction to division to prepare students for third grade. The WPA carnival will be held this Friday, May 22nd! The students always look forward to this special event. We will be attending the carnival from 10:00-11:30am. A BIG thanks to the WPA who always put on a fun-filled carnival for all students. Other upcoming events include Track & Field Day on Friday, May 29th. If you would like to join us and snap some pictures of your little athletes, please plan on meeting us out at the track for the morning session from 10:00-11:30am. Also, please mark your calendars for the 2nd grade awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 3rd from 9:30-10:30am. Our story this week is African-American Inventors. Our spelling words for the week can be found on Spelling City or by clicking on the link below.
Weekly Spelling Words Our 2nd grade field trip to the Sylvania Historical Museum is this Friday, May 15th. We will leave the building around 9:15am and return by 2:15pm. Please remember to pack a lunch for your child the day of the field trip. The museum has an area where we can keep lunchboxes so you are welcome to send your child's regular lunchbox for the day. We will also have time for a morning snack before we leave. We will be in and out of buildings all day, so please check the weather report and dress your child accordingly. It looks like there is a chance for rain. Thanks for your help! This coming week we will begin working on our year-end math assessment. Also, we are saying farewell to our Title 1 aide, Mrs. Seitz, on Monday, May 18th. We wish her the best of luck in her new adventures! |
AuthorMrs. Brunt is a third grade teacher at Whiteford Elementary. Archives
July 2019
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