Investigating Insects

  

Our class has been studying insects, and the students have transformed from meteorologists (during our recent weather unit) to entomologists! We began by learning how to identify insects by their physical characteristics. We spent time outside looking for insects with some success. Once students found creatures, they had to make sure that the creatures had three body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen) and six legs. Students were surprised to find that not all the creatures found were considered insects. We then began discussing ways in which insects can be both helpful and harmful to humans.  As the weather gets warmer, the second graders will be on the lookout for insects all around them!

Spring Musical

     

Congratulations to the students on a wonderful musical! The students and Mrs. Brown worked so hard to prepare for the performance.  The students did an excellent job! We would like to thank all the parents for helping prepare their students for this special event. We have such a talented group of students at Carolina Prep!

The Bookmark Factory

As part of our study of economics, our class set up a “bookmark factory” to help students better understand the concept of mass production. Before we began, the students were shown a finished bookmark that they would replicate. Next, students were divided into different stations along an assembly line. The students worked together to create ten bookmarks. Once the bookmarks were completed, we discussed  ”quality control” and  inspected the product to make sure that each one met the standards of our little factory.

  

“A Nation of Immigrants”

As part of our study of American history, our class has been discussing immigration and its role in the growth of our country. To illustrate that our country is truly “a nation of immigrants,” students were asked to identify the countries from which their ancestors originated. Students were surprised to see just how many countries were represented in our small class! The results are listed below.

Germany  - 8

England – 6

Ireland -6

France – 3

Holland/Netherlands – 3

Italy – 3

India – 2

Scotland – 2

Canada – 1

Colombia – 1

Norway – 1

Spain – 1

Ukraine – 1

Cursive Handwriting Licenses

 

 

The second graders have been working so hard to learn the lowercase and uppercase cursive alphabets. Recently, they took their cursive handwriting tests and everyone earned their Cursive Handwriting Licenses! Congratulations, everyone!

Tasty Arrays

This week in math we discussed the characteristics of an array. Students learned that an array is an orderly arrangement of objects that are usually in the shape of a rectangle. Students then practiced making arrays using a grid and Skittles. Students discovered that arrays represent multiplication problems and they learned to write number sentences to accompany the arrays that they made. At the end of our activity, they were able to eat their arrays!

                                                 

President Portfolios

The students did an excellent job researching former presidents for their President Portfolios! The class truly enjoyed learning more about the presidents’ lives inside and outside of the White House. As students presented their research, the class learned more about some presidents that they had already heard about in previous Core Knowledge units. Some of the presentations gave a preview of what we will learn about in upcoming Core Knowledge units. Our portfolios are currently on display in the hallway where we will revisit them as we continue our study of American history. The students not only did a great job with the research but they also did a fantastic job presenting their findings!

      

Valentine’s Day Celebration

Love and friendship were in the air last week as we celebrated Valentine’s Day! The students enjoyed a snack, a card exchange, and some Valentine’s Day Bingo. Students also got to view their “friendship bags.” Recently, our class made “friendship bags” for each student. Each day, a student was chosen as the focus for the day. The other students wrote compliments or kind words for that student and placed them in his or her “friendship bag.” The students enjoyed seeing the nice things that their friends had to say about them. It was an afternoon full of fun and friendship!

      

The Children’s Museum

As we wrapped up our unit on fossils we visited the Children’s Museum of the Upstate to see the exhibit on dinosaurs. It was great seeing some of the things we learned about dinosaurs reflected in parts of the exhibit. The students had a blast playing interactive video games in which they had to assume the role of a dinosaur and hunt for food, avoid enemies, and maintain energy levels for survival. In addition to the dinosaur exhibit, students had the opportunity to explore other parts of the museum including a construction zone where students were able to see some of the simple machines that we recently studied in action.

        

Simple Machines

 

Our class recently completed a unit on simple machines! We explored the inclined plane, the wedge, the lever, the pulley, the screw, and the wheel and axle. As a class, we built a model of each simple machine. We also discussed how each machine makes work easier for people. Students practiced identifying simple machines used in everyday life. They compiled the information learned about each machine in a journal and provided an illustration for each. We ended the unit by exploring how many simple machines can work together to form more complex machines (compound machines).