Our Classroom & School Community

In Social Studies, we have been learning about our classroom and school community.

First we learned about rules. In groups the students discussed the following questions: What are rules? Where do we have rules? Do adults have rules? Why are rules so important? What rules do you think are important in our classroom? Then, we reviewed our 5 classroom golden rules which are:

1. Listen when someone is talking.

2. Follow directions the first time they are given.

3. Treat everyone with kindness and respect.

4. Take care of our school and classroom.

5. Work and play safely and quietly. 

The next few days we learned about responsibility. Why do we have responsibilities at home? Why do we have responsibilities at school? What are some of our responsibilities at home and at school? We also discussed our classroom jobs and why they are important. 

Then we learned that we are responsible for our actions. All people are responsible for everything they say and do. If we say and do things that make ourselves and others happy, that is a good thing. But everyone makes mistakes sometimes. We sometimes say and do things that make others unhappy, and make ourselves feel badly, too. We need to be aware that there are consequences for everything we say and do. Everyone must be responsible for things said or done. We are responsible for being kind, truthful, and caring of others. We discussed why it is important to apologize and making up for our mistakes. 

Then, we discussed what rights are. Rights are important things that everyone deserves. Everyone has the right to be happy, to be safe, to have the things they need to live. At school we have the right to learn, to be safe, to have personal space, to work undisturbed and to be treated with respect. After, we discussed problem solving. How can we tell if something is a big problem or a small problem?  When solving problems it is important that we stop and think. If we don't stop and think sometimes we do things that are not helpful. 

Last week, we discussed maps. A map is usually a drawing showing what something looks like from above (bird's eye view). We created a map of our classroom. 

Star Student

Star Student: November 9th- November 13th

Star Student

Star Student: November 2nd-November 6th

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day Art 

Second Grade Goes Batty

Last week, we read Stellaluna. We created a story map to check for understanding...then we made a Venn diagram on the SMARTboard to compare bats and birds. How are they the same? How are they different? After, we discussed if we rather be a bat or a bird.

In Stellaluna, we learned that mother bats find their pups by smelling their fur. We did an experiment to see how this worked. Each student was blindfolded and given a scent (pup) to smell. They had to remember the scent (pup) they had. After everyone had their scent (pup) memorized we mixed all the scents (pups) together. Students had to use their sense of smell to find their "pup."  We also learned the life cycle of a bat! 

Then, we learned about hibernation and migration. We learned that bats hibernate and migrate depending on where they live. We played, "Who woke the sleepy bat." One student was chosen to sit in the middle of the class and they had to pretend they were sleeping like a bat. Another student was picked and they had to sneak up on the bat and touch them without waking them. Then everyone in the class said "Wake up sleepy bat! Wake up!" The student who was chosen to be the bat then woke up. Then they had to try and guess who woke them up.

We learned that bats are equipped in remarkable ways to hunt at night. They use sound waves and a technique called echolocation. We did a few experiments to test how echolocation works. First, we explored how sound vibrations work through using a rubber band. Second, I played music at a low volume and everyone cupped their hands over their ears. We noticed that the music seemed louder when we cupped our ears. This is because sound travels through the air in waves, which spread out in all directions. When we listened to the music the first time, a few sound waves reached our ears, but when our ears were cupped, more sound waves were captured and channeled. Bats ears are large and cupped, therefore much more efficient than human ears. They can capture a tiny mosquito in complete darkness just by using their sense of sound! 

This week we learned about owls! We learned that owls are birds of prey. That means that they hunt the animals that they eat. After an owl eats small rodents, & birds its stomach cannot digest the fur, bones, teeth & feathers. These extra parts are formed into a tight pellet inside the owl. Later, these parts are spit up! We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to dissect owl pellets. It was pretty neat! Each student was given a pellet, tweezers, a bone chart & a magnifying glass. We found mouse bones, skulls and feathers! 

After, we learned the parts of an owl, the life cycle of an owl and we learned about different types of owls. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of these handouts you can purchase them on Teachers Pay Teachers.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bats-371119

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/We-think-bats-are-Math-Graph-Tally-Data-Summary-913800

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bats-Math-and-Literacy-Fun-Aligned-with-Common-Core-360558

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owls-Easy-Readings-and-Worksheets-Life-Cycle-Flip-Flaps-and-more-1403585