Eagle observations

Every morning when kids come in they check the eagle nest to see what is happening.  Then they write like a scientist what they observe. They ask questions, note behaviors and use scientific words in their writing.

Eagles

We are waching an eagle cam . The eagles are not on the nest yet, but they will be soon.
Now one eagle is on the nest . Now both eagles  are on the nest.The eagles are using giant sticks for their  nest. The eagles are using some downy feathers to soften up the nest. Sometimes the eagles like to sit above the nest and keep watch.

by Kylie


(Click on the eagle cam link at the bottom of our blog to watch the eagles at home!)

Word Work

One of our favorite literacy activities each morning is called word work.  This week kids are working on contractions, making a mini book about presidents, writing words with a silent e at the end, as well as a few other choices. Aiden is making a wordsearch for his friends to solve.

Area of Polygons

We used geoboards and bands to create shapes with 6 square units inside. Kids were creative and came up with lots of different shapes.

Abraham Lincoln's birthday!

We are learning about biographies and read a story called Young Abraham Lincoln by Andrew Woods. Kids were then highlighting important events in their packets and completing a timeline of his life.

Our New Beanbag

Remember how our old beanbag became a sponge during a big rain storm?! It was sad to lose such a beloved reading spot in our classroom, but thanks to the Morrow family, we are once again happily reading on a comfy beanbag.  Thank you!

Second Grade Mathematicians

Kids in second grade are learning their math facts to 20 and addition is much easier for them to understand than subtraction! Why is it more difficult? "...because it involves a negative action that is a secondary construction of addition." (Jean Piaget, 1980) He also states that "children initially think and perceive in only positive terms. When they see a red ball, they first think of it only as red and a ball. A considerable time later they are able to think of the same ball as not blue, not green, not a cup" and so on.
To help your kids practice subtraction at home, I've added a new link on our blog under our Week at a Glance. The Fruit Shoot Game has many different levels and kids can do it in a relaxed way or a timed way. I would recommend the relaxed way because this will help them actually begin to really learn the facts. Most of our practice is NOT timed so kids can practice and learn without that pressure. Try level 2 because this is our focus. If your child has mastered these facts please let him/her play other games on the site!
As I find other good links, I'll add them to the list. If you find any, please let us know!
Happy Subtracting!

Valentine's Day Fun!

Kids spent the morning decorating their Valentine mailboxes with all kinds of materials.  This afternoon we will deliver valentines and celebrate together!

Happy 100th Day!!

We spent the day doing 100's of cool things: writing 100 words, coloring 100 grids, making 100's day bookmarks, making a chain with 100 loops, writing 100 places we'd like to visit,  reading 100 books and having a blast in almost 100 different ways!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Kids spent the day learning about Chinese New Year. We read a book together,  practiced writing Chinese numbers,  made a large dragon to chase away bad luck, wrote about The Year of the Snake,  and made paper lanterns.  We had a great day!

Second Grade Dancers!

Our class was a hit at our last assembly with this dance choreographed by our fabulous music teacher Ms. Parker! Here's a practice session!

Hamsters on Vacation!

Fluffy has a home for February vacation but Tin Tan would love a cozy place to stay for the week. Let us know if your family would like to host our adorable brown hamster!

Awesome Snow Sculpture

Meteorologists named this storm Nemo. Look what someone in New Hampshire built in honor of this storm!

If you make anything cool in the snow, have your family take a photo of it and we'll post it on our blog!

A Big Snowstorm

It's pretty snowy here at my house!  I hope all of you get outside today and build something really cool!

Snow Day!

Today is a snow day here at Davis School!  I hope you all remembered to bring home your snowpants and boots. Have fun playing in the snow and I'll see you on Monday when we will learn about Chinese New Year!

Biography Study

We are beginning a unit of study on biographies. We began by reading a book about Martin Luther King, Jr., and discussing the important events in his life. Kids then did some thinking about how they help their community the way Dr. King did and what dreams they might have for our world.  We will learn about many different people through their biographies over the next month or so and relate the significant events to a timeline format. Our culminating project will be for kids to create a timeline of their own lives. We'll let you know more about that as it gets closer. ***If your child would like to try their hand at writing a simple biography, click on the link on our blog called "Write your own biography." This may be a fun project for them to do at home!