Welcome to our PORTE POST ONLINE NEWS BLOG. We are 2nd graders at Dryden Elementary School in Arlington Heights. On our blog you will get to take a peek into our classroom and read/see what we have been working in 2nd grade.
I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing spring break. It's so nice ending the month of March with such a beautiful spring day! On Saturday April 12th, the JUST MOVE IT CHALLENGE will be taking place. Our very own Mrs. Ford is helping to execute this wonderful event. Come join your classmates and teachers as we run for education. This family friendly 1mile/5K walk/run is a great way to have fun while raising money for student scholarships and teacher grants. If you don't want to run then why not VOLUNTEER and cheer on the runners. The race and wellness expo take place on Saturday, April 12th with the first race starting at 8am. All the details are on the website at www.jmichallengeah.org. Hurry to register to run or volunteer online today!!
I hope these photos from last year inspire YOU to JUST MOVE IT!! Doesn't that winner look familiar?!?!
Well, spring technically arrived and we are officially on spring break! The kids worked very hard this week and I am proud of all they accomplished while I was out with the flu. Here's a look at the highlights from our week.
NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
We owe a special thanks to Mrs. Phillips for putting together an incredible presentation on healthy eating for our class. As if the presentation wasn't enough, she also arranged for the class to have a SMOOTHIE MAKING CONTEST! The kids had a blast. It was a lot of fun to watch them collaborate to create their smoothie recipes. There were NO losers in this contest, everyone was a winner and the kids enjoyed trying each tables creation. Check out the photos from our awesome activity!
BIOGRAPHY CELEBRATION
Today the authors in 2-3 shared the digital biographies they created about their classmates. The class did a wonderful job with the various steps it took to create their final digital product. They started by learning about the ingredients of a biography, then they conducted interviews with one of their classmates. After the interviews, they wrote the rough drafts of their classmate's biography. Finally they turned their rough drafts into final digital projects using the app, Explain Everything. I am proud of the kids for continuing to plow forward no matter what tech obstacles they crossed. I explained to the kids that the process of learning how to work with technology is just as important (if not more important) than the final product. Excellent job, friends! We will begin our next unit after break.
AREA vs. PERIMETER
This week's math lessons continued on the topic of measurement, but more specifically area vs. perimeter. Area is the amount of surface INSIDE of a shape and the perimeter is the distance AROUND the outside of a shape. I tell the kids when remembering the difference between area and perimeter to think how a fence goes around the outside of your yard and an area rug can be found inside your home.
WRAPPING UP ROCKS
We are also wrapping up our rock unit. Today the kids made their own dinosaur fossils that will be drying out over spring break. I sent the kids home with their scientific journals in case they wanted to do any rock hunting of their own over spring break. Next we will be learning about the history of Arlington Heights!
I hope you all have a safe and wonderful spring break!
I hope the luck of the Irish is with everyone this weekend. Here is a look at what we have been up to in 2-3…
SPRING BREAK
Just a reminder, due to the snow days we incurred this winter, there will be NO PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES this Thursday and Friday. There WILL BE SCHOOL. If your child will not be in school on Thursday and/or Friday, please let me and the office know so we can plan accordingly. Thank you to those of you who have already let me know.
AUSTRALIA UBD VIDEOS
This week, the kids had a chance to watch the Australia videos they made. I am proud of the research and writing the kids completed during this project. Check out the final product!
ROCK'N ON
This week during our rock unit, we focused on minerals. They kids studied a variety of minerals. Using MOH's Scale of Hardness, the kids learned the difference between the streak a mineral can make and if it can scratch another mineral. You can rub off a streak, but you cannot rub off a scratch. The kids also learned some everyday uses for minerals. They were amazed at how many minerals are present in our daily activities. Using the iPads, the class went on a mineral hunt around the school and took photos of minerals in our school. Next week we will learn all about fossils and even make our own.
MATH
This week we started Unit 9 in math. This unit focuses on measurements. We discussed why accuracy in measuring is important. The kids did a great job thinking of real life situations where precise measurements are important…constructing buildings and homes, performing surgery, and baking. The kids had a lot of fun learning this week. They completed a variety of activities using different measuring tools….we even did an activity where I used the kids to measure the length of the classroom. The kids informed me that this was NOT an accurate way to measure the length of the classroom because the students are all different lengths and in order to accurately measure something, you need to use a tool that will always produce the same measurement no matter who uses it. Here are some photos from our measuring activities this week…
BIOGRAPHY WRITING
The kids are beginning to create their final biography projects. Since we have the iPads in our classroom, the kids will be making digital biographies using the Explain Everything app. The class is currently working on creating the writing for each slide to tell the story of the life of a classmate and then they will go back and add photos to the story as well. I look forward to seeing the final products!
MYSTERY READER AND STAR STUDENT
Don't forget to check out our photo galleries for updated photos of our Mystery Reader visit and our Star Student celebration.
Please remember to send the report card envelopes back to school with your child this week. You can keep all the contents inside. I hope you're having a great weekend!
Although spring is around the corner, you would never know it with the winter weather we've had this weekend. Take a look at what we've been up while staying warm in our classroom.
ROCK'n Out
This week the geologists of 2-3 continued to explore the three groups of rocks; igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. We read stories, watched videos, and conducted our own experiments to see how well we could sort the rocks in our kit according to their appropriate rock group. Next week, we will continue our explorations during science and during our reading center time. Take a look at our geologists in action this week.
BIOGRAPHY WRITING
This week, the kids had a chance to practice identifying the ingredients of a biography during our center reading time. Using stories about figure skater Sarah Hughes, gymnast Zhang Nan, and tap dancer Gregory Hines, the kids took notes about the important information that fit the ingredient list of a biography. Next, they practiced their summarizing skills by finding the main idea of each chapter in the story. Finally, the kids wrote their own summary of the story. This week, the kids will write interview questions that will allow them to create the biography of someone else.
FRACTIONS
This week, we began Unit 8 which is all about fractions. We have focused on understanding that fractions are parts of a whole. They are made up of numerators and denominators.
At the end of the week, we began to talk about the word EQUIVALENT. Equivalent fractions are fractions that are equal to each other, but they are written differently. This concept will continue to be discussed further during our lessons this week.
MYSTERY READER AND STAR STUDENT
Thank you Mr. Phillips for being our Mystery Reader this week! We also had a wonderful time celebrating David as STAR STUDENT! Don't forget to checkout our photo gallery for photos from these two activities!
