Over the last couple of months we have learned a lot of new interesting things! In math we worked on identifying and counting money, measurement, and now we are beginning our unit on telling time to the 5 minute mark, graphs, and data.
In science we have learned about the moon, amphibians, insects and will be learning about reptiles next! Our classroom has many visiting pets that align with the topics taught in our curriculum. The Science Center brought us 3 amphibians when we learned about amphibians so that the children could observe them and see them up close. During a three week rotation with the other second grade classrooms we had a bullfrog, an american toad, and two tiger salamanders. We also received wood frog eggs so that the children could observe the life cycle of a frog. Right now our tadpoles are just beginning to grow their back legs! In addition to the amphibians we also have a moth cocoon and painted lady caterpillars that we have watched change into chrysalis'. As we learned about insects it was really cool to have the insect life cycle right at our fingertips! We are beginning to learn about reptiles now and currently have a corn snake visiting with us. It just went through a molt. What a cool thing to see! We already had a baby snapping turtle visit with us and a gecko that will be making it's way to our classroom soon!
Another really exciting this going on now is our "special" art project with Miss Fallon. She is amazing and has found some time to work with the second graders to create 3-D insects! They are enormous! The children built the base out of cardboard, tubes, empty containers, and whatever else Miss Fallon could find. The second class was used to cover the insects in paper mache. The children were covered and so was I but we had a blast! The final session was used to paint the insects in a realistic way. They came out fantastic! We are just waiting to put a few finishing touches on our bee, dragonfly, and cricket.
We went on our third and final field trip to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday for an insect program. We had an amazing time and got more than just an insect lesson while we were there! Our group was extremely lucky to see all three animal groups during our trip. We saw a baby painted turtle, many insects, a snake actually in the process of eating a toad and many other interesting sights. Make sure you ask your child about all of the neat things we saw while were learning in the great outdoors. Below are some pictures of the field trip and the many other science activities going on in our classroom!
In Fundations we just finished our unit on the (ow) sound using ou and ow. Our next unit will focus on the (u) sound using ou, oo, ue, and ew. During reading groups the children are practicing fluency through reader's theater. One group is working on perfecting Goldilocks and the Three Bullfrogs and the other group is practicing The Pig Who Cried Wolf. They seem to really enjoy this and we hope to perform for Mrs. Lane's and/or Ms. Varrell's reading groups this week!
Room 210
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Field Trip to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Field Trip
Friday, May 16, 2014
On Friday the
second grade will be attending our final field trip to the Ipswich River
Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield ,
MA
Buses will
be leaving Pine Glen at 9:00 a.m. Our
approximate return to school is 1:45 p.m.
YOUR CHILD NEEDS TO BRING A
CLEARLY LABELED BAGGED LUNCH, SNACK AND DISPOSABLE DRINK.
Chaperones: Please be at school by 8:45.
This
program will proceed rain or shine; in cases of extreme weather, the sanctuary
staff will contact Pine Glen to let us know that the trip has been canceled.
To ensure
an optimum learning experience for everyone, please remember the following:
- Wear appropriate clothing for trail walking and weather. We recommend long pants and long sleeve shirts, socks, sneakers or boots, and rain gear if needed. Please check the weather the night before to determine the best clothing for your child.
- Sunscreen on face and exposed skin is recommended. Please apply all sunscreen BEFORE your child comes to school.
- Please discuss with your child that the wildlife sanctuary is a safe place for all plants and animals living here: we will not be picking or collecting from nature, we will usually stay on trails, and we will observe wildlife quietly.
It
is recommended that all students tuck their pants into their socks for the
trip. Tick checks will be made
by chaperones before leaving the sanctuary but we strongly recommend you check
your child again when arriving home/undressing for the evening.
Thank you
for allowing your child to participate in this educational experience!
Monday, May 5, 2014
Pine Glen Arts and Technology Night is Tomorrow!
Arts and Technology Night 2014
Tuesday, May 6th
Art Show at 6:00 p.m. Concert at 7:00 p.m.
A New Way of Learning about Art:
Learn about the artwork- right from the artist! Hear each of our artists delve deeper into their thoughts, dream up creative writing, or explain the process behind the artwork. This year at Arts & Technology Night, many pieces of artwork will have a QR Code attached to them that will help you do this.
What is a QR Code?
A QR Code is a type of special barcode that can give your smart (WiFi enabled) device information quickly and easily, so you can scan a picture to go to a website instead of having to type in the complete address yourself.
What do I need to do?
Before Arts & Technology Night you’ll need to download the App for easy access.
Where do I get the App?
If you have an iPhone, we recommend QRafter App. Get it here: http://bit.ly/pgqrafter
If you have an Android Device, we recommend QR Droid. Get it here: http://bit.ly/pgqrdroid
What do I need to bring?
Please bring a pair of earbuds or headphones to listen to your device. It is very exciting in the gallery space and it can get very loud.
I’ve got the App, now what?
Once you have the App on your device, you can practice by scanning these links to the Pine Glen Art and Pine Glen LTC blogs!
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