Important dates:
Wednesday, May 24 - Field trip - Pacific Northwest Ballet (bring sack lunch) Friday, May 26 - Field trip - Discovery Park (bring sack lunch) Monday, May 29 - Memorial Day - No School Wednesday, June 14 - School-wide PBL night Thursday, June 15 - Whale watching field trip! Tuesday, June 19 - Whale Symposium Hi families, Whales "I found out that whales ears are inside their heads." "Did you know a blue whale weight 360,000 pounds?" Our main focus this week has been becoming whale experts! Last week on Friday, students chose a wide range of whales from all around the world! From the arctic (narwhals, belugas) to the antarctic (pygmy right whale), large (blue whale) and small (Dall's porpoise), pack hunters (orca whales) and solo swimmers (fin whale). The first thing they did to get to know the intricacies of their whale was completing a scientific drawing of their whale. Inspired by Austin's Butterfly, students completed many drafts, getting feedback from a partner after each draft. These whale experts then added labels and coloring to finish. Next, we moved on to the serious business of getting to know our whales! For the project, each student will research their own whale and create a whale report. In addition to this report, students will also create a presentation aid to go along with the oral presentation for the Whale Symposium. Some students have chosen a whale that others have chosen, thus some students will sometimes be working with a group. Others decided to venture out on their own and will primarily work independently! Either way, each student will have their own report about their whale at the end of the year. Students started by receiving reliable, kid-friendly resources about their whale to familiarize themselves and to practice their novice note-taking skills. As they get to know more about their whales, they will continue the researching process using iPads and online resources. Students are enthusiastic and engaged in this project. Ask them what they have learned so far! Math Students have been busy counting pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters through games and problem solving. Have your students count the change in your pocket for practice. OR, for the real stumper, tell them how many coins you have, and they can guess the amount based on number of coins and the type of coins. Writing What do we love to do as social beings? Give our opinions! Students started their opinion writing unit by writing about reading. Students picked favorite books and wrote a letter to the class, telling the class why the characters in that book are amazing! Students are practicing using evidence and the word BECAUSE to support their opinions. We will continue this next week!
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Ms. ThibautOne of the second grade teachers at QAE. Read this blog and stay up-to-date on classroom activities. Archives
March 2017
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Ms. Thibault's 2nd Grade | Class Blog |