Another fun week in 2nd grade!

The 2nd graders were just as busy as ever this week! We spent some time on Monday preparing for our big trip to Australia! The children made their suitcases and passports, and then we learned some initial facts about the country we were traveling to including: population (of course we compared it to the population of the United States-  we roughly have 330.000.000 people compared to Australia's 23.000.000!) government, currency, and capital city. We also looked at several pictures of Australia to get a feel for the types of places we would be "visiting" such as: a sheep station, the outback, the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and the Great Barrier Reef! We made a packing list of all the different types of clothing and things we would need for a trip like this!

 Here are the kids with their suitcases! Inside are their passports, boarding passes, and packing lists!

 The children had to show their passport and boarding passes in order to board the plane!

 Mrs. Jojo helped the children find their seats...

Together the 2nd graders at Dryden watched a short introductory video about Australia!

 We arrived safely in the "Land Down Under!" The children are about to learn so much about the country and continent of Australia!

Side note: The kids are very excited to begin their home projects on an Australian Animal! The student contracts weren't due until Monday, but 17 of the kids turned their contracts in on Friday, and have already received their assignments! We are going to have so much fun learning about 20 different animals that are unique to the country of Australia from our very own classmates!!

 Here is a photo of our class on the story steps in the LMC on Thursday. Mrs. Jojo is no longer our flight attendant and now has her "Library hat" on, as she is sharing the Dryden Dolphin book award books with the kids!

 It was Demetra's turn to be our star student this week! We enjoyed a special visit from her mom, who helped Demetra share an experiment with the class. Demetra showed us how she was able to make it appear as though the colors on her color wheel were blending together when she spun it very quickly! When the wheel slowed down, the colors separated again. The students seemed excited to give it a try at home!

 Demetra shared one of her favorite stories with the class, The Ugly Duckling. The kids came up with some wonderful ideas about lessons we can learn from this story: to treat everyone fairly/kindly, not to judge someone by how they look on the outside, and to reach out to a friend who might feel alone. What amazing thinkers!

 Here is a sweet picture of Demetra and her mom. We are so fortunate to have such a creative, independent, responsible, and friendly girl in our class. You had a terrific week, Demetra!

Our writing lessons this week involved writing a business letter!  Sometimes business letters request some type of correction/resolution, sometimes they offer a suggestion for improvement, and sometimes they are simply acknowledging something positive!

Together, we practiced writing a business letter asking for a correction for missing pieces to a bookshelf we were trying to put together. Then, the children wrote their own business letter to the library suggesting a service or improvement, and finally they wrote a letter to the mayor letting him know about a pot hole in front of their house!

The children made sure to 1) state the problem or reason for the letter, 2) clearly suggest how to correct or improve the situation and 3) end with kind sentiments and a thank you!

Their letters grew stronger as the week progressed! I was very impressed! 

The children also took their handwriting test this week. We were making sure that the children are READY TO WRITE IN CURSIVE! Good news! Everyone passed the test, and our cursive lessons will begin this week. There are a few friends who need to continue to keep a close eye on their printing, however, to make sure it is always their best work. :)

Also this week, the children will be taking their MAP test (Measure of Academic Progress). They will take the reading test on Monday, and the math test on Tuesday. It is a lengthy test on the computer that will take roughly an hour each time. A good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast would help get those little brains some extra energy!