2nd Grade Rocks! :)

This week in reading, we continued to focus on the strategy of cause and effect. The whole group story we anchored from was called "Goose's Story." Not only was this story a great tool to practice our inferring and cause and effect skills, but it was also a story that led to some great class discussions about the abilities and disabilities that both humans and animals may encounter.

The children continue to meet in their small reading groups as well!

Our science unit on rocks and minerals has begun! The children started off the unit with an exploration, sorting objects into 3 piles :  Rocks, Not Rocks, and Undecided.

The children had great discussions with each other as they considered each one carefully!

 After some time exploring as a small group, we all came together and discussed the objects as a class. Because the children had such great insight and thoughtful reasoning, several children changed their minds about their initial object placements!

 The children listened carefully to each other's thoughts and reasons.

The science company "High Touch High Tech" came to visit the 2nd graders to help build upon their beginning rock knowledge! Miss Nicole first talked with the children about where rocks come from. She drew a picture of the earth on the board and the children helped her label each of the layers! 

Then we reviewed the different KINDS of rocks! We learned a little bit about how to identify the rocks in each category! Igneous rocks are basically lava rocks, sedimentary rocks are made from layers of rock can have fossils in them, and metamorphic rocks have changed in some way over time.

 With magnifying glasses, the children looked very carefully at each type of rock. They were paying careful attention to both similarities and differences among the rocks in each category!

 Tyler found a fossil! :)

 Then came the children's favorite part of their in-school field trip- rock hunting! Using a strainer, the children took turns sifting through wet sand to find their own rocks and minerals. They did a great job of taking turns and helping each other!

 They looked carefully through their samples to see if they could identify them. They were able to count out 15 samples to keep! They noticed the color, size, shape, luster, and texture of the rocks they found!

 Miss Nicole explained that there are several tests you can conduct to get to know your rocks even better.

 The kids used a penny to conduct a scratch test.

 The children conducted an "acid" test using weak vinegar. If bubbles appeared, there was likely to be calcium inside the rock.

 Andrew matches his samples with a chart of rocks with their pictures and their names.

 Tyler and Erick checked to see if any of their rocks were magnetized.

 Kelly conducted a streak test using a ceramic plate to see if her rocks were hard or soft.

 With all of the new knowledge under our belts, the children were each given their own rock sample to draw and describe. We made a poster full of words that describe the properties of rocks for the children to use as a guide. Then they were asked to decide if their rock was igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary!

 A business girl (Evalin) and an airline pilot (Danny) are labeling their weather calendars...

 It was career day at Dryden on Friday! Here, a pop singer (Maeve) and a construction worker (Nick) are hard at work!

 A professional ice skater (Chloe) practices her math facts!

 It was John's week to be our star student! Mr. and Mrs. Bevacqua came in to help out with his experiment.

 Using his dad's wrist, John placed a piece of play doh with a toothpick inserted into it on his pulse point. The children observed that the toothpick was moving up and down to the beat of Mr. Bevacqua's heart.

 Here, John is reading the class "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie." An old favorite! The kids loved it!

 Here is a perfect picture of John and his parents. All of the children talked about what a nice, caring, and fun friend John is to have in class. He adds so much to our class and we enjoy his personality. We are lucky to know him!

 The kids finished up the rough drafts of their cereal letters to General Mills. They made sure to begin with the name of the cereal, and then they went on to describe its flavor and nutritional benefits. The children designed their cereal box covers and will share their work with their classmates next week! Their work is turning out great!

I hope you all are enjoying the weekend! Can you believe we have reached the last week of February?!

Hopefully the signs of spring are right around the corner! :)