Inquiry Learning
Thank you to all the parents who came today to help with note-taking: Mrs. Diamond, Mr. & Mrs. Donnelly, Mrs. Fife, and Mr. Fujii. We are making good progress with our research on animals. Parents were impressed with how diligently the students worked at reading their nonfiction books and transcribing their findings into their inquiry journals.
Second graders were able to build on the geography knowledge they gained last year. We began our inquiry locating the different continents on the globe and identifying what animals live on the various continents. Students had several misconceptions. For example, a few thought both lions and tigers lived in Africa. Others thought penguins lived at both the North & South Poles.
Now that we are immersed in note-taking, misconceptions are being cleared up by reading facts. One boy said, “A lion and a tiger would never meet because one lives in Africa and one lives in Asia.” A girl added that only the South Pole is home to penguins.
We all know that when children have a strong desire to learn something, the learning becomes more authentic and long-lasting. That is exactly what is happening with inquiry. All students are well on their way to becoming experts about a particular animal.
Posted at 1:06 PM| Permalink
We're Off to a Great Start
It is simply amazing to me how much our class has bonded over the past eighteen days. We have been working together to create a classroom community that shares and learns together. All students have quickly adapted to their "sharing day" of the week. Our morning circle time truly is a time of community and camaraderie.
I have seen this sense of caring transfer over to learning time. It is not uncommon to see a 2nd grader helping a 1st grader find a word in their personal dictionary. The 1st graders are learning what types of books are "just right" for them to read. It is so wonderful to see an eager reader passing a book to a friend and saying "This is a good story; I think you should read it," as one did just this morning.
We have had five children donate birthday books and inquiry books to the class. Everyone is so excited to read the newest animal books in our nonfiction bin and the Sponge Bob and Pokemon books in the fiction bin. Thank you to all children for donating books.
Homework & Spelling
The children are so eager for homework! Several students have asked me if there will be more homework and when the spelling words will get harder! Since we are in the fourth week of school, we will be having the same amount of homework for the next few weeks. All students have made the transition of completing homework during the week and bringing in their folders on Fridays. It is important to find a special place at home to keep all the math cards and games being sent home. Whether your child is in 1st or 2nd grade, the same games will be revisited throughout the year. It may be wise to create a math folder at home for storing such materials.
Box Tops for Education
Our classroom box has quite a few boxtops collected already. If you didn't get a chance to obtain the list of products participating, please go to the website boxtops4education.com to view the complete list of products. There are over 200 products with the "box top" label.
Posted at 1:23 PM| Permalink