Below are books we created about our trip to the Science Center. Each child reported on a specific exhibit that he/she visited. To create these videos, we used the iPad camera, a drawing program called PaintSparkle, and Book Creator for iPad. These videos are slow to load, so please be patient.

As you know, we have been studying adjectives this week. To complete this project, we brainstormed adjectives to describe our favorite food. Then we created a life-sized Venn diagram using hula hoops and compared our favorite foods. After we took a picture of our Venn diagrams, we explained the process and included sentences using comparative adjectives. Enjoy!
  

What do you get when you put a topic sentence, two explanatory sentences and a closing sentence together? That's right, a perfect paragraph! We have been practicing paragraph writing in class and are getting pretty good at it. 

During reading, we each read a biography and wrote paragraphs about the famous person described in our books. The paragraphs had to explain the person's great accomplishment and find events from his/her life that connected to the accomplishment. Then we practiced reading our paragraphs aloud with a friend until we could each read our paragraphs fluently.

Finally, we learned how to use a new app on the iPads called Telestory. Telestory is essentially a video camera that allows students to create news stories with awesome special effects built in. As you watch our Telestories, you will get the idea. This is our first time using this app, so please excuse anything that seems unpolished. The added benefit of this activity is that we had to work together to create our videos. Each team figured out how to cooperate with each other to create the best news story possible. 

What is a QR code? Click this link to find out.You can download a reader by searching the App Store or Google Play for QR code reader. You can download any of the free apps - they offer the same basic service. Just take a picture of the bar code with your reader and hear about our week.

I can't figure out how to rotate this video either. I hope you don't get a crick in your neck from too much sideways watching!

For some reason, I can't figure out how to rotate this video. Until I figure out how to rotate it, please enjoy it sideways!

This month in morning meeting, we discussed our support system. We explained that a support system is kind of like crutches that you use when your leg has been hurt. These crutches help support your feelings and self esteem. We came up with many people who are in our support system: our parents, grandparents, siblings, pets, teachers, friends, and, most importantly, ourselves.

Discuss this idea with your children - who do they turn to when they are upset? How do each of these people help them?

Please be patient - these maps take a long time to load.

To conclude our study of geography and map skills, second graders were asked to create an island. This island had to have specific features based on the map features we learned in class. Below are the maps your children created. We used the rubric as a key, so you will not see a legend on these maps. Printed copies of the maps are being sent home this week.

Families - please enjoy this slideshow and add a comment explaining why you like specific features of these maps. Students, please do the same!

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