Transformation, Visitors, and Presenting Our Learning
Last Monday morning, just as we began writer's workshop, one of our classmates announced excitedly, "Mrs. Shealy, a butterfly!" We all rushed to the science center to find a new black swallowtail just emerging from the chrysalis and hanging with heavy, damp wings. I did not observe this phenomenon myself until just five years ago while teaching preschool. Your children have witnessed these creatures go from eggs to caterpillars in our window garden and from caterpillars to chrysalis to butterfly in our classroom. By the end of the day, the butterfly was flapping dry wings and fluttering around the netted enclosure, so we released it into the garden. The kids waved goodbye and asked when the next one will emerge. Black swallowtails are unpredictable so we will wait and see.
The five research groups presented their teaching posters about each of the vertebrate classes. These presentations prompted questions that clarified and demonstrated our learning. For example, one student asked the mammal group why they included a drawing of a peacock on their poster. These are the kinds of questions that force us to think critically and put together reasons for our thinking so that we can explain it to others. We have worked through this process as a class, in groups, and are currently doing so independently with our animal projects. One class member has inspired our final product by bringing in animal information cards to add to our science center. The class has decided that for a final product, each student will create a large information card about their animal with one side being a detailed illustration and the other side containing important facts about the animal. We have only spent one day on research so far, but will continue researching independently this week.
We were lucky enough to have one of our brilliant parents, Kristin Ziegler, visit both second grades to discuss animals and adaptations. She is head of the Zoobot program at Longleaf Middle School. Ms. Zeigler brought in a box turtle and two hedgehogs for the kids to observe. This hands-on experience spurred questions about predators, defense mechanisms, social behaviors, and other areas the students are investigating in their own studies. We are so grateful for our community resources.
Thank you so much for listening to your child read their memory story to you and providing help with edits and revision. I hope the checklist they brought home with their piece was helpful. If you have not completed this, please do so Monday. We would like to begin publishing Tuesday.
This Coming Week
We will continue researching our individual animals. If you have any books about your child's animal please send them to school for them to use as resources along with our Internet research. Finish up those checklists for writing if needed. In math we will carry our work with place value into larger addition and subtraction. Please take all the opportunities you can to point out math in your daily lives.
Via's Visitation Schedule
Important Dates
October 18 Weather Make-Up Day
October 19 Weather Make-Up Day
October 26 11:30 Dismissal/ Parent Teacher Conferences
October 31 Fall Festival @ 1:00
November
9 It’s A Grand Day
November 16 Schoolwide Zoo Field Study
November 21-23 Thanksgiving Holiday
November 29 Curriculum Night #2
A visitor to our live tank.
How lucky we were to witness the emergence of our our first butterfly from the chrysalis!
Amazing visit from one of our talented parents.
Learning about adaptations through hedgehogs and box turtles.
Presentations about the five classes of vertebrates.
These posters prompted discussions which clarified misconceptions and demonstrated our learning.
Our first gathering celebrated our work as readers, writers, mathematicians and scientists.
