From the Library

Second grade revisited prairie life by reading Patricia MacLachlan's Newbery-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall. We then read Donald Hall's Oxcart Man and imagined walking ten days to the market, selling everything, buying a few items, walking ten days back, only to start all over again. We read The Lion's Share, a great portrayal of how quickly "half of what's left" is only a crumb, and how quickly "twice as many"means the elephant promising to bake 256 peanut butter pound cakes. We revisited beloved Tim Egan, author of the Dodsworth books we read at the beginning of the year, to read Burnt Toast on Davenport Street, complete with a magic fly who grants three wishes but accidentally turns a toaster into a squirrel and mean dogs into toasters. We dipped into non-fiction with Owen and Mzee, a true story of an unlikely friendship between a tortoise and a baby hippo.

Tech Time

This month during technology, the girls have learned more about digital citizenship - staying safe online and keeping information private.  The girls are also learning how to add items and folders to the Edmodo Backpack!

French: Faisons du fromage!

After learning about cheese for several weeks, today the girls helped me make (and of course, eat) le fromage! We heated du lait de vache, added du vinaigre, watched it curdle, and then strained it through une étamine. It was simple and délicieux. Here is a link to the recipe in case anyone wants to try their hand at cheese making at home: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-ricotta-recipe.html. Merci to Ina Garten for this recipe!

Clockwise from top left: the milk boiling, the milk curdling, straining the milk, and, finally, eating the fruits of our labor on crackers.

Miam, miam! C'est bon, le fromage!

French: Le fromage, le fromage!

We have started my personal favorite unit of the year: the cheese unit. Not only does it end in a delicious cheese party, but cheese teaches the girls so much about French culture. Among other things, they learn that there are over 350 types of French cheese and that each cheese comes from a specific region. The girls help me describe cheese color, shape, size, and how long it ripens. For each fromage we discuss, the girls create a Pic Collage summarizing what they've learned. Ask your daughter to tell you a fact about our first cheese, le Camembert!

                      

Update from Technology

This month, the girls have been learning how to use Google Drive and Google Docs.  First, we learned how to sign into Google Drive.  Next, we learned what a Google Doc is, how to create, and name a document.  Then, we learned how to change the text font, color, and size.  Finally, we learned how to share a document with a teacher or fellow student.  We will continue to use this app to write about what we did over Spring Break!

Happenings in Second Grade

February has flown by for the second grade. We celebrated Valentines' Day together while eating yummy treats and exchanging cards, started and finished our pioneer crafts, and had the S S S S during language arts. Here are some pictures of the girls participating in all these fun events!

The beginning of our Silent Reading, Sipping hot chocolate, Slippers, and Stuffed animal event! 

YUM!

Even the teachers joined in on the fun!

   In math we have completed our multiplication unit and started our measurement unit. The girls are enjoying measuring objects around the room. During this unit we will be predicting length as well, which the girls love.

More Scratch Jr.

During Technology the girls have continued to work in Scratch Jr., a coding app for younger students.  Our final project is to create a game using all of the buttons we have learned.  Students had the choice of creating a game that required the main sprite to collect objects while going through a maze or to avoid an enemy while going through a maze.  Each girl has shown creativity and problem solving while creating amazing games!