Special thank you to Ms. Snow for creating this  choice board for the students. Here they can read several book choices about our new pet using Epic. Our class code is bsi5055.

Here he is...our new bearded dragon. We are so happy to welcome Dracarys, or Drake, for short. The kids LOVE him and we are all very excited for the new learning we will do in order to take care of him. Today he spent some time acclimating to the classroom and the sound of the kids. We took him out and quickly discovered that he is very friendly and curious.

Today we learned about the Lizard brain and the Wizard brain. As we continue to learn about the parts of the brain with Ms. Weston, students found out that our lizard brain controls our response to fear or danger, while our wizard brain regulates our thoughts and emotions. We look forward to our next Brainwise session with Ms. Weston

Today we launched a new science unit about Animal Biodiversity. They learned about a cave north of San Antonio, Texas, that has an unusually large amount of animal poo covering the cave floor. Throughout the unit, students will gather details about the mysterious type of animal that lives there.

During the introduction, students generated observations and questions about the phenomenon and created an initial conceptual model to explain the phenomenon. Students will gather clues during and after each lesson in this unit to help them improve their explanations.

(Excuse the upside down image)

Today students learned the importance of using precise vocabulary when performing a science experiment. We took a close look at two words: directions and observe. The children predicted the meaning of both words and then used their dictionaries to look up the definitions. We were surprised at how close our predictions were to the real word-meaning! Then, we conducted the Sink-or-Float experiment and used our two new vocabulary words to describe what we did. 

Well, although there were many messes...

Look what we got!

Oh no! Another year, another mess.

Learning Target: I can count different coin combinations.

Although this is not an essential standard for second grade, we still teach it. Last week students learned the different coin names and their value. This week we have been using a 100's chart to count coins. Students learn to start with the quarters, then add the dimes and nickels and end with the pennies. 

Room 25 seems to be a favorite yearly stopping point for the pesky leprechaun every March 17. This year we will be prepared for the uninvited destruction of our classroom. Each year there are little messes and some BIG messes left by this little monster. Today, the students built creative little traps from recycled boxes, string and other materials. Hopefully, with some luck, we'll catch the leprechaun this year. Stay tuned!

Learning Target: I can feel good about myself without being mean or making other people feel bad.

Today we launched our school-wide SEL unit on social justice. Students learned that identity is those things that make you who you are and what makes you feel special. Mrs. Grykien read the story, Thunder Boy, Jr.  It is about a boy and his family. In the story, Thunder Boy struggles to find his own place and name. He loves his dad, but he wants his own name. We learn about the things he loves, the things he's good at, and the ways he contributes to his world. In the end, the boy learns that together he and his father light up the world. When the lesson was complete, the class had a discussion around our own identities. We talked about the role of our family and learned lots of new things about each other.