Art_Color Shows Feeelings

Here is a selection of finished monochromatic expression self-portraits! First, the girls took a picture of themselves using facial expressions to show a chosen feeling. Then, they used analogous colors to draw the light, medium, and dark areas of their portrait.  Next, they used a few special blending markers to do the finishing touches. Finally, they colored the background using the complementary color. The results show one way artists use color to show feelings!

Coding in Scratch Jr.

Second graders have started coding in Scratch Jr.!  We began by reviewing the programming blocks learned in 1st grade.  This year we will be learning how to use loops, sounds, wait for, and if-then statements.  At the end of the unit, students will choose to create an interactive story or game.

French: Les Chauffe-Eaux Solaires

The girls did une expérience de science (a science experiment) in French class this week! We discussed l'effet de serre (the greenhouse effect) and then made les chauffe-eaux solaires (mini greenhouses) using shoe boxes. In Mrs. Orlando's class, the girls were lucky enough to have visitors from an upper school AP French class. The upper schoolers taught them a lesson and then helped them make their chauffe-eaux solaires...all while only speaking French! I was impressed by both Mrs. Roessler's and Mrs. Orlando's classes and how well they understood the rather complicated vocabulary and concepts associated with this experiment. Chapeaux, les filles!

From the Library

Second grade started off the year with a couple of old favorites. First up was Second Grade Holdout by Audrey Vernick, in which a boy is concerned about starting the new year in second grade. He is the boy who considered dropping out of first grade after accidentally calling his teacher Mommy. His friend's sisters tell him he'll have to learn the presidents forward and backward. They say second grade spelling words include rendezvous, platypus and discombobulated. Ask your daughter how the boys manage.

We then moved on to Niki Daly's Pretty Salma, a Red Riding Hood tale from Ghana. We talked about how this version was similar to and different from other versions we'd heard.

Now we are travelling the world with Dodsworth and the Duck.So far we've visited New York, Paris and London. Ask your daughter about their adventures. Where will they go next? How will they get there? Will it be by accident (like the hot air balloon from Paris to London) or on purpose (like the train to New York)?

Hello From Science- Engineering in Full Swing

Hello From Science!

We have been working on our engineering and design unit- making a model helicopter. This challenging process involves diagraming, crafting, prototyping, and building up working components. Student are tasked with building working propellers completely from scratch. Then they are ready to create the entire model. They have been carefully checking the size and strength of their fuselage and finding places to cut down on mass wherever possible. Here is an example of a students diagram. Next see a photo of the students crafting their propellers. Students are practicing repeating creation to improve their skill and results.  We reflect and consider how trying things in new ways can lead to greater success. It is never our first attempt that bring success - but we can learn a lot from it.

Cheers from the Science Center,

Mr. Noah Robinson

                    2nd Grade Mathematicians

We have been studying the place value positions of ones, tens, and hundreds.  The girls use base tens blocks which help them visualize and describe the values of digits in numbers.

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