Second Grade Videos
I hope you enjoy these videos from our school year.
2023 - 2024
On this page are videos from some of this year's science lessons. Students will be reflecting on inquiry-based observations, activities, investigations and experiments in order to increase their understanding of science instruction. Interpreting, analyzing, and interacting with science is a critical aspect in the classroom and can be seen in these videos. It is my intention that these videos spark conversations at home about science and what we are learning in the classroom.
*FYI - THIS WEB PAGE IS BEST VIEWED FROM A LAPTOP OR DESKTOP - WHEN VIEWING FROM A MOBILE DEVICE SOME IMAGES MAY APPEAR TO BE CUT OFF. Some formats that I use to create these videos give me control over the music volume when students are talking and some do not. I apologize if some students are harder to hear.
Science Topic: SIMPLE MACHINES
LEARNING GOAL: As a result of these lessons, students will be able to identify six simple machines, explain the function of six simple machines, and create a model displaying how simple machines make work seem easier. Students will be able to explain that work is a force used to move an object a certain distance. Students will review the three types of work, Push, Pull and Lift.
April Creek Day
It was a beautiful and perfect day for the creek!
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these videos.
A Cold Spring Creek Day
It was a beautiful but cold and windy day! A perfect day for the creek!
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these videos.
CARS - Wheels and Axles
2nd Grade Teaches Pre-K
To demonstrate how wheels and axles work we made cars. The girls designed and built a car with wheels and axles and then decorated them. The girls generously gave away the cars they worked so hard on to the Pre-K students and became a teacher when they taught the Pre-K students what we learned in science about wheels and axles, ramps and simple machines. One of the stages of learning is "I can teach it." So in the process we demonstrated our understanding of this simple machine. (I was a little picture heavy with pre-k sisters.)
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these videos.
LEVERS - Launching "Snowballs"
We learned about levers as a simple machine. The girls launched (paper) "snowballs" and experimented with changing the fulcrum and the load. They changed the size and position of the fulcrum to see how that would change the effort to move the load. They also changed the force applied. As you can see from the video, the girls had a great time and they learned a lot too!
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these videos.
Force Rockets
The girls created force rockets today. They decorated their own paper rocket and then used 2 different size straws, and the FORCE of their breath to PUSH the rocket. Well done girls!
*BONUS: I have linked a video I made during the Covid- at home learning time for you to see...in case you wanted to make more Force Rockets at home and have a race. If you do - please let me know how it goes, and HAVE FUN!
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these weather reports.
Force Paintings
After learning about the science of position and motion, and how a force is a push or a pull that makes something move, the girls used the FORCE of their own breath to create beautiful force paintings. They could "paint with all the colors of the wind."
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these weather reports.
Paper Spinners with Gravity
We experimented with paper spinners that are PULLED down to the ground by the force of gravity. The girls had a great time!
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these weather reports.
Science Topic: WEATHER
LEARNING GOAL: Throughout these lessons, students will learn how weather has many determining factors such as: temperature, wind, precipitation, clouds, and sunlight and that weather is changing all the time. They will learn about weather tools and how to use them such as: thermometers, anemometers, and weather vanes. At the conclusion of this unit students will be able to identify evidence of weather factors in different weather conditions.
A January Cold Day at the Creek
It is amazing to see how different the creek is at each of our visits throughout the school year. Today was a cold one! We went inside to write in our journals. We always have a great time!
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these weather reports.
AND NOW THE WEATHER...
2nd Grade Weather Reporters
In front of the green screen!
Second grade scientists have been learning about the science of weather. As a culminating project the girls became broadcast weather reporters. The reports include many of the components of our lessons from the entire unit. In each of their reports you will hear about types of clouds they learned about, seasonal information, appropriate clothing related to the weather, the use of weather instruments, and other important weather related information. The reports were filmed in front of a green screen in the science lab. Students wrote their own reports, chose their own locations, selected their background images, and created their own forecast. The girls also helped to put together their green screen video forecast which is available for you to watch in this section. Congratulations girls!
It takes a village to create these videos! A special thank you to Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Marvin, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Upshaw, Dr. Elizabeth Rosini (Assistant Head of School), Mrs. Cooper (Middle School science teacher and Dean), Mr. Miller (Middle School science teacher), Ms. Harmon and Ms. Keating for your help making this project run smoothly!
*If you click these videos and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy these weather reports.
A Snowy Day at the Creek
It is amazing to see how different the creek is at each of our visits throughout the school year. Today was a snowy and cold one! We went inside to write in our journals. We always have a great time! (FYI-I was having storage problems on my phone so I wasn't able to take as many pictures as I normally do.) Thank you to Mr. Flood and Mrs. Upshaw for joining us.
**If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.\
Rain Gauge
The girls each made a working rain gauge in class to measure the amount of rainfall in a given period of time. They are taking this tool home to measure the rainfall over the next couple weeks.
The second video is a tutorial about how we made the rain gauge in class and how to use it at home.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Harvesting Seeds for Spring Planting
Today we learned how to harvest seeds from tomatoes. We will let them dry and keep them packaged away for safe keeping until the Spring when we will plant our own seeds - the very same seeds that we harvested today and grow our own seedlings. How exciting!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Our First Day at the Creek
We had a great day exploring the creek for the first official time in our Agnes Irwin boots. We wrote about our experience in our new creek journals. There will be many more adventures at Kirk's Run to come!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Making Clouds Rain
We experimented with shaving cream and food coloring to show what happens when clouds become too heavy with water droplets...rain falls from the cloud! We had a great time!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.
Color & Milk Experiment
Question: What will happen when you put a drop of soap into a container with milk and food coloring? Watch and find out!!! We followed the scientific method starting with a question, then charting our hypotheses, doing the experiment, discussing our observations, and taking note of the conclusion.
There are 4 videos:
Mrs. Hall's Homerrom
Ms. Harmon's Homeroom
Ms. Keating's Homeroom
And a Bonus: Hear what the students' reflections about this lesson.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video. THERE IS A BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE VIDEO THAT WILL MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.