Mrs. Coluccio, Ms. Browning, Mrs. Glavan-Reyes, Ms.Kotob/Ms.Bo

Sharing the Planet

Our second graders have been diving into our final IB Unit of Inquiry, Sharing the Planet. In this unit, students explored the relationships between people, and their surroundings. They learned how changes influence the way living things, people, and communities live and interact with one another. To connect our unit to literacy and social studies, students explored the fascinating world of myths. During our Wonders lessons, we studied Greek mythology and discussed how myths were used to explain natural events, traditions, and the world around us. In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, students also explored myths from the Philippines, Japan, and New Zealand. These stories helped students learn about different cultures and traditions while discovering how people around the world have used storytelling to understand their surroundings and explain change over time. Students demonstrated the IB Learner Profile attribute of being Inquirers by asking questions, making observations, and thinking deeply about the messages and meanings behind different myths. They strengthened their thinking skills by comparing themes and identifying similarities and differences across stories from various cultures.

The Stories Behind Nature

After exploring myths from around the world, students became authors and created their own original myths. Inspired by the theme of how things in nature came to be, students used their creativity and understanding of mythological storytelling to write stories that explain natural phenomena and features of the world around them.

An example of a students writing of an original myth explaining why giraffes have long necks. The story explains, a brave giraffe stretched his neck to reach a giant switch in the sky, bringing rain to save the trees and helping all the animals.

Second grade students brought their myths to life through theater, collaborating on set design, creating props and costumes, and developing their acting skills as they prepared for their performance.

Celebrating Stories Through Theater

To bring their learning to life, each second-grade class took action by performing a myth-based play. Through discussions, collaboration, and sharing ideas, students have developed acting skills, memorized lines, created props and costumes, designed sets, and produced playbills. This culminating project has strengthened their communication, collaboration, and creative-thinking skills while helping them gain an appreciation for theater and storytelling from different cultures.

Connecting with Nature at Queens Botanical Garden

As part of our Sharing the Planet unit, In May students visited the Queens Botanical Garden to learn about animal architecture and how animals adapt to their environments. Using leaves, twigs, and other natural materials, students worked together to build bird nests, helping them make connections between adaptation, nature, and the ways living things interact with their surroundings.

Students gathered twigs, leaves, and other natural materials to build bird nests, exploring how animals use resources from their environment to create homes and adapt to their surroundings.

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