Second graders created a graphic novel telling the story of a drop of water. It had to include all the phases of the water cycle but could also include other things that happened to water such as pollution!

Taking action to clean up our school, second graders participated in a campus trash clean up. They were so proud of how much trash they collected!

Students got ready for earth day with an all school morning meeting themed as a pep rally for the earth

Students culminated a week of earth care activities with an afternoon dedicated to earth day. Students went around to different stations and participated in a clean up of their MOLO, learning about oil spills and trash in the ocean, as well as a fact-filled, campus wide, scavenger hunt! And what a better way to end the day than a fun run with popsicles! Needless to say campus is now looking amazing and ready for the spring as classes have begun their transitions back outdoors with the nice weather we have had recently.

After learning about how oil spills impact birds, students did an experiment where they dunked feathers in oily water and tried to wash them off with plain water and then with dish soap. They noticed what happened to the feathers. Then they tried the same thing by dunking their hands in the oily water. We also learned about people that help to clean up animals that have been impacted by oil spills.

Second graders learned about sea turtles and had fun in the sandbox building life sized sea turtles and making tracks to match that species. They used a measuring tape to make sure the turtle and track sizes were accurate

After reading about the dangers that sea turtles faces, students wrote scripts from a sea turtle's perspective to try to teach people about these dangers and ways they can help. They used their scripts to record a Chatterbox video as a turtle.

In reading students have been focusing on identifying author's craft. This gives them tools to make predictions and be a stronger reader, as well as identify these crafts to use in their own writing. Series book clubs are an absolute hit and each group is really getting to know their main characters. This week had a large focus on intentional endings that authors create and how to discover those as readers.

In writing workshop, second graders continued working on their 4 or 5 part fiction story. A four part story would include: setting, character, problem, and solution. A five part story would include setting, character, what the main character wants, what's stopping them from getting it, and how do they get it in the end. We reviewed strategies like using dialogue and dialogue tags, writing a satisfying ending, and how to practice revision with a partner.

In Jenny's math group students worked on beginning multiplication with fun activities like building cube towers where each floor of the tower had the same number of rooms. They also did their end of year math assessment to show how much they have learned this year.

In Ben's math group students spent last week and the beginning of this week gearing up for their end of year assessment. Students generated a list of everything they learned this year and identified areas they wanted to work on. What better way to work on review than the age old, time and tried, Jeopardy game! Yes, the Jeopardy music was included. Students finished the week with their assessments and are looking forward to pursuing some fun end of inquiry projects.

On our field trip to the Denver Aquarium we did a guided lesson on tide pool habitats and got to explore the aquarium

On our field trip to Harper Lake, students were proud to clean up trash to help animals. We also did some nature art journaling to notice and observe closely near the lake.

We mapped the world's water in several different ways! Students mapped the major rivers of the world by placing labels and string around our rug map

They made their own maps of important bodies of water in the world

Second graders did a scavenger hunt for seas and bays using whiteboard markers

We refreshed the steps of the water cycle and each child made a beautiful water color painting depicting each of the steps

We learned about ways to conserve water and students did a water survey of ways that we use water at Mack. Then they brainstormed ideas for how we could help save some water at school.

Second graders learned Colorado River rights and how they are based on when person established their home or business. We did a fun simulation where kids each represented a business along the river and scooped water out of a shared bowl based on what they "needed" for their business. In the third round of the simulation Dinosaur oil, spilled some oil when they went to get their water and polluted the communal water source. We had a wonderful discussion afterwards about ideas for how best to shared water and what was a fair way to deal with water pollution.

We learned about watersheds and how a watershed works. Then second graders built a watershed in small groups and added pollutants like litter, dog poop, and fertilizer to their watershed and sprayed it with a spray bottle to make it rain. They watched how all the pollutants collected in the lakes and rivers at the bottom of their watersheds.

In writing workshop, students continued to practice developing a character using our dip a character in paint strategy. They each chose a teacher at Mack to describe without saying their name and tried to get everyone to guess who it was just from their excellent description. They also made plans for a fiction story using a 4 part or 5 part story structure and began writing them.

In readers' workshops students focused on getting to know their main characters and identifying character traits across series books. They found that by detecting what tools an author is using they are able to more deeply understand their character. A highlight of the week was answering "What would your character do with a million dollars and why?". Without getting to know their characters they would not have been able to answer this.

In Jenny's math group, students wrapped up a unit on measuring using both metric and US measurement. Then we began a new unit with an introduction to multiplication. In this photo a student is collecting data on how far his paper airplane flew in centimeters

In Ben's math group students spent the week focusing on challenges and tasks that pushed them to use their growth mindset. A highlight of these were KenKen puzzles. Each puzzle is grid and the size dictates which numbers you may use (5x5 #'s 1-5, 6x6 #'s 1-6). Inside the grid are cages where students are given a product and a type of operation to use (addition, division, etc). OOnce they figure out which numbers could satisfy the product they must make sure their whole puzzle does not have any rows or columns where numbers are repeated (much like sudoku). Feel free to go http://www.kenkenpuzzle.com/game if you would like to try some with your student!

We loved having author of Aliana Reaches for the Moon, Laura Roettiger, come in for a visit. She read her book, talked about the process of writing it, and did some fun writing exercises with the kids.

For spirit week, students loved dressing up in everything from PJs to their favorite decade all week!

In Jenny's math group second graders worked on measuring in inches and centimeters. They learned to estimate measurements using body benchmarks and practiced measuring many things in the room with rulers. Next week we will move on to measuring longer distances using feet, meters, and yards!

In reading workshop we began series book clubs. Each child was placed in a group to read a book series together and discuss different things about their books each day. This week, students focused on getting to know the characters in their books based on their actions, reactions, and what they say. They also compared characters in their books and paid attention to how their characters respond to problems.

In writing workshop we began a new unit on fiction writing. We reviewed strategies to write a setting from earlier this year. Then we jumped into character development. Second graders learned a fun strategy called "Dip A Character in Paint" to help them develop a colorful and interesting character. They practiced this strategy by choosing a picture of a dragon to inspire them and writing a character description of a dragon.

After learning about deep sea exploration and studying Sylvia Earle, a pioneer for female exploration, students each wrote Sylvia Earle a letter telling her about how she has inspired them and what they learned about her. This was great practice for letter writing and every time we've written to her in the past, she has written back!

To go with their letters, each child painted a picture of Sylvia Earle exploring the ocean.

Students learned about Jacques & Auguste Piccard and their expedition to the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the ocean) through a puppet reader's theater. This was a fun was to practice fluency and reading with expression. Who doesn't love using dramatic voices when a puppet is reading the lines?

In Jenny's math group, students wrapped up a unit on numeracy focused on adding and subtracting numbers within 100 and stretching to within 1000 for challenges. They also began a new math unit on measuring. We began by measuring jumps and items in the classroom in non-standard units like popsicle sticks and shoes to learn why it is important to use standard units of measurement. After spring break, we will move on to measuring in inches and centimeters.

Students in Ben's math group have spent the last week and half working on 3 digit subtraction and addition as well as 2 digit multiplication. Students also spent a few days reviewing the material they have learned this year through the ultra-classic family game Jeopardy! Instead of competing against one another, students worked together to earn points to help their favorite study buddy "Mohawk Man" travel the treacherous seas.

Second Graders filled up their jewel jar and earned a PJ day! They elected to have a watch party of all of their finished stop motion videos so they could see each other's.

Its always exciting when we can connect our units to events happening in real life! We got to go live with scientists that discovered of the sunken Endurance (Shackleton's ship) when it was found! After doing a simulation of Shackleton's expedition earlier in our unit, this was a momentous discovery that every student was thrilled about!

Students began filming their explorer biography stop motion movies.

Stop motion takes patience and a long time to create. Every 5-7 photos taken results in 1 second of film

Keep your eyes on the lookout for an email of the final films this week!

Students began designing cave tools after becoming experts on cave exploration

The hot glue station is the place to be when it is time to build your prototype tool

Design teams created a script for their sales pitch after they designed and built their tool.

Students completed their research, notes, and timeline outline. Once this finished they turned their stickies into full sentences and ideas to create a script for their explorer biography stop motion film.

Once the script was complete students planned out their scenes, backgrounds, and what props they would need for each scene.

When the plan for scenes, backgrounds, and props were finalized, it was naturally time to start creating those backgrounds and props!

Students got to dissect sheet hearts in science class!

Building the Digestive System Tour

Preparing speeches for the digestive system tour using their research.

Reading and Writing Workshop, students wrapped up their research book projects. They finalized their research books by learning to re-write their notes in interesting facts, the rule of 3 (three things in a sentence/fact separated by commas), and creating clever titles and headings to hook their readers. They also reviewed various diagrams, charts, and other nonfiction strategies to incorporate in their books.

In Jenny's math group, second graders wrapped up the unit on graphing and data collection by learning about line graphs, pie charts, and line plots. This week, we started a new unit to continue learning about addition and subtraction. We practiced strategies for adding and subtracting 9 quickly, moving on the hundreds chart by adding and subtracting groups of tens and singles, and figuring out how many more do we need to get to 100.

Students loved the new games we learned this week. Try them out at home for extra fun and practice:

• Plus of Minus 9 Bingo

• Capture 5

In Ben's math group students have been working on solidifying their multiplication and division strategies. They are working on efficient strategies and memorizing their 10x10 times table. Students are also working on simplifying fractions. They learned a fun version of the card game, War, to practice this concept. Feel free to ask them to play it with you! They have also been using an app called Big Math Flash Cards. They have thoroughly been enjoying it and there is a lot of flexibility and the ability to set difficulties.

To begin our exploration unit, students were paired together into design teams. Each design team came up with a company name and a logo for their company. In their design companies over the next seven weeks, they will be inventing tools to help explorers overcome challenges.

Design teams then came up with a jingle for their company. Watch all our jingles HERE.

Knowing that explorers need to have keen senses to observe and document how they experience places no one may have gone to before and few people will likely ever go to, design teams planned and built Super Senses Goggles to help explorers enhance their experiences and documenting capabilities.

Students worked with their literacy partners to choose an explorer to research. They started by reading through their book(s) about their explorer and taking notes using sticky notes about the most important events that occurred in their life.

Then they organized their sticky notes into a timeline to show them chronologically. As we've studied non fiction research reading, we've talked about lots of different ways to take notes and to organize them depending on what you are going to do with them afterwards.

Enthusiastically pulling your friends around in sleds at recess is great training for polar exploration!

Students added on to their respiratory system graphic novels by showing how their characters continue into the circulatory system. This helps them to learn the flow of both systems and how they connect in a fun way!

Second graders worked in teams to build boxes representing different parts of the circulatory system.

Then they used stop motion to film a character (they voted on a Lizard) that travels through the circulatory system

Collaborating with Heidi in science, we had students work through the flow of the digestive system to find out what happens to food after it enters your mouth. A hands-on lab helped students to mimic what happens to food at each stage, such as using scissors to cut up a piece of bread represents incisor teeth and mashing it represents molars chewing. Spraying it with a little water shows how our spit helps to break it down. This was done at each stage of the process.

Second graders began working in teams to research different parts of the digestive system and take notes on them using the research strategies they have been practicing in literacy. Next week, they will be using the information they collect to build a room-size crawl-through digestive system! Unfortunately, we can't have guests to crawl through while covid numbers are high but we promise to create an awesome video crawl-through tour for your enjoyment and learning!

In reading workshop students continued to learn how to conduct research on a topic they are interested in to prepare for writing a research book and practiced strategies for reading non fiction books

• They continued to take notes using sticky notes on their research topic and categorizing them to help them write their research book

• They played a bingo game to notice and check off non fiction text features as they found them in books such as captions, headings, maps, etc.

• They learned strategies to "stop and jot" when reading non fiction when they learn new info, see a strong image, burst with creativity, meet new words, come to the end of a section they want to remember, have a reaction or idea

Scientists got to dissect sheep lungs with Heidi! Heart dissection coming up next week! What a treat for second graders as this is normally something you wouldn't see until high school or college!

In Jenny's math class, students have continued working on data collection, categorizing data, and graphing data. They learned about bar graphs, line plots, and pie charts in the last two weeks!

In Ben's math group students have been studying area and perimeter. This week they focused on finding the area and perimeter of objects in the classroom. Students also began finding the area and perimeter of irregular shapes. On Friday they worked on growth mindset, flexibility, and collaboration on challenging balance benders.

In Writing Workshop, students have been creating research-based nonfiction books built upon the work they have been doing in Reading Workshop. They sorted the facts they collected into categories which became headings and sections in their books. They have been focusing on ways to hook their readers with clever titles and headings. In addition they are using all of their non-fiction tools such as captions, labels, diagrams, and maps to add detail to their work.

Second graders had a blast in the ice and snow, pulling each other around in sleds!

Middle schoolers served hot chocolate during the snowy cold mornings this week to raise money for their community service project. They are working to replace all the plastic silverware in the school with reusable metal silverware and will be using hot chocolate funds to purchase a dishwasher for the middle school to wash the silverware students use. Second graders all thoroughly enjoyed supporting this fundraiser and sipping on their hot chocolate!

Continuing our study of the human body but moving on to the circulatory system, students learned what blood is made out of. They each got to make a sample of their own blood using approximately accurate quantities. Water represented plasma, red dyed cheerios were the red blood cells, marshmallows were the white blood cells, and lentils were the platelets.

Kids loved the circulatory system dance where they moved through the circulatory system to help them learn how it flows and the names of the different parts

2nd graders got to practice their liquid measuring skills as they measured how much blood the average baby, child, adult, and pregnant woman has in their body

To help them understand how heart valves work, students did this fun experiment building a model of valves

For a fun winter art project, on the last day before winter break, each child painted a picture of an aspen forest in the snow and wrote a poem about it.

In writer's workshop students have been wrapping up their nonfiction expert books (they've been writing about a topic that they feel they are an expert on that does not involve research.) Some new strategies they learned to incorporate in the last couple weeks include:

• ways to show key words in your text and how to add them to your glossary

• how to create a table of contents

• how to write an about the author section

• adding strong illustrations that match the words

• using a checklist to make edits on the finished book

In reader's workshop students have been preparing for their next nonfiction writing project. They are now learning how to read non fiction books as a researcher. They have practiced:

• Narrowing down a topic choice to something that isn't too broad or too narrow, something that they are interested in, and something they can find enough sources on

• What is a good source and how to find them?

• Previewing multiple books to find the best ones for your research

• How to take notes on sticky notes (including how to write down the title and author's name for keeping track of sources)

• Categorizing their sticky notes to help them outline sections in their book

They will soon be taking their notes and research and turning them into a researched nonfiction book. They have loved getting to use Epic Books to find digital books too!

Jenny's math group began a new math unit on data collection and graphing. Students will be learning how to collect data and interpret it. They will also learn how to make their own graphs and interpret graphs that they see. For the first week of the unit, we practiced sorting people based on a "rule" such as people with boots on and people with no boots. They collected data from this using tally marks and then learned how to turn their data into a pictograph.

We learned how sometimes doing something kind for others can help us heal after something difficult happens. Students loved making cards of gratitude for fire fighters and healthcare workers to show their appreciation for all their hard work.

Writing letters to Santa (the middle schoolers had a wonderful project going to respond to each letter)

Students loved checking out Expedition Health (the human body exhibit) at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on a field trip! They also got to check out several other exhibits like dinosaurs, space, and gems.

Building models helps you understand how things work! Second graders worked in teams to build working models of the respiratory system. They could see that as the diaphragm moves up and down, the lungs inflate and deflate. Then they wrote short songs about the respiratory system and how it works.

Applying their knowledge of the respiratory system and the path that oxygen takes through it, students wrote graphic novels introducing a character that would guide you through the respiratory system while delivering oxygen. They will soon add the circulatory system to their graphic novels!

Second graders began learning about the respiratory system by doing a respiratory system dance where they carried oxygen through the respiratory system as a mail person and "mailed" the O2 to the circulatory system, collecting CO2 and delivering it on the way back out

Students loved making their own meditation jars after reading the book Moody Cow Meditates. They practiced taking deep breaths as they watched the sparkles in their jar settle. They used pulse oximeters all week to test how much they could lower their pulse rate through meditation by comparing pulses before and after.

Second graders made beautiful watercolor paintings of the respiratory system to help them learn the parts and vocabulary.

In reading workshop, students have been learning strategies for reading non-fiction books. They have learned how to:

• Take a sneak peek of a book using the cover, back, and pictures to anticipate what the book might teach them

• How to study features like diagrams, charts, pictures, and graphs in detail

• Reading the features first, then the text and making connections as they read

• Looking for keywords using features like bold words, glossaries, text boxes, and labels to help them learn the 'expert lingo' on the topic they are reading about

• Thinking aloud "I wonder, I'm noticing, and I'm learning" as they read

In writing workshop, students have been creating non-fiction books in areas they deem themselves as experts in. For this project they are not doing any research, just using their prior knowledge. They are practicing incorporating different non-fiction features such as headings, pictures, labels, captions, and important facts. Topics range from cars, to cheetahs, to plant dragons.

In Jenny's math group, students have been working hard to break down story problems that have an unknown change or an unknown start into an equation and solve them. Strategies they have been learning include flipping an equation from addition to subtraction, using a hundreds chart, and using a number line. We have also been playing lots of fun games to practice mental math and breaking down numbers within 200. Students that elect to do the challenge-by-choice menu are exploring more complex variations of the same concepts.

In Ben's math group we have been working on subtraction with 3 and 4 digit numbers. In addition, we spent a few days on a mindset activity. Students were shown a 30 second clip of a race between Minecraft pickaxes and no further information. Through their own questioning and deductive reasoning they were able to figure out how long the track was, what it was made out of, how fast each pickaxe could mine that material, when the pickaxes would break, etc. They used this data to figure which pickaxe would win and more impressively exactly how long it would take.

Buddy time! We got to work with our 6th grade buddies to make macrame designs together!

In Reading Workshop this week, students utilized puppets to practice reading as the character. Students picked books and graphic novels where characters were having conversations. They then came up with a voice for the puppet and read all their parts in that voice to practice reading with expression.

In Writing Workshop this week, 2nd graders wrote their own two-voice poems with a partner after being inspired by the two-voice poetry book Joyful Noise.

During Writing Workshop, students also worked on publishing poetry books! They selected their three favorite poems, revised them, and worked with a teacher to type them. Then they created beautiful watercolor illustrations to go with each poem!

After 7 weeks of learning about and writing poetry, each student chose 2-3 poems that they wanted to share for our Poetry Cafe celebration.

We made our Poetry Cafe extra special this year by hosting it on grandparents and special friends day. Students each wrote a poem for their grandparent or special friend based on an interview that they conducted with them, and many chose to present them at the cafe. All of the students gifted their beautifully illustrated poems to their special person. You can read all of the grandparent and special friend poems HERE.

The whole school gathered to watch Mack's annual Pumpkin Chuckin' Competition. Middle school houses compete to build a pumpkin launcher that will throw pumpkins the farthest distance. The record this year was Franklin House with 131 feet! Kids were on their feet cheering and we were proud to watch them continue to cheer and support when

Jenny's math group has been working on the subtraction strategy leave one number whole and subtract the other number in parts. This strategy helps students by breaking numbers up into tens and ones. It's also a great precursor to mental subtraction. Students have also been playing games like close to 20 to practice their addition and subtraction skills. Students who chose the challenge-by-choice menu are loving the extra challenging games and activities to stretch their brains.

In Ben's math group, students have been continuing to explore the wide world of PEMDAS. Their most recent expeditions have taken them down the road of experimenting with how to create a word problem from an order of operations equation.

Design teams have been working for weeks on creating incredible outfits inspired by a nature photo of their choice. They closely observed the colors, patterns, textures, and imagery in their photo and used those to inspire their designs.

On Wednesday, they showcased their creations at our Biomimicry Fashion Show in the Grove Theater for an adoring audience!

In Unit of Inquiry, we mostly worked on the biomimicry fashion design project over the last two weeks. Students loved working with partners to collaborate on a design that mimics their nature photos's patterns, colors, and concept. They are all looking forward to showcasing their designs with you at the Fashion Show next week! We also got to learn about some other ways biomimicry shows up in inventions.

Since the biomimicry project was working with partners, we spent a lot of time role playing and putting into practice our "Strategies for When You Disagree." As the project went on, students got better and better at using these strategies independently. We will continue to practice them throughout the year any time we have collaborative projects.

In writing workshop students learned more poetry strategies including adding similes and metaphors to poems, stretching out a simile or metaphor for an entire poem, playing with perspective (who is saying the poem), personification, and two-voice poems! Each student also got to interview a grandparent or special friend and write them a 'poem of address' that will be a memorable and sweet gift on Grandparents and Special Friends day (coming up next Friday!)

In readers workshop students have been focusing on what to when they have a reading emergency. A reading emergency simply consists of those times when you are reading but then start day-dreaming or reading too fast and lose track of your story. Treatments include but are not limited to, buddy reading, slowing down, stop and re-read, and asking questions about what’s been going on in the story. Students are also practicing capturing important moments on sticky notes.

As a special treat, we got to have Leo's mom (college English teacher) come in for a fun guest poetry lesson! She taught us about poetry's super powers and students got to work with a partner to write acrostic poems.

In Jenny's math group, second graders worked on breaking numbers into tens and ones in many different combinations, using tens and ones to add numbers more efficiently, and a new addition strategy to keep one number whole and add the other number in parts. They especially loved our new math game Close to 20. You can play it at home too! We introduced Challenge by Choice menus and some students chose to try a challenge menu for some more complex activities.

Close to 20 Game Directions

In Ben’s math group students have been solidifying their skills with three digit addition and subtraction. Students have also started scratching the surface at order of operations. In addition we have been exploring growth mindset challenge problems. If you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend help your student create a new acronym for PEMDAS (guaranteed to get some good giggles).

Second graders loved doing watercolor paintings of their poems that will be included in their personal poetry anthology as their published work for this literacy unit.

After spending a week learning about adverbs, students got to have a fun Adverb dance! Two students at a time each picked a card. One got a random verb and one got a random adverb. They combined them to make some hilarious actions as they danced down the center "tragically leaping", "mysteriously skipping", or "parachuting sneakily." This resulted in lots of laughter and hopefully a deeper understanding of adverbs! (Full video in out Google Photos folder)

Sunrise at the pond in our outdoor classroom= pure magic

We took our first field trip to Bobolink for some nature exploring

Students collected special nature objects and made mini museums

We learned a story from the Arapahoe tribe about how stars are born underground and they wriggle up through the roots of cottonwood trees, up the trunk, and get stuck on the tiniest branches at the ends of the trees. When the wind breaks off those branches (or kids snap them in half), then the stars are freed into the sky. Did you know that if you break a dry cottonwood branch at the joints, you can find a perfect 5 pointed star?

Second graders learned about tessellations and where they can find them in nature. Then, they made their own tessellation art.

Students learned about biomimicry and checked out some professional fashion designs inspired by nature. Each partner team chose a nature image to get inspired by and began designing a fashion outfit based on the colors, patterns, and shapes in their image. They will spend the next 2 weeks building their outfits.

Partner teams started working on their biomimicry fashion designs. They are having fun exploring with cardboard, fabric, and the plethora of supplies in our maker cart! Each child shared a compliment for their partner after working together to help them feel good about collaboration.

In Jenny's math group, students have been working on different types of quadrilaterals, making arrays with rectangles using columns and rows, and learning beginning fractions such as 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 2/3, 3/4, etc. They have been playing with making fractions of 2D and 3D shapes, including finding and designing flags with different fractions of colors on them.

In Ben's math group students have been continuing learning about data and different types of graphs. Students have incorporated measuring to the nearest quarter-inch and collecting data on things such as, how far can you jump, how far can you blow a leaf, and more. Students then turn this data into an informative graph.

In Writing Workshop, we are continuing to work on poetry. Over the last 2 weeks, students learned about alliteration, creating a mood in your poem, using repetition, and creating imagery using sense details. Students looked at work from other poets that used these techniques and then tried these strategies out in their own poems.

Students analyzing some poetry together to find comparisons during reader's workshop.

In Reader's Workshop students have been continuing to practice skills to increase fluency. Students have been mastering pausing with punctuation, utilizing their best reader's voice, and finding the just right pace. Students have also been starting to learn about strategies to remember and summarize what is going on in their story without re-telling every detail.

Paper airplane making and flying is the new hot activity for recess time. Second grad paper airplane experts have been kindly teaching their classmates new and exciting ways to make airplanes.

Friends drawing together at recess.

Its dyslexia awareness month and our Mack Morning Meeting last week focused on dyslexia. Students shared poems, talked about strengths, and a few students (including two second graders!) got up on stage to share about their experiences with dyslexia.

Second graders loved sharing with parents what they've been learning in Performing Arts during their Performing Arts work share this week!

The eighth graders work hard every year to put on a Spooky Science Lab for the littles! Second graders loved doing experiments with dry ice bubbles, glow in the dark slime, making worms!

For Halloween we watched a Magic School Bus video to learn about spiders! Then we did a spider and bat craft for some Halloween fun!

Fourth Grader Maddie Morris won 'head of school for the day' at the auction last spring. She took over for Halloween at Mack proclaiming costumes all day, extra recess, movies, and fun for all!

Second graders loved wearing their costumes to school all day! They showed them off to all the grades at our annual Halloween Parade before taking our school photo.

To start our nature unit, we learned about nature art journaling and students learned some strategies and ideas such as measuring, labeling, comparing, including poems, making maps of places in nature, drawing objects in nature etc. Second graders loved drawing and writing about nature in their sketchbooks and are making this a daily morning habit as they come into the classroom every morning.

Students looked closely at nature objects using microscopes. Some artists wanted to draw zoomed in pictures in their sketchbooks as they looked at nature objects and others wanted to just explore them visually and share what they found with friends.

Using a digital microscope, students each selected a nature object and took a photo of it up close

Then second graders used their digital microscope photos to make beautiful paintings!

Students learned about Andy Goldsworthy, an artist who is inspired by nature, and looked at some of his artwork. Goldsworthy uses found nature objects to make beautiful art. Then students made mandalas inspired by Goldsworthy using objects that they found in nature. They incorporated radial symmetry after learning about it in math class. They loved making these so much, that they keep making them at carline now!

Second graders learned about what fractals are and where they appear in nature. Then they made fractal triangles which they combined together to make a beautiful art piece.

They had so much fun making small fractal triangles that they also made a giant fractal triangle using chalk on the sidewalk!

In writing workshop over the last two weeks we have been focused on poetry. Students loved choosing nature objects from our treasure basket or the nature spaces around them and using their "poet's eyes" to see them in a new way. Then they wrote beautiful poems about them!

Writers also learned new poetic strategies like line breaks, using precise juicy language, and using an object or detail to represent a big feeling.

In Reader's Workshop students have been working to make their read-aloud voice and the voice in their head match the mood of the text. Students have studied dialogue tags, context clues, and pictures to learn how a book wants to be read.

In Jenny's math class students began a unit on geometry. They learned new vocabulary words to describe 3D shapes such as vertices, edges, and faces. They loved playing a variety of games to learn about 3D shapes such as mystery block where they describe a hidden shape and their partner has to guess it, find the block- matching cards with all the faces drawn to a 3D shape, and trace a face- where they trace all the 2D shapes on the faces of each 3D shape. They also loved learning some tricks about drawing 3D shapes and creating some art by drawing a 3D shape (or several) that they were looking at.

In Jenny's math class, 2nd graders also learned about radial and bilateral symmetry. They used pattern blocks to make designs with a partner showing each of these types of symmetry. We connected it to our nature unit by talking about where these types of symmetry appear in nature. At the end of class, everyone worked together to make a huge radial symmetry design on the rug!

In Ben's math group students have been learning about bar graphs and data collection. Students have explored different forms of data collection and expression. Students chose a research question they were interested in and are currently in the process of gathering data from around the school. Next week they will be turning this data into an informative graph.

Did you know that we have two trampolines in our outdoor classroom? These are a blast for getting wiggles out and playing at recess time!

We had fun celebrating two birthday's over the last couple of weeks! Happy birthday to Violette and Nathan!

In Mapping, students made maps of their day using a pictorial timeline

They learned about star maps and constellations and made their own star maps using tiny holes punched in construction paper with a tack so when held up to the light, they look lit up.

Students also made maps of Mack for visitors that are touring including keys, compass roses, and at least 5 of their favorite "can't miss" things to see

Second graders earned a jewel party by filling up their jewel jar. They voted between a nature documentary, building forts, and sandbox extravaganza and chose fort building. They had a blast working together to build additions on to our existing forts. They also got to wear their PJs to school and bring a stuffy.

In Reading Workshop, students learned about:

• noticing when authors write in a powerful way that makes them react

• asking "how does the author make their whole story click together?" as you read

• checking back when something you read doesn't make sense

• thinking about the lesson behind the story and "what does this author want to teach me?"

In Writing Workshop, second graders wrapped up their personal narrative stories. They practiced revision using a revision checklist; editing for capitals, organization, punctuation, and spelling; and drew beautiful illustrations to accompany their finished pieces.

We wrapped up our personal narratives writing unit with a Publication Party where families were invited to come read students' final stories. Readers wrote compliments for each story that they read. At the end, each student shared their favorite line over the microphone to a captive audience

In Jenny's math group, students worked hard to practice translating story problems into equations and understand the real meaning of what the story problem is asking. They practiced several strategies for adding and subtracting such as using a hundreds chart, using base ten blocks, and connecting tens and ones. They also practiced some fact fluency with a fun game called Turn Over 20. You can play it with a regular deck of cards at home. Find directions HERE.

This week in Ben's Math group, students wrapped up their first unit working with multiplication facts on a 10 times table and an introduction to division. They are loving balance benders as they help use all of our new strategies. One of their favorite games has been tic-tac-products which can be found here if you want to play at home :)

Famous author Varian Johnson came to Mack and gave presentations to all the grades. He spoke about his writing process, how he decided to be an author when he thought all authors were white and from wealthy neighborhoods because he had never seen an author that looked like him before, and answered so many great questions from the kids. He also autographed books for students!

Second graders connected with their 6th grade buddies to decorate pumpkins together.

The highlight of our week was, of course, the 2nd grade camp out. A coveted item purchased at the auction last spring to help raise money for our school. Students got to eat pizza, play games, have fancy donuts, enjoy a campfire, and sleep over in tents in Mack's beautiful grove!

Tea and fancy donuts at the campfire while students listened to JJ's famous lion hunter story

Playing "Captain Says" at the campout

snoozing on your friend's lap during campfire is the best

friends hanging out by the pond to draw together in the morning

finding dragonflies in the classroom almost every day is pretty spectacular

Second graders learned about using a scale in mapping. Then they made some "radical road maps" and practiced measuring their roads in cm, finding the total length of each color of roads, and finding the distance in miles using a scale. This was a fun way to practice our skills of measuring in cm and adding multiple numbers together in a number string. Mapping Math!

We learned about what latitude and longitude are and connected it to coordinate grids that we learned about previously. Students solved latitude and longitude riddles to find the location of cities in the US. Then they made their own riddles for others to solve.

Did you know that scientists map the ocean floor using sonar from a boat? Students simulated this process using a model of the ocean (a tub filled with blue water and objects) and a stick striped with different colors. They stuck it in at each spot on their coordinate grid to see how far in the stick would go and then color coded a coordinate grid using a key for the depth of the ocean.

We started one of our favorite big mapping projects! Each student drew blueprints for their dream house and then color coded the rooms for the materials they would use on the floor. Students could use anything they wanted from cotton candy to anti gravity foam (perfect for climbing gyms!)

The next step for our dream house blueprint project involved a lot more mapping math. Student began working to find the area of each room in their house and how much each room will cost depending on the price of the material. This is a great opportunity to practice number strings, repeated addition, and even multiplication and arrays for our mathematicians that are ready for that.

In writing workshop students continued working on their personal narratives. They learned about adding sense details and comparisons (similes and metaphors) to help their reader picture what's happening in their story. They practiced stretching out their setting and the climax of their story using this strategy. Students worked with their writing partner to add punctuation to their stories instead of saying "and then and then and then..."

Writers also learned about how to use "show don't tell" with emotions and weather. For example, saying, "My face was bright red and my shirt was drenched with sweat" instead of saying, "It was hot out." Then, writers learned about revising for powerful and precise language. For example, saying, "She zoomed down the hallway" instead of "she ran down the hallway."

In reader's workshop, students focused on strategies for comprehension such as:

• pausing to check for understanding as you read

• summarizing using the "somebody, wanted, but, so, then" method

• using sticky notes to write down important things that happen in your book as you read

Readers also reviewed their strategies for what to do when they get to a tricky word like:

• frog jump over it and come back after reading the sentence

• get a running start by re-reading the sentence from the beginning

• sound it out

• use picture clues

We started spelling stations where once a week, second graders will practice their learned words (words they will need to know how to spell by heart.) They move around to a variety of fun and kinesthetic stations to practice 3 words each week such as building words with pencils, writing words in sand, letter magnets, and making fancy words.

We also began our spelling groups. Students were broken up into 4 groups based on a spelling assessment which tested which spelling rules they know and which ones they still need to practice. Each group will meet 2-3 times a week and focus on a new spelling rule each week. For example, "-ck comes at the end of a word, after a short vowel is heard."

In Jenny's math group, we reviewed subtraction strategies such as using a hundreds chart to count back, using cubes to take some away and count what's left, and using facts you know. Second graders loved practicing their subtraction strategies with a game called 5 in a row subtraction with 3 dice. You can print and play it with a deck of cards and 3 dice at home for family game night HERE!

In Jenny's math group we have also been practicing strategies for adding multiple numbers together in what we call "number strings."

We reviewed coin values and practiced identifying coins. Students especially love practicing their coins and adding with the game "Collect 50 Cents." Find the directions to play at home HERE.

Ben's math group has been learning about area, multiplication, and some introductory division. Students are very excited about daily balance benders. Ask your student to create one for you!

We had our first meeting with our sixth grade buddies! We will be connecting with them once a month for fun projects, buddy reading, and activities. Having cross-grade friendships is so beneficial to both the older and younger students!

Once the creek dried up, students had a blast exploring the mud for crawdads, raccoon footprints, worms, and bugs!

They caught so many crawdads! (and released them of course!)

Our first birthday circle of the year! We celebrated Leo with our birthday circle tradition where each student shares something they love about the birthday child and a wish for their upcoming year. We use a jar of fairy dust to hold all of the thought and positive feelings that then gets turned into a necklace for the birthday child.

Starting every morning next to the pond is pretty magical

you have to be extra gentle when holding a dragonfly

We start every new unit by having students write down their burning questions. We had some wonderful questions about mapping that will help guide our unit!

Students took a tour of our outdoor classrooms and mapped them

We learned about using symbols to represent real objects on maps and how to make keys to communicate what those symbols represent. Second graders had fun building 3D maps of imaginary worlds with pattern blocks to represent things.

After learning about mapping from a bird's eye view, students mapped our outdoor classroom using symbols and a key.

Second graders learned about the difference between a compass and a compass rose, cardinal directions, how to use a compass, and how to orient a map. We even learned about using compass apps on your phone or ipad when you don't have an actual compass handy.

Students explored money from around the world. Using close observation, they made inferences about what was important to that country based on the images they chose for their coins and bills.

Second graders learned about coordinate grids by playing a fun game on the basketball court "move to A3 if you are wearing black!" We will come back to this when we explore latitude and longitude.

We learned about topographic maps and what they mean. Each child built a 3D topo map using cut out foam pieces and then drew a 2D topo map of their 3D one to show the comparison.

Every morning during our morning meeting, we sing a continent song and point out the continents on our map. Then we learn where 2 new countries are and play a geography game.

For this unit in writing workshop, we have been focused on personal narratives. Students began by brainstorming ideas about stories with big feelings and stories about a memory with a special person or a special place.

Students practiced finding a small moment seed story instead of a watermelon story (ie. the time I went swimming with dolphins instead of my whole vacation to Hawaii) and planned their story using the plot mountain story structure

They were each paired with a writing buddy. They spent time orally telling their story to their buddy before writing it down.

Some more writing strategies we worked on over the last two weeks include:

• bringing stories to life by making characters talk, move, feel, and think

• stretching out a story across pages by telling it in small steps

• zooming in on the most important moment of your story and magnifying it with lots of details

• story hook ideas (like starting with a sound word)

• crafting powerful endings to stories

In reading workshop, students practiced reading books "how the book wants to be read" by noticing the feelings the author is trying to convey

They also practiced buddy reading and being respectful listeners to their reading partner.

Some additional reading strategies we worked on over the last two weeks include:

• choosing a just right book

• setting goals for how many books, chapters, or minutes you will read

• what to do when you get stuck on hard words to keep your reading voice and pace

Second graders worked hard to paint and decorate fairy houses to expand our fairy village. It's looking pretty magical!

In Jenny's Math Group, we have been learning math workshop routines and learning new math games and activities to refresh our adding, number sense, counting, and geometry skills. Try playing 5 in a row with 4 cards at home with your family. You can use a regular deck of cards without face cards.

We loved watching the middle school sorting ceremony with a talking sorting hat (inspired by Harry Potter of course.)

8th graders set up a free lemonade stand to make kids smile on a hot day

Our sandbox is the most epic in all the land! It's also where a lot of natural team building occurs during recess time.

So much connection time and team building in the sandbox this week with elaborate designs!

A getting to know you game where students ask each other questions from cards and then swap questions and find a new partner to ask

A communication game where we practiced clear and kind communication. Partners sit back to back and one describes a design in pattern blocks while the other tries to build the same design

Trying to catch crawdads in the creek is always a popular recess activity!

Liz supporting with literacy in our class

After reading the wonderful book Our Class is a Family, students voted on a set of classroom agreements to help everyone feel safe, happy, and cared for. Then they wrote and illustrated them to hang in our classroom.

Each child decorated a fairy house to hang in our fairy house village in our outdoor classroom. They need to be sprayed with many layers of sealant and then will be hung next week

Our first unit is mapping so we connected that with a getting to know you activity where each child made a heart map showing what is most important to them and how much space it takes up in their heart relative to other things.

class silly photo!

Each child made a fancy pencil that they will get to use all year. Writing is definitley more fun when you have a fancy pencil to write with!

We did a start of year writing sample where each child wrote a short story about something they did over the summer. This writing spot by the pond is about as perfect as it gets (although some kids prefer writing in the forts!)

We love to read stories while kids are eating lunch to help them focus on eating for a few minutes! Here is JJ reading one at lunch time to our class.