Wonderful weather = Wonderful learning

In Grade Two, the science curriculum has five different units of study including Hot and Cold Temperature. The students are recording daily temperature since Groundhog Day, learning how to read and interpret a thermometer.  This past week, they had the opportunity to read this book Snowflake Bentley using the mini iPads and the Bookflix website.

The story is full of rich vocabulary, and it became an opportunity to work with words that many of the students were not familiar with.

These word cards were placed around the classroom and the students participated in a 'parts of speech' word scoot.  This means that they walked around the classroom,

read the vocabulary words and then decided if the word was a noun, verb, adjective or pronoun.

There were a great many words but they had the definitions of the various parts of speech on their sheets to help them remember what each term meant.  This type of activity allows the students to challenge their thinking.  They can decide how the word would be used in a sentence and then figure out which type of word it is.  

William Bentley really brought the world a gift in his research on snowflakes.  Much of what we know today, is thanks to this man who was interested in something that most just took for granted.  The students attempted to make a snowflake with 12 q-tips using the criteria that no two q-tips would cross or overlap, that snowflakes have six sides and that each side looks like the other five.  It was a challenge!

Each student has a lapbook where their new learning is being recorded.

There are multiple copies of thermometers and the students are recording how the temperature would look.  They are recognizing the difference between temperatures below

and above zero.

Using boiling water and borax,

and pipecleaners,

we are trying to make crystals.

We're crossing our fingers that is will work!

Lots of new learning about how it snows or rains....understanding the water cycle.

Using this bead bracelet, the students are also trying to remember more 'scientific' vocabulary.

They might tell you:
The sun powers the water cycle (yellow bead)

The sun evaporates the water and it goes up into the atmosphere (clear bead)

The water condenses and we see it gather in the clouds (white bead)

When the cloud is too full, then there is precipitation (blue bead)

The water collects on the ground (green bead

Cool idea (not mine!)

The students created the water cycle on a large plastic bag.  They took it home so that they could add water into the bag (not more than about 1/2 cup), zip up the top, then put it onto a sunny window spot.  Again not my idea, but it should demonstrate the water cycle.  Hope it works!

Thank you to those who came to adore Our Lord last Thursday in the chapel.  Here is the monstrance that was used,

the red light to remind us that Jesus is present,

and the tabernacle that was used.

How lucky we are to be able to know Our Lord within our schools!