STEM Activities by Tyrus Snell, second grade
Mrs. Glover's class, Mrs. Hyman's class, and Mrs. Harcourt's class are a vertical team. They worked in groups of three for a rainbow bridge activity. In each group, there was a first grader, a second grader, and a third grader. The goal was to construct a rainbow bridge that could hold the heaviest pot of gold without falling off. The materials we could use were pipe cleaners, playdough, dixie cups and pennies. During our STEM activity, I saw people build lots of different rainbow bridges. Lots of people had lots of fun. People's rainbows were awesome! One team made a crisscross rainbow. People got fifty or more pennies. Teamwork was awesome! This STEM activity was awesome. It was probably the best one yet!
Penguin Research Project by Sophia Enriquez, second grade
For the past few weeks Mrs. B's class, Miss Rhodes' class, and Mrs. Blessing's class have been doing research about penguins. We have been learning facts like penguins used to be able to fly but now they can't because they haven't used their wings in thousands of years. We are putting all our facts into a book on Book Creator. We are turning the books into QR codes. The QR codes are going on the back of rocks that we painted in art class to look like penguins. The teachers are hiding the rocks all over York County. People will find the rocks and they will scan the QR codes. It will take them to Padlet. That is where they can read a book about penguins by students in Mrs. B's class, Miss Rhodes' class, and Mrs. Blessing's class. We are hoping that the people who find these rocks will leave comments and learn about penguins.
(Editor's Note: Mrs. Hufnagl, the art teacher, worked in partnership with the classroom teachers and children to design the penguin rocks!)
Math in Room 304 by Sadie Dacheux and Liam Hill
What does math look like in your classroom? This is what we do in Room 304! First, we review. Sometimes we use a whole class activity. It could be a game or the class could discuss with other classmates. Next, Mrs. Wenger gives us a mini-lesson on what we are learning. She will ask us questions to see what we already know, and the kids who already know what Mrs. Wenger is teaching can work independently. The kids who need more instruction will stay with Mrs. Wenger and get the instructions they need to understand it. Last, we go off to math centers which are Front Row, Think Squad, Schoology websites, iPad apps, and games. Some kids work with Mrs. Wenger in a small group and will work with her on the concept. That is how our math time is in our classroom.
