Lots of Science!

We have been doing SO MUCH hands on science this year!  Our rock unit is one of my most favorite things to teach, and this year I changed it up a bit and had a lot more deep learning experiences for the kids.  We made models of each type of rock, observed and recorded attributes of rocks and minerals, created our own rock museum and lots more! 

Today, we had an opportunity to do a virtual field trip with the education director at the Wyoming Natural History Museum.  It was an awesome experience for us to learn from him and see many of the amazing artifacts the museum has on display!  He was very knowledgable and the kids were able to have a QandA session with him at the end.  

2018-2019

Wow!  We are off to a wonderful start this year at Brookhaven!  Starting the week on a Monday, and going all the way through Friday was rough, but after a nice weekend break, we are ready to learn again!  Starting a brand new school has been so exciting and something I will always remember!  Here is a fun picture of our school that was taken last Friday!

This blog is a place where I can share fun events that happen during class time, so please check it out often! :)

-Mrs. Blair

Johnson GIF

Tiger the Butterfly

Yesterday was an exciting day in our classroom!  We have been watching our caterpillar, Tiger, become a butterfly all month.  Yesterday morning, when we got to school, his chrysalis was completely clear!  We could see his wings, head and antenna through it!  Right when we were going out to pick up the B Track kids, he decided to hatch out!  It was so exciting for everyone, and I was so pleased that the students were all able to witness it!  When he came out, he was scrunched up and slimy.  It took him about an hour to dry off and stretch his wings.  We documented our observations twice during the day so we could see how he changed.

At the end of the day we took him outside to let him free.  He immediately flew onto students' shirts, pants and even hair!  It was a funny experience.  Then, after sitting on the blacktop for a while, stretching his wings, he took off and flew away.  We will miss having him in our classroom!

Utah Theater Trip!

Yesterday we had a fun, new experience!  Those in our class who worked hard and met their AR goal got to take a little field trip to the newly renovated Utah Theater to watch a movie!  It was cold and snowy when we loaded the bus to drive about a mile to the theater.  Our class was at the back of the bus so we were one of the last groups to get inside.  We sat down in our seats and Mrs. Blair's dad told us a little bit about the theater and showed us some of the cool things they can do in there.  We loved how the curtains on the walls went up and down and how the chandeliers moved!  Then, we got to have a Laffy Taffy and watch Toy Story on the big screen!

Groundhog Day!

Today we had a little bit of extra time at the end of the day so we did a little art project to prepare for Groundhog's Day tomorrow! (Such a huge holiday...very important :))  First we watched a video about groundhogs and why we celebrate the holiday.  Then students had to decide if they thought Phil would see his shadow tomorrow, or if they think he won't see it!  Personally, I hope he doesn't see it so we can have an early spring! Wishful thinking?  :)  Then the students made their own Phil to represent their prediction.

STEM Challenge Days 1 and 2

This week we have been working on a STEM challenge during our Power Hour time.  The students were split into teams and given a challenge: Create the tallest freestanding tower in second grade.  Throughout this week, they will be making prototypes out of different materials, to see which ones they would like to use for their final tower, on Friday.

Yesterday we started off by using marshmallows and toothpicks.  I was impressed by how well some groups worked together, and also by how creative the students were.  The tallest tower of the day measured 7.5 inches tall.  We learned a lot from trial and error!

Today, students were given marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti to create their towers.  This was, I admit, a failure.  One group of students was able to make a tower that stood 13.5 inches.  However, the rest of the towers fell flat.  Literally!  We learned a LOT from using these materials!  First, the noodles were not strong enough to hold more than one marshmallow.  They kept snapping and toppling whenever they tried to add more levels.  Also, spaghetti noodles and marshmallows are a PAIN to clean up!  Luckily, I have lots of good helpers and we were able to get everything cleaned up in about 20 min.  (Thanks to the help of Miss Lesa's vacuum!)  After we cleaned up, we sat down and talked about what we learned from today's prototypes.  We came to a consensus that spaghetti noodles are not going to be used for the real towers on Friday!  I also related this to Thomas Edison inventing the lightbulb.  He didn't fail, he just found 10,000 different ways that didn't work!