Animal Research

It's been quite awhile since my last post and so much has happened. I'm going to share with you what's got my kids so excited about this last class project.

Our last unit of study is in science and we have been learning about animals and plants. When I told the kids we were ending with this unit, they were extremely excited. They L-O-V-E SCIENCE!! In this unit students need to know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals and that many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents. We've also discussed how some characteristics are caused or influenced by the environment (adaptations).  We've used "signal words" to help us remember important vocabulary in this unit:

Metamorphosis

Seedling

  

I think the best part of this unit has been the research project the 2nd graders are doing. First, they chose an animal to research and partnered with a classmate who had the same interest. Next, they used the chromebooks to find information about their animal's life cycle, anatomy, adaptations, habitat and more. Once they made their notes, I introduced how to create a Google Presentation. Their is no slacking going on in this classroom! They have absolutely loved making these presentations. Next week, students will be presenting their animal projects to their peers.

  Watch and listen to the video below where 2 kids are discussing which font and size to use for the title on one of their slides and which image to select:
I have been so thrilled to see how motivated and excited the kids have been when I tell them it's science time. I hear grumbling from the kids when I tell them it's time to pack up to go home! Many students have asked if they can do research from home. I naturally encourage them to do research with the help of an adult. If you want to see your child's presentation or other presentations from our class, visit our class website next week and I will have them posted.