2nd Grade: IIM & Research Studies

ROE students are developing and applying an array of reading, writing and research skills in the context of our IB Program of Inquiry by using the IIM research process. They are becoming increasingly independent researchers as a result of teachers' effective guidance within Units of Inquiry across the year. As one example---2nd graders investigated the systems at work within the human body within the IBPYP theme of "Who We Are." 

Student Questions by Ms. Klapesky's class

Notefacts by Daniel G.

Students worked through the process of creating a concept of map of questions and background knowledge. They generated questions of interest complimented by teacher guiding questions that moved research forward. 

Additional reading, writing, and research skills that are embedded in these studies are :

• Creating a research plan.
• Locating and using multiple sources to answer questions.
• Reading non-fiction and determining importance.
• Taking notefacts and citing sources.
• Understanding concept of plagiarism and ways to avoid it.
• Organizing and summarizing information.
• Creating projects in effective formats using visuals to support meaning.





Goal-Setting by Ms. Klapesky's class



Knowledge creation - 2nd grade research

Click to view expanded photo set of 2nd grade research.
Teaching Students to Paraphrase via Amsco Extra!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss! March 2nd is his birthday. Can you guess who these characters are from their silhouettes? Do some research in the ROE library by checking out one of our many books by this extraordinary author.

Silhouettes adapted from original Dr. Seuss illustrations by Mrs. Richardson

• The Lorax Project
• About Dr. Seuss
• Seussville.com
• The Cat in the Hat: PBSkids.org
• 30 Dr. Seuss Quotes that can Change Your Life! (Infographic)

ROE Scholastic Book Fair

Celebrate the 100th Day!

Our 100th day of school is January 31st! Here are a few resources with worthwhile learning activities connected to this event:

SMARTExchange: 100th Day (SMART Notebook file downloads)
SMART Exchange is searchable database of notebook files. Filter your search by standard, subject, topic, and grade level. Preview and download files which can be used as is or adapted and customized for your students. 

More Instructional Ideas from...

• Scholastic 
• Read-Write-Think
• Starfall
• BrainPop Jr clip with Teacher & Family Activities
• Splat Squares & Reveal (interactive 100s chart)
• 100th Day: Glogster 

Pinterest: 100th Day Activities Board

More Interesting Reading on Pinterest:

• Pinterest: A Beginner's Guide
• Best Guides to Figuring out Pinterest
• My previous post on Pinterest

1st Grade Projects

1st graders used TuxPaint and Micosoft Word to create these descriptive writing projects as part of their study of communities under the theme 'How We Organize Ourselves.' Click tabs at top to scroll through just a few examples, and click magnifer at bottom left of window to zoom in. These are authentic pieces of 1st grade work, and thus are not perfectly edited. They represent the ongoing development of writing skills with 1st graders.

TuxPaint is a free and families can download it at home too. Students applied touchpad and keyboarding skills. They didn't draw these with a mouse! They also connected back to their earlier study of maps this year in order to create a bird's eye view of the community they wrote about and 'painted.' They used a variety of brush and line sizes, and explored stamps, and 'magic' effects too. 

Adaptations

What do 4th Graders in Ms. Waugh's classroom observe and wonder about how animals adapt physically and behaviorally to their environments? We used these images as a way to introduce and engage students with this concept. Listen and look at this VoiceThread to hear students' comments and discussion about several different organisms. View full screen here & see further project details here. 

Gifts to the ROE Library!

View this clip to find out about the beautiful new books donated to the ROE Library!