Batty Books

batbook1

Students in Second grade reading classes created Bat Books after reading and researching bats. They used the app Book Creator.  This app allowed them to add text, pictures, and audio to their books.  They really did a very nice job!

There are two versions of each book: epub and pdf.  The epub can be downloaded and read in iBooks (on an iPad or iPhone/iPod Touch) or any other ebook reader.  You will even be able to hear your child read!  The pdf can be downloaded on a computer and printed.  Check them out below!

Mrs. Boone’s Reading Class

Mrs. Vest’s Reading Class

Mrs. Clark’s Reading Class

batbook3

 

 

 

 

Cross posted on the Clearbrook Digital Archive.

Butterfly Life Cycle Books

Students in Mrs. Wiggington and Mrs. Allen’s classes created Butterfly Life Cycle Digital Books after they hatched classroom butterflies.  They used the app Book Creator.  This app allowed them to add text, pictures, and audio to their books.  They really did a very nice job! You can listen to them read their stories here:

Mrs. Allen’s Class

Mrs. Wiggington’s Class

There are two versions of each book: epub and pdf.  The epub can be downloaded and read in iBooks (on an iPad or iPhone/iPod Touch) or any other ebook reader.  The pdf can be downloaded on a computer and printed.  Check them out below!

Mrs. Allen’s Class

Mrs. Wiggington’s Class

Cross posted on the Oak Grove Digital Library.

Diversity Pic Collages

Mrs. Chamberland’s Social Studies class is studying Diversity.  This past week, they used the iPad app, Pic Collage, to create digital posters showing what diversity in the United States look like.  Here was their challenge:

Create a Pic Collage that helps show what diversity in Virginia looks like.  Include pictures and words.  You must have 3 examples of ways you see diversity in your life. You must use pictures and words in your collage.

Their projects are below!

O.R.E.O. Project 2013

Mrs. Chamberland’s class participated in the great O.R.E.O. Project this year!  These second graders used their estimation, counting, and graphing skills during this project.  They submitted their results online, and compared the number of oreos they stacked with people all over the world!

Take a look at an example graph they made in Excel!
Oreo Chamberland 2013

Second Grade Rule Posters

It’s a new school year, and 2nd graders at Clearbrook have been discussing the rules for 2nd grade, their school, and their community.  They used Pic Collage to make rule posters!

This was a great project for introducing how to use Pic Collage, for practicing working in groups, and for learning to transfer work using the dropbox app.  I’m looking forward to see what other things they create with this app in the coming months!

Figurative Language with Second Grade

For the past few days, I’ve had the chance to work with a reading group in Mrs. Allen’s Class.  This group of students had read the book, Punished by David Lubar.  I had never read this book, but the kids LOVED it and were so excited to tell me about it.  The main character of the story is “punished” when talking back to the reference guy in the library and has to find different types of figurative language to lift the magical punishment.  The book covers types of figurative language (oxymorons, palindromes, anagrams, and puns).  Mrs. Allen wanted her students to practice creating (or finding) these types of words.

After brainstorming with the group of students, we decided that they would make a virtual poster (using iPads) containing an example of each word.  Students used the iPads to research and take (or find) pictures of the different word types.  As they went along, they kept a list of the examples they found so they would be ready to create their poster.

On day two, students used one of my favorite apps, PicCollage, to create their figurative language posters.  They were given this sheet to help them.  Below are the posters they created.

 

They did such a great job.  I had a blast watching their excitement over the project. Way to go Mrs. Allen’s Class!

Blogging 2nd Graders!

blogging girlYes, it’s true! Mrs. Allen’s and Mrs. Wiggington’s second graders at Oak Grove are blogging on their very own blogs! They would love to recieve comments, so be sure to check them out periodically. Soon they will be writing about things they are studying in their curriculum!

Here are their blogs:

Mrs. Allen
Mrs. Wiggington

I’ll keep them linked to this blog (on the right) in case you want to check back on them later in the year!blogging boy

(P.S. — Keep an eye out for one more blogging class of 2nd graders coming soon!)

Pirate Geocachin’ with Second Grade Sprogs–ARRR!

What do pirates, 2nd graders, gps units, and math all have in common? Pirate geocaching, of course!

This summer, I had the opportunity to work with a great bunch of 2nd graders during summer school. This group loved technology, and so I decided to organize a Math review using our GPS units. Since it was summer time, and we were reading stories about pirates and the ocean, the theme naturally lent itself to pirates! Plus pirates are really fun!!

So, here’s how it all went down:

1) I organized the caches the students needed to find around the pirate theme. At each cache, students needed to solve a 2nd grade math problem to know what to bring back to the “Captain.” A big thanks to Joani Sotherden, Kathy Smith and Diane Rose for this part of the project! They helped me come up with the problems for each cache.

Download cache questions (Print on Avery size 8164 labels).

Here are pictures of the caches and their contents:

Next, Meg Swecker joined me one afternoon to help find great hiding spots for the six caches around South Salem Elementary. We programed in each location on six gps units.

Judy Fisher (the other second grade teacher) and I rounded up some adults to help lead each group.  We also organized our two 2nd grade classes into six different teams of four students each.  Then morning before the event, we hid the caches in their spots.  A clipboard was made for each team that consisted of:

Clipboard

  • a ziplock baggie (for the loot)
  • a list of caches to find (in a different order for each team)
  • scrap paper
  • the rules and tips and tricks and job responsibilities
  • a pencil

Download Directions and Tips and Tricks

Download Group Order

Right before we went out to do the activity, we gave the students pirate hats (free from Long John Silvers), set up the scenario, gave some basic rules, and assigned teams.

Each team was given their clipboard.  The adults quickly showed their group of  students how to use the gps units, and they were off!

It was so much fun! Everyone had a blast, and I was amazed to see students who struggled to complete work at their desks take lead rolls as they trekked around the schoolyard solving math problems.

A big thanks to all those people who showed up to learn about geocaching or to lend a hand, including…

Co-Teacher: Judy Fisher (she also supplied the awesome pirate hats)
Group Leaders: Judy’s son–“Mr. Fisher,” Hunter Routt, Sherri Tompkins, Debbie Stanley
Photographer :  Diane Rose
Math Problems:  Joani Sotherden, Kathy Smith and Diane Rose
Partner-in-Crime:  Meg Swecker (who’s always up for an adventure, pirate or otherwise)

Here are some other fun pirate resources:

Talk Like a Pirate

Magic Treehouse: Pirates at Past Noon by Mary Pope Osbourne

Do Pirates Take Baths? by Kathy Tucker

(This book is great for a writing prompt, especially  writing asking and telling sentences).