Category: Second Grade

During their map skills studies, the second graders have been learning about directions. The students came up with multiple mnemonic devices to help them remember north, east, south and west. A few overheard during lunch were:

Never eat shredded wheat.

Never eat Meredith’s shoes.

After learning about the directions on a map, the second graders learned the essential life skill of using a compass. As a class, the second grade traveled around the school using a compass to help them navigate. After learning to navigate with a compass, the second graders learned how to calculate distance on a map, how to use a map grid, and why both of these are useful skills.

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The Saklan second graders have been turning a scientific eye to the plant world! They started by learning all about seeds, including studying the lifecycle of a plant and what seeds need to grow, and cutting open different fruits and vegetables to see what seeds were inside.

Then, the students were put in charge of planting their own bean seeds. Fortunately, the second grade classroom has a sunny window sill, and the second graders got to watch as their seeds sprouted and grew. Each day, they had the opportunity to measure their plant, and track its progress in their plant journals.

Now that they’ve gotten big enough, each student will get to take their plant home and continue to make observations to make its growth and other changes over time.

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The second graders in Mrs. Prizeman’s class closed out their biographies unit by embodying noteworthy figures from throughout American history. After researching about the life of their chosen person–including their childhood, noteworthy accomplishments, and overcome challenges–each student created a short video to teach others what they had learned.

Many students pulled out all the stops–including costumes and accessories–to bring their historical figure to life! To see Saklan creativity at work, and to learn more about people who made a difference, watch the video here!

The second graders have been continuing to study people who make a difference, and have learned just how diverse that group can be. From sports stars to inventors to activists, there are so many extraordinary people who make an impact in our lives.

As part of their assignment, every student learned about six people who made a difference in their lifetime – people like Harriet Tubman, Marie Curie, Louis Braille, and Thomas Edison.

Then students picked one person to study in depth, and created a biography report about their lives. They included important dates, key moments from childhood and adulthood, and details about the person’s accomplishments and the legacies they left behind.

We hope learning about these amazing people will inspire our second graders, whom we know will go on to be people who make a difference themselves!

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