2B is a
classroom full of future scientists! In
science last week, we began our new unit on magnetism. On the first day, I had two rocks – one was a
lodestone (a naturally occurring magnet).
We imagined we were in ancient Greece and had “happened” upon a rock
that “magically” attracted a piece of metal.
I was so impressed by the questions students thought they needed to
answer in order to know more about this rock:
Are there more rocks?
How does the rock lift the paperclip?
What is inside the rock?
Does it work on other metals?
How many paperclips can it lift?
Are there other rocks that do the same thing?
Has anyone else observed the same thing?
Put it inside something....does it still work?
Is it dangerous?
Cut it in half. What happens?
Repeat the experiments.
Our list of questions would have been much longer
if we had more time! I love that Archway
students experience the beauty and wonder of our natural world, and are able to come up with such excellent questions. We have many experiments that will
answer some of these questions in the coming weeks.
Last week ended with a special visitor, Maggie
the pig! Even though she looked a bit different than Wilbur, it was so
much fun to see a pet pig and for the kids to interact with her. Here is
a look at this week in second grade.
Literature: This week we will take a closer look
at spider webs and how they are made, since Charlotte’s form of communication
to the humans is writing in her web. Students will read about spiders and
also get to make spider webs of their own! We will also learn that Mrs.
Arable is becoming quite concerned that Fern spends so much time with animals
and that she says the animals can talk. Students will take a look at how
animals communicate at the end of the week.
History: We will continue to discuss immigration
this week and see what it was like when they arrived in the United
States. Many immigrants had a hard time adjusting to the new language and
way of life, while there were some that were very successful. We will talk
about immigrants such as Irving Berlin, Andrew Carnegie, and Albert
Sabin. Students will then learn the naturalization process and the steps
that people need to go through in order to become citizens. There are
many people at our school that have gone through this process, and on Friday we
will have the chance to hear Sra. De Cossio share her experiences of becoming a
citizen.
Science: There is so much to learn about
magnets! We will begin the week by experimenting to find the strongest
part of a magnet. We will then discuss how the Earth acts as a big magnet
and its impact on how compasses work. Near the end of the week, students
will discover which sides of magnets attract and repel each other and we will
also have fun making magnetism visible by using iron filings on top of a paper
with magnets beneath the paper.
Important Notes:
-Fine Arts Night is next Monday, April 5 at
5:00 pm.
-We have no school on Friday, May 9.
