Specials are Spot On

2nd Grade January News

Art

In Miss Pinto’s art classes, the second graders have been working on RESEARCH to inspire a work of art about an ANIMAL! We started by using text books all about living creatures and habitats. We spent our time getting excited about choosing a living creature that we found the most interesting and we wanted to know more about. If we couldn’t find information and images of an animal we were interested in through our books, we began researching with our ipads, using digital resources like www.MyON.com , http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org , www.pebblego.com and www.kids.nationalgeographic.com .

After we found information about our animals and images of our animals, we worked in teams to answer the top three questions we wanted to know about that animal! Then we worked independently to sketch a drawing of our animal, paying close attention to the special details, shapes, patterns, and parts that each animal has that makes them unique. We wanted to make sure we could draw those special details as it would make our animal look more real. We learned that it is very easy to draw an animal if we look for the different SHAPES we see first; an oval for a head, a long rectangle for a neck, crescent shapes for tusks, etc…

Next we will be using our sketches and our research to create ANIMAL CLAY SCULPTURES and non-fiction books to go with our sculptures! We can’t wait to start working in clay!!!

For more information please visit the art webpage here.

Miss Pinto and Miss Fausette

Music

Second graders have been very busy practicing music literacy skills this month. Students begin each class with a singing warm-up, such as echo-singing or playing a quick singing game. Then, they practice reading and writing the notes and rhythms they know. They have been learning to take music dictation by writing the rhythm and melody patterns they hear on white boards. Students have shown great progress with this skill! Students practiced two new songs: “Knock the Cymbals” and “Rocky Mountain”. When learning “Rocky Mountain”, students discussed their knowledge of mountain ranges and found the Rocky Mountains on our world map! Students have recently started learning to improvise short melodic patterns through a game called “singing conversation”. In the picture below, some students are using singing voices and solfege hand signs to ask each other “questions”! Finally, students are focused on learning a new mystery note on our solfege staircase that is located below “mi”!

Mrs. Maldonado

Physical Education

During the month of December the children worked on basketball skills and spent some time working out in the fitness lab.

Dribbling - Right and left hand ( kneeling, standing and moving).

Crosses, through the legs and behind the back.

Stop and go on the whistle.

Two ball dribbling with and without a partner.

Hand-eye challenges

Figure eights rolling and dribbling.

Drop and catch front to back, drop and catch while ball is between legs and fingertip passing while ball is above the head.

Passing -We taught correct technique of chest, bounce and overhead pass.

Children worked with a partner and sometimes against the wall.

Passing around a defender was also shown and practiced.

Shooting -Correct technique of shooting with two hands and one handed with guide hand was shown and practiced. Around the world, make it take it and horse were some shooting games the children played.

The children also continued to work on their fitness, abdominal and arm strength. Second graders perform 25 sit-ups and push-ups every class.

Coach Boscarino and Coach Ruel

Library Media

During the month of January, 2nd grade students have started the "Hour of Code". We discussed coding as the "language that the computer speaks". Students will be using www.code.org curriculum over the month to start to learn about coding, in a game like environment. So far the kids have been having a great time.

Some 2nd classes, also are participating in the library's "Pop-Up Booktalks". Mrs. Mazzotta's and Mrs. Davidson's class got a special visit from Mrs. Flannery to introduce them to some new 2nd grade books and later in the month Mrs. Flannery will be visiting Miss Scalise's class.

With Mrs. Hill, 2nd grade students have participated in read alouds of the following titles:

Phineas L. MacGuire …Get’s Cooking by Frances O’Roark Dowell (2017 Nutmeg Nominee)

LuLu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst (2017 Nutmeg Nominee)

If you have any questions in regards to your child’s library experience. Please don’t hesitate to contact us or locate more information on the library webpage.

Mrs. Flannery and Mrs. Hill