science is cool!

We finally did it! We were working on getting our pen-cap-submarine to work like we saw on Bill Nye and...it worked! It was amazing! Here is a link to show and explain it better if you'd like to try it at home.Read the directions and try it. You really have to squeeze hard to make it sink and float back up

Can you see our pen-cap-submarine suspended in the water?

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bill nye the science guy

TRY THIS!
Today we watched a video about buoyancy. You can make a submarine! You need: a pen cap, a small piece of playdoh or clay, an old two liter bottle filled with water. Put the clay around the tip of the pen cap (be sure the pen cap has no holes in the top) and put it into the bottle of water. It floats! Put the cap onto the two liter bottle and squeeze the bottle to control your submarine. It will rise and fall! Cool!

cargo contest day 2

Today we took a look at homemade boats created by Javier, Laurel, Kara, and Micah. Take a look! Of all the boats today Kara's held 62 tiles and boy was Laurel's boat buoyant! Micah went first...

Micah's boat held 38 tiles before sinking!

cargo contest

Today was our first day of our Cargo Contest. Second graders have been studying buoyancy and capacity. We each made a boat out of materials we got from home and we're checking first to see if it floats and then how much cargo it will hold before sinking. Each of us is adding tiles to our boat as cargo to see how much it will hold. Today Aryan, Zack, Katie, Alexei, and Natalia's boats were put to the test!

Natalia's boat held 81 tiles! The most cargo so far!

mystery reader

On Friday last week we had Alexander's Mom and sister come in and read two books: Terrific by Jon Agee and The Principal's New Clothes by Stephanie Calmenson. Thanks for coming in and reading to us!

sonny acres farm

tomorrow's field trip

1. Dress for the weather! Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. (No pajamas! We've rescheduled our Pajama Day for next Tuesday, October 27th.)
2. Bring a sack lunch. No lunch boxes, thermoses or soda cans please!
3. Bring a plastic grocery bag for bringing home pumpkins.
4. We leave at 10:15 a.m. so arrive to school on time! Sonny Acres, here we come!

Here are some things you might talk about tonight or tomorrow morning to get our minds ready for the farm:

• What are the steps in the life cycle of a pumpkin? The steps in the process are: seed, sprout with seed leaves, plant with vine leaves, flower blossom, green pumpkin, orange pumpkin
• How do you know how big a pumpkin might grow? Compare and contrast different varieties: Look at it's seeds! The bigger the seed, the bigger the variety of pumpkin.
• How many days does it take a pumpkin to grow? 80-120 days
• How do you know it is ready to be picked? It feels hard on the outside and sounds hollow when it is tapped.
• How big was the biggest pumpkin ever grown? 1061 pounds! Grown in New York State in 1996.
• What connections can you make to text, self or world about pumpkins?

red ribbon week

Next week is Red Ribbon week. Our Young dolphins are dressing up, stepping out, and taking a stand! During our Red Ribbon Week Celebration all students school-wide are wearing pajamas "having sweet dreams being drug free!" 2So is scheduled to go to Sonny Acres Farm that day, so please dress for the weather in regular clothes and coats and we will schedule our own pajama day to make up for it the following week on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27th.

half day

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 14th is a HALF DAY of school. Students will be dismissed at 12:05.  Please send snacks, but lunches will not be served. Be sure you let me and your child know of any dismissal changes if necessary. Thanks and enjoy the afternoon off!

happy pajama day!

stuffed animal day

Alexa and Pegasus are ready for Read to Someone

Laurel reads to her dolphin

Joaquin and his baby bear work on writing

mystery reader

Thank you Mrs. Bryant! Kara's mom was a fabulous Mystery Reader today! She shared the book Twelve Snails to One Lizard with us and modeled fluent reading beautifully in addition to getting our brains thinking about math!

next week

REMINDERS:
There is NO SCHOOL on Monday, October 12th, Columbus Day. Enjoy the long weekend and day off! Also, Wednesday is a HALF DAY. Students will be dismissed at noon and no lunches will be served.

Next week is Spirit Week!
TUESDAY Pajama Day and Stuffed Animal Day
(remember recess will very likely be outside and the animals should fit on their nametag on their desk).
WEDNESDAY Dress Backwards Day
THURSDAY Sports Jersey Day
FRIDAY Dolphin Wear and Cheer on the Metea Mustangs Football Team at 5:00 p.m.

stuffed animal day

We did it! We’ve kept green tags and earned five big frogs! As a class we’ve voted and...Friday, October 9th is Stuffed Animal Day! So, bring a stuffed friend you love that’ll fit on your nametag. You’ll love learning with and reading to it all day long!

field trip

Second grade classes are going on a field trip!  This trip is to Sonny Acres Farm in West Chicago. We will  get an educational tour, enjoy a hayride, and bring home a small pumpkin. This trip correlates with our literacy unit which includes the stories: Pumpkin Fiesta, Pumpkin Circle, and The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. Speific literacy descriptors we will be discussing with these stories include steps in a process, compare and contrast, making connections, and sequencing.

Our second grade class will be visiting the pumpkin farm on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21st. This is a change from the original date communicated in our Second Grade Monthly Newsletter. Because of picture day, we were able to reschedule our trip. Permission slips will be coming home today. Please fill in your student's name, the date, any necessary medical information, and emergency phone numbers, sign and return on or before Friday, October 16th.

Sonny Acres Farm

twinkle twinkle little star

A Day of Astronomy at WVHS Planetarium is an event happening this weekend! Check out this free event at the Planetarium at the high school from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday. Have a good weekend!