Nonfiction Notes
10/24/2020
Reading and writing nonfiction has a variety of benefits as outlined in "Research Says / Nonfiction Reading Promotes Student Success" (Goodwin & Miller, 2013). Over the course of reading and writing nonfiction, students learn important research skills, practice critical thinking skills and explore real world interests. In the past week, students have taken their skills of observing like a scientist and worked toward writing like a scientist as they explored simple lab reports using the scientific method as a guide. They were excited by the experiment topic: Hot Wheels! Guided by the question "Will this car travel farther on the carpet or bare floor?", students learned how to put together the different parts of an experiment and how to write each part. In addition to the question, they had to write a hypothesis and procedure as well as recording the data or results from the experiment. Finally, they had to summarize their findings in a clear and concise conclusion. When you "write like a scientist", several things need to occur. You must have powerful observation skills in order to notice detail and patterns. You must be able to synthesize information coming from your data sources. You must also be able to write in a simple, yet informative way so that you anticipate the questions your reader will ask about your subject and deliver knowledge to a wide range of readers. These critical thinking opportunities provide practice for real life skills that can be used in a variety of situations.
This week, students will continue their nonfiction journeys as they embark on a different type of nonfiction writing...informational books. Each student will contribute one chapter for a class book on owls. They will continue to expand their knowledge of nonfiction by studying mentor texts to learn how to elaborate on previous knowledge and how to write for their readers, anticipating and answering questions about their topic. They have already begun work in identifying text features and will incorporate them into their nonfiction work to give accessible information to their readers. Finally, students will show their understanding by writing a complete informational nonfiction book on a topic of their choice. For the Birds...
10/10/2020
Our most current PBL project had us learning all about our feathered friends in Alaska. Our driving question "How do we create a safe winter habitat for some Alaskan birds?" guided us in our explorations. The second graders first reviewed what a habitat was and what specific components of the habitat needed to be present for different species of animals. To challenge their thinking, they were given a choice of what Pokemon creature to build a proper habitat for. They had to think about climate, landscape, vegetation and food and water sources as well as how to keep their creatures safe from predators. Once they had a good understanding of what a habitat is comprised of, they began to focus their studies on birds. They learned about different species of Alaskan birds and which birds winter over here. The students then each chose a bird to do further research on, working on getting information from various sources, learning how to use kid-friendly search engines online and heard from a local bird expert from the Anchorage Audubon Society. They even learned how to draw different types of birds. Since the second graders knew that birds need food, water and a safe place to rest and keep warm, they agreed that building birdhouses and adding some feeders would be a good plan in helping to create the nice winter habitat for the birds. They tackled this building project with courage (some had never used a hammer or screwdriver before), collaboration (how should we fairly use the tools, who should go first) and creativity in their painting designs to create some beautiful bird houses! They also used their critical thinking skills to read and follow the instructions to make sure they had a useable birdhouse in the end. The next steps in this project will be to identify the perfect spots around the school grounds to place the birdhouses and add some feeders once the bears have gone off to hibernate. Then we can watch all winter long as the birds enjoy the fruits of our efforts!
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Marcella HitchcockMs. Hitchcock teaches second grade, is a mom of two, an avid reader, lifelong learner, and a seeker of sunshine! Archives
March 2021
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