I finally made the switch to second grade, and I am loving it! I actually did a few weeks back, but I haven't been around to blog about it yet. Don't get me wrong, I loved my special ed placement, but I have really enjoyed having my own classroom.
In 2nd grade, they spend a lot of time learning about life cycles. Each of the lessons comes from the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards units. In the units, the students learn about life cycles of butterflies, chickens, plants, trees, and frogs. Since I spent the first half of the semester in a special education setting, I was only there for two life cycles.
The first life cycle we talked about was the life cycle of a plant. The students each got their own lima bean and journal. They were able to record the changes they saw. It worked out perfectly because we were learning about measuring in math. As part of their observations, the students were able to record the growth of their seed in their journal. They loved this project!
The next life cycle we learned about was the life cycle of a tree. We read the book A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer. Not only was this book was a great way to introduce the life cycle, but it also taught the students about different animals that are a part of the stages. After we discussed the life cycle of a tree, the students created a graphic organizer illustrating the different stages. I saw the idea for the graphic organizer on Pinterest. I changed a few things about it and was so pleased with how well they turned out.
The following day, the students were put into groups, and each student was assigned one of the three stages. They worked with their group to create a story about a day in the life of a tree. In their story, they were to write about their particular stage and an animal that was involved in that stage. After they wrote and illustrated their stories, the groups created a chart. They were so proud of their work and did a great job with this project!
