{Super Science}

The Twosies got to extract DNA from strawberries with Super Science this week!

How. Cool.

Adding cold rubbing alcohol caused the DNA to leave the nucleus of the cell and rise to the surface!

We got all kinds of interested after our experiment, so we learned a little more by watching this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwibgNGe4aY

{Malcom Bridges}

We learned so much throughout our unit on Bridges!

It was a great first unit and we were really able to build friendships with one another too!

We began by accessing our schema on the information that we already new about bridges and then determined what we would like to learn about bridges.

Then we explored the history of bridges. Bridges have been around as long as people have been around. We learned about the evolution of natural materials to steel and how the support structures have changed through the years. The shape of the arch can be seen in some of the very first bridges.

We then spent time learning about the different types of bridges... 

With all of this knowledge, we of course had to design and build our own:

Check out these pictures of the Twosies collaborating with their team on the design and engineering process!

{"All About Me" Gamis}

We used a really great app called Tellagami and recorded short animated films that tell about ourselves!

Check out the final products below:

Alethea

Bella

Ben

Brooks

Chase

Crenshaw

Davis

Drew

Gavin

James

Keaton

Mac

Maddie

Millie

Nathan

Ronan

Whit

Will

Yilan

Zachary

{Peanut Butter & Jelly}

We go together like peanut butter & jelly!

To begin our Peanut Butter and Jelly Unit, the Twosies began by collecting some data on our class' favorite type of PB&J! It turns out that most of our class does NOT enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Sheesh!

After getting over that shock, we researched a little bit about peanut butter and watched how peanut butter is made. Did you know that the runner peanut is the one that is used for peanut butter making? It takes 1,100 peanuts just to make one jar!

Next, we brainstormed the process of PB&J sandwich making...

We then summarized our thoughts into a step by step process:

Finally, we (of course) HAD to make our very own!

Each partner spread one side and then gave their friend a high five!

Yummy!!!

 Now, we have some peanut allergies in our class, so we were extra safe and used Sunbutter instead!

{First Day of School}

We did it!!! The Twosies survived their first day of second grade!

Here is just a glimpse of all we accomplished:

-We began learning our schoolwide expectations and wrote our classroom expectations

-We learned about our behavior and reward system

-Introduced Daily 5 and practiced "Read to Self"

-Began reading this book:

-Ate lunch (of course)

-Went to recess (thank goodness!)

AND

-We even began our Peanut Butter and Jelly Unit...

'cause you know, we go together like peanut butter and jelly!

Which means that we...

• collected data on our class' favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which, SHOCKER, happened to be "I don't like PB&J")
• watched a video about how peanut butter is made and recorded some facts

Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!!!

{Plant Lifecycle ThingLinks}

Here are some shots of the Twosies classifying plants. They did a great job and began our learning of the different plant families and types.

We ended our unit on Plant Lifecycles by creating ThingLinks!
We tried using the iPad app, but had better luck navigating the program through the computers.

The Twosies had to research the lifecycle of a plant of their choice and learned some interesting facts along the way. They then had to choose an image of their plant and insert "targets" on their image. When you roll your mouse over these targets, you will learn about the different lifecycle stages, see a video of the plant, and learn some facts. Click on the links below to view their ThingLink Projects!

Honeysuckle by Adwoa

Sunflower by Zak, Grady, and Layla

Venus Fly Trap by Abraham and Ky're

Cactus by Justin and Tyler

Bamboo by Harper, Charlie, and Ansley

Sugarcane by Benjamin and Claxton

Sugarcane by Addison and Olivia

Strawberry Plant by Molly and Alex

Strawberry Plant by Shriya, Charlotte, and Yu

Marshmallow Plant by John Casey and Mila

{Animal Lifecycle PowToons}

The Twosies had loads of fun sharing their knowledge of animal life cycles through an online program called PowToon. PowToon allows you to create animated video presentations!

http://www.powtoon.com/

Check out their PowToon videos and learn about the life cycles of several different amphibians and insects!