Teaching with Heart

Animal Stretches

Posted by in Physical Education, Science, Social Emotional Learning

Due to the energetic nature of my class, I introduced animal stretches as a way to help students focus on their animal research projects. I created a quiet, calm environment by turning off some of the classroom lights and maintained a calm energy while facilitating different animal stretches. Once I modelled a few poses, students began volunteering to create their own. In addition to developing core body strength, this activity nurtured student creativity and promoted self-regulation.    

Jul.13
0

Research Folders

Posted by in Language Arts, Science

In order to complete their animal research projects, my grade two students engaged with numerous non-fiction texts and resources. After modelling how to take notes from informational sources, I allowed students to practice by recording facts about their selected animals. However, when I realized students were copying full sentences directly from the texts, I decided to introduce research folders. I provided each student with their own file folder which they could decorate and then use to house the information they were learning about their animals. This time I provided students…read more

Jul.13
0

Camouflaged Butterflies

Posted by in Art, Science

During our Canadian Animals unit, students became fascinated with how predators and prey use camouflage for protection.  To demonstrate the idea of camouflage, I facilitated an embodied activity.  On a piece of yellow paper, I placed several coloured toothpicks.  I then asked student volunteers, one at a time, to pretend to be birds and pick up the first worm they saw. Once students all had a toothpick, we sorted them based on colour. Students immediately recognized how they were more likely to pick up toothpicks that did not match the…read more

Jul.13
1

Pretzel Habitats

Posted by in Science

During my Canadian Animals unit, the students and I conducted a collaborative study about beavers.  After reading and watching videos about beaver habitats, students were invited to build their own dams using pretzels and chocolate frosting.  This hands-on (and tasty) way to explore habitats proved to be a class favourite – students were engaged in the activity for much longer than I anticipated.  In addition to the enthusiasm students showed for the lesson, it served to scaffold the subject-specific language they were introduced to in our preceding research.  As the lesson progressed, students began…read more

Jul.11
0

Animal Webcams

Posted by in Science

To showcase their learning during a unit about Canadian Animals, my grade two students completed individual research projects on creatures of their choice.  They used informational texts to collect information, took notes in their detective folders, and prepared short presentations to share what they learned with their classmates.  During work time, I projected live webcam streams from local zoos and natural sites onto the whiteboard so students could see their animals in action.  I framed the videos by reminding the class that they were still accountable for completing their work.  As…read more

Jul.11
0

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