Learning Under Construction!

It's been quite a couple of weeks in 2Dynamite. The boys have been busy as we wrap up our inquiry into different ways and systems that people use to meet their needs. We end our inquiry with a comparison between Canada and rural Ghana. The boys donned their "anthropologist lenses" by watching a DVD about how people in Ghana meet their needs. They then compared this with what they know of how we meet our needs in Canada. After reflecting on their own learning strengths, they chose their own way to share their knowledge through the creation of a knowledge product. Our Canada vs. Ghana Needs museum is now on display in the room, and the boys are looking forward to telling you about the process and the product at their student led learning conferences next week. There are posters, books, triorammas, diorammas, a news broadcast, and a puppet show. These amazing products were completed over just 2 days! Our classroom was most definitely a construction zone as boys worked on their projects! Each boy then presented his project to the class, explaining what he created and what it shows about meeting needs. After each presentation, boys gave each other "stars". Here's some of what they said about each other's work:
"I really liked the effort and detail you put into that."
"You took a risk and it worked."
"I liked how you spoke clearly and knew a lot."
"You really chose images that show what we saw in the video."
"You put a lot of information in your project."
"Your work shows you were a real thinker."
and my favorite....
"I wish I was a judge on American Idol, because if I was, these projects are so good that we'd all be going to Hollywood!"

What a Week!

We had a very busy and productive week in Grade 2 Dynamite! We started the week with "Barter Bags". The boys put into practice what they have been learning about barter and trade as they negotiated with each other to acquire items from a list of needs and wants. Some boys had lots of needed items, while other boys had lots of wants items, while others had a mix. It was interesting to see how they negotiated and came up with strategies to meet their needs. Conor and Benjamin F. ended up the two "wealthiest" boys at the end of the session, and their strategies of trade served them well. Statistically, there was a representation across the room that echoed what we discussed about distribution of wealth in the world.
On Tuesday, Mr. Don Lowen arrived with 200 eyed Chum salmon eggs. The boys were so excited to meet "their babies". We will be caring for them and tracking their growth over the next 3 months.
On Wednesday, we held Market Day. After reading a story about markets, we brainstormed all of the things that happen at a market and set the parameters for our own market. Boys then worked to create a product, decide on a price and begin producing the items they hoped to sell. We then set up market stalls, got our wallets filled with money, and went about the business of buying and selling. Items for sale ranged from "dead fresh salmon" to "webkinz" to "dragon eggs" to "carrots" and more! The room was bustling and humming as boys bought, sold, wheeled and dealed. Many boys learned that creative advertising and good prices mean good sales. Others were stumped by why there was not much demand for their product.
Today we made a rainbow with soil - who knew soil could be so colorful! Mrs. Besharah came to share some of her expertise with us and helped us to examine the layers of soil. We did a very cool experiment with soil and water and are now observing the results as we wait to see what happens as the soil settles into is layers.
Enjoy the photos - I think the pictures speak louder than my words!

Money! Money! Money!

Happy New Year to all of the families of grade 2 Dynamite (near and far)! We've started 2010 with a bang, exploring concepts related to money. We've begun our new unit of inquiry exploring the difference between needs and wants. The boys have determined that a need is something that is necessary and a want is something that is nice to have. We've sorted, classified and categorized different needs and wants. We've also begun exploring money and systems of trade as well. The boys webbed what they know about money, and we start our inquiry off with a solid base of knowledge that we can share with each other as we construct meaning.
Here's just some of the ideas they have about money:

• not all money is the same
• money can be saved in the bank
• coins are made of metal, silver, gold, or bronze and some money is made of paper (bills)
• money is used for buying "stuff" (including needs and wants)
• money can be shared
• some people only care about money
• there are different types of money all over the world
• some people think money is power
• we get money by working and doing chores
• special money can be collected
• lots of money has people on it from history

As you can see, we have a very broad knowledge base about money and how it works. This past week we spent lots of time exploring Canadian money. We learned the value of the different coins and examined each coin for its special features. Then we rubbed the coins. The boys were fascinated that you could rub money, so we are creating art with money rubbings now. We also read about the history of money, and learned that the concept of money came from barter and trade and that money has developed to what it is today over a long time.

As always with our inquiries, the boys are encouraged to ask questions. One of the big questions that has come is "if there were people who don't have money, how would they get what they need?" This is a BIG question, and with recent events in Haiti, one that we will discuss and explore together. Please take some time to talk with your son, particularly if you are involved in helping others meet their needs through financial donations. Lots of boys are also wondering more about the history of money and money in different places. Their curiosity is definitely peaked, and it would be a wonderful opportunity for you to show your son that learning can continue beyond school by helping him search for some of the answers to his questions using books or the internet. Please do encourage him to bring his findings to school to share.

Are You a Shark? Turtle? or Owl?

As we round out our inquiry into how we can communicate our ideas, feelings, and needs, we've spent some time looking at how our communication skills can affect our daily lives and relationships. This week, we met "Sumbissive Turtle", "Aggressive Shark" and "Assertive Owl". These three animals are symbolic of the types of communicators we can choose to be. "Submissive Turtles" are usually shy and quiet, and as a result don't always get their needs met. Over time, they can become quite sad because they don't have the voice they wish they had to be able to speak up. "Aggressive Sharks" are more dominating and pushy. They tend to act without thinking first, and often put themselves before others. "Assertive Owls" listen and observe. They speak with confidence, state their needs clearly, and do their best to think before they act. In the ideal world, we would all be "Assertive Owls" with wise communication skills. The boys really responded to looking at interpersonal communication skills through these three characters. They immediately recognized that they are symbols used to help us understand the ways we can communicate. Through role play, we explored pretending to be these three characters in different scenarios that happen to us daily at school. It was very interesting to watch the boys explore and realize that they have choices when they communicate, and that sometimes we have to be risk-takers to have our needs met. Most conflict comes from not having needs met. We will be practicing "I need..." statements in our class as we try to become more and more like "Assertive Owl" in our every day interactions with each other.
Today we mixed borax and hot water and will see what happens over the weekend to the pipe cleaner snowflakes we've got suspended in our solutions. If all the scientific variables are correct, the boys should arrive on Monday morning to find that the pipe cleaners are covered in beautiful crystals. They sure are loving putting their inquiring scientist hats on. Next week, we'll spend some time changing the variables to figure out why borax and water make crystals (and will have some gorgeous ornaments for your Christmas trees to boot!).

As a Matter of Fact...

Over the last couple of weeks we've been conducting matter experiments in order to understand the properties of solids, liquids and gases. We started out by pretending we were the molecules inside solids, then liquids, then gases. This helped us to understand what the matter is like and how the distance between molecules helps to determine the state of matter. We've also been pouring liquids and solids and observing the differences in the properties as they "pour". Yes, you can pour blocks, but they don't change like water does to fit the shape of the container. This past week, we've been exploring mass through matter. We've discussed the properties of solids and put them on the scale to see which one is heaver (marbles vs. rocks). We also compared our heavy rock with water, and in the end, water won the day, proving that both liquids and solids have mass. The boys were amazed that a container of water could have more mass than a rock that beat out a bag of marbles. Today, we tried to determine whether air has mass. The definitive answer was yes, but when we put a packing pouch without air on one side of the balance scale, and a packing pouch sealed with air on the other side, our predictions did not all come true. This was the perfect opportunity to illustrate that a good scientist isn't always right when they make their best guess. It's all about what we can learn when we check our guesses. We also blew up a balloon with hot air (which by the way, I am full of), and found that it had more mass than the balloon with the cooler air in it. Hmmm, we wondered. How can this be so? So we googled, and yes indeed, cold air should tip the scales more than hot air, but in our case it did not. "Maybe the internet is wrong, Mrs. de Hoog," one of the boys remarked. Well, this led us to a discussion about reliable sources of information, and we decided that the U.S. Department of Energy should be a reliable source. So, we began switching the variables up a bit, and will continue to do so to help us understand the mass of air. We decided that for now, our results are inconclusive, which in the world of science, means we have more guessing and checking to do. Ah, the beauty of science...

The Fine Art of Communicating

We are delving into our communication inquiry, and comic fever has caught on! Although I hadn't planned to examine comic strips as a way of communicating, that's exactly what we are doing. This is the beauty of inquiry based teaching and learning. Honoring student interests and harnessing the opportunity to take advantage of the "teachable moment" validates the boys' desire to want to know more about something that has caught their attention. We've spent time comparing comic books with picture books and thinking about how to tell a story with a logical beginning, middle and end through pictures, speech and thought bubbles, and exclamations. We even talked about "onomatopeoia"! The boys are very proud of their work and are learning important lessons about communicating clearly for an audience. On top of all this writing, we are also exploring communication devices, and learning about Helen Keller. Over the next two weeks we will explore braille, sign language, non-verbal communication, and world alphabets.
Thank you for coming to your son's learning conference. I was so proud of how well the boys shared their work with you. They were confident communicators who expressed their learning clearly. Student learning conferences are very important in helping the boys develop confidence and pride as they reflect on their learning and productivity. We will be looking at your "stars and wishes" and will work hard to make your "wish" come true before our next learning conferences in February.

More Than Words Can Say

(Photos: top left - the completed city of "Glenboxen"; top center - disability dodge ball; top right: playing "Sleeping Queens" with disabilities; bottom center - eating lunch with disabilities; bottom right - communication "Heads to the Ground")

On Thursday, we began our inquiry into the different ways people communicate their needs, ideas and feelings. We started by engaging in an activity called, "Heads to the Ground." In groups of 3 or 4, each boy was given a corner of chart paper where he could sketch, list, web, etc. as many different ways of communication he could think of. The boys in each group then shared their thinking and wrote common methods of communication they all identified, or listed the ones they felt were most important. They came up with so many ways we communicate, from language, gestures, hugs, kisses, writing, maps, drawing, technology and more! We even noted that this very blog is a way that we communicate what goes on in our classroom. Those boys who have had the opportunity to look at the blog with their parents noted that we are now communicating with friends and family all over the world through our blog. "Have you noticed the map on the blog and how the little red dots on the visitor map are growing and showing up to represent visitors from other provinces, countries and continents?" I asked. Some nodded yes, some were amazed to discover that people in other parts of the world are reading about what is happening in our classroom each week. Isn't communication (and technology) amazing? So, this week the boys would like to say "hello" to all those family and friends from faraway places who are keeping up with the weekly events in 2 Dynamite through our class blog. We are so thrilled that you can take part in our learning this way! Feel free to send us a comment - I will be sure to share them with the boys!

The Beginning of the End!?

Last week marked the wind-down of our very first unit of inquiry. Much of our learning in the classroom is built around the concepts we focus on through our units of inquiry. Our unit on diversity helped the boys to use their thinking skills (planning, preparing, discussing, constructing, sorting, comparing, analysing, justifying, observing, recording and reflecting), research skills (locating facts, taking notes and making sentences), communication skills (collaborating, sharing orally, writing, presenting and discussing) and self-management (using time wisely, planning, self-control and cooperating) - just to name a few! We've come a long way since we started this unit in September! The end of such a major conceptual study also marks the beginning of a new unit of inquiry, which will also come to it's own end; hence, the "beginning of the end" cycle that we will repeat many times this year!
Our next unit of inquiry will focus on the concept of communication. We will explore different ways we communicate, how people in the world with challenges communicate, how we communicate using signs and symbols, how authors and illustrators communicate through books, and much more! The concept of diversity will still live on this unit, as communication also relates to diversity! Aspects of what the boys learned will be applied in a new context that will continue to expand their understanding of this very diverse world in which we live.
In math, we are also coming to the end of a focus on skip counting patterns, even and odd numbers, and ordinal numbers, and will be moving on to adding and subtracting, fact families, and memorizing as many of our basic facts as we can.
We've also just begun our study of the three states of matter, which will bring us the opportunity to put our "lab coats" on and engage in lots of experiments with solids, liquids and gases.
We are always busy in grade 2Dynamite - there is so much to learn!
Stay tuned for photos from the Diversity inquiry on our Grade 2 bulletin board in the hallway!

The Growth of A City

This week was a big week - we had lots going on! We started the week with disability day. The boys had the opportunity to experience 5 different disabilities including: moving using a wheelchair, vision impairment, hearing impairment, using only one arm and loss of the ability to feel with their hands. They were good sports, even when they felt extremely frustrated by one of the disabilities. Although the wheelchairs were popular, they soon realized just how hard it is to move in a world designed for upright people. Many of the boys made the connection that someone who is confined to a wheelchair would need really strong arms and shoulders.
On Thursday we visited Oak Bay Recreation Centre. We were taken on a tour to look for ways the Rec. Centre accommodates diversity. The boys pencils were bursting with writing as they attempted to track accommodations ranging from ramps, wispa lifts, railings, parking, classes for all ages, age and gender specific change rooms, and more. Collectively we came up with a list of 17 different ways the Rec. Centre meets the needs of its clients. While we were there, we saw just how diverse the clients are. We observed a blind man, an elderly woman in a walker, young families, a senior aqua fit class, and young men playing hockey. A highlight of the trip was when John got to demonstrate the wispa lift. We all oooh'd and ahhh'd as John was lifted up over the water. John laughed and said he felt like he was being raised up to heaven. For someone in a wheelchair, I'm sure that wispa lift must feel the same as it enables them to go into the water and have a nice dip!
The city of "Glenboxen" is now complete. On Friday, the boys added their final buildings and also had the idea that it needed a power grid and rapid transit. Please do come in to see it this week, as it will be taken down on Friday after school. The boys used tape to create both the electrical lines and the rapid transit. Strips of tape representing electricity have small balls of black play dough along them. The rapid transit lines have small rail cars on them. Lots of really amazing thinking, planning, team work and implementing have gone into building "Glenboxen" and the boys are SO proud of it!
This week we will begin to wrap up our inquiry into diversity. The boys have learned quite a lot and I am so pleased with the growth that all of them have shown in just 5 weeks!
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so very grateful to have the wonderful job of being a teacher. It is a real privilege to spend my days with your amazing boys!

"Glenboxen" is Born!

The boys had a great week, mostly with Mrs. Mac who filled in during my absence. The class moved full steam ahead in our diversity inquiry, learning about disabilities and how they affect a person's life. On Monday, we will participate in "Disability Day" where the boys will have the opportunity to "try on" 5 different disabilities over the course of the day. This will help them to see the world through a different perspective and respect that disabilities are a part of a diverse community.
Today, our diverCity "Glenboxen" was born. The boys are working in community planning teams to construct an open-minded and diverse community out of little boxes, paper and clay. We will continue to analyse and add to "Glenboxen" to ensure that it is as diverse and open-minded as it can be. All of the boys are contributing their ideas and insights, and it was amazing to watch them in action this afternoon as buildings were erected, roads constructed, parks grown, etc. Stop in to see "Glenboxen" as it grows and develops over the next week and a half. It is a wonderful reflection of their new understandings of the concepts diversity and community.
Our Friday Morning Live presentation is now rescheduled for Friday, October 9. We look forward to sharing with you how diversity "takes shape"!