Magnets, magnets, magnets



The wire part of the fly swatter is magnetic.

Finishing up our force and motion unit, we discovered all about magnets. First I just let students discover around the classroom with magnets. Sometimes they just need to discover by themselves and then make conclusions using that information. Students were highly engaged and lots of science talk was going on.

The top of the clipboard is magnetic.



Staples - this could be a quick way to clean up around the classroom.

Next, the question posed was - Does a magnet have to touch an object to attract it?

Students moved through different stations - cardboard, paper, water, plastic,and foam. They used magents to see which objects could move through various materials. 













Sea World Field Trip

We are so lucky to be able to take our second graders to Sea World each year. We start our Sea World unit the week before we go and then continue the week after. Students LOVE to learn all about the different animals.
We did a blubber experiment - students had one hand in icy water and one hand in a blubber mitten in icy water. They quickly saw how it was necessary for the animals to have a layer of blubber.
We did a baleen krill experiment - combs with rice - to show how baleen whales filter their food rather than the toothed whales.
We measured dolphin, killer whale, and blue whale lengths. Blue whales can measure about 90 feet.

Our class favorites at Sea World were the beluga whales, the dolphin show, and of course Clyde and Seymore Show.  Students were able to touch and feed stingrays as well as feed the Seals.

Dolphin Nursery

Touching the Stingrays

Dolphin Cove

Waiting for the Show

         

STEM - float your boat

Students were so excited about our last STEM activity that we did another shortly after.  Students were given a 10 x 10 piece of foil. They had to create a boat that would be able to hold as many pennies as possible. Students came up with several designs.



Wide base, with tall sides worked well.



This one had two different sides so when the coins were added they were alternated to the sides to balance. Seemed to be a little too small as it did not hold many pennies.

Egg Bungee Drop

Today students did their very first STEM activity. They were given the task of creating an egg bungee jump where it had to be dropped from five feet and had to come within two inches of the floor without touching it. Students were given a stocking, yarn, rubber band, and a balloon. First they had to work with their team and come up with a design/plan. Students were first given a bag of rice that weighed the same as an egg until they were ready to test in front of the class.

yeah - a winner!

Students tested it and the redesigned as necessary.

Lots of discussions and debating going on - love it!! 

This was definitely a high engagement activity.

Ramp Races

We are now in our force and motion unit. Today we did ramp races. We were trying to determine if the height of the ramp changed the speed and distance of a toy car. Students started out with the height of one book and worked up to four books.

We found out that cars did go faster and a further distance with a higher ramp. We tried to do more books, but found that it came to a point where the angle was too great and the car actually slowed down because there was not a smooth connection to the floor.

Science Fair

Science Fair - We decided to check which kind of cup would keep our drink the coldest, the longest. We live in Florida so cool drinks are a must!!

We tested to see if plastic, paper, or styrofoam cups kept the water the coldest, the longest. Our hypothesis was that the styrofoam cup would keep it coldest, the longest. Our experiment supported our hypothesis.

We ended up winning the school fair for second grade.

100th Day of School

Today was the 100th day of school. We celebrated during our math time with 100 day activities.

100 cup structures. Second picture shows how it got moved to the carpeted area - lots of noise of plastic cups falling. Quickly moved after first round.

Hershey kiss hunt - 100 kisses hidden around the room marked with numbers starting at 10, skip couting by 10s all the way to 1,000. Two missing kisses at the end - not bad!!

Door decorating contest

In art class students read "A Bad Case of Stripes" and made individual faces with patterns and lines. We decided to add a large version to our door.

Plant Projects

We have been studying plants. Our culminating project was to create a 3D plant with the plant parts labeled. Students had to present to the classroom, explain what they used, tell their favorite part, explain one plant part, and answer two questions posed from the audience. I am always amazed at the totally different projects that come from this.