passionately curious

In Their Own Words

Can second graders really understand plagiarism and learn how to paraphrase in their own words?  After reading several pages in the children's All About Books, we noticed that some of the language did not sound like our students' voices. The children are so engaged in this project and we do not want to stifle their momentum.  However, we also don't want to encourage them to copy from the texts they are researching.  For second graders, research is a new idea.  It's especially difficult to write down factual information without copying.  There's only so many ways to say that the Earth is 93 million miles away from the sun.  Learning to paraphrase and state the main idea is a part of our reading curriculum and this is a good time to reinforce and practice this strategy.  It's not a strategy my students are expected to master in second grade, but one they will practice throughout their lower school years.  We discussed the idea of plagiarism with our students.   As teachers, we are always learning how to teach more effectively and to revise, rethink our lessons. We will encourage the children to read for information, then put their books away and write down what they remember.  Next time, we'll also make sure that the children choose topics they already know a lot about!

All About Books

As a final project of the year, the children are writng "all about books."  After our recent study of insects, they were already familiar with many non-fiction texts.  We broadened the discussion and began looking at how author's organize their facts and information.  Using Lucy Calkins' Units of Study for Primary Writing as our guide, the kids began to examine different books, from frogs to pharaohs.  We made note of the common features that most informational texts have, including a table of contents, sections or chapters, diagrams/labels, illustrations or photographs, pages with extra information, how-to pages, find-out-more pages, a glossary, and an index.  All year, we've stressed that authors write about what they know and love.  We encouraged our young authors to do the same. The subjects chosen by the children include soccer, pandas, horses, the solar system, and more.  We can't wait to learn all about them.   A few children were so excited by this project that they gave up valuable playtime after lunch to keep writing!

The Monarch's Return: Symbolic Migration

In the fall, we participated in Journey North's Symbloic Migration.  We created paper butterflies that were sent to Mexican children living near the monarch sanctuaries to symbolize the real migration of monarch butterfly.  These students cared for our butterflies all winter, and now the butterflies have migrated back to our classroom. Our original paper butterflies did not return to us.  Instead, we received butterflies made by other students in the U.S. and Canada.  This was the first time I did this project with my students.  Today, letters arrived in my mailbox addressed to two of my girls.  The letters were from 4th grade students in Madison, Wisconsin who received the girls' original butterflies.  The girls were so excited to find out where their butterflies ended up.  This project has come full circle.  Not only did we learn about monarchs and their life cycle, we learned that were ambassadors for the fragile butterfly that migrates across shared borders.   I hope my students' stewardship continues beyond this memorable second grade project! 

Insect Circles

        Ladybug            Mosquito             Butterfly

Prove It!

This morning we decided to exlpore the idea of research.  Some children are convinced that they know the identities of our mystery insects, primarily based on clues and photographs from insect books.  We asked them to find facts to support their predictions.  The discussion started during our Morning Meeting:

Good morning entomologists,
    Remember that entomologists are scientists who study insects.  They ask lots of questions and research for answers.  Let's discuss how we can do research and prove what we think the mystery larvae are.
                             Put your thinking caps on!
                                                        Mrs. M.

We talked about using the table of contents and index in books to narrow the search. Sometimes, facts can also help us to eliminate insects (It's not a dragonfly because dragonflies take a year or two to become adults).

Here's what the children's research "proved:"
I found a picture of a cocoon and it doesn't look like our chrysalids.  Moths make coccoons so I think we have butterflies.

This picture of mosquito larva looks just like our mystery insects #3 and the book says that they swim by wriggling. 

I know they are butterflies because they have balls at the top of their antennae.

I read in one book that butterflies like to fly during the daytime, so I think we have butterflies.

Not So Grouchy Ladybugs

Ladybugs have emerged.  One mystery solved!  Here's one of my favorite poems by Joan Walsh Anglund from The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (used with permission from the author):

 

Ladybug                                                          
A small speckled visitor
            wearing crimson cape,
brighter than a cherry,
             smaller than a grape.

A polka-dotted someone
             walking on my wall,
a black-hooded lady
            in a scarlet shawl.

           Joan Walsh Anglund

 

Ladybug photo by georginchen

Making Smarter Insect Predictions

The children have many predictions about our mystery insects.  Big changes took place over the weekend - the butterflies are chrysalids, the ladybugs are motionless as they complete another molt and the mosquitos are now more visible as they perform amazing underwater acrobatics.  Before the insects emerge as adults, I like the children to become more involved in making predictions.  To faciliate this, I give new clues about the identity of each insect.   This causes a flurry of activity as the children again reach for the various insect books in the room.  As they begin to eliminate the insects that do not fit the clues, their predictions become more precise.  We talk a lot about making "smart" guesses based on the information we already know.  The clues get more specific each day.  Here are a few examples:

Mosquito
They live almost everywhere in the world.
The males eat plant nectar.
The adult has a proboscis.
The larvae hang upside down from the water by tubes called siphons.  Siphons allow the larvae to breathe.
The larvae are called wrigglers.
The pupae are called tumblers.

Painted Lady Butterfly
The adult has a proboscis.
The larvae spin webs to help them move around their habitat.
The larvae love to eat thistle.
The adult uses its colorful wings to attact a mate.
The adult tastes with its feet and breathes through its abdomen.
The adult prefers flying in the daytime.
The female can lay up to 500 eggs.
They can be found on all continents, except Australia and Antarctica.
The adult is known as the "cosmopolitan" butterfly.

Creepy Crawlies

My students love this collection.  It includes books about snails, spiders, worms, and many insects, including a favorite of teachers - head lice!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A recurring theme of our science curriculum is cycles.  This spring, we are studying insect metamorphisis and have revealed three habitats containing mystery larvae (painted lady butterflies, ladybugs, and mosquitos).   The children have become "entomologists" as they record daily observations in their science journals and try to predict what the larvae will become.  Some great questions have come up:

Are bugs and insects the same?
How can caterpillars turn into insects if they have more than six legs?

With piles of insect books on hand, the children engage in independent research every chance they get.  Some are really determined to solve the mystery!  Yesterday we learned that the little tan "crumbs" at the bottom of the caterpillar cage are frass (insect droppings).  One child commented, " They really frassed a lot!"