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Mrs. Christiansen's Class |
We have enjoyed learning about autumn and discovering the changes that occur in our environment as the season changes. On the first day of school (August 18th) our countryside was green and the morning air was warm. A month later, children were wearing jackets and our fields of corn and soybeans were turning a beautiful golden color. During that month we also discovered that we were losing two to three minutes of sun time every day! Below is a table showing the weekly data we collected as we learned more about autumn in Iowa.
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Autumn in Iowa
Autumn in Iowa....
squirrels collect acorns,
geese and other birds fly south,
apples get ripe, and
leaves change colors.
The best thing about autumn in Iowa is
riding in the combine.
by Nathan
Autumn in Iowa …
nights get cooler,
leaves change colors,
daytime gets shorter, and
leaves lose their moisture.
The best thing about autumn in Iowa is
playing football.
Autumn in Iowa …
the leaves change to different colors,
the leaves fall from deciduous trees,
the nights and days are shorter, and
the leaves lose their moisture.
The best thing about autumn in Iowa is
jumping in the leaves.
Autumn in Iowa …
leaves lose their moisture,
the nights and days get shorter,
leaves change colors, and
the daytime is shorter.
The best thing about autumn in Iowa is
drinking hot chocolate.
by Janessa
Autumn in Iowa …
frost in the mornings,
the daytime is shorter,
nights get cooler, and
the deciduous leaves fall.
The best thing about autumn in Iowa is
covering myself with leaves.
Autumn in Iowa …
the daytime gets shorter,
monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico,
squirrels collect acorns, and
leaves fall from deciduous trees.
The best thing about autumn in Iowa is
jumping into leaves.
by Brooke
Autumn Tree and Its Leaves
Written by Carly, Jordan, Ryan, Tony
Leaves: What’s that white stuff on the ground?
Tree: It got cold last night and that is frost.
Leaves: Why do we have frost?
Tree: It is autumn and things are changing.
Leaves: Am I changing?
Tree: Yes, you are changing colors and then you will fall to the ground.
An Autumn Tree and Its Leaves
Written by Britanny, Deidre, and Steven
Leaves: What am I going to do? I’m drying up!
Tree: You will change colors and fall off a branch.
Leaves: I’m losing my green color. What will I look like?
Tree: Your beautiful red and yellow colors will be pretty.
Leaves: I’m afraid of falling. Am I going to get hurt?
Tree: No, it won’t hurt.
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One part of our autumn study concentrated on the migration of monarch butterflies to their winter home in Mexico. Students created paper butterflies to send to Journey North's headquarters. Our butterflies will participate in a symbolic journey to Mexico and return in the spring. Students have written cinquains to share their knowledge and understanding of these amazing creatures.
Butterfly by Alisha
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Butterfly by Kassie |
Butterfly by Jon |
Pupa by Michael
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Monarch by Brandon |
Butterfly by Kaitlin |
This project was an exploratory unit for second grade students to experiment with writing in different genres, utilizing the Internet as a research tool, and developing seasonal science concepts. Organization of ideas and following directions were crucial to their individual and collaborative success. Students made oral presentations of their short plays and individual writing activities. The assessment rubric developed for the project is given below.
Students received a score of 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 for each of the following criteria.
0 – Did not participate
1 – Unskilled, but participated
2 – Poorly skilled
3 – Moderately skilled
4 – Highly skilled
Writing:
_____ Volunteered appropriate words, phrases, and notes to class
brainstorming lists
_____ Independently completed examples of modeled/assigned writing genres
_____ Collaboratively wrote a play utilizing seasonal concepts
_____ Demonstrated use of appropriate writing skills (i.e. capital letters, punctuation,
spelling)
Technology and Research:
_____ Independently navigated designated web sites
_____ Independently located answers to assigned research questions
Science:
_____ Demonstrated understanding of related science concepts
_____ Demonstrated appropriate use of new science vocabulary words
Oral Presentation:
_____ Enunciated words clearly
_____ Used proper speaking volume
_____ Used appropriate expression in reading/speaking voice
