Change is Simple

The Change is Simple program came back to visit Room 210 last week! They discussed the importance of trees to animals and plants, and explained the delicate balance between trees and humans. 

We need trees on Earth for more than just paper, we need them for oxygen! Students practiced this exchange between trees and people:

Students act as budding trees.

Students act as trees and humans to show the exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Our class broke off into two groups. In the first station we learned the difference between coniferous (spiky spruce, hemlock) versus deciduous (oak, sugar maple) trees. We explored each type by comparing and contrasting their leaves. 

In the second station, children created their own homemade paper made from water and recycled shreds of paper. They loved the process, and were very engaged by the tools and procedure! 

Maggie and Quinn use their hands to press the pulp onto the screen.

Rider and Nico use tools to press the pulp.

Students describe the pulp using words like 'squishy' and 'chunky'.

We had to be patient and let the paper dry for over 24 hours!

Check out our Twitter feed next week for a 'final product' picture of what we did with our homemade paper!

Learning about D.A.S.H.!

Throughout the past three weeks we have been fortunate enough to have parent volunteers come into the classroom and teach us about D.A.S.H.- Disability Awareness Starts Here! In Grade 2, the curriculum focuses on teaching the children about the disability of blindness. In our classroom I did some pre-teaching of this concept through our famous people study. We studied Helen Keller and Louis Braille, as well as explored the Braille system.

Here are some photos and captions from our weekly D.A.S.H. activities:

Week 1:

Parent Volunteers teach us about the eye and how it works.

Lee looks through a spoon to see what it would be like to have a visual impairment.

Lucien, Nico and Will look through wax paper to experience a visual impairment.

Students participated in a 'grab bag' activity blindfolded and practiced using other senses.

Week 2:

Mrs. Doumas helps Mark and Rider use their sense of touch to pour water.

Olivia and Sage do a guided walk.

Drew helps Quinn find utensils and eat jello using the clock.

Week 3: 

Students use stylus pens to write their full name in Braille.

Mrs. Dalton helps Drew write his initials on a Braille typewriter.

Gabriele does a blind walk in the hallway using a cane. Rider acts as a roadblock.

Students were able to play adaptive games and even read Braille menus from popular restaurants!

We were so fortunate to have this program in our classroom! Thank you to all the parent volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to help these activities run smoothly! We look forward to our guest speaker next week!