Engineering an Egg Drop

In our engineering unit, we've learned that engineers need to use creative ideas to build or take things apart.  They also need to be great problem solvers who are willing to try things in a new way if they don't work the first time.

In order to put these skills to use, the students built an egg drop box with a few limited supplies.  Each group was given a shoe box filled with 1 toilet paper tube, 2 cotton balls, 1 styrofoam cup, 2 paper towels, 2 popsicle sticks, 2 straws, 2 pipe cleaners, and a roll of masking tape. 

On day 1 the students made their box without the egg.  They had to make some assumptions on how the egg would fit into their design. On day 2, the students were given the egg and many groups had to problem solve a new design based on whether or not the egg fit into their original design.

This project also gave the students another chance to collaborate within a partnership or group, which at times can be challenging.

The goal was to keep the egg safe for 3 different heights of dropping.  We dropped off a desk, off the shelves in the library, and outside on the stairs by the little park.

 The students then reflected on why they think their eggs survived the fall or didn't.  We focused on the fact that if our eggs didn't survive, it's not a failure, but rather it's just one idea that would need further work.  This was a fun project!

Valentine's Day Celebration and our February Author's Celebration

We decorated our Valentine bags on Monday, and they were excited to fill them on Valentine's Day!  They loved opening their cards and enjoying their treats.

We also had our February Author's Celebration today.  The students read a reader's theater of "Froggy's First Kiss" by Jonathan London.  They also shared their opinion writing about the best part of themselves.  Thanks to all the family members that were able to join us!

Top 20 Picture Books of 2017

Every year Amazon puts out a list of the top 20 books from the previous year.  We read them throughout the month of January.  We started at book number 20 and worked our way up to book number 1.  Along the way, the students choose their favorite.  At the end, each student makes a final favorite choice and writes a book review to post in the hallway urging others to check out their favorite picks.  We love our Top 20 Countdown!  

The Spaghetti Noodle Tower Challenge

We've started our engineering unit in 2nd grade.  We learned that engineers design and build things to solve problems.  They use creative and innovative ideas.  We've also learned that there are many types of engineers.  Some may create new things, some take things apart to see how they work, and others study why things don't work. 

Our first task was to make a spaghetti tower using 30 noodles and 30 marshmallows.  The students were placed in groups of 3, and they had two science class periods to work.  The goal was to build the tallest standing structure.  Once the students got their supplies they got right to work with enthusiasm. 

Groups soon found that this was more challenging than they anticipated.  Spaghetti noodles are not strong building supplies and marshmallows are gooey.  Several groups had to design and redesign.  This can lead to frustration, and how the groups handle this frustration can definitely impact their outcome.  On day 2 each group received 10 more noodles and 10 more marshmallows to help build on or fix up the tower if needed.

On the third day we measured our towers and discussed the process.  Every group ended with a standing tower which is a success!  I asked the students what they found surprising about the process.  They agreed that the supplies were not easy to work with.  Some groups had started out with each individual building a separate structure, but they soon realized that they needed to all work together to make it work.  I asked the class how this relates to engineering, and they could see that engineers may have to try their ideas and design many times before it works. 

This is a fun project with so many great lessons!

A Visit from the Mayor!

To wrap up our government unit, as a class we thought it would be fun to invite in our mayor of Lanesboro, Autumn Johnson.  We brainstormed a list of questions we wanted to ask her.  The students wondered how she became mayor, if she campaigned, if being mayor was hard work, what her duties are, what her favorite part is, and so much more! 

It was a great conversation.  Each student had a specific question to ask, and each question lead into even more questions.  The students learned that Mayor Johnson decided to run for mayor because she really loves Lanesboro since she grew up in this town, and she wanted to see positive changes happen in the town.  We learned that being mayor is a lot of work, and that she works closely with the city council.  The class learned about different projects going on in Lanesboro, like the updated Bunny Trail that we were able to be apart of earlier in the school year.  Our final question to Mayor Johnson was asking what we can do as kids to make a positive impact on Lanesboro.  Mayor Johnson left us with the message that the best thing we can do for Lanesboro is to spread kindness. 

Thank you Mayor Johnson for taking time out of your day to spend in our 2nd grade classroom!

Scientific Method Experiment #2

The second experiment we did to practice making a hypothesis, carrying out an experiment, and analyzing the results was "Growing Gummy Bears."  We asked the question: "What liquid will make our gummy bears grow the most?"  We tried out 4 different possibilities: plain water, sugar water, vinegar water, and lemon water.  We weighed and measured each gummy bear before putting them in the cup of liquid.   Again, their predictions were pretty split. 

When we returned to school the next day we were surprised how much they grew overnight.  To avoid them becoming too mushy we took the new measurements on day 2.  We found that the plain water and vinegar water grew them exactly the same.  The sugar water grew the gummy bear the least.  We discussed what other types of liquid could be tried if they wanted to carry this out at home!

Scientific Method Experiment #1

In the last few weeks the students have been learning about the scientific method.  We've discussed how scientists are curious about something, they ask questions, do research, form a hypothesis, and carry out an experiment to see if their hypothesis is correct.

We tried out the scientific method with "The Great Banana Experiment."  We asked the question: "How can we keep bananas fresher longer?"  We tried 3 methods: one banana was placed in a sealed plastic bag, another had plastic wrap wrapped around the stem, and the third banana was placed in the fridge.

The class was pretty split in their hypotheses. We recorded our observations for a few days and ultimately concluded that the banana in the sealed plastic bag held up the best.  The banana in the fridge turned brown very quickly.  Once peeled, the banana in the plastic bag looked very similar to the banana that had plastic wrap around the stem.  They both still looked yellow. The banana from fridge was just plain mushy!

Opinion Writing: The Best Part of Me

For our most recent opinion writing piece the students completed these beautiful projects detailing what they most like about themselves.  This was a step by step process.  The students brainstormed their ideas in a web.  They began their writing with a topic sentence, put their brainstormed ideas into complete sentences, and added details to each idea.  The 2nd paragraph was to include a conclusion sentence.  We completed the project with a black and white photo. These opinion pieces range from humorous to heartfelt!  I love seeing them all up in the hallway with people gathered around reading our writing!