The second graders have had a ROCKIN' GOOD TIME this quarter. During the first days of their ROCK investigations, they learned that from the beginning of God's story with man, & all the way to the end, God has had a special place for rocks, crystals, and gemstones. In the book of Leviticus God gave Moses specific instructions on how to decorate the breast plate of the high priest before he could enter the Holy of Holies. He was to have the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel carved into each of the twelve different gemstones on the breast plate. And in the very last book of the Bible, God told John that the heavenly city that He would build after Armageddon -the city gates of that New Jerusalem would be built on a foundation of beautiful gemstones. So ROCKS are special to God. God even inspired writers of the Bible to refer to Jesus as the Rock of Ages, the precious Corner Stone, and the Capstone.

As for Bible lessons, we've been studying the time of the Judges. We learned that God used many judges to bring the Israelites back to Himself. In a similar way God uses the Holy Spirit and the Bible to bring us back to Him when we get distracted by the cares of the world.

In Reading we've looked at the concepts of drawing conclusions, cause & effect, and parts of a dictionary. Phonetically we've compared base endings -s, -es, & -ies, and r-controlled words with ar, or, & ore. We've spent most of the last two weeks taking the ISEL test. In Social Studies we've read and talked about local, state, and national governments, citizens' rights & responsibilities, and voting.

In Math we've been looking at time, money, and measuring. We've learned how to tell time by the hour, half-hour, quarter-hour, and by five minute increments. We've also studied money: how to count and make change with coins from pennies to dollar coins. When a manager from AMCORE bank in Wheaton came to school, he gave each student a new presidential dollar coin and talked about starting a savings account. Later, during a class discussion, we decided the best things we can do with money are work hard to earn it, save it, spend it wisely, and occasionally give some of it to those less fortunate than ourselves. This idea of giving to the less fortunate was powerfully reinforced during our fourth quarter missions project. As a class, we decided to have a Spring Food Drive to help give food, warmth, and love to someone in need. Our goal was to collect enough cans, jars, & boxes of food to help feed 2 families for a week. Thanks to the generous parents & kids of all grade levels at B.C.A., we collected enough food to help feed 4 families for a week. Way to go! Thank you for sharing & caring for others!

In Science, some of the second graders started their very first rock collections. They started out by identifying and collecting specimens of granite & limestone from their backyards and neighborhoods. As the weeks progressed they handled their own geodes, quartz crystals, and gemstones. Lastly they studied plant & animal fossils, fossilized shark teeth, and arrow heads. Our ROCKIN' good time came to an end as the students brought in beautifully illustrated Rock Posters on gemstones. These gemstone posters are gorgeous! If you haven't already, try to come in and see them for yourself! Well, it's hard to believe that this year is over. I cannot express to you how much I have enjoyed learning with and teaching this group of students. They have been wonderful! And the kindness, love, encouragement that I have received from their parents has blessed my socks off! I give you my rock-solid guarantee that I won't ever forget this year of my teaching career. Thank you so much!!!

The second graders have been working up a storm—extreme weather storm that is. They started off each morning with a short read-aloud book and then a Bible lesson. One of their favorite read-aloud books this quarter was Meteor! by Patricia Polacco. She is one of their favorite author/illustrators. As for Bible lessons, they finally came to the end of Moses’ fascinating life, and to the beginning of Joshua’s life as the new God-appointed leader of the nation of Israel. Currently, we are watching as the Ark of the Covenant continues to travel with Israel, and how God continues to guide the leaders of Israel. Recently we’ve seen a girl named Rahab saved from the city of Jericho’s total destruction when God rewarded her faith; and we’ve seen Israel’s army surprisingly defeated at the city of Ai, when God allowed them to lose because of the disobedience of one soldier, named Achan. These Bible lessons have reminded us that God is watching everything we do, so we should think twice before we do something mean or dishonest.

In Math we’ve been looking at two-digit addition, estimating sums, subtracting two-digit numbers with regrouping, and estimating differences. We’ve also just begun to look at money: dollars and cents. In Social Studies we’ve studied people at work-- producers, consumers, income, prices, needs, wants, shelter, supply & demand, goods & services, and famous scientists who have served America through their discoveries. We learned that if it hadn’t been for the hard work of people like Louis Pasteur & George W. Carver, we might not have safe milk to drink with our peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. We are thankful for the service these and other inventors have given to make the lives of Americans better.

In Science we’ve learned about the causes and effects of extreme weather conditions like tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and blizzards. And we’ve also read in the Bible that God’s knowledge and power are superior to all weather conditions that exist on earth. In Genesis 1:1 and following verses God created the very waters, clouds and winds that we enjoy on earth. In Mark 4:35 and following verses Jesus simply spoke a few words to a violent storm on the sea and it immediately stopped. What does this tell us? GOD IS IN CONTROL!

In Reading we’ve looked at the concepts of topic sentences, main ideas, and supporting details, evaluating, summarizing, and making inferences. Phonetically we’ve compared vowel pairs ee & ea, and suffixes –tion & -ture, and –ful & -ly. We’ve also decoded words with consonant digraphs –th, -wh, -sh, and –ch. Recently, in our large group sessions, we’ve been reading about adventures in the big city, community events in small towns, and special events with family and friends. We’ve also been rereading stories for fluency and comprehension in our smaller guided reading groups. In Writing we’ve practiced the 5 steps of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Recently, we’ve applied these steps to descriptive stories and friendly letters. We also applied these steps to our research projects on extreme weather conditions. The second graders’ zeal for learning new things has been electrifying—like the lightening bolts that strike the earth during a violent storm—their seemingly endless whirlwind of questions have kept me alert and thinking on my feet every day. They have been a joy to teach and to learn with this quarter.

The second graders have been as busy as bees during second quarter. They started off each morning with a short read-aloud book and then a Bible lesson. One of their favorite read-aloud books this winter has been Stella: Queen of the Snow; but the book they most frequently requested was one of the short stories in a book of dog stories called My Dog, My Hero by Betsy Byars. The second graders loved hearing stories from this book-over and over again.

As for Bible lessons, they've been studying the Life of Moses. From being a basket-baby in the Nile River to witnessing the hand of God write the Ten Commandments in stone, Moses has been a fascinating person to study. Currently, we are finishing up a study on how God's light and power traveled through the desert with Moses and his people by hovering over a small golden box with two sculpted angels seated on top. It's a real page-turner of a story.

In Math we've been looking at symmetry, geometric shapes, patterns, and solid shapes. By looking for geometric shapes and patterns in nature, we've realized that God had an endless amount of creativity when he framed the earth and made all the creatures in it. For instance, we discovered that many examples of the six-sided hexagon can be found in snowflakes, in the structure of a bee's honeycomb, and in the shells of some turtles. So, God created hexagons & other geometric shapes long before man created the fields of algebra and geometry. Our God is AMAZING!

In Social Studies we've studied regions of the United States, natural resources, and cultural ways of living. Some of the different regions we've studied are plant, mountain, and even hurricane regions. We also read and talked about the consequences of not using our natural resources wisely. Recently we've been reading about how the United States is one country with many cultures represented. It was exciting for us to learn that everyone in our class had ancestors, who many years ago, immigrated to the United States.

In Science we've studied how God gave animals many different forms of protection, and how all insects have a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and six legs. We've also learned amazing things about the honeybee. One question we wondered about before beginning our research was: "How do honeybees stay warm or even stay alive during extremely cold, harsh winters?" We found out that honeybees particularly, are social insects. They crowd together into a ball in the center of their hive. The bees in the middle of the ball eat the honey they worked all summer to store. Then the bees who have eaten, flip & shake their wings in a fast, close moment that generates heat for the entire group. After a while, the bees on the outside of the ball, change places with the bees in the middle. This way the bees stay warm all winter.

In Reading we looked at fiction & nonfiction, fantasies & mysteries, and narratives. Phonetically we've compared VCCV pattern words like hippo & hello with CVCe words like joke, poke, and home. Recently, in our large group sessions, we've been reading about adventures in the great outdoors like camping, hiking, and visiting city and national parks. We've also been rereading stories for fluency and comprehension in our smaller guided reading groups.

In Writing we've practiced the 5 steps of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. So far, we've applied these steps to fantasy, fiction, and descriptive stories. We also applied these steps to our research projects on honeybees.

The second graders' enthusiasm for learning new things this quarter has been amazing, and they are full of new questions they want answered the second half of the school year. It's going to be exciting. Come and join us.

Zoo Trip
On Friday, September 28th the second grade joined the K and 1st grades in cars, vans, and SUVs to visit the Brookfield Zoo together. Because of the many parents who volunteered to drive and/or chaperone, our zoo adventure went very smoothly. After breaking into groups, the 2nd graders and their guides were to locate and record as many animals as they could that belonged to one of four habitat environments: oceans, deserts, forests, or jungles. One of the funniest things that a parent noticed on our zoo trip was that even though the 2nd graders were surrounded by exotic animals like camels, meerkats, toucans, waterbucks, and orangutans, they still got just as excited and shouted if they saw a few squirrels playing in the grass beside them. That must be the gift of being able to "enjoy the moment." The 2nd graders were also thrilled to see elephants, lions, and tigers, and bears (Oh my); and thanks to the underground observation areas, they were able to see some incredible views of the dolphins and seals as well. By the way, the weather was just about perfect that day too-sunny and in the 70s. All in all, it was a beautiful and fun day.

Johnny Appleseed
During the last two weeks of September and the first week of October, the 2nd graders listened to or read 14 different books, viewed two short films, and looked at three articles about Johnny Appleseed. They did this in order to research whether or not Johnny Appleseed was a real or fantasy person, and whether or not the things said about him were real or fantasy. They discovered that Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman was a real person born in Leominster, Massachusetts, on September 26, 1774. When he was a teenager he followed the pioneer wagon trails west and started planting, selling, and giving away apple seeds in every town or settlement he visited. After 49 years of walking and sharing seeds, he owned apple orchards in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. Johnny Appleseed was also a devout Christian. He loved the Bible and shared God's stories with people everywhere he went. It was also true that he helped resolve several quarrels between the Native Americans and the pioneers. He was an amazing example of someone who unselfishly shared his love, his talents, and his resources with practically everyone he met. To find out some of the mysterious and fantastic tales about Johnny, visit the large research poster in the school hallway just outside our classroom.

Chapter Books and Class Pets
So far each chapter book we've read as a class has involved a rodent or a dog becoming the pet of the children in the story. We've read The Mouse & the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph, and Ribsy (a dog story). Instead of having mice or dogs as class mascots, we've opted to have six little (low maintenance) hermit crabs as our classroom pets. They actually have noticeable personalities. We've given them the nicknames of Big Texas, Little Texas, Dots, Green Bay, Tiger & Fireball.