Grade 2 science - experiment updates

Here are pictures of how our experiments ended up:

The water has started to evaporate and the salt is left on the popsicle stick! 

This spider was a BIG hit! They have been so excited to check on it every day. It hasn't grown since the first 72 hours, but they still find it very exciting to look at. A simple absorption activity! I had to move him to a bigger container as he was getting too squished in the plastic cup.

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Science - grade 1 seasonal changes

While finishing up our living things unit, we have also taken up our seasonal changes unit again to learn about winter. 

After brainstorming what we know, sorting some pictures, and reading some books, we summarized how people, animals, the weather, and plants change in the winter.

Here are some of the pictures we used to talk about the seasons:

And some pictures of the work my students did to identify winter changes:

Then we compared winter and fall using a venn diagram. We also used this activity to practice our French sentences (je vois, je porte, je fais, il y a). It was really exciting to hear them share their work in French and to see what they were able to write. 

We are also still working on French winter words during daily 5. They have really improved their French reading recently! 

If you have this Science unit, I'd love your feedback on it! Feel free to email me if there is something you think is missing. I'd be happy to add it!!

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Q + A to start up conversations in FI

Part of our morning routine includes me trying to get my kids to talk in French as much as possible!!! 

I made these cards and we use them to learn questioning words (or review them in grade 2) and to practice giving answers in full sentences. 

I read each card to them and have them repeat it, and then pair them up to practice asking their partner. I let a few of them present, and then they get a new partner and repeat the activity. It gets them talking, and also helps them focus on listening to their partner and taking turns having a conversation. 

I focus on the same questions for a few weeks before switching them up. Right now we are practicing these: 

Oh how I wish my whiteboard was actually white...

With my grade 1s, the focus is on simple and complete sentences. 
With my grade 2s, the focus is on adding details (parce que, avec, etc.). 

With a split class, having activities that can work for both grades and easily be differentiated is CRUCIAL. This works well with both grades!

You could also use these with core French students! 

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Liquids and solids - Grade 2

In grade 2 we have been working on our science liquids and solids unit! 

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to...

Science word wall: 

Here's an experiment that we did for absorption...

I found this little guy at Dollarama. We put him in a cup of water and watched him grow over the week! 

We also looked at things that mix and dissolve. I found these little cups at Dollarama and we used them to split up the different things for each group. It was fun! 

Do you have any cool science experiments for this unit? I'd LOVE to hear about them! Leave a comment below :) 

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French winter mini books + shadow puppet

This week I read my grade 1s AND 2s my new mini books! 

With the change in curriculum, there is some overlap with my 1s and 2s, and I have some grade 2s who are reading at this level too. 

I then turned them into videos with the shadow puppet app and have uploaded them onto my website, so my students can read them at home too! 

I upload the video to youtube, and then embed it into my weebly website so my students don't need to go to youtube to watch it. 

This coming week, we will be making up the student versions of the books. My students will then have a book to take home that they can practice using the audio from my website! 

The really neat thing is that I can do this ALL (even embed the file to weebly) in about 5 minutes on my ipad. My classes LOVE getting to make them together and then are (hopefully) more motivated to go home and practice, knowing that they helped to make the video.

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Grade 1 - Building more complex sentences

I'm currently working with my grade 1s to start building more complex sentences. Instead of "Je vois 2 crayons" or "Il y a 5 boules de neige", we started making "when --> then" sentences. 

Quand il fait froid, je porte un manteau. 
Quand il fait frais, je porte un chandail. 
Quand il fait beau, je joue dehors avec mes amis. 
Quand il neige, je fais un bonhomme de neige. 

This has really helped show who needs some extra help with the comprehension too, since they need to build sentences that make sense. 

We are also practicing the different verbs: 

Je porte
J'ai besoin de
Je joue
Je vois
Je fais
Je patine
Je bois
Je mange
Je nage

I read the book from the file to them a LOT. I read it once through when they listen, and then the second time I read line by line, giving them time to repeat after me. They hear the book at least every other day, and they soon learn the words and are able to read along with me. We have talked about WHY we read books more than once (to learn the French words) and they get really excited when it clicks for them. 

Then we go through all the flashcards to practice the vocabulary again, repeating each card after me. There are lots of different centres that match the vocabulary from the book and the flashcards. We play "bug in a rug" as a class to practice the vocabulary, and do the matching centre to practice reading the words. 

We also start practicing building the sentences in partners and sharing them with the class. I draw/write them on the board as the students share them and then we read them all together as a class. 

After a few days of practicing orally, we start practicing writing the sentences. 

I write "Quand _________ je _____________" on the board, and they can use the word wall cards for help writing the full sentences. 

Next week they will be writing their own versions of the book using the template I made. They can stick to the "je porte" sentences, or they can use different verbs and endings to really show me what they have learned!

One of my students blew my away by making this during Daily 5: 

If you're interested, here are the two files that I am using with my kiddos :) 

Le temps et les vêtements - Mini book and centres

Le temps et les vêtements - flashcards, bug in a rug, and domino game

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