My students are a group of young artists! They love art, science, social science lessons, hands-on activities, exploring, and creating unique artworks with words and ideas. There are 40 wonderful second graders in my dual language classes who spend half of their day in an English-speaking classroom and the other half in a Mandarin-speaking classroom. They love creative math lessons and hands-on STEM activities. They work very hard every day and study all subjects in both languages according to Common Core Standards, as well as Next Generation Science Standards.
My Project
According to the Next Generation Science Standards, 2nd graders need to "Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow, and make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats."
My students study science more effectively when they can see, touch, feel and enjoy the process with hands-on experience.
Every spring, my students observe eggs hatching and caterpillars transforming in the classroom. By the time Open House arrives, they are so excited to share these wonderful classroom pets and their observations with their family members.
During this unit of study, students will compare and contrast the habitats of chickens and butterflies. They record their observations with words and drawings and they need highlighters to highlight important information from their reading text. By the end of this hands-on experiment, they will not only complete an essay of one of the animals they have observed but also use clay to create a habitat.
This art and science combined project will help my students understanding the science concept while developing an appreciation of art.
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