Learning Report Writing

Knowing that plagiarizing is stealing someone else's thinking, we wanted to learn how to respect the authors' works, while learning how to use their words to form our own reports, we chose to use a color coded method.

We work all together. Then in teams. Next in pairs. Finally independently. 

The end result is using our research to create a multimedia slide show about a chosen tropical rain forest animal.

Our research cards helped us learn how to take notes without plagiarizing.

Kent Parks and Mock Orange Trees

Ms Victoria spoke to the entire second grade about our new plants: Mock Orange. 

Our plant will become a bush when it grows up, so we have to take care to plant it in a space that allows for it to grow.

Waiting our turn to plant our bush.

Mrs. Henning joined in on the fun, too.

Mike, Greenie and Sean helped us plant our bushes.

Aren't they nice? 

And helpful, too.

Ms. Victoria sure does know a lot about plants.

First we picked a container.

Then we went to the guys to help us.

It was a messy project...

but we loved every second of it! 

Here we are with our plants.

Year Book Cover Entries

Our class gave a good effort with entering the year book cover contest.

I'm proud of these entries and hope they will continue to submit entries each year. 

Toucan Directed Drawings

We know that the toucan lives in the emergent layer of the tropical rain forest.

The emergent layer is the top of the four layers. The birds and butterflies roam here. 

We also know that a temperate rain forest does not have an emergent layer.

The temperate rain forest has only three layers: forest floor, understory and canopy. 

Field Trip to the Woodland Park Zoo

Here's Adam. He's our tour guide. He's funny.

Adam is reminding us of the layers of the rain forest.

Two tour guides teach compare and contrast the tropical and temperate rain forests.

Anmol knew the first layer of the tropical rain forest was the forest floor.

So he became the forest floor.

Next came the understory.

Then the canopy layer.

Aaron made a great canopy tree. 

Ruby from Ms. Estelle's class joined Aaron.

Then Aira became the emergent layer.

Aira shows off her buttress roots which help hold some of the forest floor in place.