Learning Through Playing: A Jamestown Computer Game

Have fun and learn lots, kiddos!

Adventures in Jamestown

Archaeologists in Jamestown

This trimester, the second grade students are studying the history of what is now Jamestown, VA. They are doing research about what it was like to be a Paspahegh Native American at the time before, during, and after the English settled in Jamestown in 1607. There was much they already knew! For example, the students knew that people fished and hunted for food. They also knew that sometimes there was peace between the Native Americans and English, and that sometimes they could be helpful to one another; however, they also knew that there were many violent times. Here are some of the kids' initial reactions:

A Paspahegh Native American village before the Europeans settled at Jamestown 

The Paspahegh people used their land for hunting and fishing. The Europeans thought they received permission from the chief, Powhatan, to take over the land, but they were mistaken. 

 "I think it is very important that everybody would get along together at that time by getting used to each other." ~Elizabeth

"I think the English people would only shoot if the Native Americans made a threat to them, right?" ~Blake

"If you had a garden and worked hard on it and then someone came and took your food and you didn't have any left, you would feel sad." ~Nick

"Trees are part of nature, living things, and so chopping trees down is bucket dipping. It's not good for the trees or the Native Americans who needed that stuff. It was part of their environment." ~Gracie

The Susan Constant was one of the first ships to arrive at the land that would become Jamestown.

After years of mixed peace and struggles, the Native Americans and English fought again to drive each other out of the land the Europeans called Jamestown. In the end, the English won over the land. Muskets, poisons, and diseases brought over from across the ocean were too much for the Paspaheghs to overcome.

Archaeologists have found lots of evidence about life in Jamestown. The children, pretending they were archaeologists, looked at the artifacts, and used their imaginations to decide what the objects were, what they were used for in Jamestown, who used them, and what it could tell us about what life was like. Dylan saw some arrowheads and wondered if they were tools to carve into rocks for writing and drawing. Skye saw some broken pottery and wondered if there had been a hurricane to break it all. Reid saw some copper pieces and thought they were probably used for money. After all the students had seen and made guesses about the artifacts, the group got together to learn about the clues that history has left us. Ask them about it!

We're Writing Creatively in Second Grade

Creative Writing: A Trip to the Moon

The second graders have been reading and writing about space this week. In this creative writing assignment, they began thinking about the writing process. First, they put together graphic organizers to describe what they would do to prepare for a trip to the moon. Next, they used their organizers to develop a first draft.  After making some revisions, the children edited their drafts. Take a look! They had some fantastic ideas.

If I took a trip to the moon, I would need to learn how to fly a spaceship. I would bring food and water. Then I would take a picture of my friends so I wouldn’t get lonely. I would take air and a spacesuit with me. I would take a diary. I would go to the moon so I can read books—but I’ll have to keep them from floating away!

Nick

If I took a trip to the moon, I would need to learn how to fly a spaceship. I would ask my Grammy White to make me a spacesuit and buy me a helmet. I would also ask her to make me a cake, too! I would bring my family so I don’t get lonely. I will bring dog food, sandwiches, water, and cat food. I would go to the moon so I can explore the astronauts’ foot prints. I will bring a tent and a fridge.

Jasmine

If I took a trip to the moon I would need to learn how to fly a spaceship. I would bring a friend. I would also bring food. I’d bring air. I would bring a spacesuit. I would go to the moon so I can explore it.

Will

If I took a trip to the moon, I would need to bring a friend. I’d bring food and water. I would bring my family and my dog. I would bring games and a spacesuit. I would also bring sponges for a sponge bath to keep clean. Then I would be ready! I would go to the moon so I can explore!

Katelynn

If I took a trip to the moon, I would need to learn how to fly a spaceship first. Then I would pack some food and water. Then I would bring some company. I would need to bring a spacesuit and an air tank. I would need to bring games, books, journals, and a diary. I would go to the moon so I can study the moon.

Emily L.

If I took a trip to the moon, I would need to learn how to fly a spaceship. I would need an oxygen tank and food and water. Also, I would need games and books and I would need one stuffed animal. If you or me want crayons and some coloring books , I would bring one. I would need a space suit, too. Then I would go to the moon so I can see if there are really aliens!

Tristan

If I took a trip to the moon, I would need to fly a spaceship. I would bring a friend and an air tank. I would bring food and water. I would also bring a camera. I would go to the moon so I can investigate the moon.
Greyson

If I took a trip to the moon, I would need to learn how to fly a spaceship first. I would bring things to do. I would bring food and drinks. I would bring my friends and family. I would bring an air tank and a space suit with a space helmet. I would go to the moon so I can investigate the astronauts footprints!

Samantha 

Creative Writing: Visiting a New Place

Let’s go to Mali! We might see gorgeous weavings and quilts and I’d really love to see the exquisite country. And another thing: instead of looking, you can do stuff like we might make lovely weavings! And learn more French and weave beautiful cloth and clothing and draw a picture of the beauteous country! Mali is a great place!

Jessica

I want to go to Africa. I want to see lions. I know I will find them in a big field. I also want to see cheetahs. I want to see one of them run really fast. I know I will find them in another wide open field. I would like to study African animals when I grow up and figure out things about all animals that live in Africa like cheetah, leopards, lions, antelope, white tailed foxes, kangaroos, mice, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, bunnies, red tailed hawks, red tailed foxes, and all the other animals that live in Africa. Then end.

Gracie

I would like to go to Australia. I would like to see kangaroos and emus. I would like to see koalas.

Elizabeth

I would like to go to Japan. I would like to see people using chopsticks to eat rice and fish.

Vincent

I would like to go to Switzerland. When I got there, I would like to go to the Alps. My  uncle looks at Lake Geneva from his office. Isn’t that cool?!  I think I would like to go to Lake Geneva to see my cousins.

Avery

I would like to go to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower and see buildings. I want to walk on streets and eat at cafes and go to the museums.

Sydney

Today I’m going to Six Flags and I’m going into the water park and I will see peeps that I know there and I will go on a water slide and I will go on a hike and I will go in a pool. There are cubbies that I want to see as big as a tower and a big library.

Skye

I want to go to North Carolina. The things I would see are a lot of bugs it is too buggy. You would see a slide that is over thirty feet tall. I would go down the slide and I want to go in a pool. It is exciting.

Emily F.

I want to go to Boston and I want to go out to eat and go shopping and playing at parks and going in a taxi ride to look at cities and cars and buses and go to a Boston Red Sox game.

Dylan

Welcome to the Second Grade!

What a great beginning we have had!

The children are learning their routines very quickly!

These kids have a good sense of their home classroom and English Language Arts groups. They easily transition from one group to the other, and what’s more is that they’re quickly forming a cohesive and positive class identity as a whole second grade community as well as in each smaller group. On Monday, we will begin separating from our home classroom to math groups as well. We know that the students will continue to flourish in these environments that are specially tailored to address each individual child’s needs!

ELA

So you know that your children are able to develop their reading and writing skills in a context where their individual strengths and learning opportunities are closely considered every step of the way; but did you know that there are a lot of similarities in what they’re learning, too? In order to maintain a feeling of cohesiveness within the second grade class, each group will continue to share the same uniting themes throughout our ELA instruction. This includes shared writing prompts and shared literature. For example, we are now all exploring the similarities and differences between urban and rural communities. Ask them about it at home!

Social Studies

Remaining consistent with our thematic unit of study, the children have been comparing and contrasting urban and rural communities. This study has already resulted in an exciting literature exploration. The kids found books on both kinds of communities. They sorted the books, gathered information from them, marked their favorite photographs and facts with sticky notes, and presented them to the class. They have created graphic organizers depicting similarities and differences, and they are working on some wonderful group artwork depicting both settings. Just today, they created their own imagined cities or towns and made newspapers from them. In these newspapers, there is a headline story as well as a calendar of events that one could attend when visiting these cities or towns.

Science

Our first science unit of the year will be a geology study, led my Mrs. Mankowski. Lots of hands-on activities supported by quality literature are coming our way!

Math

We’re very close to completing our beginning-of-the-year assessments, which will help us see how much these children grow throughout the year--and we’re confident that we’ll all be impressed with what they do! This week, we are beginning to delve into our study of money, combining our knowledge of coins and dollars with our number sense skills.

Stay tuned for examples of the children's work...