by Alex Melnick | Jun 14, 2026 | 2025-2026, grade 2, grade 3, science
When students were first asked what they knew about the life cycles of living organisms, they shared a variety of thoughtful ideas and prior knowledge. Although each child could initially identify at least one stage or concept related to life cycles, students became...
by Alex Melnick | Jun 14, 2026 | 2025-2026, grade 2, grade 3, science
The students in 2nd and 3rd grade participated in these classes. At the beginning of class, students were asked what they knew about coding, and they shared a wide variety of thoughtful and creative responses. It was interesting to see that, even though students knew...
by Alex Melnick | Mar 6, 2026 | 2025-2026, grade 2, grade 3, language arts
Starting in late January, four of our second and third graders began a small-group “book club” focusing on the story “Snake and Lizard” by Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop. We began our group by examining the front and back covers, book jacket, and illustrations to...
by Miranda Hine | Oct 25, 2025 | 2025-2026, grade 2, grade 3, language arts
Adrian, Caelum, Arcadya and Cora were part of a book club reading Alexander McCall Smith’s Akimbo and the Elephants. Children were assigned to read a chapter of the book each week. Some children read independently, and others read out loud to a teacher. In class we...
by newschoolsyr | Jun 16, 2025 | grade 1, grade 2, language arts, writing workshop
Small Moments is a personal narrative writing unit from Lucy Calkins. Students were asked to think of a small moment in their life they could stretch into a detailed and structured story. These young writers began with brainstorming before writing a draft, revising,...
by newschoolsyr | May 25, 2025 | grade 2, grade 3, science
This spring our 2nd and 3rd graders participated in a study of habitats. We began by thinking about what a habitat is and what a habitat provides for animals. They decided a habitat must provide air or oxygen, food, water, shelter, and space.Students had many amazing...
