The Amazing Life of Helen Keller

On Thursday, March 5th the students had a chance to visit with Helen Keller...well, an actress who portrayed Helen Keller!  Sheryl Faye's portrayal of Helen Keller was so realistic, even the teachers thought we were meeting the 'real' person!

The students were memorized by the performance. 

http://sherylfaye.com/

We Love when the Penguin Lady Comes for a Visit!

Essential Question: What kind of adaptations do penguins have which help them to live in their various habitats? 
Well...the Penguin Lady helped us to answer this question...

Dyan deNapoli (AKA The Penguin Lady) worked closely with penguins at Boston's prestigious New England Aquarium and in the wild for nine years!  The second graders of Steward School have been so fortunate to have TESPTO fund The Penguin Lady once again this year.
Here is the Penguin Lady's home page:   http://thepenguinlady.com/new_site/biography.html

Dyan provides an interactive and exciting game show format as she teaches children about penguins, while allowing the boys and girls to share their knowledge as well.  

Dyan Projects the game show questions on the Smart Board, and the children have to figure out which is the answer!

Question:  What kind of a bird is a penguin?

Here is a video link created by Dyan about the precarious existence of penguins.  

Penguins: Popularity, peril and poop - Dyan deNapoli

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

On March 2nd, we enjoyed Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Read Across America when Mrs.  Jones came to read 'Horton Hatches the Egg' to our class.  Mrs.  Jones is a retired librarian from Proctor and Steward Schools.  It was wonderful to have her visit our class!

Mrs.  Jones reading Horton Hatches the Egg as the students follow along!

Before reading, Mrs.  Jones reviewed a brief biography about Dr.  Seuss' life.

There is nothing like having a Dr.  Seuss book read-aloud!

Thank you Mrs.  Jones!

Fables and Folk Tales Around the World

Essential Questions:

1.  How are fables and folktales similar and different?

2.  What is the moral or lesson in the story, and how can you use this lesson in your own life?

Right before winter vacation, the children finished writing their fable or folktale book reports. In addition to the essential questions listed above, the children used their higher order thinking skills as they analyzed their particular book.  Here are some of the stories the students have read and analyzed.

Fables and Folktales from Mrs. McCarthy on Vimeo.

The Mud Pony
Retold by Caron Lee Cohen
Native American Folktale
from North America

The Blind Men and the Elephant 
Retold by Karen Backstein
Originated in India

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Retold by Verna Aardema
Originated in Ghana, West Africa

The Run Away Wok
Retold by Ying Chang Compestine
Originated in Beijing, China