second grade Archives

Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson

December 20, 2018 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

It’s time for another of our second-grade activities this week and today is all about states of matter for second graders.

Superheroes are all the rage right now and Pooh is a huge fan of them as well. So, when it was time to talk about states of matter in science, I thought I’d add a little “superpower” to our lesson. And I’m sharing it with all of you today!

Read on to see how we learned about states of matter with our Superhero States of Matter Printable Pack! By the way, be sure to grab our free Superhero Student Planner Pages as well!

Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson

To use this superhero states of matter for second graders activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This printable second grade science lesson includes everything you need to demonstrate the three states of matter with a simple experiment.

The supply list tells you what you’ll need and the instructions, which are written to students, explain how to perform each step.

Printable observation sheets allow students to analyze the experiment’s results.

How to Use the Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson

In the second grade, one of the science objectives to cover involves discussing the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.

To help Pooh see how matter can change state and to help him grasp the concept, we did a simple science experiment with water.

The prodcut explains exactly how to do the experiment – step by step. It’s written in a way that second-graders should be able to understand the directions on their own.

But a couple of the steps require adult supervision, so this activity should not be done independently.

We started by observing how water changes from a liquid to a solid after freezing.

Then Pooh wrote down his observations.

After the ice melted, we observed how the water had changed (once again) into a liquid.

Then it was time to learn about the third state of matter: gas! (This is where kids need adult supervision.)

As the water slowly boiled away, Pooh was excited to learn that it was evaporating – converting itself to steam (a gas). He wrote down his final observations and reviewed the experiment’s results.

Look! An actual gap-toothed smile!

Pooh had a blast with this and it was a “super” way to learn about the three states of matter in an hands-on manner.

Scroll down to get your copy of our Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson!

Like this post? Stop by and see these other science experiments you can try!

$Study the properties of light with this simple light refraction experiment!$

Don’t forget to visit this week’s posts by the rest of the 2nd Grade Blogging Team!

Super Math Skip Counting from Sugar Aunts

Free Math Printable for Inequalities with Addition from Life Over C’s

Superhero Pattern Stones from Rainy Day Mum

Super Hero Reading Logs from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

I am a Super Hero! Writing Prompt from Creative Family Fun

Superhero Contractions Memory Game from School Time Snippets

Superhero Cityscape Art Project with Van Gogh from Preschool Powol Packets

Create your own Superhero Comic-Photo-Strip from Crafty Kids at Home

Super Hero Self Portrait from Still Playing School

To get your copy of Superhero States of Matter, check out the details below!

Scarecrow Syllables for Second Graders Activity

September 20, 2018 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

It’s time for another entry in our second grade activity series!

This week, we’re talking about how to help second graders count and identify syllables in common words.

In second grade, we tend to start helping students read slightly longer words. And that’s when it’s good to start sounding out syllables.

To add a fun fall theme to this concept, we’re sharing a fun Scarecrow Syllables for Second Grade activity!

This printable activity is an excellent literacy builder for early elementary students!

And, depending on your students’ vocabulary skills, it may even be useful in third grade classes as well.

And for more early elementary learning, take a look at our Superhero States of Matter Science Lesson! It’s an excellent and easy hands-on science lab for early grades.

Help students learn to count syllables in vocabulary words with this scarecrow themed syllable counting activity!

How to Teach Syllables in Early Grades

With our second grader, we use the typical “clap it out” method to count syllables.

So we’ll have him say a word and then for each sound he hears, he claps his hands.

For example, when he says the word “amazing”, he’ll end up clapping three times: A-MAZ-ING.

That helps him see that there are three syllables in the word.

Scarecrow Syllable Counting Lesson for Elementary

Before we got started with the lesson, I asked my second grader if he knew what syllables were.

His response: “Oh yeah, I learned that in school.”

Me: “Really? What are they?”

Him: “They’re all the letters in a word.”

Scarecrow Syllables for Second Grade Pack - Look! We're Learning!

He was really serious about that explanation.

After we talked about what syllables really were, we tried matching up the words with the right number of scarecrows.

The “clap it out” method worked beautifully!

Scarecrow Syllables for Second Grade Activity

To use this printable scarecrow syllables for second grade activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Pencils
Laminator (optional)
Dry erase markers (optional)

Printable Scarecrow Themed Syllable Counting Activity

This printable language arts lesson includes:

Three color scarecrow syllable counting worksheets
Three line art scarecrow syllable counting worksheets
A full answer key
And a set of instructions!

Scarecrow Themed Syllable Counting Activity

Kids can sound out the words and count the syllables in each word.

There are one-syllable words, two-syllable words, and three-syllable words on each page.

Then students can draw lines to match the words with the correct number of scarecrows to show the right number of syllables.

Printable Scarecrow Syllable Counting Lesson

Turn this into a reusable activity by printing the pages half size and then laminating them.

Students can practice completing them with dry erase markers at centers!

See this product in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable Scarecrow Syllables for Second Graders Activity!

Looking for more early elementary learning printables? Don’t miss these!

Share this When the Leaf Blew In Storybook Extension to help early learners understand this classic fall story!

Use these realistic leaf identification activity cards to help students recognize common tree species!

Use the print or digital version of this nocturnal and diurnal animals sorting activity to teach students about animal sleep habits!

To get your copy of our Scarecrow Syllables ELA Lesson, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Printable Scarecrow Syllables Activity for Kids

>>> Scarecrow Syllables ELA Activity <<<

Check out the other scarecrow-themed posts from the 2nd Grade Blogging Team!

Free Scarecrow Expanded Form Memory Game from Life Over C’s

Make a Scarecrow Literacy Game from Planet Smarty Pants

Scarecrow Measures from Crafty Kids at Home

Scarecrow Silhouette Art Project from School Time Snippets

Scarecrow Compound Word Match Game from Creative Family Fun

Scarecrow Place Value Math from Sugar Aunts

Scarecrow Craft with Landscape from Sallie Borrink Learning

Our Second Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

August 19, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Last week we shared our choices for Tigger’s fifth grade homeschool reading list. Today, I’m sharing our second reading list homeschool picks for Pooh!

Pooh is at a point in his reading journey when he’s definitely ready to take on some chapter books on his own. However, I still prefer to read most of our books together, so that he will slow down and really absorb the story. Sometimes he tends to rush through a book and only pick out the parts that are instantly amusing to him.

So we’ll be covering these books in-depth this year. Take a look at our choices for second grade below!

Choosing a Reading List for Second Grade

First grade was really a stepping stone that helped Pooh become a more fluent reader. And because we took a short break to try public school, he got a chance to read for his class pretty often. I really think that’s helped him step outside the box and take on more challenging books.

So I wanted him to read some books with me this year and some on his own as well. He likes mysteries and funny stories and this list features plenty of both!

Our Second Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

1. Ramona and Her Mother

2. Oliver Twist

3. Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing (Yes, I realize the title character is in fourth grade. But I think Pooh will relate very well to Fudge…lol.)

4. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme

5. The Mouse and the Motorcycle

6. The Boxcar Children

7. What’s Cooking, Jenny Archer?

8. The Wind in the Willows

9. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

10. Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures: The Intrepid Canadian Expedition

11. Freckle Juice

12. Geronimo Stilton: The Race Across America

And those are our second grade reading list homeschool selections! Unit studies for these books will be coming soon!

Catch our other reading list selections for this school year below!

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

Do you have any books you think second-graders should read? Share them in the comments!

Apple Array Practice for Second Grade

August 13, 2015 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

One of Pooh’s objectives this year is to learn to work with arrays.

When I was in school, we weren’t using arrays. We were memorizing addition and multiplication facts back then.

Now, though, arrays are an important (and helpful) way to understand adding and multiplying.

So I put together a math product: Apple Arrays! – A fun, apple-themed way to have array practice for second grade!

By the way, be sure to check out our Apple Orchard Playdough Counting Mat for your toddlers and preschoolers!

Need to practice visual discrimination? Don’t miss our Apple Alike! Same or Different Worksheets!

Apple Array Practice for Second Grade

To use these printables, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are included in this post. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This product includes 16 worksheets that include both addition and multiplication for numbers 1-5.

If your students are still working on addition fluency, the first ten worksheets are all about adding numbers 1-5.

A full answer key is provided, so the kids can check their work.

This is a great activity for practicing addition facts.

But if your students are ready for a quick introduction to multiplication, the last six worksheets are perfect for showing them the relationship between adding and the times tables!

How to Use Apple Array Practice for Second Grade

I have to admit that when Pooh saw that there were multiplication problems on the sheet, his reaction was “TIMES TABLES????”

It was a dramatic moment, for sure.

But I used the first few pages to introduce him to using arrays with addition.

And then we talked about how addition with arrays is the same as multiplication.

This product focuses just on working with 5’s from 5+0 to 5+5+5, so you can use it to introduce times tables from 5×1 to 5×5.

The first set of pages contains apple arrays and written addition and multiplication problems.

Pooh and I looked at each row and column in the arrays to understand why we write those particular addition and multiplication equations to represent them.

Count out the number of apples in each row to find your first addend.

Then count the number of rows to find the second. Simple!

After he went through and solved the first set of problems, we used the second set of pages.

These pages have the apple arrays and addition/multiplication problems, but kids have to read the array correctly to fill in the addends/multiplicand/multiplier.

Which he did on his own!

He was so excited to grasp how to read arrays and relate them to multiplying that as soon as Jay came in the door, he said “Dad! I learned how to do times today!”

Another one of those homeschooling gifts I’m thrilled to share with them this year.

Scroll down to get your copy of our Apple Array Practice for Second Grade!Check out our other fall learning resources!

If you need more suggestions for teaching multiplication, try these tips!

To get your copy of Apple Array Practice for Second Grade, grab our 2nd Grade Learning Bundle! This bundle includes four learning printables designed to get your early elementary student off to a great year!