Learn at Home Grade 2

Learn at Home
Grade 2
May 2009
Learn at Home: Grade 2
New York City Department of Education
Dear Second Grade Parents and Scholars,
Even though your school is closed, this time can be used to continue learning.
On the following pages, you will find a day-to-day guide to help your child stay
engaged.
It includes a suggested schedule, activities, and educational TV shows. Please use the
guide and fill in the chart each day outlining your daily learning.
All of these activities will require adult supervision.
For additional web resources and updated materials, go to:

http://schools.nyc.gov/learnathome.

Day 1 Schedule
Subject Minutes Per Day Assignments What Did I Learn
(At Least!) Today?
Vocabulary 30 • Study vocabulary words •
• Create a picture dictionary
Reading and Writing 45 • Read a story and answer •

questions about the story
• Write a story about the
kitchen in your house
Math 45 Complete at least one: •

• Fill it Up activity
• Money’s Worth activity
Science 30 Complete : •
• Salt Volcano activity
Fitness and Health 30 • Choose one or two •

activities from the Activity
Calendar
Arts 30 • Choose one or two •

activities from Visual Arts
TV Shows and Websites 30 • Choose TV shows and •

websites to further your
learning at home

Day 1 Activities
Vocabulary
Create your own picture dictionary. Each day this week, write new words you learn (from reading, listening,
talking or the Vocabulary List in the back of this packet) next to the appropriate letter. Draw a picture of each
word. Review your dictionary every day to see how the list of words is growing! You can use the handout in
the following pages to create your picture dictionary or you can use a notebook or separate sheets of paper.
Reading and Writing

Reading Activity: Read a book with your family. Write the title and author below:
Title:___________________________________________________________________
Author:_________________________________________________________________
1. Who is the main character in the story?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How does the story begin?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How does the story end?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the most important event that happened in the story?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 1 Activities (continued)
Writing Activity: You are going to write a story about the kitchen in your house.
In the first paragraph, write some sentences about how the kitchen looks.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the second paragraph, write some sentences that tell what you do in the kitchen.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the third paragraph, write some sentences that tell how the kitchen smells.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mathematics
Please complete at least one of the following activities:
• Money’s Worth
• Fill It Up
Have more time? Complete the following activity:

• Fractured Fractions
Science
Inquiry is Fun! The worksheets on the following pages tell you and your child what to do. Have fun!
• Salt Volcano Activity
Health and Fitness
Choose one or two activities from the Physical Activity Calendar and do each activity for 10 minutes.
Arts
Choose one or two activities from the Visual Arts section of the Arts Activities and complete these activities
today.
TV Shows and Websites

Choose TV shows and websites to further your learning at home. A list of suggested TV shows is included at
the back of this guide. A list of suggested websites can be found at http://schools.nyc.gov/learnathome.

My
Picture
Dictionary
BY _________________________
1
Copyright 2006 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Aa
Bb
1a
Yy Cc
Zz Dd
2
Ee Ww
Ff Xx
2a
Uu Gg
Vv Hh
3
Ii Ss
Jj Tt
3a
Qq Kk
Rr Ll
4
Mm Oo
Nn Pp
4a
Science Explorer: Salt Volcano--make your own miniature "Lava Lite" Page 1 of3
Salt Volcano
Make your own miniature 'lava UW-
What do I need?
• A glass jar or clear drinking
glass
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Water
• Food coloring (if you want)
DANGER!
Don't forget to be careful
with glass.
What do I do?
1 Pour about 3 inches of water into the jar.

Z Pour about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
into the jar. When everything settles, is
the oil on top of the water or underneath
it?
3 If you want, add one drop of

food coloring to the jar. What
happens? Is the drop in the oil or
in the water? Does the color
spread? 4 Shake
salt on top of
the oil while
you count
slowly to 5.
WOW! I Didn't Know Thatl Wow! What
happens to
Lava Lites are lamps that the food
were invented by an English
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/volcano.html 5/15/2009
man named Craven Walker coloring? What happens to the

in 1964. They are basically salt?
tall thin glass jars filled with
liquid and a special kind of
colored wax, set on top of a 5 Add more salt to keep the
base with a light bulb. When action going for as long as you
the bulb is turned on, the want.
lamp glows, the liquid heats
up, and the wax begins to Six-year-old Nina Gumkowsky
shared this activity with the other
melt. Blobs of wax rise to
students in her first-grade class.
the top of the lamp, then Everyone loved it! They did it over
cool and sink back down- and over again and kept trying to
over and over again. touch the layers. It was messy, but it
was fun!
What's Going On?

Why does the oil float on the water?
Oil floats on water because a drop of oil is lighter than a drop of

water the same size. Another way of saying this is to say that water is
denser than oil. Density is a measurement of how much a given
volume of something weighs. Things that are less dense than water
will float in water. Things that are more dense than water will sink.
Even though oil and water are both liquids, they are what chemists
call immiscible liquids. That's a fancy word that means they don't
mIX.
What happens when I pour salt on the oil?
Salt is heavier than water, so when you pour salt on the oil, it sinks to
the bottom of the mixture, carrying a blob of oil with it. In the water,
the salt starts to dissolve. As it dissolves, the salt releases the oil,
which floats back up to the top of the water.
This looks like a Lava Lite. How does a Lava

Lite work?
Like your oil and water, the "lava" in a Lava

Lite doesn't mix with the liquid that surrounds
it. When it's cool, the "lava" is a little bit denser
than the liquid surrounding it. When the "lava"
rests on the bottom of the Lava Lite, the light bulb in the lamp warms
it up. As it warms up, the "lava" expands a little. When it expands,
the "lava" stays the same weight but it takes up more space-so it's
less dense. When it's warm enough, the "lava" is less dense than the
surrounding liquid, and so it rises up to the top to float. At the top of
the lamp, it cools down, becomes more dense, and sinks once again.
This cycle repeats over and over as the "lava" warms up and rises,
then cools down and sinks.
Where did this experiment come from, anyway?
Exploratorium Teacher-in-Residence Eric Muller created this activity

while playing with his food in a Chinese restaurant.
This and dozens of other cool activities are included in the

Exploratorium's Science Explorer books, available for purchase from
our online store.
Published by Owl Books,
Henry Holt & Company, New York,
1996 & 1997
ISBN 0-B050-4536 & ISBN 0-8050-4537-6,

$12.95 each
_Oratonum
c 1998I;::".m!Q!]!tQril,!m
Day 2 Schedule
(At Least!) Today?
• Add to your picture
dictionary
• Use the vocabulary in
your assignments below
Reading and Writing 45 • Read 2 books and find •
new words in the books
• Write a story about your
favorite animal

• In the News activity
• What are the Coins?
activity
Science 30 Complete: •
• Shapes and Clouds
activity
• Sinking and Floating
Soda cans activity

activities from the
Activity Calendar s

activities from Dance
TV Shows and 30 • Choose TV shows and •

Websites websites to further your
learning at home

Day 2 Activities
Vocabulary
Learn new words (from reading, listening, talking or the Vocabulary List in the back of this packet) and add
them to the picture dictionary you started on Day 1.
Reading and Writing

Reading Activity: Visit the community library or your home book collection. Choose 2 different books you think are
interesting. Write the title of the 2 books you chose.
Title of Book 1: ______________________________________________________
Title of Book 2: ______________________________________________________
After you read the books, find one new word from each book you find interesting or challenging. List the 2 words you
found.
1.______________________________ 2.________________________________
What do you think each word means?
1.________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write two sentences using the words.
1.________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Writing Activity: You are going to write a story about your favorite animal. Before you begin, make a list of words
that describe your toy.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now write your story using your list:
Title:____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read your story out loud to someone in your family.

Mathematics

• What are the Coins?
• In the News

• Treasure Hunt
Science
Inquiry is Fun! Ask your parent or an adult to supervise you in the following activities. Have fun!
• Shapes and clouds: Have your parent or caregiver draw a simple shape (like a circle, triangle, or square)
on a large sheet of paper. Then you try and copy the shape. Later go outside with your parent or
caregiver and find a place where you can look at clouds together. Talk about how the clouds look and
how they might feel. Look for shapes in the clouds.
• Sinking and Floating Soda Cans activity (The worksheets on the following pages tell you what to do.)
Health and Fitness

Arts
Choose one or two activities from the Dance section of the Arts Activities and complete these activities today.

Sinking and Floating Cans Experiment Page 1 of 1
Imagine a hot summer day. You're at a picnic and go to the ice chest where the sodas are staying nice
and cool. Which cans are floating in the ice water, and which have sunk: to the bottom?
For this experiment you will need:
• several unopened cans of regular soda of different varieties

• several unopened cans of diet soda of different varieties
• a large aquarium or sink
Fill the aquarium or sink almost to the top with water. Place a can of regular soda into the water. Make
sure that no air bubbles are trapped under the can when you place it in the water. Does it sink or float?
Repeat the experiment with a can of diet soda. Does it sink or float?
Why does one can sink, and the other can float?
The cans of soda have exactly the same volume, or size. But their density differs due to what is
dissolved in the soda. Regular soda contains sugar as a sweetener. If you look at the nutrition facts on a
can of regular soda, you will notice that it contains sugar...a lot of sugar. In some cases a 12 ounce can
of regular soda will contain over 40 grams of sugar. Diet sodas, on the other hand, use artificial
sweeteners such as aspartame. These artificial sweeteners may be hundreds of times sweeter than sugar,
which means that less than a few grams of artificial sweetener is used in a can of diet soda. The
difference in the amount of dissolved sweeteners leads to a difference in density. Cans of regular soda
tend to be more dense than water, so they sink. Cans of diet soda are usually less dense than water, so
they float.
Are there any varieties of regular soda that will float? Are there any varieties of diet soda that sink? Can
you think other factors that might influence which sodas float or sink?
For another look at how dissolved sugar affects the density of a solution, see the layered liquids
experiment.
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HomeExpts/cans.htm 5/15/2009
Day 3 Schedule
(At Least!) Today?
dictionary
your assignments below
Reading and Writing 45 • Read a poem •
• Write a poem about
yourself

• Guess If You Can
activity
• Tracking Time activity
• Rainbows activity

activities from the
Activity Calendar

activities from Theatre

websites to further your
learning at home

Day 3 Activities
Vocabulary
Reading and Writing
Reading Activity: Read the poem below.
I’m the Single Most Wonderful Person I Know, By Jack Prelutsky
I’m the single most wonderful person I know,

I’m witty, I’m charming, I’m smart,
I’m often so brilliant I actually glow,
I’m a genius in music and art.
I’m super, I’m splendid, I’m stunning, I’m strong,

I’m awesome, I’m dashing, I’m bold,
I know all the answers, it’s rare that I’m wrong,
I am absolute joy to behold.
I’m strikingly handsome, I’m thoroughly grand,

I’m uncategorically clever,
There’s only one thing that I can’t understand --
Why nobody likes me. . . not ever!
Writing Activity:
1. After reading the poem, write as many words as you can to describe yourself.
2. Write an all about me poem using your list of describing words. Don’t forget a title.
3. Share your poem with your family

Math
• Tracking Time
• Guess If You Can

• What Are My Chances?
Science
• Rainbows: Talk about rainbows with your parent or caregiver. Talk about where they come from and
when you can see them. Then on a large sheet of paper, have your parent or caregiver draw a curved
line of one color. You continue the rainbow, following your parent/caregiver’s line with a different
color. Together finish the rainbow with four or five colorful lines.
Health and Fitness
Arts
Choose one or two activities from the Theatre section of the Arts Activities and complete these activities today.


Day 4 Schedule
(At Least!) Today?
Vocabulary 30 • Study vocabulary •
words
dictionary
• Create a picture file
your assignments
below
Reading and Writing 45 • Read a book and •

answers questions
about the book
• Write a story about
your favorite place to
play

• Money Match activity
• Problem Solvers
activity
• Science in the Tub
activity

activities from the
Activity Calendar

activities from Music
section

websites to further
your learning at home

Day 4 Activities
Vocabulary
Name that picture! Cut out 10 interesting pictures from magazines or newspapers and name what the pictures
are with your parent or caregiver. Keep the pictures in a picture file and sort them into categories (e.g., people,
foods, animals, places where people live, etc.) Write any new words you learn in your picture dictionary.
Reading and Writing

Reading Activity: Read a book with your family. Write the title and author below:
Title:___________________________________________________________________
Author:_________________________________________________________________
1. Where does the story take place?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How do you know? What words does the writer use that help you figure it out?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. When does the story take place?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How do you know? What words does the writer use that help you know?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Writing Activity: You are going to write a story about your favorite place to play. Before you begin to write, answer
these questions:
1. Where will your story take place?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What would be a good way to start your story?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What would be a good way to end your story?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What details will be in the middle of your story?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What do you think you will name your story?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Use the back of this paper or a separate sheet of paper to write your story.

Math
• Problem Solvers
• Money Match

• More Or Less
Science
• Have fun learning science in the tub! Suggested materials to use include sponges, boats, squeeze
bottles, tubes, plastic pitchers, soap bubbles and rubber animals. With your parent or caregiver;
o Play with different items and find out which ones sink or float
o Use small pitchers for pouring and measuring. Talk about the meaning of full/empty.
o Fill a variety of bottles with water. Talk about which has more, which has less.
o Fill one container with soap bubbles and another container with water. Talk about heavy and
light.
o Float a plastic container in the water. Start adding rubber animals. Count the number of animals
you can put into the "boat" before it sinks.
Health and Fitness
Arts
Choose one or two activities from the Music section of the Arts Activities and complete these activities today.


Day 5 Schedule
(At Least!) Today?
Vocabulary 30 • Study vocabulary •
words
dictionary
your assignments
below
Reading and Writing 45 • Read a book and •

summarize the story
• Write a story about
your favorite toy
Math 45 Complete: •
• Let’s Play Store
activity
• Simply Symmetrical
activity
• Cooking activity

activities from the
Activity Calendar

activities from the
section of your choice

websites to further
your learning at home

Day 5 Activities
Vocabulary
Reading and Writing

Reading Activity: Read a book with your family.
1. Write the title and author below:
Title:___________________________________________________________________
Author:_________________________________________________________________
2. Make a list of interesting things you learned from the book.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Write 3 to 5 sentences that summarize the story.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Share your summary with your family. Ask them if they have questions about what you read. Write down 3 of the
questions they asked and answer them.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Writing Activity: You are going to write a story about your favorite toy. Before you begin, make a list of words that
describe your toy. Think about why you like your toy. Think about how you play with it too.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now write your story using your list:
Title:____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Draw a picture of your toy here.

Math
Please complete the following activity:
• Simply Symmetrical
• Let’s Play Store
Science
Inquiry is Fun! Ask your parent or an adult to supervise you in the following activity. Have fun!
• Cooking: Help your parent or caregiver prepare a meal. For example, you can help by getting the
ingredients out (you could have a list that you check off together as you set up each ingredient) or by
measuring them using a measuring cup or spoon. As your parent or caregiver cooks the meal, observe and
talk about the scientific and chemical changes that are happening to the food (for example, changes in
texture, color, temperature, phase, and smell).
Health and Fitness

Arts
Choose one or two activities from the section of your choice from the Arts Activities and complete these
activities today.


Vocabulary List: Grade 2
ELA Math Science Social Studies
adjective cardinal number behavior pattern area
composition chance characteristics authority
conversation decreasing pattern circular motion/ barrier
dictionary difference straight line motion chronological
discussion distance / zigzag movement climate
everyday language foot (measurement) dissolving custom
fiction fraction distance distance
folktale geometric diversity of life duty
glossary shapes/figures earth resources goods
group discussion height gas government
guest speaker increasing pattern habitat heritage
main character length individual justice
main idea model differences landmark
margin numeric pattern liquid privilege
mental image ordinal number magnification qualifications
message outcome magnifier rural
nonfiction pattern extension observation services
noun quarter-hour parent/offspring settlement
predictable book regroup similarity symbol
prewriting second (time) pebble tradition
pronoun set prehistoric urban
publish standard properties vegetation
purpose measurement reasoning volunteer
reread symmetry scientist
spelling pattern table similarities &
table of contents time interval differences
textbooks whole number solid
theater width sound
verb (action word) universe
vibration
weight
Source: http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/

Fitness Activity Guide
Parents: Help your child get 30 or more minutes of daily physical activity by choosing at least three
activities from the options below. Each one takes about 10 minutes. We have included lots of choices, so that
there is something for everyone -- from activities that increase heart rate, improve flexibility, and build muscle
strength!
If you have access to the Internet, you can help your child track her or his physical activity by going to
http://www.bam.gov/sub_physicalactivity/cal_index.asp, where your child can create a customized physical activity
calendar.
Grades K-2
• Activity Calendar (in English and Spanish) – online at
o http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/Toolbox/pdf_files/May09/Calendar_EC_Eng.pdf (English)
o http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/Toolbox/pdf_files/May09/Calendar_EC_Span.pdf (Spanish)
• Small Space Energizers – online at
o http://www.ncpe4me.com/pdf_files/K-5-Energizers.pdf
• Get up and Move Game from “Lazy Town” – online only
o http://www.noggin.com/games/lazytown/lazy_getup/

May 2009
Early Childhood Physical Activity Calendar
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
31 Go back and 1 Take a walk – each 2 Motions of the
repeat the activities Duplicated with permission from the National time you see a sign of Weather – Use your
that you really enjoyed Association for Sport and Physical Education spring, do 10 jumps bodies to pretend to
this month! (NASPE). To assess whether your child is for joy. be different types of
receiving a quality physical education program, visit weather. Rain,
www.naspeinfo.org/observePE for an observation wind, thunder,
assessment tool. snow…get creative.
3 Practice your 4 Rainbow Run – talk 5 Log rolls – find a safe 6 Copy Me – take turns 7 All Aboard –spread a 8 Do the Opposite – 9 Act out the
throwing skills – find a about the colors of the space in your house doing three movements, big towel out on the work on doing movements of the
big target and throw as rainbow - as you name and practice rolling in a such as reach high, floor. Stand on it, move opposite movements animals you see in
hard as you can at it. colors, run & touch 3 straight, strong line. touch your nose, shake on it, then fold it up. such as run fast and the spring.
Work on stepping right things that are that Use those muscles. your foot – after one Can you still stand and slow, reach high and
at the target with your color. person does the move on it? Fold it low, march soft and
“opposite” foot. movements the partner again – move again. hard.
has to copy them.
10 Roll up some socks 11 Read your favorite 12 Say the ABC’s by 13 Pretend that your 14 Find a ball and a big 15 Take 5 minutes – 16 Get outside and
and practice your self Nursery Rhyme and put putting your body into elbow or your foot is a target to practice your go to every room in run – try running in a
toss and catch skill. actions to it so you can the shape of each letter. great big crayon and kicking skills. Kick as your house and do a straight line, a curvy
Can you clap before say it with your body. move all around your hard as you can. funny dance that line, and then a zig
you catch it? How house coloring the most makes your mom or zag line.
about touch your beautiful picture. dad laugh. Make
tummy before you them do the dance
catch? with you.
17 Get outside again 18 Using paper plates 19 Can you leap? 20 Find an extra chore 21 Turn on some music 22 Statues Game – 23 Practice your
and play catch. Follow ask someone to help Pretend that your house that will help you and make your mom or Put your body into a jumping jacks – can
the ball with your eyes you make a hopscotch is full of puddles and become a better mover. dad dance with you. balanced position and you do them
and move to where the pattern and then work your job is to leap over (sorting clothes to work Tell them they have to hold it while you standing up? How
ball is going. on your hopping and all of them. Don’t get on throwing skills; dance for at least two count to 10. Try a about lying on the
jumping. wet☺ sweeping the floor to whole songs. more challenging floor?
work on strength) position.
24 Go for a walk – 25 Can you skip? Give 26 Practice your ball 27 Cut out a bunch of 28 Find different kinds 29 Get outside and 30 Get silly today
breath in the air as you it a try – step, hop, step, rolling skills by rolling a different shapes, put the of shoes in your house. practice your running. and make up a new
swing your arms and hop. ball back and forth with shapes in a pile and Pretend to move as if When you run work sound or word and
hold your head high. someone. Each time then try putting your you were wearing each on pumping your then make up a new
you roll it back up a step body into these odd kind of shoe. Stomp in arms front and back, action to go along
shapes your boots, prance in and moving in a with that word or
your slippers, slide in straight line sound.
your skates.
Arts Activities for Grades PreK-2
A number of the activities listed reference specific works of art. If you are not familiar with them you may find
them on the internet (even the performances). However, these are provided as examples, and you can substitute
similar works of art with which you are familiar or to which you have access.
All Arts Activities taken from the Blueprints for Teaching and Learning in the Arts: Grades PreK-12.
DANCE
• Practice structured warm-ups learned at school
• Explore and repeat movement.
• Improvise with props (e.g., balls, hoops, scarves).
• Explore images that suggest a beginning, middle and end; compose a short dance phrase—a movement
sentence—with a beginning, middle and end.
MUSIC
• Visit public library and select a variety of recorded music selections for children.
• Perform music with repetitive or contrasting patterns.
• Perform music with a variety of dynamic levels.
• Sing songs in English and other languages with attention to feeling and musical interpretation.
• Play instruments with attention to feeling and musical interpretation.
• Narrate a story and create musical accompaniment using rhythm instruments. Perform the story and
assign each student a role, such as: narrator, actor, musician, conductor, set/costume designer,
tech/lighting/sound, composer, audience member, poster designer, usher, ticket maker and seller, etc.
• Draw a picture representing a person in the arts professions. Create a book with pictures and text that
describes a particular career path.
• Sing songs about people’s jobs, such as “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” “Whistle While You
Work,” or “Working Together” by Carmino Ravosa. Make up original verses to reflect jobs students can
identify in their lives.
• List places in the community where music is performed. Identify the function and role of music in their
daily lives (school, home, place of worship, shopping mall, etc.). Describe or compare ways music is
used at home and at school for holidays, celebrations, and traditions.
• Create a list of expected behaviors before attending a concert in the school or community. Discuss and
model expectations.
• Listen to a CD containing soothing environmental sounds (e.g., the ocean, a rainforest, birds, the wind).
Simulate the sounds orally using breath, long-sustained vowels, or short percussive sounds made at the
front of the mouth.
THEATER
• Pantomime simple daily activities, including healthful practices in eating and hygiene.
• Demonstrate the sound and movements of animals and/or people in a story.
• Dramatize storytelling through use of body, voice and gesture.
• Listen to a story and create improvised dialogue to play a scene from the story.
• Use gesture and voice with a prop, mask or puppet to express character.
• Create or re-create a story using tableaux (frozen body pictures) with beginning-middle-end and who-
what-where evidence.
• Create a five-panel storyboard or cartoon for an original story or improvisation, with notes describing
the main action in each segment.
• Use a photograph as a prompt for asking and answering the “5 Ws” (who, what when, where and why?)
about the characters in an imagined story.
• Draw a scene or design a costume from a story read in class.

• Use a children’s story such as Goodnight Moon or Tar Beach to generate drawings and a 3-D set model
based on the illustrations in the book.
• Using a drawing of a character as a basis, create a stick puppet that demonstrates the characteristics of
the puppet through costume.
VISUAL ARTS
• Create a painting that demonstrates:
o personal observations about a place
o control of paint media and various brushes
o basic organization of space
o experimentation with mixing colors
• Demonstrate the various ways that paints and brushes can be used:
o paint – thick, thin
o strokes – long, short, curved
o colors – light, dark, dull, bright
o shapes – big, small, layered
• Create a drawing that demonstrates:
o experimentation with various drawing tools such as, oil pastels, pencils, colored pencils, crayons
o use of varied lines and colors to convey expression
• Discuss how artists express themselves; note the use of different mediums, and the effects of black and
white, and color.
• Create a collage that demonstrates experimentation with:
o placement of shapes
o color
o pre-cut and torn paper
o composition
o textured materials
o layering
• Discuss the role of color and placement of shapes in creating a sense of depth and balance.

Educational TV Shows
Recommended
Channel Show Subject Day Time Grades Description
In the town of Sheetrock Hills everyone gets help
from handyman Manny Garcia and his seven
talking tools like Turner the screwdriver and
Disney Handy
ELA, Spanish Weekdays 9:00 AM Pre-K, K-1 Dusty the saw. The series teaches basic Spanish
Playhouse Manny
words and phrases and exposes kids to Latin
culture. Other lessons focus on working together
and problem solving as a team.
Sid the Join Sid, his family and his friends as they make
PBS-13 Science Weekdays 9:00 AM Pre-K, K-1
Science Kid science fun!
The popular New Orleans band introduces

Disney Imagination
Science Weekdays 9:30 AM Pre-K, K-1 preschoolers to high-energy rock music while
Playhouse Movers
emphasizing creative problem-solving skills.
Diego's mission is to help rescue an animal in
trouble. Using observation skills and scientific
tools like computers, a field journal, and cameras-
-and with help from young viewers at home--
Go Diego, Diego succeeds in his goal while introducing kids
Nick Jr. ELA Weekdays 9:30 AM K-1, 2-3
Go to information about each animal's sound,
movement, habitat, diet, family, and physical
characteristics.
NYC TV - Delivers astronomy-based science education and

Zula Patrol Science Weekdays 9:30 AM Pre-K, K-1 character-building lessons in an entertaining
25
format.
Animated television series helps children learn
Super
PBS-13 ELA Weekdays 9:30 AM Pre-K, K-1 key reading skills, including alphabet and
WHY!
rhyming

Recommended
Channel Show Subject Day Time Grades Description
Animated series about Clifford, a big red dog; his
Clifford the
10:00 loving "human," Emily Elizabeth; and dog pals,
PBS-13 Big Red General Weekdays Pre-K, K-1
AM T-Bone and Cleo. The series emphasizes good
Dog
citizenship and the importance of community.
Each episode introduces up to four new
vocabulary words in an engaging, humorous way.
ELA,
PBS-13 WordGirl Weekdays 4:30 PM K-1, 2-3 WordGirl is a superhero spoof so the storylines
Vocabulary
are funny and clever takes on familiar stories
from that genre.
Classical This Emmy-nominated animated special
HBO 29
Baby Music, Arts OnDemand Pre-K, K-1, 2-3 introduces children to works of music, painting
OnDemand minutes
Compilation and dance.


Learn at Home Grade 2

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Исходное описание:

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Learn at Home Grade 2

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Learn at Home

All of these activities will require adult supervision.

For additional web resources and updated materials, go to:

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Reading and Writing 45 • Read a story and answer •

Math 45 Complete at least one: •

Fitness and Health 30 • Choose one or two •

Arts 30 • Choose one or two •

TV Shows and Websites 30 • Choose TV shows and •

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Reading and Writing

1. Who is the main character in the story?

2. How does the story begin?

3. How does the story end?

4. What is the most important event that happened in the story?

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Have more time? Complete the following activity:

Health and Fitness

TV Shows and Websites

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Make your own miniature 'lava UW-

1 Pour about 3 inches of water into the jar.

3 If you want, add one drop of

Lava Lites are lamps that the food

were invented by an English

man named Craven Walker coloring? What happens to the

What's Going On?

Oil floats on water because a drop of oil is lighter than a drop of

What happens when I pour salt on the oil?

This looks like a Lava Lite. How does a Lava

Like your oil and water, the "lava" in a Lava

Where did this experiment come from, anyway?

Exploratorium Teacher-in-Residence Eric Muller created this activity

This and dozens of other cool activities are included in the

Published by Owl Books,

Henry Holt & Company, New York,

1996 & 1997

ISBN 0-B050-4536 & ISBN 0-8050-4537-6,

Math 45 Complete at least one: •

Fitness and Health 30 • Choose one or two •

Arts 30 • Choose one or two •

TV Shows and 30 • Choose TV shows and •

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Reading and Writing

Title of Book 1: ______________________________________________________

Title of Book 2: ______________________________________________________

What do you think each word means?

Write two sentences using the words.

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Now write your story using your list:

Read your story out loud to someone in your family.

Learn at Home: Grade 2

Please complete at least one of the following activities:

Have more time? Complete the following activity:

Health and Fitness

TV Shows and Websites

Learn at Home: Grade 2

For this experiment you will need:

• several unopened cans of regular soda of different varieties

Math 45 Complete at least one: •

Fitness and Health 30 • Choose one or two •

Arts 30 • Choose one or two •