Information about the Exploration Tubs for second grade.
Show and Teach Tub
Fossil Hunting and Rock Sorting
Life Size Giraffe
Reptiles
Ocean Animals
Oral language engages children and enables children to express themselves and share ideas. But oral language is also a window revealing key indicators of a child’s reading comprehension. Oral language is more related to reading ability than intelligence. The focus of this lesson is to provide an opportunity for children to develop oral language skills and to record their oral language to share with others.
Small vocabularies are characterized by lots of short words that are used frequently, high usage of nonspecific words, fewer complex sentences, and less elaboration.
Intended Learning Outcomes
3. Demonstrate responsible emotional and cognitive behaviors.
6. Communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and nonverbal form.
Process Skills
Symbolization, observation, prediction, description, problem solving
1. Show and Teach Tub
Books:
Origami by Charlotte Stadler (Benchmark)
Make a Sundial by Theresa Bryson (Benchmark)
Coin Magic by Charlotte Stadler (Benchmark)
Make a Paper Airplane by Cathy French (Benchmark)
Make a Marionette by Lynne Anderson (Benchmark)
Made by Hand by Meish Goldish (Newbridge)
You Can Make Memory Scrapbook by Cathy French (Benchmark)
Ella’s Time Line by Lily Richardson (National Geographic)
2. Fossil Hunting and Rock Sorting
Books:
Remarkable Rocks by Ron Cole, Ranger Rick (Newbrige)
Rocks by Brenda Parkes (Newbridge)
Space Rocks by Aaron Waldeck (Rosen, fluent)
All Kinds of Rocks by Judy Nayer (McGraw-Hill)
Fossils by Kate McGough (National Geographic)
The Fossil Hunters by Michael Medearis (Harcourt)
Fossils Golden Book Field Guide
3. Life-size Giraffe
Books:
Our Amazing Animal Friends by Gene S. Stuart (National Geographic)
other library books about animals that students have selected
4. Reptiles
Books:
Black Snake and the Eggs by Michael R. Strickland (Wright Group,
early fluent)
Giant Snakes by Cheryl Ryan (Wright Group, early fluent)
Lizards by Carolyn MacLulich (Scholastic)
Snakes by Carolyn MacLulich (Scholastic)
Snakes and Lizards by Daniel Moreton and Pamela Chanko (Scholastic)
Snakes by Martha E. H. Rustad (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Snakes by Tom Pipher (Wright Group, emergent)
Snakes by Rebel Williams (Wright Group, emergent)
The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
What Is A Reptile? by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
5. Ocean Animals
Books:
Clinging Sea Horses by Judith Jango-Cohen (Rosen)
Corals by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Crabs by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Deadly Sea Creatures by Bill Francis (Wright Group)
Dolphins by Kevin J. Holmes (Bridgestone)
Dolphins by Martha E. H. Rustad (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Dolphins by Marion Rego (Wright Group)
Fish by Colin Walker (Wright Group, McGraw-Hill)
Giant Octopus by Christine Zuchora-Walske (Rosen)
How Do Fish Live? by Heather Jenkins (Wright Group)
Is It a Fish? by Brian and Jillian Cutting (Wright Group)
Parrotfish by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Rays by Martha E. H. Rustad (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Sea Horses by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Sea Urchins by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Sea Stars by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Sea Turtles by Martha E. H. Rustad (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Sea Anemones by Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Seals by Martha E. H. Rustad (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Sharks by Kevin Boon (Wright Group)
Sharks by Carolyn MacLulich (Scholastic)
Sharks by Martha E. H. Rustad (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Spiny Sea Stars by Christine Zuchora-Walske (Rosen)
Stingrays by Julia Wall (Wright Group)
Sturdy Turtles by Kathleen Martin-James (Rosen)
Tell Me about Turtles by Kristine Lalley (Rosen, emergent)
The Survival of Fish by Fred and Jeanne Biddulph (Wright Group)
Whales by Martha E. H. Rustad (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Whales by Kevin Boon (Wright Group)
What Do You Know About Dolphins? by Harley Chan (National Geographic)
What Is a Fish? By Lola M. Schaefer (Pebble Books by Capstone)
Students with low language skills tend to cluster in the following areas:*
Children learn to use language quickly when they are able to use it for real purposes, rather than as a rote exercise. Teachers should provide opportunities for exploration, investigation, information books, and conversation about core topics in the second grade classroom.
Typically, teachers will begin the school year with Standard I. This is an
excellent time to get acquainted with each student and to collect an oral language
and a writing sample of each student, which will provide the teacher with a
valuable overview. This overview can facilitate: pair a less verbal child with
a very verbal child and provide pre-teaching of
content vocabulary to target children who will need to use words orally prior
to reading and writing them.
* Adapted from Strategies for Reading Assessment and Instruction Helping Every Child to Succeed by D. Ray Reutzel and Robert B. Cooter, Jr. Merrill Prentice Hall