3/4/22

We have been learning about stereotypes in second grade. The students first discussed what stereotypes are and learned about the definition of a stereotype – the false ideas that all members of a group think and behave in the same way. Then the kids engaged in an activity collaboratively in small groups where they brainstormed ideas about older people and teenagers. Some of their original thoughts included:

Older People – have gray hair, they are slow, like to sleep and watch the news a lot and play card games.

Teenagers – talk a lot, like to go to the mall, don’t like to shower, and they can be annoying.

After these ideas were agreed upon as a group and written down, the students looked at photographs of older people and teenagers doing unexpected things. They were very surprised to see that older people (including one of our former presidents) engage in dare devil activities such as parachuting from airplanes and surfing! They were also surprised to see pictures of teenagers who had gray hair, ones who ballroom dance and even play in symphonies!

By the end of the lesson, our astute second graders realized that people cannot be spoken about as a whole group based on a single characteristic or assumptions. They learned about the word generalizations and decided that making generalizations are not fair or always true. Instead, the kids decided that using the word “some” is important rather than using the word “all” when referring to a group of people. Kudos to our incredible and insightful stereotype breakers in second grade for a job well done!

In Music class, Second Graders have continued with their xylophone unit. They have each gotten the chance to play the major scale and the pentatonic scale on a xylophone, working with partners on their techniques.

STEAM

This week, the 2nd graders started a new project in STEAM class. We started by reading Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty. In this book, Sofia becomes a community leader and helps turn a garbage dump into an amazing park. Sophia dreams big for this park and it is anything but normal, including a cheese fountain and a rent-a-llama station. After reading the book, the students were challenged to design their own dream community park. They began that process by brainstorming at least 6 different things they would like in their park and explaining why that should be in their park. This project’s focus on community blends with the 2nd grade social studies unit as they learn about Brooklyn.