Recently, Mrs. D’s Grade 2 class caught a serious case of arachnid enthusiasm! 🕷️ She used their interest to create collaborative learning opportunities that build research, writing, art, listening, and speaking skills.
The students went on a web hunt around campus, eventually finding a large orb web near the art bungalow. Serendipitously, an insect flew into the web, and the students watched in awe as the spider wrapped its prey to subdue it.
Second graders researched different spiders, learning that there are over 40,000 identified species of spiders. They channeled their research into comics, poster board displays, songs, drawings, reports, and non-fiction narratives about black widows, jumping spiders, tarantulas, and more! They then proudly shared their findings with classmates, the admin team, and Magnolia students, building relationships with adults and early childhood friends.
We all learned so much about spiders through the students' engaging presentations that blended student interests with a multitude of academic skill objectives. This is one of the many collaborative, interest projects that our teachers weave into the curriculum!