Second Grade

The second grade team began their social studies in the fall by investigating the questions; what makes New York City a city as opposed to a neighborhood and how has the physical environment shaped and made New York City unique? Through trips and scientific studies we explored our adaptation to the physical geography of our city. We extended that learning to looking closely at the Samburu people and life at Ndonyo Wasin. To begin our investigation we read stories of the lives of children around the world, connecting their lifestyles with their environments. Next, using prior knowledge, readings, videos, Google Earth, artifacts, first-hand accounts from a Packer teacher who has visited Ndonyo Wasin and photographs the children researched the link between life in Ndonyo Wasin and its physical environment. Our unit was integrated with science, where the children built a Samburu nkaji in teams. In the classroom we culminated our study with a descriptive report, illustrating each child’s learning (some children wrote it in the form of a diary entry of a day in the life of a Ndonyo Wasin student), and an accompanying watercolor of a scene from their report.