From the Classroom

2nd Grade

Ms. Leckinger's 2nd graders had a hard time choosing their favorite pieces from all the great writing in their portfolios.

Here are the pieces they selected from their Animal Reports:

Lizards
by Kevin

Lizards are very interesting animals. When lizards are born, they are 4-5 cm. The adult lizard is 4 feet long. The middle-age lizard is 15 inches long. If you were to see a lizard it would be shiny, dotted, blue face, and scaly. The lizard eats spiders, snails, small snakes, plants. The lizard lives in deserts in many different places. There are 3,800 species of lizards. They can lay up to 16 eggs at a time. In 4-12 weeks the eggs will hatch. Not all kinds of lizards lay eggs. They are all reptiles. The lizard curls its tail. They also shed their skin. All kinds of lizards hibernate. Hibernate means they sleep in winter season. That's how lizards come to live on Earth.

Jaguar
by Austin

Jaguars are very interesting animals. Jaguars look like leopards. They are difficult to tell apart. They love to eat small animals, and deer. Did you know the male is 6 feet long! The female is 5 feet long! They can be between 250 to 260 pounds. They live in South America and in Mexico. They are very good climbers and swimmers. They can have two to three babies at one time. They get lots of rest in the beginning. The cubs are born at any time during the year. They are cousins to the leopards and panthers. They are very big cats. Jaguars have very sharp teeth and claws. I love jaguars.

Penguins
by Mary

I'm learning about penguins in school. Penguins weigh about 33 pounds. There are 17 species of penguins. Penguins live in icebergs in Antarctica. Penguins are good swimmers. That's why they live on icebergs. Penguins are a type of bird that can't fly. The penguins have a thick layer of fat and feathers. Some penguins have black on their backs. All penguins have orange beaks and white bellies. The Emperor penguin is the biggest. In November the female lays her eggs. The female goes out to sea to eat. Then the father penguin babysits the egg. The father does not lie on the egg. He hides it in his fur. Then the father penguin has to keep it on his feet off the ice. The Momma still is out and the Daddy hides it for two months. The father penguin still can't eat because he has to keep it warm. Then the egg hatches and the Mommy comes back. She regurgitates in the baby's mouth. That is his food. Then the dad goes to sea to eat. I learned a lot about penguins.

Grizzly Bears
by Katlin

I studied grizzly bears. They have soft fur. They also have round ears. Grizzly bears also have sharp claws to dig with. They have black noses. They use very sharp teeth to chew hard things with. The grizzly bear can be 6 to 8 feet tall. Grizzly bears can also be 1.8 to 2.4 meters long. The grizzly eats salmon or any kind of fish. They also eat squirrels, leaves, and flowers. They live in woods, grassy lands, like in Wyoming. They also live in Western Canada's mountains, Montana, and Washington. You can find them in trees, big dens, and near waterfalls. They are very powerful bears. People have even been killed by grizzly bears. The grizzly bear is called grizzly because it has grizzled hair. The grizzly bear scratches its back on trees. They put on extra weight in the fall. They hibernate in winter. They dig for food with their sharp claws. A wolf must give up something he kills to a grizzly bear. A grizzly bear has a few natural enemies. A grizzly bear has two layers of fur to keep it warm. It also walks on its hind legs. Grizzly bears have very powerful roars. There are lots of interesting things about the grizzly bear.

(back to top)

Penguins
by Cameron

I'm learning about penguins. Some penguins live in Antarctica, sometimes on icebergs. Emperor penguins have orange manes on the backs of their heads. There are 17 kinds of penguins in the world. They also have fat feathery fur. Penguins are only 33 pounds. Penguins are fast swimmers, they can swim 620 feet out from land. When the female penguin lays an egg, she gives it to the male penguin while she goes out and gets fat. She goes out for 2 months. Now the female is back, the baby is very hungry, so she regurgitates in the baby's mouth! Their young are brown. Penguins are interesting animals!

Penguins
by Erica K.

I read a book about penguins. I learned that penguins live in Antarctica. They live on an iceberg. There are 17 species. A penguin has an orange beak and a white belly. Also a penguin has black on his back. They have a thick layer of fat in them. They cannot fly but they can swim. A penguin can weigh up to 33 pounds. They can be as tall as 4 feet tall. An Emperor penguin is the largest penguin. November the female has her eggs. The female goes out to eat and gets fat. While the female is getting fat, the male is sitting there with the egg on its feet and doesn't eat. In December the egg hatches. Then the female comes home and regurgitates in the baby's mouth. That is what I learned about penguins.

The Wombat
by Ryan

I read a book about wombats. The wombat has a very large head. They also have small eyes. Some wombats have hairy noses. The wombat looks like a type of rat. The wombat weighs 30 to 75 pounds. They have long sharp teeth. The color of the wombat is yellow, gray, dark brown, or black. The wombat lives in the state of Tasmania, in forests of Australia. It eats plants, grass, tree bark, or sea plants, and sometimes vegetables. The wombat belongs to the Marsupial family. People are wombat's enemy. The baby lives in the mom's pouch for six to seven months. The wombat is a burrower. The back feet kick soil out of the burrow. The wombat bites tree roots out of its way. Sometimes the wombat lives in a neighborhood. They live in one burrow. The burrow is 90 feet into the ground. They hiss and growl very loud. They are very noisy. The wombat sleeps during the day and is awake at night. The wombat can live up to 26 years. Did you know the baby drinks the mom's milk? Some farmers accidentally kill wombats when trying to kill rabbits. That is all about wombats and how they live.

Penguins
by Maggie

Penguins live in Antarctica. There are seventeen kinds of penguins. The penguins have orange beaks and white bellies. Penguins have black backs. The penguins have a thick layer of fat feathers. A penguin is a type of bird but it can't fly. The penguins are very good at swimming. The penguin weighs 33 pounds and is up to 4 feet tall. The Emperor penguin is the biggest. In November the female lays the egg. Then she goes out to sea to eat some food. The male penguin babysits the egg until the mother comes back. The male sits and hides the egg under the fur. The male keeps the egg on his feet. The male penguin hides the egg for 2 months. The female doesn't get to eat at all. The egg hatches finally. The female comes back. The female regurgitates in the baby's mouth. The male goes out to sea to eat. That's what I read about penguins.

(back to top)

Lions
by Chris

Lions are very interesting animals. Male lions have thick manes and extra hair trim. Most lions are tan and brown. Lions live in African countries. They roam in the desert and grassy lands. Lions eat antelope, zebra, ostriches, and many other animals. Baby lions are blind for a week when they are born. They get their sight after a week. Many lions die as babies. Lions can live up to 25 years in captivity. Lions are related to all cats. In Africa lions have wandered high up in the mountains. Most lions live in African nations of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana, Southwest Africa, and Angola. Lions may spend over 20 hours resting each day. Lions can run 35 miles per hour. They can jump nearly 12 feet high. They can swim and climb trees. That's what I learned about lions.

Cheetahs
by Alexander

I am learning that cheetahs are interesting animals. They have a small dome-like head. They weigh 125 pounds. Also they have a lot of dots. They live in Africa in tall grass. They live longer in zoos than jungles. Cheetahs eat antelopes. It grabs prey by its throat. They can also kill birds in trees. Cheetahs only run for their prey. They are called hunting leopards. It is the fastest mammal on earth. People hunt cheetahs. Cheetahs are very busy hunters. They have good vision. The cheetah runs 52 miles per hour. I like cheetahs.

Kangaroos
by Mark

I learned about kangaroos in school. They have long ears so they can hear well. The big male can weigh 150 pounds. They can be tan, gray, or reddish brown. They live in Australia. They eat grass and some other things. They don't spend a lot of time together. They turn into an adult in two years. They have a pouch for their baby. Their tail helps them stand up straight. There are too many to count in Australia. People hunt them so there aren't so many. That is what I learned about them.

Komodo Dragon
by Dakota

I read a book about Komodo Dragons. They look like big lizards. They are ten feet long. If you were to see one it would have grey skin. Komodo dragons like the forests. They dig burrows that they live in. These are very small. They are four to five feet long. They like to eat small mammals and they like to eat deer and birds. Komodo dragons can bite an animal and it would die. They hatch from eggs and spend their first year in a tree. Their eggs are four inches long. That's what I learned about Komodo dragons.

(back to top)

Turtles
by Bailey

A turtle is an interesting animal. The turtle's skin is leathery. Turtles have fleshy bodies in a hard shell. Their shell is two pieces together on the underside. The rounded upper shell is made of bony plates. The under shell is called a plastron. Some can be tiny, some can be six feet long. They can be found in any continent except Antarctica. Turtles are vegetarian and carnivorous. They eat seaweed and meat. Sometimes turtles eat frogs that are dead so they don't taste good. There are a total of about one hundred species. Turtles are great to learn about.

The students also selected some great stories and essays to include:

My Mysterious Pet
by Erica P.

My mysterious pet is a bird. The colors on the feathers are hot pink, electric blue, dark blue, orange, yellow, red, and green. And the body is a balloon. I have more on the bird. There are some stickers on it, squares, triangles, and circles. I made purple eyelashes too.

Sneaky
by Kelsey

Once upon a time there was a raccoon. His name was Sneaky. He was a very sneaky raccoon. One night he was looking for food, so he sneaked into a campsite and ate all of the food. He was full now. In the morning the campers were very very hungry.

Sneaky's mother asked where he was last night. Sneaky said that he was nowhere last night. Then it started to get dark out and Sneaky went to another campsite. That time he got caught. Sneaky ran home as fast as he could.

When he got home his mother was very mad because he lied to her. He was not able to steal food anymore because he was punished from eating food. Since he didn't steal food anymore he made friends and they always played together forever. But maybe once in a while they stole some food.

The End

You are the Apple of my Eye
by Gabby

Dear Mom,

I love you with all my heart. I like it when we bake cookies together. When I am stuck on something, you help me. On my birthday I like it when you give me gifts. I like it when we see movies together like My Big Fat Greek Wedding. And when I am sick you make me feel better. When I have homework you help me with it. When I have a hard time with a word you help me with it. I love you with all my heart.

From Gabby.

I am Most Thankful for....
by Autumn

....our food, because some other places don't have food. What I'm most thankful for is my Aunt Andrea who has cancer. I am thankful for my wonderful family. I am thankful for my healthy Mom and Dad. I am thankful for my wonderful teacher, Ms. Leckinger, and for my principal too. I'm happy that we have religions, God, Jesus, and Mary. I'm thankful for girl scouts, because we help the poor. I am happy for my school because I learn a lot. I'm thankful for my good good books. I'm thankful for my wonderful nice home. I am thankful for my healthy body.

What are you thankful for?

We, Too, Have a Dream!
by Nick

My dream is to have freedom because it's better than slavery and violence. I would change everything in America. I would change everybody's problems. I would tell everybody no terrorism in America. I would do speeches and help people. I would tell everybody no drugs. I would march all the way to Washington. I would let no one hurt the children. I would say no war. Also I would say no bombing. I love Martin!

(back to top)