Grade 2 Families Are Forever

Second graders learned about their heritage and families through research and interviews. The decision was made to enhance the Families Are Forever program this year by incorporating and showcasing multiple pieces of student work. I had the opportunity to work with students on their green screen videos and stamp-making projects. Students chose a background image that represented a part of their country research that they later inserted themselves into using the Doink Green Screen app on their iPads. I enjoyed watching their inner performer come alive as they creatively posed themselves in front of the screen. In addition to their movie-making skills, each country group also needed to design a stamp that would be used for the passport portion of the program. As families toured the galleries (being escorted by their knowledgeable 2nd grade docent), they could stamp their passport to indicate they have "visited" and learned about that country. Students drew a design that represented their country on a 1.5" circle which was later scanned and imported to Inkscape. We used the "exclusion" feature to raster the negative space on thick foam, resulting in a one-of-a-kind hand-made stamp. To complete the finished product, I found a stamp handle template online that I modified to fit the stamps students had created. This program was a huge success and I'm so incredibly proud of the entire production team and the amazing talented second graders.

These are some examples of the passport stamps that were strategically placed around the country displays.

Second graders had the opportunity to guide their fourth grade buddy around the displays during the dress rehearsal.

The families of the class of 2029 experienced the newly improved Families are Forever program.