In 2nd grade, we are beginning our exploration of the American West in Wit & Wisdom by reading The Buffalo Are Back by Jean Craighead George. Did you know that the Great Plains once hosted 75 million buffalo? We are discovering that Native Americans and the buffalo depended on each other. Without one, the other would struggle to survive. We are exploring key terms such as prairie, plains, settlers, grasses, and buffalo (bison) to help us summarize the main topic, and we are placing key events on a timeline.

Students are highly engaged, asking thoughtful questions such as why the government wanted to move Native Americans off their land, why nearly all of the buffalo were killed, and how burning grasses could actually benefit the earth. We are guiding these complex, thought-provoking conversations by exploring multiple perspectives and historical context.

We are having meaningful conversations and actively developing our speaking and listening skills. We will continue to focus on writing informational paragraphs that include an introduction, a topic sentence, and a conclusion. Next, we will read a book about the Plains Indians, and then we will learn about the settlers and how they lived.