Second Graders Design their Dream Houses

Second grade students in Brittney Washington’s class have been learning how to build inclusive communities by showing appreciation for others and themselves.

In Social Studies, she led her class in reading If You Lived Here by Giles Laroche, which introduced them to a range of unique home types across the continents. Through this book, students learned about log cabins, cave dwellings, houses on stilts, yurts, boathouses and more, noting how each type of home tells a story of geography, need and culture. Washington helped her students understand that one type of house or form of living is not better or worse than another, and homes are as unique as the people who live in them.

Students then explored the idea of building their own dream houses. They considered location, house type and the materials necessary to construct them. Many added more details and fascinating facts to their amazing abodes as well.

Through this work together, students recognized and celebrated the similarities and differences of the environment and the ways geography influences the building and maintaining of houses.

Take a look at some 2nd grade dream homes here.