It is hard to believe that we are midway through our fifth week of school. It has gone by so fast. We have loved getting to know all of your children. With the wedding behind us (pictures below), we wanted to give you a window into our classroom and what we have been up to.
In math we have been working on addition equations with multiple addends called number strings. Our focus has been on becoming efficient mathematicians. One way we have done this is solving these problems by looking for pairs of numbers which make 10, or as they now call it, a "landmark number." We have also looked at new subtraction strategies as we start to work with larger numbers. Lately, we have been working with coins and seeing what smaller values can be combined and exchanged for a larger value. The pictures below are of the class playing the game Make 50 Cents. If you have a pile of coins and a pair of dice, your child would love to teach you how to play it. We have started using Reflex Math. Some of the students already know how to access this online resource, but I will be sending home a letter this week explaining exactly how to access it. Reflex Math is a wonderful way for students to practice their fluency with numbers which is a critical skill to acquire in second grade. We will begin to assign time on Reflex as homework in the near future.
Our first unit in Writer's Workshop is focused on writing a small moment story. The children were asked to brainstorm a list of personal experiences that might turn into a story. They tested each idea out to see if they could stretch an idea from the beginning, middle and end across five fingers. From there they "earned" a five page writing packet. For each page they wrote down the part of the story that corresponded to how they told it across their fingers. They then flushed out each page adding dialogue, "juicy" words and more details such as descriptions of the setting. Most of the students are in the editing stage right now and the will soon learn how to move from their "sloppy copy" to a published piece.
In Reader's Workshop we have been exploring how the world of books in second grade is notably different than the books they read in first grade. We have talked about the longer nature of the books and how to hold on to ideas when a book takes several days to finish. We have also revisited several key concepts about comprehension and strategies to use when they bump into tricky words. We have spent a lot of time making sure each child knows how to shop for a "just right" book but also how to determine if the book is going to be of interest.
We started Word Study with a look at syllables, both open and closed, and why knowing this helps us understand how to say and spell words. We have completed our trial run of a whole-class word sort. The children learned how to find the headings, complete their sort and then play some fun word study games such as ROAR and Speed Sorts. In addition to the word sort, the students learned their first Sight Words. Sight words are words that do not play by the rules. Our first sight words were: they, your and when. Beginning next week, the children will move into their specific word study groups.
In science we have started studying different types of soil and thinking about how the different types of soil impact plant growth. The students recently planted grass seed in two different types of soil. We will closely observe our grass seed plantings to investigate which soil is best for growing plants. Speaking of planting, yesterday we visited the third floor and planted kale seeds with Mr. Casey. Our kale seeds are currently living and growing in our classroom. Once they have sprouted we will replant the kale in the 8th Street Garden. We will learn more about soil and decomposition when we take our first field trip to Reedy Creek Nature Center on October 10th.
The two types of soils that we are testing grass seed. Which do you think will grow the fastest?
Kale plantings!
We have also had two very successful STEM builds. The first challenge was called "Saving Fred." The challenge involved getting a gummy lifesaver around a gummy worm by only using two paper clips. The second challenge was to build a structure out of spaghetti and tape that could support a large marshmallow. Students had a budget of $2.00 which they had to use to purchase either spaghetti or tape. This STEM challenge not only allowed students to build their engineering skills, it also provided them the opportunity to practice money skills. The children absolutely love STEM builds so there is more to come!
We have read many great picture books including; Beautiful Oops, Ferdinand, The OK Book, Maple, Those Darn Squirrels, Have You Filled a Bucket?, Stellaluna Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and How to Read a Book. We are now in our eighth chapter of the beloved story, The Cricket in Times Square. As we stop and talk about these stories we are amazed at how many students are able to make astute test-to-test and test-to-self connections.
That's all for now. We feel so grateful to be spending the year with your incredible children.
