Half and Half

Dear Families,

It was such an amazing turn out tonight for the Taiko Drumming performance.  The children were so proud to share their new learning .  Thank you all for supporting this school wide event!

On Monday we had our last Math Through Art session.  The children created 'half and half'' designs using a grid with 48 squares.  We were able to create a second grade mural of all the designs that will hang on our team bulletin board. 

The biggest excitement of the week for the children by far, was finding out the name of the state they are going to research!  I'm sure you have heard your child singing  'Fifty Nifty United States' at home! I am still looking for copy paper boxes if you have any to donate. 

Thank you for sending back your conference forms so quickly.  In your child's folder today is your scheduled conference time.  If you are unable to make your time, please let me know as soon as possible.

Making name necklaces, thanks Truly!

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:

~Beat You to $1.00

~Typing nomination letters

~Roscoe Riley Rules: Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs

~United States time zones

~Reading goal clubs

Have a great weekend!

Katie

Which Shape is the Rule Breaker?

Dear Families,

It was a very busy and fun week in second grade! Math Through Art, Disability Awareness, Farm to School, an all school movie celebration, and some learning thrown in there!

We began our week with our first Math Through Art session with Ms. Nancy.  Our PTO generously funded two sessions for each second grade classroom.  Math Through Art is an opportunity for students to experience a broader understanding of concepts in math while learning about and practicing cooperation skills.  Students engage creatively and learn math concepts as well as show their understanding in many different ways, making the bigger concepts become second nature.  We can't wait for our second session on Monday!

We wrapped up our guidance unit on Changing Perspectives by participating in four stations that helped build our awareness of disabilities.

In Farm to School we learned about Cacao and made homemade hot chocolate!

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~Political and Physical maps
~Counting pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters
~Adding quotes to support our opinions in writing

Have a great weekend!
Katie

Keeping Track of Longer Books

Dear Families,

Another short week, but still full of learning in second grade!  We had a wonderful first week of Taiko drumming with Paton Sensei.   We learned a lot in a short amount of time!

We began our study of the United States by completing a scavenger hunt using a junior classroom Atlas.  We are collecting large cardboard copy paper boxes for a culminating activity at the end of our unit.  If you have any at home, please send them our way!

During Reading Workshop, we began working in same-book partnerships.  The goal of this unit is to help readers keep track of longer books by using their partner for help.  During this bend of the unit, partners are working on setting goals for a stopping point, where they will meet to discuss the important events in the chapter or section.  They are also learning how to stop along the way and jot important events on post-it notes.

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~Mystery Doug
~Identifying coins
~Adding fun little extras to our opinion letters
~Making withdrawals from the Base Ten Bank

Have a great weekend!
Katie

Welcome Back!

Dear Families,

I hope you had a restful and relaxing vacation with your family. It was wonderful to see all the smiling faces and get back into routine.

This week we concluded our unit of measurement by informally exploring the concept of proportions.  Using Jim and the Beanstalk, students used pictures of "giant" sized objects to measure other objects such as a rake, ladder, and door. Next week we will take an end of unit assessment and begin a short, focused unit on money.

Today we enjoyed a wonderful field trip to the Flynn to see Rosie Revere, Engineer! and Friends. 

We are looking forward to our Taiko Drumming residency next week!  Today we attended a performance by the drummers at the kick-off assembly.  Thanks to our wonderful PTO for giving our school this opportunity!

Other Things to Ask Your Child About:
~Clementine
~ Noticing when an author uses figurative language ("It was a piece of cake!")
~How Tall is the Giant's Door?
~Two quarters a day
~Reading closely to gather more opinions about our books
~Talent share

Have a great weekend!
Katie