Sunday, October 30, 2016

Name That Number

On Friday the students learned a new math game called "Name That Number", which always becomes a quick favorite among second graders.  This can be adapted to be played at home with a regular deck of playing cards.













Friday, October 28, 2016

Creating Communities

In Social Studies we have been learning all about Urban, Suburban and Rural communities.  As a recap of our studies, the students contributed ideas to create a "Categorizing Brain Frame" listing features typically found in each type of community.  Next, each child picked one feature to draw, cut and paste onto one of the three communities we are creating as a joint project with Mrs. Brennan's class. It has been wonderful to see them communicate and work productively in teams over the past two weeks.










Sunday, October 23, 2016

Writer's Workshop

Last week we introduced partner writing sessions.  This is a time when the children read each other stories they have written and give each other feedback.  Some partners also have begun writing collaborative stories together.  Communicating ideas with peers is a very valuable part of the writing process, and the children often spark new writing ideas through sharing with one another.  Up to this point we have mainly been focusing on personal narratives.  
Next week we will move into non-fiction writing.

We also had our first session of "Author's Chair". Vivi was our first brave soul! She happily shared a story and took questions and feedback from her classmates.











Saturday, October 22, 2016

Walk-a-thon!

Walk-a-thon was a great success, and the children's enthusiasm was contagious.  Thank you for all your support in pledges and to all the parents who came to help out and cheer the children on!  


















Sunday, October 16, 2016

Young Mathematicians


This week we continued our practice with Base Ten frames / "Dot Frames", as well as exploring  dominos and connecting them with addition facts.  Greater than / Less than is another important concept we are working on, and the children were eager to share strategies for how to remember which symbol to use! (See the alligator picture below for one popular idea.)

 This week the students also had an opportunity to put on their architect hats and create their own structures using base ten blocks.   After building, their next task was to count the total value of blocks they used.  Some students chose to count as they built.  We will use base ten blocks throughout the year for hands-on practice and understanding of place value.