Gr2 Blog Week of 11/21/17

By , 11/22/2017

Dear Families,

It was a pleasure meeting with you all at Parent Teacher Conferences. We look forward to continuing our partnership throughout the rest of the year. Here is a quick look into what is happening in second grade this week.

In both Writer’s and Reader’s Workshops we are continuing to investigate nonfiction books. We have chosen our topics to write about and now we are moving into the research phase. We are learning what it actually means to research: to look for information (search) and to keep on doing it (re). Our researchers know that we are never done learning about a topic! We are keeping all of our nonfiction resources in a specially labeled baggie in our desks so that we can practice the important skill of keeping our information organized. To learn about the features of nonfiction books we are investigating by sifting through different kinds of nonfiction books and noticing their similarities and differences. For example, we have noticed that some nonfiction books have real photographic images, while others have hand drawn or painted illustrations. Our writers cannot wait to begin to draft and share their new knowledge with you!

In Social Studies, we have gone back in time to 1609 and have begun to learn about the first inhabitants of New York City, the Lenape. We have looked at images and begun to compare and contrast the Lenapes’ lives with the lives that we have now. Students will be working in partnerships on a specific topic: Lenape Food, Clothing, Homes, or Work and Tools. They will then be researching in class (with resources provided). The partnerships will be creating a poster to showcase their ideas for the class. We will share some photos of the process along the way!

In Math Workshop, we are beginning a new unit: Measurement and Data. In this unit, students will use a variety of nonstandard units to measure and compare length, and will develop an understanding of the need for standard units. Then our second graders will begin to explore standard measurement tools, including rulers and yardsticks to measure familiar objects. Students will explore both US Standard measurement (inches, feet, yards) and metric measure (centimeters, meters). Students will also develop strategies for finding the difference between measurements. Later, we will work with analog clocks as a tool for measuring time, and will learn to tell and write time to the nearest 5 minutes. We will need your support with this at home! We will keep you posted as we move forward with the unit.

This past week we have had the pleasure of working with a Buddy Class. Principal Havlik has introduced Buddy Classes as not only a way to learn from each other but a way to build a sense community throughout the school. Class 201 is paired with Class 502 and Class 202 is paired with Class 402. For our first activity, both classes interviewed their buddies as a getting to know each other activity. It was amazing to see the kids paired up and learning from each other. Everyone had a great time and we can’t wait to set it up again. Please see the pictures below.