Gr2 Week of 4/10/18
Dear Families,
Welcome Back! We hope that you had a restful week off. We are already back in our groove in the second grade classrooms. Here is a peek into what is happening in second grade:
In Math Workshop, our students are working with coins to discover that different combinations of coins can make the same total. For example, we are working in groups to create posters showing, “What are all of the possible ways to make 25 cents?” This unit will flow into a mini unit during which students will be introduced to a new money context, called “The World’s Smallest Candy Store”. This candy store only sells four types of candy. Our mathematicians will investigate all the possible candy combinations one could buy with 50¢. The mathematical ideas underlying the work include maintaining an equivalent amount by the use of exchange (in this context, you can exchange one of one type of candy for combinations of other types of candy), mentally using “money landmarks” to find the total, adding multiples of fives and tens fluently, and maintaining organization with a problem that has multiple solutions. Students will continue to develop the mathematical skill of proving their thinking to others. The ability to communicate mathematically is ongoing work that we are continually circling back to. This is something that we have talked about in reading as well. For example, if a character is acting in a rude way, we can prove that using evidence from the text. This same concept applies to math as well. We have learned how to show ‘our thinking’ when working on solving problems and now we are naming it as evidence to prove our answer. Alongside this work, we will continue to work independently on story problems. We will be looking at new word problems designed to help us practice our addition and subtraction strategies within the context of money. Something that you can practice at home with your child is counting groups of coins together, making $1.00 using different coins and identifying the names and values of coins.
In Writer’s Workshop, we are publishing our Realistic Fiction stories. It is amazing to see the growth of the stories, from creating and designing characters to describing a setting, to having a problem and then solving it. Students have learned through reading may different realistic fictions texts how to write story beginnings, use temporal words, quotation marks and much more in their writing. Their stories have taken on a life of their own. We can’t wait to share them with you.
In Science, we started our New Plants unit! We are very excited to begin planting. Throughout this unit, we will be investigating several ways to make new plants, including growing plants from seeds, stems (cuttings), and bulbs. Our scientists will be engaged in observing the properties and structures of plants; communicating their observations orally, through writing, and by drawing; comparing the development of plants over time; and drawing conclusions about how different plants reproduce. We sent home a letter inviting you to share cuttings from some common plants you may have at home. Please send in the cuttings by next week. Thank you in advance for your donations!
Just a few reminders:
- Trip Slips for two (2) upcoming trips will be coming home soon. Be on the lookout.
- Our April Birthday date celebration will be announced shortly.
- Please return the Bus Contracts, signed, as soon as possible.
- Science letter has been sent home in backpacks.
Have a great week,
Ms. Mathis and Ms. Anne