Gr2 Blog Week of 4/17
Dear Families,
We have sprouts! Our scientists have been hard at work observing their brassica plants. The kids were amazed to see that in a matter of days we went from having just seeds and soil to having plants with stems, leaves and roots! Our students are spending time this week observing their plants and writing about the following:
- What do you notice about your brassica plants?
- What colors do you see in your brassica plants?
- What words are used to describe baby plants (sprouts, seedlings)
- Are all of the brassica plants the same? Why do you think that?
- What questions do you have about your brassica plant?
Thinking about these questions will help them in keeping their focus on any changes or patterns that they are noticing when observing their plants.
In Math Workshop, we’re now on to an investigation of fractions! Our overarching goal in this unit is to deepen our understanding of fractions as equal parts of a whole. We will explore the multitude of ways to split objects into equal parts (how many ways can we divide a rectangle in half?), as well as dividing a group into smaller, equal groups. We will also review how to represent these fractions in numeric form, using numerators and denominators. Students will explore mixed numbers (e.g. 2 ½) by solving problems where an unequal group of objects must be split into halves (how can 3 apples be shared by 2 people?). Within this context, we will discuss the subtle but important difference between the phrase “one half” and “one and a half”. You can support your child at home by posing problems where they must divide a number into equal groups. For example: “If we have 31 carrot sticks to share between us, how many carrot sticks would each of us get?” Encourage your child to use proper mathematical language in their response and to keep the context of the problem (e.g. each of us gets fifteen and a half carrot sticks).
In Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, we are beginning to look at poetry and discover how it is different from other types of writing. We have discovered by reading different types of poetry that it can be written about many different things. We will be working in different centers each day, exposing the students to different types of poetry. Our Poetry Centers are:
- Classroom Objects: Seeing everyday objects with a “poet’s eye”
- Personal Objects: Writing about things that are special to us
- Drawing Images: Reading poems and drawing what we envision
- Beautiful Language: Discovering beautiful, poetic language in picture books and writing our favorite lines on bookmarks
- Collecting Poems: Finding a favorite poem to keep in our personal collection
Here are some important date:
- May 9th- Trip to Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden
- May 11th (201)- Trip to Construction Kids (bridge making)
- May 21st (202)- Trip to Construction Kids (bridge making)
- TBD- March/April Birthday Celebration
- TBD- Brooklyn Bridge Walk
- TBD- End of Year Picnic
Thank and have a great week!
Ms. Mathis and Ms. Anne