Reminders:
No school Monday, April 24 - 28, 2023.
2023-2024 - First Glance and Placement Process
In anticipation of our placement process, we wanted to let everyone know that the teams we are planning on for the 2023-2024 school year are in place. We ask that all families and caregivers with students in grades K-7th grade complete the following parent input form by April 17th.
Math: Did you know an army ant is about one centimeter long? Did you also know that army ant swarms may be as wide as 14 meters! WOW! Your second grader is learning about army ants as a platform to work with centimeters and meters, thinking about the metric system. Second graders are also having fun using ants as characters in story problems. Our squad spent the last part of this week noticing common strategies that they can use to solve these addition and subtraction problems. Take a look at the strategies below!
Writer’s Workshop: Our nonfiction books are teaching others! Second grade authors are focusing on writing with an audience in mind. Students have been working to teach a particular audience in a way that captures their attention and allows them to picture the information being shared. Second graders are also working to revise and edit their work to make sure their readers can understand every page of every chapter. Finally, some students have begun preparing their pieces to be published. After studying mentor authors like Seymour Simon we noticed what authors can do to “fancy up” their writing. Check out the list below!
Word Study: This week students continued their investigation of double vowel (d) syllables. We have moved to the second row of our vowel teams anchor chart. This row includes the vowel combinations that make the long e sound. Our class learned when to use these combinations and practiced reading and writing words that had mixed syllable types. Check out the vowel team anchor chart below!
Reader’s Workshop: Students have been working on keeping track of longer books. This work is important to ensure comprehension. Students have worked with partners/small groups and begun using sticky notes as a way to keep track of characters and main events.
Science: Did you know that the sugar maple only grows in the northeast & north central United States and the eastern and central parts of Canada? In science, we are exploring the sugar maple and its impact on Vermont. We have explored the questions: What is a sugar maple? and How can we identify a sugar maple? While the sugaring season has ended as both days and nights have gotten warmer, our second graders are becoming experts on the sugar maple!
SEL/Theme: In Second Step second graders have been using STEP to think about how to solve problems respectfully, safely, and efficiently. When students are able to use the Problem-Solving STEPs from Second Step independently, then they are able to have stronger relationships with their peers. This week we explored the idea of playing fairly on the playground. Negotiating and deciding on rules for playground play can be a constructive and successful process for second graders when they use the STEPs to guide them when a disagreement arises.
Special Events: On Friday, April 7, our squad attended the all school assembly that was hosted by our friends on the Omega team. The assembly focused on what we all can do to take care of our home, Earth.
On Friday, April 13, we had the amazing opportunity to watch the matinee performance of The Wizard of Oz. Our class was blown away by the amazing performers and spectacular set.
