Friday, June 2, 2023

Reminders:

• The last day of school is a half day on Friday, June 16, 2023. School ends at 12:15.

Math: Second grade mathematicians are having a blast with our geometry unit! In the first group of lessons, students worked with two dimensional shapes as they explored the following concepts/vocabulary:

Geometry: a branch of mathematics that deals with points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids

Fraction: A number used to describe the parts of a whole that has been partitioned into equal parts. 

Second graders are NOT expected to define these concepts. The purpose of our work is exposure and laying the groundwork for conceptual understanding and curiosity for later work/grades. In the second group of lessons, students are working with the core idea: I can find the area of a shape. Students are thinking about area, as defined as a measure of the space on a shape (this definition will expand when they work with three dimensional shapes/volume later on in their mathematical journey) as well as the these terms/concepts: half/double/halves, equal, equation. 

Writer’s Workshop: We are continuing to persuade others to help us make change! Second graders have begun to look for opportunities for change within our homes, school, and now community. We are working to study mentor authors and see what they do to make their piece strong. Students are tackling a wide range of concerns!

Word Study: Our second graders have started their final unit of word study for the 2022-2023 school year! This unit takes a closer look at the vowel team, “ow”. This interesting vowel team can make two separate and distinct sounds: /ow/-snow & /ou/-plow. Our squad worked diligently at decoding one-syllable and two-syllable words, noticing when the team ow made each sound. Check out the spelling pattern below!

Reader’s Workshop: It’s hard to believe it, but we are on our final few mini lessons in reader’s workshop! As we wind down our year, we will work with one final core idea: I can monitor my reading and take action when I encounter a problem. As readers, we sometimes get stuck decoding a word, other times it is understanding what is happening, while at other times it is a need to work on fluency in order to bring our text to life. For the last few lessons we will be reviewing decoding, comprehension, and fluency strategies while reading the book Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin.

SEL/Theme: We are continuing to focus on our community. A few highlights from the last two weeks have been seeing the first grade chicks, an amazing field trip to the Charlotte Library  (Thank you Genevive Trono, the CCS PTO, and the amazing family volunteers who met us there!), learning about artist Sonia DeLaunay and being inspired by her work, a Movie Day Celebration, whole school assembly, and lots of outside time!

Science: Last week in science we conducted an experiment to better understand plants’ needs. First students came up with a hypothesis and prediction. Then our class learned about variables and constants and designed as well as created a five-day long experiment to test their theory. Each morning students got their science journals out and observed each of the five plants closely. Noticing when things were looking healthy and when things were looking cross. They captured these noticings using sketches and words. By the end of the week we were able to see which plants thrived, which plants survived, and which plants died. Ask your second grader if their prediction was accurate or if they learned something unexpected while doing this scientific process.