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Mrs. Healey’s Classroom News (3/6/16)
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*Reading: For the past week, second graders have been immersed in fairy tales! All of their hard work is in preparation for their upcoming wax museum, which will take place on Friday, April 8th.
*Math: In math this week, we continued the hard second grade work of learning strategies used to add large numbers. Some of these methods include:
Base-10 Blocks: Students can physically build each number and then count all of their blocks to arrive at a total. Students have been taught how to use "base-10 shorthand" to draw our their numbers instead of physically building them. They can then count their drawing when adding to find their sum.
Open Number Line: Students draw a blank number line with a starting point representing one of their numbers. They then hop up the number line by tens (either in individual jumps of 10, or in one hop of their total 10s), land, and then continue hopping by their ones to arrive at a total sum.
Partial Sums: Students decompose the numbers first (writing them in expanded form), and then add the different "parts" before finding the total sum. This method makes sure students truly understand what is happening when they start "carrying" in the traditional method.
Students are encouraged to use the method that works best for them. Ask them which method they prefer. It is important students are successful using at least one of these methods before they are introduced to the "traditional algorithm" for adding. By understanding what is happening when they're adding larger numbers, students are able to explain their mathematical thinking as opposed to just memorizing a process. It's truly remarkable work! Check out some of the math writing they're doing:
*Scholastic Book Orders: March book order forms were sent home early last week. As always, Scholastic's full catalog is available online. Orders are due Tuesday, Mar. 8th.
*Reading: For the past week, second graders have been immersed in fairy tales! All of their hard work is in preparation for their upcoming wax museum, which will take place on Friday, April 8th.
A HUGE part of this project is reading tons and tons of fairy tales! Students have been read to, read independently, and have partner read numerous tales such as:
This week was also a great introduction to the concept of a fractured fairy tale, which takes the original tale and retells the story in a humorous way with unexpected characters, plot twists, and/or interesting points of view. We will enjoy these favorite fractured tales next week:
Thank you to all who helped their children pick a fairy tale character and returned the sign up paper to school. Our class was pleased to learn that EVERY student received one of their top three choices! We will begin studying our characters this week.
*Writing: This week in writing we launched our persuasive writing unit. After beginning the week with a pre-assessment to see what our class already knew about persuasive writing, we got right to work! I was so impressed that many writers already knew to state their opinion, give reasons, and write some kind of ending. They're making my job easy! We spent the rest of the week writing letters trying to persuade others to read certain books, play certain games, or watch certain shows or movies. We learned that it is helpful to include information about characters and favorite parts! After writing about specific books, we placed our letters in envelopes and gave them a home inside the book they're about. Now, whenever a new reader picks up the book, they can read the letter first to see why they should read the book! Bravo, writers!
Base-10 Blocks: Students can physically build each number and then count all of their blocks to arrive at a total. Students have been taught how to use "base-10 shorthand" to draw our their numbers instead of physically building them. They can then count their drawing when adding to find their sum.
Open Number Line: Students draw a blank number line with a starting point representing one of their numbers. They then hop up the number line by tens (either in individual jumps of 10, or in one hop of their total 10s), land, and then continue hopping by their ones to arrive at a total sum.
Partial Sums: Students decompose the numbers first (writing them in expanded form), and then add the different "parts" before finding the total sum. This method makes sure students truly understand what is happening when they start "carrying" in the traditional method.
Students are encouraged to use the method that works best for them. Ask them which method they prefer. It is important students are successful using at least one of these methods before they are introduced to the "traditional algorithm" for adding. By understanding what is happening when they're adding larger numbers, students are able to explain their mathematical thinking as opposed to just memorizing a process. It's truly remarkable work! Check out some of the math writing they're doing:
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| Using a rubric to evaluate their math writing! |
We will continue this great work over the next several weeks.
Have a great week!
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Coming Up:
-Scholastic Book Order Due: Tuesday, Mar. 8th
-Early Release: Thursday, Mar. 17th
-Teacher In-Service, No School: Friday, Mar. 18th
-Early Release (Parent Conferences): Wednesday, Apr. 6th and Wednesday, Apr. 13th (sign-ups coming soon!)
-Fairy Tale Wax Museum: Friday, Apr. 8th
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