We almost had a full, uninterrupted week! It felt good to be back in our routine and we were able to get a TON done, despite our two snow delays! I'd be surprised if they weren't awfully tired Friday afternoon!
Highlights from our week:
*Math Workshop: We've begun our next math unit: Foundations of Multiplication and Division. The class has been SO excited to begin this work. This week, we focused on equal groups and building arrays. After building and drawing, we worked hard to write number models to match. Students could use repeated addition or multiplication number models to match their work.
For additional practice at home, IXL has great foundational multiplication practice under the "Y" skill section. Please note, that while we have begun this work, memorizing multiplication facts is not a second grade expectation. It will be important your second grader continues working on their addition and subtraction facts for the remainder of the year :) Of course, if they're already fluent with their basic addition and subtraction facts, then they can absolutely get a jump start on learning those multiplication facts!
*Writer's Workshop: In December, our young authors did an incredible job taking ALL the knowledge they have on a topic and creating an "expert book". The knowledge they've organized and the way they were able to teach others, blew me away! We enjoyed reading each others stories, giving compliments and praise, during a typical Owl Celebration!
Starting the year in a new direction, the Owls became book makers again! Looking to mentor authors for inspiration, 2H is working on crafing "Gripping Fictional Stories" and boy was our writer's workshop buzzing! I think I can speak for all of them when I say, they've started some of their best writing all year!
*Science: Before the holiday break, we wrapped up our earth science unit by engineering mortar mixtures, building brick walls, and testing durability. It was a ton of fun and required lots of brain power!
This week, we had a BLAST launching our newest science unit. After listening to the story, Bartholomew and the Oobleck (by Dr. Seuss!), we set out to determine whether the mysterious substance of Oobleck was a solid or a liquid.
After LOTS of experimentation, our scientists determined that Oobleck has properties of both! To make your own Oobleck mixture at home, mix 1 part water with 2 parts cornstarch (the food coloring is optional!). Not only did this messy, fun experiment launch us into our latest science unit, it also served as an achor for a large overarching study of cause and effect. Stretching across all disciplines (including encore and guidance!), second graders will see the role cause and effect plays in all areas of our learning (and our lives!). As a second grade team, we are super excited to start this thematic unit!
*Save the Date: Our Second Grade Wax Museum: People Who Changed the World, will be held this year during the morning of Friday, Feb. 15th. We will be studying "change makers" through biographies and students will come to life as the person of their choosing for our wax museum. There will be much more information being sent home next week about this exciting event! Please note, this will be a celebration of our "cause and effect" unit and is a change from prior years where students studied fairy tales.
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Questions to promote "School Talk":
-Tell me about our new read aloud, Matilda?
-What story have you started writing during writer's workshop?
-What is an array? If you have 20 objects, and you put them in rows of 5, how many objects will be in each row? What is an addition fact that matches your array? What is a multiplication fact that matches?
-Tell me about Oobleck. What did it feel like? What did it do?
-How is your iReady check-in going?
-What is one book you've been enjoying during reader's workshop?
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Important Dates:
-Monday, Jan. 14th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
-Monday, Jan. 21st: No School (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
-Friday, Feb. 15th: 2nd Grade Wax Museum (more information to come!)
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