- February 20 - Marco's Pizza Night
- February 24 - Father Daughter Dance
- February 27 - Aaron Zenz Visit
- February 28 - Reading Kickoff Night 6:30-7:30
- March 9 - Early Release Day
Reading:
This week we began a new unit of study on poetry. We started by reading many Shel Silverstein poems. Each one of his poems brought much joy and laughter to the classroom. We also studied many poems written by other second graders. As we studied each poem, we read it several times to notice different words or phrases that better helped us, as the readers, understand the meaning of the poem. Second graders are picking up on this concept very quickly. They are eager to read and hear more poems each day.
Writing:
We started to write brief opinion pieces. It was our goal to state our opinion clearly as well as provide reasons and evidence to support our opinion. After taste testing three different Hershey Kiss flavors, students were asked to write their opinion on their favorite one. Their writing was very compelling. They used great word choice and specific reasons to be quite convincing. One student even told me that he loved a flavor of Hershey Kiss so much that his mom bought him more to enjoy at home. He must have been very convincing!
Math:
This week we did a lot of work with 2-digit and 3-digit subtraction. My main focus has been to teach students the WHY before the PROCEDURE. This is essential when learning a new math concept like two-digit subtraction. Subtracting multiple-digit numbers can be a tricky skill, but students are getting the hang of it! We will continue to rely on using base 10 blocks to concretely show the process of subtraction. This will make sure students fully understand how and why to ungroup as they subtract. Ungroup means to break apart a unit into smaller pieces in order to subtract. For example, students can ungroup a ten to make ten ones using base 10 blocks. With this understanding students are beginning to show this process pictorially and abstractly (just using numbers). We will continue to practice these skills next week. We will also learn to subtract with zeros in the tens and ones places.
Here is a poem we learned in class to help us remember when we need to ungroup. This has really helped them understand the WHY before beginning to subtract.
TWO DIGIT SUBTRACTION
More on the top, no need to stop!
More on the floor, go next door, and get 10 more! (ungroup)
Numbers the same, zero is your game!
Growth Mindset:
"I'm not giving up today.
There's nothing getting in my way.
And if you knock, knock me over
I will get back up again, oh.
If something goes a little wrong,
Well you can go ahead and bring it on
'Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again!"
-Get Back Up Again (Trolls Soundtrack)
Other News:
- Remember to send in box tops if you have them!
- The Bauer Father/Daughter Dance is next weekend. If you haven't purchased your ticket for your family here is the link:
- Parent teacher conferences will be held March 14th and 20th, stay tuned for details.
- Yes, it was a few days ago, but we are still feeling the love! I always enjoy seeing the students take joy in passing out cards and treats to their friends. Their faces light up as they look through their own cards.
