Writing: The wonderful writers of room 120 have been working on using powerful writing moves. The four strategies we have worked on are showing, not telling feelings, using a comparison, using a sound effect, and using a “jazzy” word (interesting word choice). Second graders were given the option to challenge themselves and learn how to use a thesaurus. Many second graders have enjoyed using this tool to jazz up their writing!
Math: We have been working on place value in our current math unit. We’ve worked on showing numbers in a variety of ways such as using digits, base ten blocks, or showing a number in expanded form. Expanded form is when a number is shown as an addition sentence using place value such as 400 + 20 +5 = 425. This will be a helpful skill to know later in the year when we work on two digit and three digit addition and subtraction.
Science: Second grade scientists have been busy these past two weeks! We began studying leaves and collected leaves around Newman to sort and categorize. We learned that science have two categories for leaves which are broadleaf and needleleaf. Related to that, there are two types of trees- deciduous and coniferous. We also began creating our own procedures for a science experiment on leaves. Some groups of scientists are testing to see what happens when leaves don’t get sunlight and others are testing to see what happens if leaves do not get air. We’ll find out the results over the next two weeks!
Second Step: In second step we are continuing to learn strategies for focusing our attention and ignoring distraction. One strategy we learned about this week is to use self talk to stay focused.
Here are some photos from our field trip to the town forest. It was a beautiful morning for an exploration in the woods. Thank you to our volunteers who joined us!
What question are you trying to answer in your science experiment on leaves? What are the steps of your experiment?
What does it mean to show, not tell your feelings in your writing?
How did you help your reading partner to figure out a tricky word this week?
Dates to Remember:
October 26th: Early Release
November 6th: Conferences Begin