Reading: Second grade readers have been working hard to sound out tricky words. In addition to sounding words out, we also thought about noticing new and interesting words and figuring out what these words mean. Readers are also working on checking themselves, meaning noticing when something doesn’t sound right, stopping, and trying to fix it.
Writing: We have been taking a deeper look at author’s craft in writing. Using the mentor texts Owl Moon and The Leaving Morning we have noticed different “craft moves” the authors make. We thought about what is the author doing that is powerful? Why is it powerful? And how does the author do this? Some writing techniques we have tried include sound effect words, writing comparisons, using “jazzy”/interesting words, and showing, instead of telling feelings.
Math: Mathematicians in second grade are learning all about place value. Second graders are using base ten blocks to represent two and three digit numbers. We are also using drawing representations to show numbers. We learned how to write numbers in expanded notation, which means writing an addition number sentence that shows the value of each digit. For example 100 + 40 + 5 = 145.
Science: We had a wonderful field trip to the Needham Town Forest. Thank you to our volunteers and our science center staff for leading the trip. Second graders also enjoyed making models of trees. Check out the creative ways everyone designed their trees, thinking carefully about the function of each part.
Conversation Starters:
What is a “jazzy” word you found in a book? What “jazzy” word did you use in your writing?
How can you show the number 93 in expanded notation? 157? 208?
.