What's been happening in 2So?What a busy time in 2So! We are getting into some exciting topics in our classroom, and learning so much! I am already seeing so much growth in all second graders, and I am inspired by their dedication to persevering, trying new things, and working hard! We have been discussing different kinds of graphs in math, writing small moment narrative stories in literacy, and we have begun learning about the Hopi people in social studies. LiteracyIn literacy, second graders are having wonderful discussions in their book groups. We have been noticing features of non-fiction texts - such as tables of contents, glossaries, captions, and titles - and thinking about how these features help us as we read. Students have continued their writing of small moment stories. Last week, we discussed how to add detail and emotion to our writing. Second graders read their writing to a partner who had their eyes closed. After students read, they asked that partner to describe the "picture" they saw in their mind, and the partner could give suggestions of more detail or emotion to add. MathIn math, students are working to understand place value. Second graders have been using their knowledge of place value to help them solve 2-digit addition and subtraction problems. Many of our new centers this week have been helping us practice place value - knowing which digit is in the ones, tens, and hundreds places; trading ones for tens and tens for hundreds; and even writing riddles about 3-digit numbers! Countdown! We love countdown in 2So. Countdown is a game that helps us become fluent with our skip counting. We skip count by 5s, 10s, 100s, and more! We have been having number talks in 2So. When we do a number talk, a teacher leads us by writing some equations or expressions on the board. We talk about patterns that we see and things that we notice. If we find the answer to something, we work hard to explain how we got our answer and defend our thinking. We have been exploring with graphs. It is amazing all the information that you can learn just from looking at one single graph! Social StudiesWe have been talking and learning about where students in 2So are from, and where their parent/s are from! We love talking about different states and countries that 2So students and families are from, and seeing how many of our classmates and their family members were born in the Boston area too! Our new social studies unit is about the Hopi people. The Hopi are a group of Native Americans that live in Arizona. They continue, to this day, to hold so many special Hopi traditions. We are learning about the culture and everyday life of the Hopi people, and comparing and contrasting Hopi life to our life here in Brookline. We learned that Arizona has very different land than Brookline, that the corn they grow is very important to Hopi people, and that Hopi music is beautiful and different from the music we are used to hearing! 2So Movie Celebration!Growth MindsetSecond graders have been showing their growth mindsets each day! We are learning how to stay determined when working through a difficult, multi-step math problem, how to persevere and use strategies when we are reading a word that we don't recognize, and even how to help one another have a growth mindset! Each week, two students are named "Growth Mindset Coaches". These friends report to the class when they see other students having a growth mindset, and they also use kind words to motivate their classmates not to give up and to keep trying! We have also been having a Fail Fest each Friday. During Fail Fest, students can share mistakes they made during the week. This is a way for us to celebrate mistakes in 2So, because as we know, everyone makes mistakes! I encourage second graders to have Fail Fests at home, too! Questions to ask your second grader...
Announcements: Conferences: If you have not already met with me for a conference, your meeting is coming up! Please check your date and time. I look forward to meeting with you!
Mystery Reader: Please sign up! We have lots of openings, at this time you may sign up for a second slot! I also would love to have older siblings of 2So students come in and read! *Remember, this is supposed to be a surprise for your child! We play a guessing game before parents come in, and it is more fun if kids don't know who is coming!* We have Library on Monday. Second graders should bring their books back if they want new ones. Wishlist: If you are looking for ways to help out our class, our wishlist is always being updated. It can be found on the class website. Thank you for your amazing generosity and support!
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