Number Sense

Thank you to everyone who was able to come out to Math Night this week. The second grade teachers talked about the various math strategies for addition and subtraction that will be covered over the course of the year. The purpose was to help parents see that we have stepped away from the old school mathematical thinking and stepped forward in a way that makes math more meaningful to students.

One of the first steps prior to the addition and subtraction strategies is to help students develop a good basis for number sense. Calendar Math is one of the key elements to help establish this. Every day in Calendar Math we focus on several different skills. This month we are working on number place value, counting coins and writing the value correctly, time, using a hundreds chart for combinations of 5 and 10, and using a calendar. During this short period of Math Workshop, Calendar Math allows us to hit on several different skills as well as help to develop number sense.

Another way we are working on number sense is in Math Workshop. We are working with combinations of ten. Students have learned several new games this week including the one photographed below: Tens Go Fish

Combinations of ten are one of our new Combination Clubs as well as +1 and +2. You can help your child with number sense by working on their yellow Combinations Club flashcards found in their homework folders.

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS....OH MY!

We had our first field trip this week! We were invited by J. Allen Axson Montessori School to come experience a field trip like no other. The Safari Club presented information about various animals from around the world. Students were able to see, touch, and listen to information about each animal. Although it involved quite a bit of walking, the students still enjoyed it!

sensory safari - slideshow dvd

Weekly Spelling Words

Each week students receive a new set of spelling words that they will be tested on in their Friday skills assessment. A few ways that we work on these words in our classroom is by spelling the words while clapping, hopping, or doing jumping jacks.

Students are expected to work on these words at home as well. A few ways to help your child with these words at home are to have them write each word five times, quiz with flash cards, or simply have them spell the words to you while driving in the car. There is also a website that a parent found that you can enter the spelling words and the site will generate games for those specific words. This is a great resource and will help to make studying the words fun for students!


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TEAM SPIRIT

We were decked out in our favorite team attire today! Whether it was college football, NFL football, or Chet's Creek...we showed our support in honor of the Fuel Up For Play Kick-Off. Our entire student body and faculty committed to give up their recess time in order to walk or run two laps. Below is a picture before we began our two laps!

Vote for KK!

Our own Media Specialist, KK Cherney, has been nominated for the Alferd Williams Literacy Award for her hard work inspiring us to love reading! This award is a huge honor and no one deserves it more than our KK!
To vote for Mrs. KK and learn more about Alferd Williams please visit http://www.scholastic.com/literacyaward/ . You can visit and vote until September 30th when the voting closes. Let's help make our Mrs. KK feel as special as she makes us feel everyday! VOTE FOR KK!

Science Rocks

To kick-off our new unit on rocks and soil, students enjoyed an edible model of the earth's surface: "dirt cups." Upon completion of the unit, students will be able to:

SC.2.E.6.1 Recognize that Earth is made up of rocks. Rocks come in many sizes and shapes.
SC.2.E.6.2 Describe how small pieces of rock and dead plant and animal parts can be the basis of soil and explain the process by which soil is formed.
SC.2.E.6.3 Classify soil types based on color, texture (size of particles), the ability to retain water, and the ability to support the growth of plants.

To make this fun treat at home, visit:
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/dirt-cups-57763.aspx