Today we went outside for our shared PE time with third grade. We are enjoying the beautiful fall weather while it's still here!
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Today we continued to practice our scientist skills of observing and recording. Last week we were introduced to the idea that things can change on the earth, and that these changes can happen slowly or more quickly. One way to explore how the earth is always changing is to look at rocks. Today we answered the question: How are rocks alike and different? As this unit progresses, we will learn the technical terms for different types of rocks, as well as begin to look at weathering and erosion. I can't wait. See some pictures below of the students collecting rocks and then making and recording observations. One of our new science standards states that second graders should be able to make observations (from media) to construct an evidence-based account that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly. I introduced our Earth's system unit by first having students brainstorm what they already know about earth (land and water). I then introduced the concept of change. Change means becoming different over time! We talked about how some changes happen slowly, while others happen more quickly. We then went outside to make some observations (after coming up with an hypothesis first!) about changes we can observe in nature. We observed things that change in: size, color, number, place, and shape. We also noticed that most changes we could observe happen slowly. Below you will also find some pictures from a fun math facts game that we played during re-teach time. Today we played a fun game to reinforce odd & even numbers. An even number can be split into two equal groups, whereas an odd number cannot. This game is great because it also helps with our math fact fluency! Find the game below if you'd like to play at home. All you need is 1-3 dice. Reading buddies are a big hit in our classroom during read-to-self time. Check out the adorable pictures below!
What does a scientist do? -- Exploring the Nature of Science through Apple Investigations9/13/2017 Next Friday we will be going apple picking. In honor of this trip, we did some science with apples! These investigations were perfect for the beginning of the year because they reinforced working as a team and following expectations. Additionally, they helped us to see what scientists do! They introduced us to the concepts of: making predictions, making and recording observations, and analyzing results. Below are some of the other big ideas taught through these investigations. Big Ideas • Science investigations begin with a question. • Scientists use different ways to study the world, including using their five senses to make observations and inferences. • Science knowledge helps us know about the world. • Scientists look for patterns and order when making observations about the world. Here is a list of the questions we answered as scientists:
In second grade we go through a reading growth spurt. We "grow like beanstalks." As big second grade readers, we have learned that readers choose HOW to read a text and also take a sneak peak of the text (read the title, back of the book, table of contents) Today we enjoyed one of my favorite fall snacks...apples! See some pictures of the deliciousness below! In math today students were introduced to number racks (also sometimes referred to as rekenreks). These are a great visual tool to start building automaticity with addition and subtraction facts within 20. We will also be working on "making 10" and "making 20." For example, 13 + __ = 20. Students were also taught a new workplace "Guess the Beetle." To complete this workplace students gain practice reading a key/legend. During the other workplaces, I observed even more great learning! Students were eager to take on challenges. For example, making cube trains that were twice as long as their group member's. And using different shape blocks to make different triangles and estimating how many triangles it would take to fill 4 hexagons. In the geoboard center students made shapes with different numbers of sides. Below you will also see some pictures of us working on the calendar during number corner first thing in the morning. Today we got to practice the "Listen to Reading" Center. This center is great for reading fluency and comprehension. Students get to use the iPads to listen to different stories. We also practiced logging into the computers and got to spend a few minutes playing some math games. Soon we will use the computers to type our stories. In math the students took a pre-assessment. After I score these I will send them home to give you an idea about what students will be learning in unit 1. Additionally, look for information about this unit that went home with today's newsletter. |
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