In writing, we wrote information books about topics we already knew about. Then we learned research skills to help us become experts in other topics we were interested in. Thank you for sending in books and artifacts to help us write. Two of our favorite resources were DK Find Out! and Kiddle. Finally, we celebrated our hard work by reading or books to and teaching our Kindergarten buddies about all we learned.
Again our reading supported our writing! We completed an informational unit that taught us how to read nonfiction text. We broadened our vocabulary too! We learned second graders don't just read the words, they understand them and when they don't, they use text features and partner talks to figure out the meaning. We then used these new words in our "Rug Club" conversations about our learning.
In Math, we finished our geometry and fraction unit. We used square tiles arranged in arrays to figure out the area of rectangular shapes. The array model is a key concept for students developing ideas about addition and multiplication. We will continue to use this model throughout the year. In January, we will begin a new unit that focuses on addition and subtraction with unknown changes, breaking apart numbers by place value to add and subtract mentally, practice addition and subtraction facts using what we know about doubles and odd and even numbers. I believe, the most important way to support your student at home is to listen to their thinking and share your own thinking. Validating a student's ideas is empowering and creates an environment for deeper learning. I enjoyed talking math at conferences and am always available to continue the discussion. For extra math fact practice, keep playing the math games using the cards I sent home or any deck of cards. Make up your own versions and play board games. They make you think! I also have links to some online games here.
Civics is one of the Social Studies concepts we practice in all grades. Although we did not spend much time debating the presidential candidates, we did spend a lot of time talking about what makes a good leader, the voting process and what a President is. As we continue our study of the continents, we toured the icy terrane of Antarctica using Google Earth. We researched information in books and watched videos to gather information. Finally, we sent postcards to Jean Pennycook, an educator studying penguins, in Antarctica. She will postmark them and send them back to us in a couple of months.
In science, we wrapped up our study of rock! We learned how valuable this earth material is and how it changes over time through weathering and erosion. Be sure to ask us for more details about our learning and what questions we still have.