Update 6/1

The last few weeks have been a lot of fun in second grade, and we still have so much more to look forward to in the last 15 days of school!!

In terms of academics, there is still lots of learning to do! Our writing blocks have focused on finishing up the last details of our informational books. We also reviewed what a personal narrative story looks and sounds like. The students then worked on their final personal narrative writing piece about a special memory from 2nd grade.

In Math, we finished with our final unit- Unit 9. The last few lessons focused on solving number stories about 2 equal groups. The children also skip counted and added to solve problems involving multiples of 10 and 5. This was an introduction to basic multiplication facts.  We completed our Unit 9 Assessment and will begin reviewing all the math skills learned this year as we prepare for the End of Year Assessment.

Last week we began working on our last science unit of the year, Earth's Surfaces. We have been talking about the various types of land and water surfaces that cover our Earth. The students got to create some fun 3-D models of these surfaces. During the unit we will also be examining rocks to determine what minerals they are made of. Students will also be able to identify things that make up soil and rocks. We will continue discussing natural resources and how people use them to meet their needs and wants. Finally, the children will do an experiment to discover how water affects the land.

In Social Studies we "arrived" back in Westford from our Around the World travels today. All the second grade classes joined together on our pretend flight home. We got to watch "Rio" for our in-flight movie. This movie takes place in the Amazon and focuses on a special bird that is in danger of becoming extinct. We are putting the final touches on all of our Around the World projects. I hope you received the invitation to our Second Grade Celebration on June 18th. This is where the kids will have an opportunity to share all of this hard work with you.

We also had a wonderful Enrichment Program this past week called Day In Ghana. I'm sure your child told you about it or maybe came home singing and dancing! The children were very engaged in learning about the culture and daily life of those living in Ghana. Make sure you check out the adorable photos of the children participating in this program.

Finally, the kids were all looking forward to our Robinson Field Day last Wednesday. It was a BLAST!  I hope your child came home telling you all about the fun events we participated in throughout the day.

Have a great week and please note the important dates below:

June 8th: School Wide Dance Party 

June 8th: Distance Learning Assignment #3 Due

June 13th: All School Science Presentation (Sponsored by PTO)

June 14th: Crisafulli 5th grade Orchestra Performs for 2nd Grade

June 18th: 2nd Grade Celebration 9:15-10:00

June 21st: Move-Up Day

June 22nd: Last Day of School: Early Release 12:20

Update 5/18

We sure have had a busy couple of weeks!

The children have enjoyed two trips to Crisafulli School. One trip was to see the 5th Grade Chorus and the second trip was for the 5th Grade Play, Peter Pan. The children enjoyed the performances and loved having the opportunity to get to see Crisafulli. It has helped to spark extra excitement for 3rd Grade. We will be visiting Crisafulli again on June 21st for Move-Up Day.

During our writing blocks, the children have continued working on their country books. The children are really grasping the concept of Informational Writing and doing a wonderful job turning their research notes into interesting paragraphs. They are eager to share them with you at our Second Grade Celebration.

We are currently finishing up our Around the World unit for Social Studies. Our last destination was South America and the beautiful country of Brazil. The children have really enjoyed the unit and have learned so much about the world around them. Coming home on Monday will be a study guide for our upcoming Social Studies Assessment. The children will be asked to locate various mountains and rivers for each continent. They don't need to worry about the spelling of them, just the location.

We are looking forward to starting our next Science Unit which is called Earth's Surfaces. The children will explore what is on the Earth's Surface and how weather can change the earth's surface in small and big ways.

In math, we are working our way through Unit 9 which is our last official unit of the year. The past couple of lessons have focused on fractions, measuring to the nearest half inch, place value, and a new subtraction strategy called "Expand and Trade." We are looking forward to the next few lessons that will review previously taught concepts in order to help the children prepare for their End of Year Assessment.

**** Save the Date**** 

For: Second Grade Celebration

When: Monday, June 18th 9:15-10:00 

Where: Room 7 

Upcoming Dates:
May 21st- Social Studies Study Guide sent home
May 23rd- Field Day
May 24th- Field Day Rain date
May 25th- Social Studies Assessment
May 25th- 3rd Distance Learning Folder will be sent home (Due date is June 8th)
May 28th- No School for Memorial Day

5/7 Update

It's hard to believe it's May already!  We have a packed month ahead of us, including some really fun trips to Crisafulli, an exciting enrichment program (Day in Ghana), and our all-school Field Day.  We are sure to really enjoy all of these special things and more this month!

We have been very busy since we returned from April break.  It was great to hear the many places children visited or the fun activities they participated in over the break.  Everyone had lots to share!

Here are some other highlights from the past two weeks...

During our Reading time we got back to reading some more non-fiction texts with our guided reading groups.  We discussed and practiced some of the skills we’ve talked about throughout the year.  Our discussions focused on vocabulary, non-fiction features, answering "red" questions, and discussing what we learned about the topic.

We had a great couple of days doing ancestor research in the library.  The kids were really excited to begin looking at the books about their country.  Everyone had a chance to find information about some things they were wondering about their country (food, animals, holidays, famous landmarks).  Thank you to all the parents who have helped out so far- your support has been wonderful for the children. We have two more sessions planned in the library to research our next questions. 

This past week during our Writing time we began using the information we found in our research to write informational paragraphs.  We talked about how to begin a paragraph by indenting and using an introductory sentence.  Then, we demonstrated and practiced how to turn our notes into fluid sentences.  The children are doing so well.  I am very impressed at how quickly they are learning to write their paragraphs. 

We have spent the last 2 weeks learning about Antarctica.  What a fascinating place!  It's been fun to learn about what it's really like to be in Antarctica and discuss why no one actually lives there.  We also watched a video about penguins and did a lot of learning in the classroom about the different types of penguins all throughout the world.  Hopefully you're child has been coming home teaching you some new things about Antarctica!  Next week we will travel from the very cold continent of Antarctica to a MUCH different place, South America.  Sadly, this will be the last stop on our journey around the world.  We will spend the next 2 weeks learning about South America before making our final "flight" home.

The past 2 weeks in Math we completed unit 8 and began unit 9.  Our lessons looked at Equal Groups and Arrays (an introduction to how multiplication works).  We also reviewed what we’ve learned during this unit about 2-D and 3-D shapes, Polygons, and Equal Parts.  All of this work helped prepare the children for the Unit 8 Assessment, which we did on Monday and Tuesday.  During the rest of the week we began unit nine, which is all about equal shares (Fractions!).

Thank you so much for all of your generous donations to our "Get Out and Play" Basket.  Our basket is very full and looks awesome!  I hope to see many of you next Friday at the Family Fest at Crisafulli School where our basket will be raffled off to raise money for our school. 

The second Distance Learning folder came home with your child today.  Please check your child's backpack to make sure the folder got home.  Just like the previous assignment, you will have two weeks to complete the activities.  All folders are due back Friday, May 18th.  Have fun!