weekly update

Writing::

Most of the second graders have one realistic fiction story finished and are planning the next one. Some of them have two or more stories finished!  We have been working on editing and revising as we go and really focusing on capitalization and punctuation. Next week will be our last week writing realistic fiction.

Math:

We have been studying shapes and area this week, and it has been a lot of fun.  What makes it fun is that the second graders are doing more math than worksheets or workbook pages. We have been exploring area with shapes inside shapes and this week landed on squares as a standard.  We also found that some shapes like triangles can be tricky, so we got to talk about fractions too and how two halves of a triangle make one full square.

Reading:

We read poems and learned about poetry this week. The second graders explored lines, stanzas, rhythm, repetition, rhyme and alliteration. They practiced reading poetry fluently and some of the second graders even performed their poems for the class. Next week we will start learning about the elements of fairytales. 

Phonics:

We are continuing to build word collections. The second graders made word thermometers to explore synonyms and shades of meaning. Then they worked in teams to create posters of word explosions. Each team had one word and had to explode that word by thinking of words that went with it. They used synonyms, antonyms, nouns and verbs related to the word. It was a fun way to find more words to add to our collections. We also started learning about compound words. That is where we will pick up next week.

Social Studies:
We are in the middle of our Economics unit. The second graders have learned about needs, wants, goods, services, scarcity, and opportunity cost. Next week we will explore business in our community and the human, natural, and capital resources needed to make the goods and services consumers want and need. This is our last Social Studies unit and we will wrap it up this Friday!

Homework:

The math homework is due by April 26.  This homework is actually a game that we have played in class with partners so your child should be able to teach you how to play. Directions are on back in case they don't remember, but the goal is to be the last person to draw a shape on the large hexagon. See if your child can remember hexagon, pentagon and quadrilateral while you play!

Extra Information:

Wear green and blue on Monday for Earth Day!