March News

It was so wonderful meeting with all of you at  conferences!  Thank you for your patience and flexibility with re-scheduling the meetings that were cancelled due to the weather.  Here's what's going on in our classroom this month!

Math
Students are learning how to identify coins and bills and are counting mixed groups of coins.  We are focusing on sorting coins to better skip-count, and are practicing showing amounts in different ways.  Students are practicing using dollar signs, decimals, and cent signs when they represent different amounts of money.

What can we do at home?
As you shop with your child, encourage him or her to help count out money and to figure out how much change you may get back after a purchase.  Allow your child to explore the money games on Blackboard.

Reading Street
In our current unit, students are exploring various questions about creativity.  They are reading fiction and nonfiction pieces of text and using them to compare and contrast, summarize, sequence, predict, and distinguish fact from opinion.  During our reading block, students are independently working with new vocabulary words, spelling patterns, and written responses to reading.

What can we do at home?
Check out the at-home extensions on Blackboard.  Read with your child every night, and encourage discussions about text.  Continue working with your child on assigned spelling patterns and vocabulary words.

Writing
Our 2nd grade scientists have been working hard on writing lab reports!  In this unit, we are studying the scientific process and designing and carrying out explorations that tie in with our current science unit.  Students are being encouraged to write like experts, and are learning to use scientific vocabulary in their writing to help others better understand how the world works.

What can we do at home?
Check out some of the keyboarding activities on Blackboard.  Support your child with weekly Kidblog homework.  Encourage your child to go back into his or her writing to edit and revise.

Science
This week and next, students are studying the states of matter.  We are doing a variety of experiments and observations that deal with solids, liquids, and gases.

What can we do at home? 
Engage in scientific conversations with your child.  Encourage him or her to make observations and to predict what will happen in different scientific situations.  Cook something together, and discuss the states of matter you see in various ingredients.  Do they change?  Why?

Genius Hour
Next week, students will be participating in their second Genius Hour project! They will practice choosing a question to investigate, researching to find answers, and putting together presentations to teach their classmates.

What can we do at home?
Help your child think of a curious question.  Do a little research together!

Upcoming Dates...Mark Your Calendars!

March 9            No School

March 16          No School

March 19-23    Spring Break

March 28         Birthday Breakfast - Happy birthday, Rebecca and Macyn!

April 25           Birthday Breakfast - Happy birthday, Matthew!

April 30 (PM)  Body Venture Field Trip - Let me know if you'd like to volunteer!