Back in the Swing of Things!

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed the Fall Break, and got plenty of rest and relaxation.

I'm excited to introduce you all to our new way of thinking about our learning. Over break, I put up these posters. The bars illustrate the levels of critical thinking we use: the lower end includes simple tasks like memorizing and listing, and it works up to the highest end being creating, justifying, and defending. Our new challenge is to always push our brains to those higher levels of thinking! This will be a staple in our room all year long, and I hope you guys can have some great conversations about it.

It's time to get back in the swing of things, and here's what you need to know-

Science: We are starting our unit on "Causes of Change" which is all about weathering, erosion, flooding, drought, pollution, and natural disasters. I often find that erosion is the most difficult of these for students to grasp, so pay close attention to that when practicing and studying. Observing outside, and discussing how they see land changes can be fun and beneficial to their understanding. Try searching for examples around you! Even something as little as animal tracks cause changes to land.

Reading: This week and next we are studying poetry! This is a super fun unit, where we will explore many types of poetry. Our goal is to identify (and sometimes create) examples of rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, stanzas, mood, repeated lines, and personification. Please indulge in reading poetry at home!

Grammar: Our focus this week is on irregular plural nouns- those are nouns that you cannot simply add "s" to when you want to show more than one.

Examples include: mouse --> mice, child --> children, deer --> deer, sheep --> sheep

As with most grammar skills, exposure is the best way to recognize these, so search around your home!

Writing: We are still working on Opinion Writing. The biggest focus is teaching students how to support their opinion with string reasons. For example, if they were writing that they believe "school is the best", they may try to give reasons like "it's fun", "it's cool", and "I like it". These are NOT reasons! We want specific evidence for their opinions. Strong reasons would be: "You make friends", "You learn important skills", and "You can make and achieve goals".

Math: *As always, the second grade website is choc-full of resources!*

GROUP 1- Continuing Unit 3 "Measurement and Time". Practice measuring, comparing measurements, and estimating at home! We are not on telling time yet, but if you'd like to get a head start, feel free.

GROUP 2- Continuing Unit 6 "Arrays and Foundation to Multiplication". Students have learning how repeated addition can be used to explain arrays and make equal groups. Continue identifying arrays, and discussing even vs. odd at home.