We are always working on being better readers and writers. We are currently reading about plants and trees. We have read two non-fiction stories. We are working on our own non-fiction writing as we work on research reports. We will hopefully use our ipads to publish our writing and can share at conferences. Our winter benchmark testing for guided reading and fluency will be done this month and will be another thing shared at conferences. Please keep reading at home and be sure to turn in reading logs.
Second grade has decided to start giving a spelling test on Fridays. The list of words for the week will come home on Monday. It is the same list you have seen come home on all other Mondays, but now we will be testing. The reason to begin testing is that we believe the students need to focus more on word chunks and writing patterns. This will not only help them to be better writers but readers as well.
In math class we continue to work on addition and subtraction facts. I have really been pushing that they use the strategies we have learned and not use fingers to count. Two great websites are Math Magician and That's a Fact. You could work on these at home (they are listed on side of the class blog) or use flashcards. The Dollar Tree always seems to have flashcards-I love a good deal! We are also working on our trimester standards. We have tested 2 and 3 dimensional shapes but are still working on estimating to the nearest ten and then using the estimates to add and subtract.
Our class is working on a science unit about matter. We've learned about the different ways to classify based on properties and are now learning more about the three states of matter-solid, liquid, and gas. We will be learning about maps for social studies.
