The View from 2-2

Greetings! I'm so happy to be back in the classroom, learning and discovering alongside the students in 2-2. Thank you to Mrs. Schmidt for getting this school year off to a great start! The children and I had a wonderful first few days together. We spent some time getting to know each other, and then we got right to work!

 We read a new whole group story called "Head, Body, Legs." This story lent itself to the concept of cause and effect. After reading and re-reading the story in order to absorb the content, the children worked in their small groups to identify examples if one action that caused another to occur.

The children practiced logging on to their Dream Box accounts. Using the iPads, the children were able to "play" with their math skills. This program is designed to differentiate math concepts based on content, pace, and sequence. It is a highly motivating way for children to strengthen their math knowledge! They were so excited to begin, and I was excited to monitor their progress and growth from my computer at the same time! :)

During our math lessons this week, the children practiced making ballpark estimates. We learned that if the digit in the ones place is a 5 or higher, we should round UP. If the digit in the ones place is a 4 or less, we should round DOWN. We also practiced adding two digit numbers to find the actual answer, and then looked to see if they were close!

We also discussed measurement. The children talked about when they would use a ruler vs. a tape measure and why. Then they practiced measuring the height of their desk and chair, as well as the length and width of their math journal, in both inches and centimeters.

In Social Studies we continued the ongoing discussion about citizenship! The children are so excited about the landmarks they have selected for their landmark challenge projects and were eager to tell me! We discussed patriotism and listened to "America the Beautiful,"carefully considering the meaning behind the lyrics and how they show pride for our country. 

                 Here the children are reading about the American Flag and locating the answers directly in the text. They highlighted their answers using different colored crayons.