What a great week! Here are the pictures from the magnet experiment we did two days ago. It was an inquiry lesson where the children were given 2 magnets, a car, and tape and told they had to move the car several inches without touching it- using a non-contact force. No other direction was given to see what they could discover. They discovered they needed to attach to the top of the car, a magnet , held in place with tape. They they had to hover another magnet on top of the car magnet to to it with its magnetic field. It was very challenging! Most groups did not figure it out the first time around. Here are the photos from today! They had to first make a hill, then figure out how to make the marble go faster down the hill, then slower. Next they had to add a loop. Finally they put all the elements together to create a roller coaster! I did take video but since I can't post it here I will work on that piece! MAP testing this week was a resounding success! As a test, I borrowed from 4th grade, a privacy screen, you know, one of those tri-fold things that help kids only see and work on their work? It really helped many of our students stay focused on their own work and not be able to see what other kids were doing. Because of this success, second grade is looking for donations to get each class set of these 24 x 48 sized (science fair) tri-folds. Any donations would be greatly appreciated! How fun is January...learning about mysteries, borrowing in subtraction, figurative language AND force and motion?!! Here are some pictures from the first three experiments we did on learning that a force is a push or a pull. First up is sling shot... Next we pushed and pulled cars to see what was easier... Then we put Bailey in a basket and pushed/pulled him around to see if it was easier to push and pull him compared to the car.... They realized that the heavier the object the more force you need to use to move it- They loved that experiment best I think, especially Bailey! Next up came fiction. The kids tried to see if there would be a difference in how far a car would travel if you changed the surface it was traveling on. They tried 3 different surfaces with different kinds of roughness: desk top, carpet, and sandpaper. They soon discovered that the sandpaper created the most friction and that more friction meant the car didn't travel as far. We also simulated this on a website using ice, vinyl, wood, and carpet seeing the same results. Next week we will be doing more experiments, all leading up to roller coaster day on Friday! Mrs. Payne also came in to talk with us again on test taking skills, this time focusing on reading and comprehension. A reminder if you have not yet signed up for student led conferences here again is the link: This week Mrs. Payne. our Instructional Coach, came in to talk with all the second graders about the strategies they can use when taking a test...in particular the MAP test. It was amazing to see that kids still though they had to beat other people and be the first done to get the best grade; that they were only going to see questions related to things they had already learned, not new information they had never seen before; and that they are competing against themselves, not other people in the class. Those misconceptions were cleared up, along with ways to handle problems or emotions that come up during testing (like if you can't figure something out, it you feel stressed, etc...) The kids worked on the math warm up page of MAP and also learned how to use the calculator if it should appear on their screen. Next Thursday they will do the same thing, but this time focus on the reading part of MAP. In Science we learned how environments change over time and that animals, weather, nature and humans can create that change. We also learned how fossils are created and pretended to be "paleontologists" by extracting "fossils" from chocolate chip cookies! In math, we practiced identifying coins (front and back) and the amount each coin is. Many kids are still struggling with counting money so if you can at home bring out that container of coins you've got lying around and get counting! One of the best ways to help with counting is to give a coin amount and have your child show 2 different ways to represent that amount. It can be quite the challenge! After the picture I will link some extra worksheets for practice should you like some over the long weekend for both coins and multiplication. (click on the picture for the link) Happy Saturday to everyone! I just finished setting up the student-led conference sign up form. I am using SignupGenius like I did for the back to school night and have included that link (click on picture below). I will also send the link via email on Monday but thought people might like to sign up this weekend.
So what does student-led mean? Well, first off it is a great opportunity for your child to take the lead in their own learning! Your child we be collecting evidence of their learning and will share with you work from all academic areas, including their MAP scores. They will share with you their goals and tell you all about their learning in the classroom. You will see books they have written, the science projects they have done and play math games with them. And then you get a snack! Two other students and and their parents will also be in the classroom while you are their with your child, and the conference lasts about 50 minutes. I can't wait to see you in February and as usual if you need help with days or times, please let me know. Click on the picture below to sign up! Boy, did we hit the ground running this week! Make sure you also stop over to the parent information tab where the new spelling, calendar, newsletter and book report information is at. Have a great weekend! Practicing words their way....blind sort Working on arrays and multiplication along with Power Tower during math and BUILD this week... This week we also worked on adjectives, the three kinds of verbs, contractions and point of view... |
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April 2017
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