Second graders kicked off a new math unit about fractions this week.  Students began learning that fractions are names for parts of a whole.  Children used pattern block manipulatives to determine fractional parts of a whole.  For example, if a yellow hexagon is "one," and two trapezoids fit inside it, then each trapezoid is one half.  There were lots of interesting discoveries and "Aha!" moments as children puzzled out fractional parts of a whole using pattern blocks and pattern block templates.  Children also began to build their math vocabulary by beginning to use the terms numerator and denominator.  In the coming weeks, students will learn to play Everyday Math fraction games, such as the Equivalent Fractions Game and Fraction Top-It, to further develop their understanding of fractions.  

Our second grade Maypole Dance was another highlight this week!  Click the F&PA link in this week's bulletin to learn more about it.

Second grade classes took turns heading out into Montclair to make observations and record data about resources they see in and around parts of Montclair. These three field trips were the research component of our Towns unit of study in Social Studies. 2S, 2B and 2N traveled to Church Street, Watchung Plaza, and Upper Montclair Plaza area to make observations, jot notes and zero in on modes of transportation, housing, places to work and open spaces / places to gather in town. Students were focused as they walked through Montclair as field researchers. They stopped to jot notes and exchange ideas that they would ultimately share with the other classes on Thursday. The three classes pooled their collective observations and create Word Clouds to highlight town resources that stood out in Montclair. This valuable field work and jigsaw sharing of ideas between classes will help kick off culminating projects planned for students. Their mission will be to design towns of their own that include key resources they noted in their town study.   

Second graders traveled back in time this week during our class field trips to the Israel Crane House.  Second graders are beginning to study towns in social studies, so exploring a special historical place in our town of Montclair helped us to kick off this town unit.  Children began the trip by making a living timeline.  They learned what transportation, communication, and daily life were like hundreds of years ago.  Next, they explored the historic Crane House.  Highlights included visiting a working kitchen, where they tried their hands at a butter churn and made an imaginary "bucket brigade" to put out an imaginary fire.  Lastly, children enjoyed experiencing life in a schoolhouse, practicing "reading, writing, and 'rithmetic" under strict rules.  A visit with the chickens capped off our trip back in time.  Special thanks to all of our parent chaperones for making our field trips possible!

Second grade students are independently and partner reading an array of poetry in class during writing workshop to help them get familiar with the many, different ways poetry can look and sound. Poetry center-based, exploratory reading time produces opportunities for students to partner read poems together. Partner reading poems helps to boost students confidence as poetry readers and supports them in fluently reading challenging vocabulary and rhyme schemes often present in poetry. Taking time to read an array of poems about different feelings, people, places and things early in our Poetry unit also supports our writers in zeroing in on craft techniques that poets use to help relay the messages of their poems. Students are also learning that poems do not have to rhyme and very often, poets use one, two or even three of their five senses to help them add details to their poems. 2nd grade students have already started generating poems as a class and are eager to write list poems independently to try their hand applying craft techniques introduced during writing workshop mini-lessons.