2nd grade mathematicians reviewed strategies to apply when working with dollars, coins and analog clocks. The use of practice activities such as Coin Top-It and hands-on use of coin collections helped students note features of commonly used coins like the penny, nickel, dime and quarter. Working with actual coins also supported students in sorting and calculating the value for a given set of coins. Later in the week, students began an exploration of the $1, $10, $100 dollar bill. Ongoing review of analog clock, time telling skills continued also. Classroom clocks with movable, hour and minute hands, supported students in telling and ultimately recording times to the nearest 5 minute intervals. Students continued practice of Math Workshop partner routines and math facts this week by playing Addition Top-It and math-themed board games together. ​

During our second week of school, second graders began to acclimate to academic routines.  In Writing Workshop, they learned about tools they will use this year, including their writer's notebooks and writing folders. Students customized their writing folders with designs and drawings that will help them feel connected to the writing process. They also began thinking about ideas for small moment stories, as they are learning to write stories that are about a short amount of time in their past.  

Second graders have a special project to accomplish this weekend: they will decorate their writer's notebooks with photos or illustrations of things they like and care about.  The images will give them ideas for topics to write about throughout the year.  Students can tape or glue images to the front and back of their writer's notebooks.  We encourage students to do this project as independently as possible and to have fun in the process!  Students should return their decorated writer's notebooks to school by Monday, September 19. Thank you for your support of this project.