Hi 2nd grade families!
This week in math we are beginning Unit 7.  This means...new journals!  You should expect to see the ones we used from Units 1-6 at some point this week, possibly in their take home folders next Monday.  You don't need to finish it, but if your child wants to work through the pages they may have missed (or that we skipped as a class) they can -I don't need them back they are yours to keep. 
As we begin Unit 7, our focus is on number patterns to reinforce numeration skills such as multiplication and division.  We are now working on computational skills that include the addition and subtraction of several digits in one problem (2 to 3 digits in each part!).  We will also be working on the collection, representation and interpretation of real-life data (line plots, frequency tables and bar graphs).  Please make sure to download the family letter from the math section or click here.
In social studies we are finishing up our community work with a group project about urban, suburban and rural communities.  The groups have created their own communities and added in the essential elements for a community.  They named their communites, made a plan and then created a layout and map for them using the maps skills we studied in our last unit.  Their collaborative maps will be in the hallway when they have completed them, they are currently putting the finishing touches on the maps!
In other news, we began learning basic typing skills on Fridays.  On the main page you'll notice a link with a typing program we are using and some typing games for the kids to practice as their skills increase.  We are very excited as this is an important skill that we feel all students should have.
We were also fortunate to have a special presentation last week from Mr. Praeger, Mr. Beckler, and Mr. Adkins about architecture.  The students were fascinated to learn all about the planning stages of buildings and I was excited that it fit in so well with our community project.
As always, if you have any questions about anything please let me know!
 

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend!  Since this is a short week, this is just a quick update to let you know what's going on in our classroom.  The plan for this week is to finish up Unit 6 in math and take our unit assessment early next week.  We will be continuing to learn about multiplication and division, specifically helping students understand the concepts.  We are not 'memorizing' facts yet, we need to build a foundation first.  On the back wall of our classroom you will see the students multiplication projects they created last week, they turned out AMAZING!  If you have a few minutes, please stop in to check them out.  We also have some work from our last unit in the main hallway near the office so if you are walking past don't forget to glance at it.
In social studies we will be creating maps of a community in small groups.  Students will be sythesizing what they have learned about maps and landforms and putting it together as a group to showcase what they know.  More information will come as this develops more.
If you have any questions, please let me know!

I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated!  I don't think I've ever been this long between updates.  It's also hard to believe that our school year is already half way through!  There are some really exciting things happening this half of the school year.  First, you may have noticed that in our specials rotation we now have Spanish!  Over the break our Spanish elective became full time, so now all of our students have the opportunity to learn a second language.  This is very new, so please bear with us as we work out the kinks in the specials rotation.
Next, over the coming weeks in math we will be learning about the concepts of multiplication and division.  This is one of my FAVORITE units to teach in second grade!  We begin by introducing multiplication as the addition of equal groups.  Then we learn about arrays and how they can help us add those multiple groups.  There are some wonderful BrainPop Jr videos about equal groups and arrays that we watch, if you'd like to watch them at home together the username is: williamroberts and the password is: bobcats
In social studies we are continuing learning about maps, but also learning about landforms and bodies of water shown on maps.  A big expectations for 2nd graders is that they understand a globe (specifically the equator and hemispheres) as well as being able to understand how maps work. We have our Flat Stanley day coming up this Friday (the 18th) where students will be sharing the stories they wrote over break.  After this sharing we will be inviting everyone to send off their Flat Stanley in the mail.  As we get replies and photos we will be posting them in the main hallway near 2nd grade for everyone to see!  We also have a presentation about 'Jump Rope for Heart' on Friday, that will be coming up in February.
This last week we had a presentation about Egypt.  It was really fun to see another part of the world through photos. We have had a lot of conversations about the different continents, so it fit in really well with what we have been learning about. 

Hi everyone,
It has been awhile since I sat down to write an update.  We have had a wonderful few weeks in our classroom and school!  There is so much to talk about that I am sure I will miss some of them, but to acknowledge a few we've had the book fair, our Thanksgiving feast, math projects, music videos, mother/son dance, and much much more!  I just got a new memory card for my camera, so I'll add the remainder of the photos I've taken-but I missed a few fun days due to running out of space.  Check Mrs. Jackson's website, I had her take a few extras for our class those days!  I'll make sure to start taking photos again now that I have plenty of space! ;)
We only have 9 more school days before we have Winter Break, and I'm sure that it will go very, very fast.  So here is a quick run-down of what we will be doing before break. 
In math we are working on a geometry unit.  We are learning all about line segments, 2-d shapes, 3-d shapes, polygons and symmetry.  Don't forget to download our family letter (Unit 5) as well as the vocabulary list from the 'Math' tab on the website.  We will be finishing up some fun math art projects around this unit and taking our unit test before break.
In social studies we have been working on geography.  This unit includes a lot of map skills.  We have been learning all about maps and their parts (compass rose, legends, symbols, etc.) through various activities and videos.  We are also practicing creating maps to help us with our community project later in the year.  We have begun learning the 50 states through a song called "Fifty Nifty".  It's a fun way for the students to remember the names of all the states as we begin learning the locations and how to pronounce each of them.
To help us learn about different parts of our world all of second grade is doing a Flat Stanley project.  You will get more details about this on December 17 in a take home project.  Each student will be making a Flat Stanley (or Flat Stella!) to take with them over Winter Break.  They will be writing one story (or more if they like) and then we will have a sharing day when we return.  Then families are encouraged to send off their Flat Stanley's to family or friends in different cities, states or countries so that we can get photos and stories from different areas of the world.  It is a great project and we love hanging our photos and stories in the hall for all of our Bill Roberts families to enjoy!
Finally, the last big this is our Holiday Outreach coming up with Wednesday.  Many classrooms here at Bill Roberts participate, this has been a second grade tradition for the past three years and we are excited to continue this year!
If you'd like to donate to our Holiday Outreach, please follow the link below:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044AADA78-bobcat
As always, if you have questions-please e-mail or call. :)

This week in math we are focusing on rounding and estimating numbers.  Some groups are also working on double-digit addition and subtraction.  This will be our main focus until Thanksgiving Break as it is a HUGE skill for second graders.  So far they are doing fabulous!
In science we have been learning about the water cycle and weather.  We have have brainstormed some questions we have about them and are begininng  the process of discovering and researching answers. 
REMINDERS:  Photo day is on Thursday, Nov. 15th.  Also, please check the schedule tab for upcoming breaks! 

We have been having a lot of fun with our plant projects the last few weeks!  In the main hallway near our classroom we put up all of our inquiry circle work to show everyone our models, play scripts and posters! 
The last week we focused on the six parts of a plant.  We had lots of fun singing songs and writing lyrics.  Each class performed one of those songs for a video which I just posted in our photo section so please check it out! (If you have misplaced the password, please e-mail me!)

Welcome back!  I hope you all had a restful, safe and enjoyable Fall Break.  It was great to see everyone at parent/teacher conferences, thanks for coming!
This week we will continue focusing on making change with money.  An example would be: "If Sue had $1.00 and bought a toy for $0.49, how much change would she receive?"  We will also be concluding Unit 3 this week, so the students will be taking an assessment towards the later part of the week. 
We finished up our inquiry circles about plants last week.  The students did such an amazing job of putting their information together! I hope to get their wondering charts and projects in the hall this week.  For now, there are photos on the photo page.  Our next part of the plant unit will include discussions and research about what plants need and learning the six parts of a plant.  We do this through singing songs, reading books, watching short videos and observing the plants in our classroom.  We will be taking a short quiz at the end of the week to see if they can remember each part. It was such a fun thing to be studying plants as fall is beginning, it created a lot of exciting and interesting questions about leaves and changes that plants go through.  You may have noticed students collecting leaves and bringing them in-I love to encourage their engagement so we started a collection of them and began hanging them by our calendar so we could see all types they found. 
Don't forget that this week we will be having a Fall Party!  It will take place on Wednesday, October 31st from 2:15-3:15.  For the first 40 minutes, the kiddos will have literacy and math activities with Mrs. Jackson and Mrs Umberger, respectively (in 20 minute increments).  For the last 20 minutes, each class will enjoy a sweet treat and crafts in their homeroom!  If you would like to help, the Umberger Homerooms sign up is: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E44ADAD2B0-fall

This week in science we are finishing up our inquiry circles about plants.  Students were able to pick an unusual plant they found interesting, conduct research and then decide how they wanted to present the information to our class.  Some groups decided to create posters showing information they found, others created clay models, some drew pictures and labeled them, while others created plays.  We are excited to see all of them this week!  Don't worry, we'll make sure to have the camera ready.
In math we will be learning about making change.  This is a HUGE second grade skill, so we will be working on this for the entire week to make sure we have a good starting point.  Our homework is going to focus on more than, less then, and counting in base ten to help support our number sense when it comes to making change.  If you have a chance, a great way to support at home would be asking questions like "If I pay for a candy bar with $1.00 and it costs $0.78, how much money would I get back?". 
Don't forget that we have conferences on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Fall Break is on Thursday and Friday, so there will be no school. 
Have a great week!

This week in math we are focusing on telling time.  We have been working really hard to make sure we are paying attention to which hand is the hour hand and which is the minute hand on the face of analog clocks.  Students created a clock on construction paper labeling each in class last week, which they will be bringing home to help them on their homework (they don't need to bring them back to school, they are to help with homework).  We will also be working on frame-and-arrow routines with two rules towards the end of the week.  This will be an extension to our frame-and-arrow routines we worked on a few weeks ago.  Don't forget to download family letter 3 from the math tab if you haven't already!
In science we are continuing our inquiry circles about rare, exotic and bizarre plants!  Students will be using the iPads to continue their research as well as articles and books from our classroom.  Beginning next week we will start to assemble our final presentations about our learning, so towards the end of the week students will begin planning what that will look like.
Just a reminder about conferences, please see the Sign-Up Genius if you haven't signed up for one yet. 
Let me know if you have any questions, and as always-have a great week!

This week we will be wrapping up Unit 2 with an assessment.  We will then be moving into Unit 3 (please check out the Family Letter in the math tab).  This unit focuses a lot on working with money and telling time.  Counting money and finding change are huge skills to be mastered in second grade so if you find the time, please work with your child on this concept at home.  You can have them estimate how much change you will get at the store or grab a handful of change out of your pocket for them to count.  Also, analog watches are great for practicing telling time.  This will allow you to give them a 'pop quiz' about what time it is, or if you have 20 min to play outside, what time should you be back in the house? 
We will also be beginning inquiry circles over the next week for our plant unit.  We will be walking through the steps of learning about a unique plant they had some wonderings and questions about.  This is an extension to our plant unit to make le  narning more exciting and interest based.  As the week goes on they will be asking more and more questions to help lead them to their next steps.  Feel free to ask your child what they have chosen to learn more about.
As a reminder, we have conferences coming up on Oct. 22nd and 23rd.  If you haven't signed up for a conference, please go to:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848AEAF2CA31-october
Also, picture day is this Tuesday, Oct. 9th. 
I have updated my photo page again with lots of photos of your kids hard at work!  There is also photos of our recent Sea World Assembly so if you have a moment don't forget to browse!
As always, have a great week!