Friendly reminders:
Second graders brought home their public speaking assignment several weeks ago, with their assigned day on the back. Because a successful experience is essential for this level of public speaking, I am not allowing students to present who do not have their KWO or are unprepared in other ways. Please help your child be ready for assignments such as these by putting it on the home calendar, putting it in homework planners, helping them understand and prepare for the assignment, and ensuring they are ready on their assigned day. These small public speaking assignments are practice for children and families for presentations and projects in higher grades.
Upcoming week:
We are hosting the ASA at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 20th. You are welcome to come watch.
Riggs:
Study of content-area words, frequently misspelled words.
IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing):
KWO and retells of informative text (Native Americans--Southwest region).
Saxon 3 Math:
100th day of school on Monday. We will explore how 100 fits in with larger numbers (thousands, millions, etc.)
82
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Adding money amounts
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We line up the decimals, drop the decimal down, and then add right to left like normal. This will prepare students to add and subtract with decimals later.
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83
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Reading and showing the temperature on the celsius scale
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Students already know that water freezes at 0*C and boils at 100*C. We will now start to practice predicting the temperature in Celsius as well as Fahrenheit. Remember, the only two countries that have yet to embrace the Celsius scale are Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Palau, and the U.S.
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84
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Identifying the number of days in each month
Identifying the number of days in a year
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“Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty one, except for February, which is weird.”
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85-1
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Multiplication facts: multiplying by 0 and 5
Identifying the commutative property of multiplication
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We’ve been multiplying by 5 and 0 for a while, and we made the connection between the commutative property of addition and the commutative property of multiplication months ago. (2 x 3 has the same product as 3 x 2).
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85-2
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Estimating and measuring distance using feet, yards, and meters
Identifying the number of inches in a foot and in a yard, feet in a yard, and centimeters in a meter
Written assessment 16
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Be sure to make connections between Saxon and Real Life: it’s spring: allow your young mathematician to help plan the garden or new pati-building project. Measure the length and width of real-life objects in feet, yards, and/or inches.
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86
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Identifying and solving “larger-smaller-difference” problems
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Solving for a missing addend (algebra). I can’t remember what I don’t like about how Saxon does it; I’ll update this when I remember what I do differently.
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That's a lot of lessons! Yes, we have reached the end-of-year crunch already. We will be cutting, combining, and speeding up lessons for the rest of the year to be sure we address all objectives and lessons before they are handed off to Mrs. Gausman and her FOURTH GRADE MATH. Please click here (FAQs) to see the changed expectation in Saxon homework. The four-day week is a blessing in many ways, but those who dance must pay the piper, and we are getting ready to pay.
The pertinent FAQ is also right here in case you don't click through:
3-13-15 Edit: as we near the end of the school year, we are doubling-up on lessons more often. To keep the homework load at an appropriate amount, we may:
- Only do circled sides on mixed homework pages (I hope your child has been working on being reliable and trustworthy this year!).
- Two lessons covered in class, but only one lesson's homework assigned.
- More "optional" or "bonus" homework given; children and families may choose to do more if there is time or if your child needs extra practice. I remind students that I assign it as optional, but they don't get to argue with you about it!
- A bit more homework over the weekends.
- More fact practice sheets (as these should be pretty fast) and fewer mixed review homework sheets.
Core Knowledge:
We will study the Southwest region and the Eastern Woodlands region, as well as learn one of the saddest stories I know: the Trail of Tears.
We will work diligently and enthusiastically on our button blanket quilt, which will be excellent and awesome. Start saving so YOU can buy it at the auction!
Past week:
Riggs:
Content-area words.
IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing):
We wrote stories using only pictographs, practiced retelling them, and then finally wrote them in words. (Basically a KWO with symbols, then oral tradition where each version is not exactly the same, then written history.) Be sure to check out the "buffalo hides" that will be coming home early next week!
Saxon 3 Math:
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Selecting coins for a given amount
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How many different ways can you make $0.45 using different combinations of coins? Keep counting and identifying coins whenever you get the chance. Second graders can make their own purchases at the store. Encourage them to give exact amounts, rather than a bill and get change back.
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80-1
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Subtraction facts: subtracting 7, 8, and 9
Solving a problem by making it simpler
Drawing a picture to solve a problem
Making a table to solve a problem
Looking for a pattern to solve a problem
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Subtracting 9 trick: 16 - 9 = 7 (add digits 1 + 6 = 7) . 13 - 9 = 4 (add digits 1 + 3 = 4).
We basically started function tables (looking for a pattern).
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80-2
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Making reasonable predictions by collecting and analyzing data
Written assessment 15
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Probability = likelihood of something happening. LOW probability, HIGH probability. Data = information. Prediction/decision based on data, not feelings.
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81
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Finding square roots of perfect squares
Finding length of the side of a square given the area
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Yes, we learned what a square root is. We’ve been studying perfect squares and squared numbers, and now we learned the opposite. 32 = 9; 42 = 16; 62 = 36; etc. And now: √9 = 3; √16 = 4; √36 = 6; etc.
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Core Knowledge:
We learned about the Great Plains tribes, and visited Fort Vancouver to see what it was like for the Native Americans to trade with the Hudson's Bay Company. We wrote pictograph stories on buffalo hides (the buffalo were REALLY important to the Great Plains people!). We wove mats, as weaving and baskets were incredibly important to every region. They turned out great!
The Mannerly Month of March:
We talked about and practiced apologizing (even if it's an accident!) and "Excuse me." We practice how to OFFER help frequently in second grade, as it's the #1 thing to do after you take care of yourself.
