Take a PEAK
October 20, 2014
Theme Study
- Students are building their background knowledge about inventors as we are reviewing and introducing different informational resources. We identified non-fiction conventions as we browsed through inventor biographies. Students also learned about the online Grolier encyclopedia. After learning how to navigate and search, the students identified key words and answered specific questions about inventors. After each lesson students identified interesting facts about different inventors and created a list of possible inventors to study in their journals. Students will be selecting the inventor they want to research within the next week or two.
Activity Centers
- Math: Students are working through the math sets at their own pace. Some students are working on multi-step math problems while others are solving money problems. They are doing a great job creating math problems for me to solve!
- Topic Study: As students are building background knowledge on their topic, they are completing 4-squares that include specific details in different categories. They are also working on the "Top 10 Most Important Facts" about their topic. Soon they will be working on projects that require higher-order thinking skills.
- Science: Students will be studying simple machines this year. They have learned about the six simple machines we will be studying this year. They have become quite good at identifying everyday objects that are considered simple machines.
Personal Growth and Development
During PGD time students have learned about the many different ways to be gifted, and how to engage their brain. We've also been working on being a good listener and working as a team. All students successfully completed a team challenge by creating a "STRETCH". Ask them about their challenges and successes during this activity.
Notes:
- As you know, classroom parent teacher conferences are being held this week. 2nd grade PEAK conferences will take place in November. More information to come!
- No school this Friday (October 24th). I will be anxious to see the Friday SC 2nd graders next week. :)
- Please feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions or concerns. thammen@liberty.k12.mo.us