Second Grade at Shaker Lane - Room 202

Did you child do well overall with the first grade curriculum? Are you curious about  the second grade team's philosophy on enrichment? Our philosophy for enrichment is digging deeper. What does that mean? Digging deeper means taking what students know and working with that knowledge. Can students apply that knowledge from kindergarten and first grade because they have internalized it? Can they use what they know to approach a more difficult problem in the same area? Can they teach it to someone they know (you will see that question on our math unit self-assessments)? Can they explain what they know verbally  and  in writing? We want to help our students be able to convey their knowledge. In today's world, whether in older grades, on the ol' MCAS, or in the workplace, people need to be able to explain their thinking clearly and thoroughly so that they can get their message across to others. So first we need to look at metacognition - they understand what they kno...

Learning and Playing the Hundreds Grid Game.

Wondering about Xtra Math? If your child attended our school last year, they did Xtra math in school. This year we will be using Xtra math 2-3 times a month in school but I would ask you have your child try to do it twice a week at home. Occasionally I will assign homework on Xtra Math and your child will need to log in and do it that night to get homework credit.  You will notice that working on math facts is just a small portion of our math program and we spend most time working on math concepts and skills and math vocabulary. A big focus is also working on the Common Core State Standards Standards of Mathematical Practice, such as explaining your mathematical thinking (ie. How do you know the number 73 is larger than the number 48?) We strive for balance so that students leave second grade with a good base in all areas of mathematics. Wondering "What is Xtra Math?" Here is what the website says: XtraMath helps students transition from counting or calculating the basic...

Recently your child brought home an flyer for  Xtra math.  When you get a chance, log on with your child to Xtra math using the information on the flyer.  Xtra math  is a fun math fact website where your child can practice math facts using technology! No more paper flash cards like when I was in school. Practicing math facts is not the be all end all of classroom mathematics (see the Common Core State Standards) but familiarity with facts is very useful. All second grade classes have a goal this year of helping students master math facts this year. The expectation is that at the end of second grade, students should have mastery of basic addition and subtraction facts. Yes, subtraction too! In school we will be doing Xtra math as a class about twice or three times a month (we will also be doing other activities in class to increase math fact fluency) but I would recommend you have your child go online to Xtramath.org one or more times a week. Each time your...

Now that explaining your mathematical thinking is included in the Second grade common core state standards  and  it is included frequently in our new edition of Everyday Math some questions have arisen. Explaining your mathematical thinking verbally and coherently in writing is a developing skills for second graders. It comes gradually and is not like a light bulb getting switched on. Rest assured we are working on it in class together and students have the chance for independent practice. It is just the beginning of the year so we need not be anxious and worry that students need to be great at it right now. The second grade standards are standards to meet by the  end  of second grade. I think some mathematics sites have some really good information for parents. One of my favorites is  this Scholastic post. Click here. Several of my favorite sections I will quote below but head over for the full post. "Learning how to use  language  and mathem...

Writing about what friends do!  Wobble stools work well during handwriting! 

Today we learned the math game Fishing for Tens! Ask your child how it works!