Springtime in Second Grade

2F Exploring Properties of Matter

Springtime in second grade has been quite busy!  We have had a blast writing and voicing our opinions, supporting our opinions with three valid reasons, and then closing our statements with strong conclusions.  Please come by the hallway to read some of our opinion pieces.  We even wrote letters to Mr. Gaylord with opinions about how we could make ACS a better school.  Mr. Gaylord is reading through them and might even take some of our suggestions into consideration!

Reading excellent literature to support our writing unit has been wonderful!  There are many great books where various characters have strong opinions!  We have looked closely at those characters’ points of view and their opinions.  After reading the hilarious ‘Pigeon’ series (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, and The Pigeon Needs a Bath) we are writing our own versions!  A reader must infer throughout these books to understand how the audience is responding to the Pigeon’s request! 

Math has been a ball!  We have been studying geometry focusing specifically on attributes of shapes.  We know how to identifying edges, vertices, and faces of 3D shapes.  We also know how to partition rectangles into even parts dividing them up in to halves, thirds, and fourths.  Studying arrays has been fascinating.  We now can identify arrays in our environment and quickly organize the repeated addition to count how many squares cover the given area. 

Matter, Matters!  We have learned that everything is made up of matter!  Our science unit began making observations about properties of various states of matter.  We also have learned there are different states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas).  The main focus of this unit it to identify the properties of matter and how these properties impact the function of the various object.  We also will be able to identify how heat and cooling can sometimes change the state of matter (from liquid to solid or vice versa).  Sometimes these changes are reversible and sometimes they are not. 

 The end of the year is a busy time!  Please keep reading the elementary blog, school website, emails, and posters around the school!  We look forward to these last couple of months together.