We have been working hard in 2GS! It was wonderful to begin conferences this week and I value this time to sit down and discuss your child’s progress thus far. If there is anything in particular that you would like to talk about during these meetings, feel free to let me know ahead of time.

In writing, 2GS has been working hard to write well-constructed paragraphs! Students are using their knowledge of what is included in a well-written sentence and applying this to writing a cohesive paragraph. We talked about that a good paragraph includes a topic sentence (the big idea), three detail sentences that support the topic sentence and a conclusion (a thought, a wish, or a feeling).  I encourage students to practice writing paragraphs using this format each week in their reading logs.

Students have also been writing “seed stories” or small moment stories. Teaching students to zoom into a small moment is one of the first skills I teach during our narrative writing! Students have been working to focus in on a story that takes place over a short period of time- 5 minutes to one hour. Second graders have been surprised to learn that by including dialogue, thought, descriptive language and sensory detail into their writing, they are really able to stretch out a small moment into an exciting story.

In math, students have been exploring multiple strategies for adding both with and without regrouping. Using the “break it up” strategy, students added two digit numbers with and without regrouping. This strategy reinforces student’s understanding of place value and adding larger numbers.

We have also been exploring subtraction. Subtracting always seems more complex for second graders. We took a step back and began exploring two-digit minus one-digit numbers. Second graders often need to be reminded that when they subtract they are always left with less than when they started. This week, we began to explore subtracting 2 two-digit numbers with the help of a hundreds chart.

We have also been digging deep into our soil unit. To start, students thought about what they already know about soil and questions they currently have. We gathered soil samples from around Lawrence Park. We further investigated them- observing, comparing and making observational drawings. Ask your child what they know about the features of soil.

To begin bringing in the Thanksgiving spirits, 2GS began to work on some Thanksgiving themed projects! We read the book Thank You Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson about a brave women, Sarah Hale, who saved Thanksgiving for our country and fought to make it a national holiday. After reading the book, we talked about the importance of being persistent and fighting for what you believe in. We also discussed what a hero is. 2GS came to the realization that heroes are really not figures such a Superman and Batman but rather real, brave people who do good for others. In thinking of some heroes, 2GS suggested people such as Martin Luther King Jr, Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln and Susan B Anthony. Then, each child identified who their own personal heroes are and wrote about why they are thankful for this person. Most students wrote about family members or other important people in their lives. Their writing was thoughtfully composed and very touching. We will share them with you next week.

As you may have heard, Lawrence is going screen free next week. I will be observing a screen-free week with the Lawrence community to be more present with colleagues and students during this week of Thanksgiving, and will not be on technology including not checking email from November 18 to November 25. If you have an urgent need to speak to me, please call the main office at 617-879-4300 during school hours.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoys the time with their families. I hope you all know how THANKFUL  I am every day to be your children’s teacher!