Dear Parents,

Halloween 2013 has come and gone!

Our parade through the school was great fun and our small party at the end of the day was lively to say the least! Thanks to all the parents who contributed to our special Halloween snacks, they were enjoyed by one and all.

In Math class we have moved onto the study of fractions and parts of a set. As with everything we study in Math class we always start with concrete materials before we move on to any symbolic representations. When you see any worksheets from math class, they come some days or weeks after we have all had a chance to manipulate the shapes and units of study. With fractions, as with all math instruction, the students are provided a variety of ways to learn; from a geometric perspective, hands on materials, i,e, cuisinaire rods, etc., with a numerical focus as well as connections to real life situations. Even when we move on to other units of study, I will continue to provide opportunities for them to make sense of fractions, use fractional language and deal with fractions concretely throughout the year.

In Spelling we have talked about different ways of studying our words and especially what works best for each of us. We made flash cards in Reading class yesterday and quizzed each other. This combines both the habit of writing the words out and orally repeating the letters. It was agreed that no one way works for everyone and this year we will not only be learning new things but discovering how we each learn best as well!

Next week we have been invitied to visit the 7th grade’s Colonial Museum. This is a great way for the 2nd graders to make connections between what they have learned and seen at Sturbridge with the creative work of the 7th grade’s study of Colonial Times. Some students even start planning ahead to what they will make when their turn comes to create a Colonial Museum!

The slide show below includes some shots from our Halloween celebration and some classroom work as well.

I look forward to seeing you all at next week’s conferences. I will be in the small room off the main classroom.

Enjoy the weekend,

Katharine