With the warmer weather, we are experiencing a bit of the "airplane landing" effect. Focus is a little tougher to sustain, physical fidgeting is up, and our group conversations are definitely on the loud side! Because it’s so easy for the kids to get overstimulated right now, we are focusing on keeping our classroom routines tight and supportive.
Here is a look at what we've been working on this week despite all that amazing spring energy...
We had a productive week in writing as our students dove into the fascinating world of Big Cats! To practice our Speaking and Listening Standards—which ask students to recount and describe key details from different types of media—we kicked things off by watching an exciting short video about these incredible predators. From there, the students paired up into dynamic duos to transform their new knowledge into informative writing pieces. To guide their teamwork, we used a graphic organizer to map out the perfect essay structure: crafting a catchy hook, a clear topic sentence, 3–4 detailed facts, and a solid conclusion. I also led a mini-lesson on how to use transition words to smoothly connect their thoughts from sentence to sentence. The kids brought so much enthusiasm to their research, and they will be putting the finishing touches on their masterpieces this coming Monday!
This week, the first graders continued to focus on building a strong understanding of adding and subtracting 10s and 1s from a given number. We brought this concept to life through a variety of hands-on math games, including some crowd-favorites that involved using dimes and pennies! Developing this skill is a massive milestone for first graders. Mastering the ability to mentally add or subtract 10 and 1 is the foundational bedrock of number sense and place value. By linking these abstract numbers to real-world coins like dimes and pennies, students aren't just memorizing facts—they are building a concrete mental map of how our base-ten number system works. This crucial stepping stone gives them the confidence and mental math flexibility they will need as they move on to tackling much larger, multi-digit numbers in the 2nd grade.
This week, second graders focused on applying their knowledge of complements of 10 and 20 to solve problems reaching up to 100 and 1,000. For instance, students used their understanding of basic pairs like $8 + 2 = 10$ to recognize larger numerical patterns, such as $80 + 20 = 100$ and $800 + 200 = 1,000$. This shift is a critical step in second-grade mathematics. It requires students to move beyond basic memorization and instead use algebraic thinking to see how numbers scale. Developing this mental flexibility with larger place values is essential, as it establishes the foundation they will need for complex multi-digit computation and regrouping.
Yesterday, the students were able to each do their own video chat with their pen-pal in Georgia, VT. We will be going to visit them on June 8th. If you are a volunteer who has done the background check with the district, and would like to come along, please let me know. I will take 1 or 2 more adults. You would need to ride the bus, and we would leave around 8:30 and arrive back around 2:00-2:10.
NOTES:
*The students all have their Weekly News Journals in their homework bags. Please read them and send them back on Monday.
*June 5th will be the last day for all parent volunteers this year. Thank you so much for all of your help and generosity this year. I am truly lucky to have so many volunteers.
*This past Wednesday was the final day of our school's Inspiration Hour. I know the kids really enjoyed all of the choices this year. I want to give a special shout out and thanks to all of those that led a group.That is all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend.
Peace,
Mr. Young
