2F had an eventful first week of school. The students learned about the classroom procedures and routines, created classroom rules and did an awesome job of organizing their desk, after viewing a photostory clip which helped each child to understand how to perform this task. Students also met some new faces at Gombert when Mr. Ricken, our school prinicpal, and Mr. McDermott, our student service coordinator, came into our classroom to introduce themselves.In addition, students have begun to learn about how to choose good fit books and received a clear understanding of how to use the I-PICK strategy. This will continue to be reviewed throughout the year as we focus on the Daily 5 in our classroom. The students also got the opportunity to meet Mrs. Smith, our new LMC director, during their first visit to the LMC on Thursday. She has many great ideas and is a wonderful addition to the Gombert community. This year one of her many goals is to aide our Second Graders in the choosing of good fit books.
In Math, students reviewed sequencing numbers and money. Many students did an outstanding job of remembering these skills from first grade. In preparation for Otter Creek, we took some time to identify how fast each student could write their numbers. This activity determines what their 1 minute goal will be during their Otter Creek assessments. Students were also asked to complete four 15 second timings to determine what level they will begin on in Otter Creek. The children were consumed with excitement as they completed each timing. Next week, we will begin practicing partner routines and how to appropriately practice for their Otter Creek assessments. Please encourage students to practice their addition facts every night. You will begin to see their Otter Creek assessments soon. These assessments can be used to study their facts at home.
Science was the highlight of our week! Students learned about the scientific method and performed two experiments. The first experiment was to discover which brand of paper towel was the most absorbent. We soon concluded that, of course, Bounty was the most absorbent; after all, it is the quicker picker upper. During the second experiment, we were seeking to find out what would happen when an egg was dropped from a high elevation into a cardboard box. Students made wonderful hypotheses and the majority of them thought that it would break upon impact. Students became very excited when I climbed on top of a desk to perform the experiment. We all observed the egg break and were able to confirm our predictions.
