We created special Mother’s Day writing as a gift for our moms. The second grades took their gifts home on Thursday. I was out on Friday, but I left instructions that the first graders should take their home on Friday. If they didn’t make it home, I will make sure all you wonderful moms get them next week. They are sure to bring a smile to your face.
Second Grade Math
In second grade math we lay the foundation for multiplication and division. Students with a solid foundational understanding of using repeated addition, forming equal groups, skip counting, and odd and even numbers are better prepared for the higher level multiplication and division concepts taught in third grade and beyond. Up to this point we have focused our attention on place value units. Now, we are discovering that numbers other than 1, 10, and 100 can serve as units. We began by making making equal units of objects and related these units to repeated addition. For example, a student is given 15 counters and told to make three equal groups. Then, the student adds the three equal groups to find the total amount.
Next, we worked on creating arrays. Students learned to organize objects into columns and rows with each having an equal number. We learned that rows go across and columns go up and down. So students would arrange 15 counters into rows of 5 across to make three rows of 5 counters, Then, they decompose that array and make rows of 3 counters. They now have five rows of three counters.
First Grade Math
First graders are learning to add like units within pairs of two-digit numbers. For example, students interpret numbers such as 25 as 1 ten and 15 ones as well as 2 tens and 5 ones and as 25 ones. Working with this concept supports student understanding in the upcoming lessons, when students add pairs such as 14 + 16 and initially make 2 tens and 10 ones. Then we move on to adding two-digit numbers where the ones digits produce a sum less than or equal to 10. For example, when adding 23 + 15 , students decompose the second addend into 10 and 5. They then add 10 to 23 , making 33, and then add the remaining 5 ones.
Geometry
Both grades are learning about geometry. We are focusing on 2D and 3D shapes and rectangular arrays. Students are learning to identify shapes by their attributes and follow directions to draw shapes.
At home you can support your student in the study of geometry by making shapes cut from paper. Cut a variety of shapes (for example, squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, and hexagons) for your child to glue onto a background. You might like to do this as a family mural, adding shapes over a period of time to create a scene. Shapes can be combined. Markers and/or crayons can be used to add details.
In class, we read the Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns to study geometry using literature. Here are some other children’s books that contain ideas related to our work in this geometry unit of study: Friedman, Aileen. A Cloak for the Dreamer, Hoban, Tana. Shapes, Shapes, Shapes, Greene, Rhonda Gowler, When a Line Bends . . . A Shape Begins.