First graders are learning about adding and subtracting two-digit numbers and learning about place value. We will continue to study this unit as well as begin to work on geometry when we return from break. We are learning about animals and habitats during our listening and learning time. So far we have studied the habitats of the Arctic, Sonoran Desert, African Savannah, North American Deciduous Forest and South American Tropical Rainforest. Students are learning about the animals and plants that are native to these habitats. We will be going on a field trip to Happy Hollow Zoo on May 2 to learn more about habitats.
Second grade completed our math module on adding and subtracting numbers within 1000. Students took the module assessment on Friday. We will begin to study geometry when we return. Then, our final math module will cover foundations of multiplication and division. Second graders are learning about insects. Ask your child to describe what makes an insect. They are studying different types of insects, insect life cycles, and insect behavior. They have learned that some insects are solitary and others are social.
We had an fantastic field trip to the Youth Science Institute. When we arrived we went to the Life in a Pond program. Students learned how animals that live in and around water adapt to their environment. Students found out more about food chains and life cycles in this program. The students got to examine and touch several animals that live in ponds in the local area. They experienced close encounters with a California newt, a western pond turtle, a snake and a toad. After washing our hands we had lunch. We had to eat our lunch quickly because our next session was about insects and other arthropods, and we didn't want to miss a minute. We went over the body parts of an insect, and students built an insect model from the different pieces. We learned that insects are part of a group called arthropods and that arthropods means jointed legs. Ask your child to name some other arthropods. We looked at several insects including a desert ironclad beetle and a Madagascar hissing cockroach. Students were encouraged to touch the insects to help increase their understanding of these animals. Then we took an up close look at beetles in different stages of their lifecycle. We saw the egg, larva, pupa, and adult.