September 2017

Second grade started the year with the TABA strategy. Students used their grade level theme, systems, to make connections and use critical thinking skills.

~ In math we are introducing 5 problem solving strategies: Drawing a Diagram; Creating a Table; Organizing a List; Looking for a Pattern; and Guess and Check. These lessons are uploaded in Nearpod to allow teachers to save each student's work and use it to differentiate instruction. These strategies will be incorporated in problem solving lessons throughout the school year.

~We read the book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain. This growth mindset book encouraged students to persevere when they don't understand a concept. It also teaches them that their brain grows every time they learn something new. They learned the five parts of the brain (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, cerebrum, cerebellum and amygdala) and what each part does to help us think, speak and move.

~We will conduct our first experiment in the science lab this month. Students will be tasked with figuring out if the mystery substance discovered in the cafeteria is a solid or a liquid. Various staff members will help by coming to the science lab and describing the substance and telling how it's made. Students will recreate the substance and conclude if it's a solid or a liquid.