What we are learning
Mrs. Tollefson’s first grade class is learning lots of new things. They are working on the engineering process that we are implementing in our bridge building module, along with student testing the strength of a suspension bridge. They are also using marshmallows as their non standard unit of measure.
Mrs. Pfantz’s class Writing: 1st graders just finished up a unit on Small Moments. First graders learned how to tell small stories step by step and provide details. Students were then allowed to share their stories with their class to showcase his/her book .
Reading: First graders have been receiving CONFIDENTIAL letters from the SDA (Secret Detective Agency) to learn how to become word detectives. We’ve been working hard on learning how to figure out hard words and recently received our SDA badge!
Mrs. Reeds Class: First grade students have been working hard learning Eureka Math. Each day the students watch an interactive Zearn math lesson to help learn the new concept of the day. They use their new knowledge to complete problem sets worksheets. They complete them either individually, whole group, or with partners. This is a great way to practice and share their new learning. 
~2nd grade team (Logan Barnes, James Lloyd, Christy Sams, Kylie Cory)
Second graders are working hard to build a solid foundation for the rest of their education. Some important skills they’re learning include collaborating with others in groups and “clubs”, using kind words and actions, and being responsible for themselves in their work and materials.
Second graders are learning a lot about reading – they’re learning about reading smoothly with expression and fluency all the time, and right now they’re learning about strategies to keep track of their nonfiction books, like being able to recognize text structures and how authors section books, and then using that to track main ideas and details of sections before putting it all together for that book and then that topic.
Their writing is also focused on nonfiction – they are writing informational books that teach others about something that involves force and/or motion. They’re learning to use an organizer to get their ideas and details written down and then using that to write a table of contents. They are also exploring ideas like using ideas from mentor texts, writing an introduction and conclusion, adding “extras”, including technical “lingo”, and making revisions to make their book the best it can be!
In math second graders are adding and subtracting numbers up to 1,000. They’re using lots of different strategies to compose and decompose numbers, including compensation, the vertical method, the arrow way, number bonds (making the nearest 10/100), and place value charts. They’re also using the Read-Draw-Write-Check process to solve story problems.
Each second grade class has a different Science or Social Studies focus, but each class cycles through all of the topics through the year. Mrs. Barnes’ class is studying the use and conservation of natural resources through primary and secondary source material. Mr. Lloyd’s class is modeling erosion and then studying the effects and preventative steps. Mrs. Sams’ class is learning about seeds and plants, leading up to creating a model that could disperse seeds over a large area. Mrs. Cory’s class is learning all about matter and how it changes with a variety of experiments.
Growth mindset is an important idea that second graders live out every day. It means that making mistakes is how we learn, and that if they didn’t understand, it’s okay, because they just didn’t understand – YET! Second grade is a community that works together and supports each other through all of our learning, mistakes and all! 
