180th Day: Hooray!

Wow! We did it! Check out our web for the Number of the Day!

Farewell 6th Grade Friends!

What a wonderful All School Sing we had today! Each class participated in its own unique way to offer advice and warm wishes to our retiring teachers and to our graduating 6th grade friends. 2B and 2W joined forces to offer up some advice to the 6th graders about their upcoming transition to Frontier.

June Birthdays!!

We celebrated two second grade birthdays last week. We celebrated with River on Monday, the 9th, and with Aleks on Friday, the 13th.

River shared his favorite birding book with us and Aleks told us about his special birthday gift -- a new hamster.

Check out the adorable birthday kids:

Symmetry with Mr. Barshefsky!

Monday morning began with a very special math lesson taught by Mr. Barshefsky.  The two second grade classes gathered in the gym for an engaging, movement-based lesson in symmetry. The children explored the mathematical concept of symmetry by creating symmetrical and asymmetrical poses with their bodies. They also enjoyed a few rounds of symmetry tag. What a great way to start the week!

Second graders copying Mr. B's symmetrical pose. 

Mr. B is sculpting Riley into a symmetrical statue. 

Now Riley is sculpting Mr. B!

River and Kasiac are planning a symmetrical pose. 

Jack is demonstrating an asymmetrical pose. 

Hunter is showing Cole his asymmetrical pose.

Here is Chris in an asymmetrical pose. 

The I CAN statements for today's lesson. 

Magnets!!

We enjoyed a fabulous science workshop today led by an educator from the Discovery Museum (Acton, MA) and sponsored by our PTO. The children were so engaged as they learned about magnetic fields, poles, and forces that repel and attract. Check your child's backpack for a handmade Magnetic View Box as well as a short note from the museum. Many thanks to our PTO for bringing this meaningful learning experience to SES!

New England Animals

Your second grader has been diligently reading, researching, note-taking and writing this week! Each student has chosen to study a New England animal who lives in a freshwater or forest habitat. Their research subjects range from the red-tailed hawk and the loon to the fisher cat and the garter snake. After locating a research source and completing a note-taking template, each child is now composing a complete paragraph on his or her animal. The paragraph must include the following elements: a topic sentence, 3 evidence sentences, and a closing sentence. The children have drafted their paragraphs using 2 large index cards for the topic and closing sentences along with 3 small index cards for the evidence sentences. These cards are then edited and organized into the final paragraph. Next week, we'll add labeled diagrams of each animal and itshabitat to the project.  Stay tuned!

Measurement

We've begun a new mathematics unit on Measurement this week. We will be focusing on estimating, measuring and comparing the length of objects using standard units (inches, centimeters). Springtime household projects like gardening and painting are great opportunities for your second grader to practice his or her measuring skills

Flashback to April

Here is a collection of photos from Day #2 of our Writing Celebration -- another great gathering of superb second grade Informational Writing!

Powerful Poetry

Our month of studying poetry came to a close on Friday with a series of powerful poetry presentations. Each second grader chose two poems to present to the whole class. Our goal was to read each poem fluently and with expression. In addition, each student taught about the meaning and structure of his or her poem using a chart, an illustration or a dramatic retelling. Be sure to ask your child about the following poetry terms: rhyme, repetition, alliteration, stanza and line breaks.