WEEKLY
UPDATE
Greenwood
Elementary School
Brookeville, MD
1/ 8/ 16
Happy New Year!
Reading and Writing
Have your children developed a sudden new interest in snowflakes and crystals? That
may be because at school students have been working on a multimedia project based
on the photographer and scientist, Wilson A. Bentley. We have read Snowflake
Bentley as well as other biographical material about this Vermont native who has
become known worldwide as “The Snowflake Man”. We are integrating reading,
language arts, writing, science, art, and research skills through this exciting project.
Students are learning to write their own haikus, a special Japanese form of poetry.
Students are even becoming expert snowflake designers. Stop by the second grade
hall to see our beautiful displays of snowflakes and poetry!!!
After reading many stories, we have begun writing our own fable, folktale, fairy tale,
or legend using the elements of folktales we have learned. Some of these original
folktales are being based on familiar stories such and The Three little Pigs, Cinderella,
Anasi the Spider, or Goldilocks.
Math
Science
In class we have been focusing on
solving story problems with one or
two steps. Also, we continue to
apply addition and subtraction
strategies to improve mental
calculations.
In order to understand how a microscope
and magnifying lens works, students read
a non-fiction article from the Encyclopedia
Britannica. Using questioning strategies
they posed and answered questions (who,
what where, when, why, how). They will
next be exploring with magnifying lenses
to identify tiny details of objects that
cannot be seen clearly with your naked
eye.
Next week, we will begin working
with money to identify the value of a
set of coins. Students must be able
to apply their ability to skip count by
ones, fives, tens, and twenty-fives in
order to correctly identify the
amounts. Students will use strategies
to group coins in different ways to
assist them in determining values.
Students will also explore multiple
ways to represent a given amount of
money up to a dollar.
Upcoming Events
1/13 Spelling Test
1/18 No School – MLK Day
1/20 Super Reader # 8 due
1/25 Professional Day – No school for students