Gingerbread Houses

On Friday, second graders built and decorated gingerbread houses! 
(photo credits Mrs. Lister)

What grade will I be in...

A lot of the time teaching is going with the flow and grabbing hold of that teachable moment. On Thursday, our math class was that-a teachable moment. After our daily calendar routine, and discussing that when we all return from winter break it will be 2014,  a second grader asked, "Ms. Darling, what grade will I be in 2020?"

This led to a terrific discussion about timelines, addition and subtraction problems-all led by student inquiry! Scholars created a timeline starting with 2013 and the current grade they are in. From there we figured out what grade they would be in for each year up to 2020. What did our scholars discover you ask? In 2020, current second graders will be entering 9th grade! This of course led to the question, "how old will I be in 2020?" With a missing addend equation, we were able to figure that out. Most scholars will be 14 or 15 when entering high school. It was a great discussion that was completely student led, that required real life math!

Second graders also wanted to know how old Ms. Darling would be when they are 9th graders. Ask your scholar to find out the answer!

Books and Bagels

On Wednesday, Ms. Darling's room was a buzz with the wonderful sound of reading! Second graders shared how much progress they have made and impressed adults with their reading skills. Books and bagels is an event held in the morning where second graders invite family and friends, find a spot in the classroom and share their reading.

It was great to see so many family and friends turn out for this reading celebration!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

On Monday, Ms. Darling's class decorated snowflakes to celebrate the winter season and our first large snow storm! Scholars used glitter paints, sequences, jewels, and gel pens to decorate with. Just like in nature, no two snowflakes looked the same!