Kids Around the World

This week our essential question was "How are kids around the world different?"  We read stories about children from other countries and learned a lot about different customs they have in other countries.  The students were fascinated by the fact that when children in Japan go to school they must take off their shoes and put on indoor shoes.  They also bow to their teacher.  I tried to make that a tradition here in this classroom but no luck.  They also read about different games that are played around the world.  In India, cricket is a popular game.  In Africa, the children play a game called Oware.

We are coming to the end of our Length unit in math.  This week we estimated lengths using benchmarks.  Did you know that your fingernail is a good benchmark to use for a centimeter?  We also started plotting data on line plots.  Next week we will be taking an assessment on the unit and then starting our new unit, Three Digit Addition and Subtraction.

For some fun writing activities this week, the students wrote narratives about what it would be like to be the tooth fairy for the day.  Then they were each transformed into a tooth fairy....look for that at Best of Heights Night.  We also did an opinion piece about which Hershey kiss was our favorite.  They got to taste three different kisses and choose which kiss they liked the best.  Personally, I like the dark chocolate, but that was the least favorite of the group.

Mrs. Taylor wrapped up the Black History Month unit in social studies with Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks.  We learned about how these two women were an integral part of the civil rights movement.  In science, we looked at different tools and the properties they have that make them best for a particular job.

One of my favorite things to do in second grade is to read to the students.  They become very engaged in the story.  We started reading one of my favorite stories to read, The Tale of Depereaux.

Have a great weekend.