2nd/3rd: Week of Mar 31

Math –

Ms. Andrea’s math group was reintroduced to the dime and the quarter! We practiced skip counting by 10s (easy peasy), and learned a new version of the Macarena, quarter style! “25, 50, 75, $1” – repeat & add hand movements! Then we played store and took turns buying items and paying for them using a combination of coins. After that – you guessed it – game day! We learned a new one and brought out several others. These guys and gals are doing an excellent job of counting mixed coins!! 🎉

Ms. Kelly’s crew kicked off the week using fraction bars to build a strong understanding of fractions on a number line. By the end of the week, they confidently tackled the challenge without the bars as support! Most groups also wrapped up last week’s multiplication challenge and are diving into even more multiplication practice—keeping those math brains sharp! 😜

Reading –

Ms. Kelly’s spelling kiddos wrapped up their unit on the three spellings of the final (k) sound and had some extra time this week to dive into fact-finding for their space topics. The smaller group setting allowed for more focused support, making our time very productive!

Ms. Andrea’s spelling group embarked on a study of the spellings responsible for the long a sound, the likes of which they’ve never seen before. This week we’re reviewing the basics: silent e, ai and ay, as well as learning more uncommon spellings such as in “eight,” “straight,” “veil” and “obey.”

Book clubs- Whoop whoop! The Winn-Dixie club has officially finished their book and has begun The Tale of Despereaux ! 🎉 Meanwhile, the Fudge, Rangers, and Littles groups are making great progress and pushing forward with their reading, discussing and responding!

Writing –

Our Beta writers rolled up their sleeves and dove into the next phase of their nonfiction projects! Using their highlighted articles, they began organizing their chosen facts by first identifying relevant headings—an essential part of nonfiction writing. Headings help keep information clear and easy to follow, guiding readers through the main ideas and setting expectations for each section. Students jotted their headings on one color of post-its, then used a second color to record supporting facts, carefully placing each fact under the appropriate heading. This hands-on strategy helped us sort through a lot of information in a clear, manageable way—an important step before transferring ideas into their nonfiction books.

We also turned our attention to writing strong introductions. A good introduction draws readers in and sparks curiosity. We explored three engaging strategies for starting a nonfiction book: beginning with a sound word, asking a question, or offering an interesting or surprising fact. The kids jumped right in and came up with some fantastic openings that left us all wanting to read more!

Theme –

On Monday the Beta classroom had the pleasure of welcoming guest teacher Ms. Brooke for a special astronomy lesson! Ms. Brooke led an engaging session on the three main types of galaxies: spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Students worked in small groups to act out the different galaxy shapes, helping bring these fascinating cosmic structures to life. Afterward, they reviewed key information and chose a galaxy type to either build or illustrate.

The creativity didn’t stop there—we used chalk pastels to create stunning galaxy art and worked on a “Where Am I?” flip book that helped us define and visualize our place in the universe, from galaxies to solar systems to planets. We wrapped up the week by learning about space probes and the incredible missions that have sent them beyond Earth, collecting data and making groundbreaking discoveries. 🌌🚀