November Update

Can it really be November 13th? Wow, time sure flies when you're having fun!

In Math:

We have been reviewing and extending the math skills that we learning in first grade, including our fact fluency, addition and subtraction within 100, data and graphing, shapes, and place value. These skills may seem easy, but they are truly the building blocks for the more advanced math that we will be doing this year and that your child will be doing through high school and college!

In the next few weeks, we will be focusing on addition and subtraction to 20, including adding and subtracting 2 digit numbers and adding up to four 2 digit numbers. We will be applying the strategies that we've learned to these greater numbers, focusing on the relationship between place value and addition. We will be story problems by identifying the question, the important information, and the operation required.

In Science:

We completed our first unit, Animals of Long Ago. Students studied fossils from plants and animals that were native to Calvert County. We discussed how fossils were made and where they've been found. Students completed a research project about an animal of long ago and they created their own pressed "fossils."

Next, we'll be studying life cycles, including the life cycles of the frog, butterfly, chicken, and plant.

In Social Studies:

We've been studying citizenship and communities. Students learned about the qualities of a good citizen, and they learned about different types of communities, such as rural, urban, and suburban. Students became city planners on our field trip to the National Building Museum, thinking about all of the ways we arrange our buildings to function for our citizens.

Next, we will be studying geography and culture while learning about winter holidays around the world.