Spectacular Symmetry!

What is Symmetry?
*if a shape can be folded in half so that one half fits exactly on top of the other, then we say that shape has symmetry
*the place where you can fold the shape in half so it fits exactly on the other half is called the "line of symmetry" - it divides the shape into two equal parts
*the line of symmetry may be vertical, horizontal or diagonal

According to our Ministry Expectations:
By the end of Grade 2:

Students should be able to create and describe symmetrical designs using a variety of different tools.  In class, students have had the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to do this using pattern blocks, geoboards, an iPad app, the light table with self selected objects, Miras and paper-pencil.

Students should be able to locate the line of symmetry in 2-dimensional shapes by paper folding or using a Mira.

According to these amazing pictures.......we got it!

Earth Day!

Earth Day was celebrated on Thursday, April 21st at Little Falls.  Unfortunately, it was a rainy afternoon and our class didn't get to conduct their 'community clean-up' until this week (Wednesday, April 27).  When we finally got out to our designated area, we were pleasantly surprised by how clean it was.  We did find some litter, but not as much as we expected!  We have been talking a lot in class about ways to help our Earth be a better place.  We talked about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.  We created posters to encourage others to care for our planet.  We also read "Judy Moody Saves the World" and learned that saving the rainforests and endangered species is also important.  Please help us look after our planet!  Happy Earth Day!

Little Falls has Talent

We really enjoyed the Little Falls Talent shows this week.  Teachers held auditions for all interested students "in class" and each class was allowed to send 2 'acts' to the big show.  We enjoyed seeing various dances, hockey skills, instruments being played, poetry read, magic and card tricks.  Getting up on stage in front of the whole school takes courage.  We are so proud of all the participants and the audience for cheering them on!

Partner Reading

Partner reading is a cooperative learning strategy in which two students work together to read an assigned text.  Partner reading allows students to take turns reading.  Partners can help each other with tricky words and provide each other with feedback about their reading.  Partners also talk about the text they are sharing which improves comprehension.  Partner reading is also a great way to practice fluency and expression.  We always have fun with partner reading tasks.  Since April is national poetry month, we did some partner reading of 'Fairy Tale Poems'.  Students practiced together and then presented to the class (which also allows them to practice their oral language skills).  If you would like to try this at home, you can borrow other "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You" books from the library or simply take turns reading opposite sides of any book.  Happy reading!

Georgia O'Keeffe Inspired Flowers!

Maybe it's true that April showers bring May flowers or maybe we were truly inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe.  This week, we looked at the amazing paintings produced by this very talented painter.

Georgia O'Keeffe was famous for her large format flower paintings.  She died at the age of 98 but her beautiful paintings continue to be admired world-wide.  

After looking at several examples of her paintings, our class noticed some things that are specific to her style of painting.
* "There isn't very much background....it's all flower"
* "She doesn't usually have white showing on her paper...unless the flowers are white".
* "The outline and details of the flower are easy to see" 
* "The flower is HUGE....like it's a close up".

Armed with this new inspiration, we set out to create our own flowers.  We still have some painting to finish, but you can already see how beautiful these paintings are!  

Mad About Money!

We have been talking a lot about money in Grade 2 these days!  By the end of Grade 2, students need to be able to estimate, count, and represent (using the ¢ symbol) the value of a collection of coins with a maximum value of one dollar.  After reviewing the names and values of each of the coins, we played several games to practice making money amounts and counting money amounts.  The students quickly realized how important counting by 10s, 5s and 1s is when counting dimes, nickels and pennies!  We have raced to one dollar and we have made equal money amounts different ways (by using different coins).  Learning about money also involves a lot of discussion about needs, wants, saving, spending, earning, lending, borrowing and even budgeting.  We have had some fantastic group conversation about money with this 'new vocabulary' in mind.  We also did some writing about what we would do if we had one million dollars and generated some very enteraining ideas!  

Continue to work with your child to recognize, name and talk about the value of our coins.  Practise counting sets of coins.  Talk about how you spend/save/earn your money.  Next, we will begin adding money amounts together as we pretend to 'shop' for different items!