It must be second grade! We are having a great start to our school year, jumping right into our curriculum. After reading Toy Boat by Randall de Seve, we explored the question: "How does a ship, made of tons of steel, stay afloat on the water?" We talked about how the forces of gravity and buoyancy affects boats and then we experimented by making boats out of aluminum foil. Our challenge was to design a boat that would hold the most pennies! Our record was 31! 
The warm and sunny weather was a great excuse to experiment outside! We also read Captain Kidd's Crew Experimenting with Sinking and Floating by Mark Weakland. Our first Investigations Math Unit is called "Counting, Coins, and Combinations". This unit develops ideas about counting and quantity, the composition of numbers and the operations of addition and subtraction. Students are also introduced to classroom routines that involve telling time and collecting and analyzing data.
During our Literacy time, children are picking "Just Right" books for our book boxes. We also have new "Word Work" we are learning and new class journals for "Work on Writing". Our three journals are "All About Me", "Ouchy Stories", and "My Favorite Place". Our first chapter book of the year is "The Year of Billy Miller" by Kevin Henkes.
