Our 2G Mural is up in our hallway!  2G students were inspired by the murals we saw in Coolidge Corner on our field trip.  We learned that murals have a message and make you think about different things.  2G muralists decided to design a mural that depicted our love for learning.  We will be painting it in color Monday morning.  Come check it out!  Please enjoy these additional highlights of our week:
Literacy:  Readers started to create accordion books that tell about what happened in, My Father's Dragon.  Students are practicing finding the main idea of a chapter and summarizing important events.  Way to go!
Math:  Mathematicians began a new unit this week focusing on multiplication and division.  We have been looking at the relationship between repeated addition and multiplication to enhance our understanding.  For example:  3x5 = 5+5+5.  
Social Studies:  We love learning about the Hopi.  Students researched the types of things that Hopi make to use in their daily lives. Ask your child to tell you about some of the similarities and differences between how the Hopi get what they need to live and how we do the same.
Special Speaker:  Paul Fanning from the Saint Boniface organization came on Friday to talk to us about children in Haiti.  He showed us a slideshow of what our sister school, The Capan School looks like and how things are progressing.  We are excited to continue supporting kids in Haiti and to help them get a powerful learning experience.
Enjoy your week!

All second graders put a great deal of thought and effort into designing their own quilt squares for our community quilt.  Our second grade quilt was on display as part of the Lincoln School Diversity Museum.  I am so proud to be part of such an incredible school! Please enjoy these highlights of our week:
Literacy:  We finished reading, My Father's Dragon! This was a challenging text and 2G readers knocked my socks off (once again).  Ask your reader to tell you about the creative and silly ways that Elmer Elevator tricked the animals on wild island....and how he saved the day.
Math:  This week, mathematicians focused on story problems. We solved given addition and subtraction problems, learning to read carefully to determine what operation needs to be used.  Mathematicians practiced using carrying and borrowing in solving problems.  We brought our numbers to life and even created our own story problems for you to see at our upcoming breakfast share.
Social Studies:  We are enjoying our study of the Hopi.  We have been engaging in non-fiction research, hunting for information in given text with a partner.  This week, students learned about Hopi children and games.  As your child to tell you about some of the games that Hopi children play that are very similar to ours!
Writing Workshop:  It's a secret!  We worked on a very special poem that students will present at our breakfast share.
Mural Study:  Students got their official sketchbooks this week.  We created "view finders" and practiced using them to sketch things in the classroom.  We also learned about many beautiful murals from around the world to give us inspiration for planning our 2G mural next week.  We are looking forward to our field trip to Coolidge Corner!
Enjoy your week.  

Go, 2G!  We had a wonderful week in our classroom community.  Students put so much thought and hard work into their creative writing stories.  We had our last publishing day on Friday.  I am so proud of our incredible writers!  Students' stories will be shared at our breakfast share on June 13th.  Please enjoy these highlights of our studies:
Literacy:  2G readers have developed their reading skills.  Students are working on determining the meanings of new words in context in, My Father's Dragon.  
Science:  We were fascinated by our earthworms!  Scientists explored live earthworms' structure, movement, diet, and benefits to our soil.  We returned our wiggly friends to the soil on Wednesday however, we will continue to research these amazing creatures next week.  
Social Studies:  In our Hopi study, we learned about Hopi beliefs and traditions.  We were so excited to watch a movie called, "Corn is Life" that showed us how important corn is to the Hopi way of life.  We are looking forward to our Hopi cooking class at B.U. coming up in June!
Math:  Mathematicians completed their study of measurement.  We practiced using centimeters, inches, feet, yards, and meters to measure things in our classroom.  Next week, we'll be reviewing addition and subtraction through story problems.
Quilt Squares:  All second graders designed a quilt square for the Lincoln School Diversity museum.  Students chose symbols to represent their family, background, favorite foods, games, hobbies, etc.  2Gers worked very hard to design squares that represent who we are and to celebrate what makes us unique.  The second grade quilt will be on display in the library on Tuesday, May 21st. 
Enjoy your week. 

We had a wonderful week in 2G. Please enjoy these highlights of our studies:
Literacy:  Readers are having a ball reading, My Father's Dragon.  Ask your child about the unusual items Elmer (main character) packed in his backpack for his adventure.  So many exciting things to come!
Writing Workshop:  2G students have incredible imaginations.  We started writing creative stories that incorporate a specific character, setting, and plot. These are not ordinary elements, as they are chosen at random.  A writer may have the task of creating a story using: Character: an alien, Plot: character wants to change something, and Setting: a supermarket.  You will be blown away by these amazing authors!
Math:  Inch by inch...we are becoming measuring masters.  Mathematicians focused on the relationship between inches, feet, and yards.  We are learning to choose the most appropriate measuring tool for different items.  
Science:  Our earthworms arrived!  Scientists love studying earthworms.  We take them out of our terrarium during our experiments.  Students learned about the way their bodies move.  We also learned about the tiny bristles on their body called, "setae".  Have your scientist tell you why setae help protect the earthworms.
Arbor Day: On Friday, we had an all-school arbor day celebration in the gym. Eighth grade students put on a wonderful presentation of the Lorax, which was their kindergarten play when they were little!  The eighth graders wrote new lyrics to popular songs to tell the story in a new way.  It was a great reminder to all of us to take care of our surroundings.  
Enjoy your week!

This was a very special week in 2G for so many reasons.  All students in Lincoln School participated in our "Thank the Helpers" project.  2Gers chose a person who helps us in some way in our community to write a "thank you" letter to.  On Friday, we shook the hands of many helpers from the town of Brookline as we dropped off our letters in a post office bin.  Students were very thoughtful and they worked very hard to show others how much we appreciate them.  I am so proud!  Please enjoy these additional highlights of our week:
Literacy:  In reading groups, students are working hard on determining the meanings of new words in context in, My Father's Dragon.  We are also learning to talk about author's intent as we read.
Social Studies:  We watched videos sent to us by our friends in the Ecuadorian rain forest.  Students in the videos talked about what they learn in school, games they play, foods they eat, and animals that live locally.  We were fascinated to find so many similarities to what we do in 2G. 
Science: We concluded our study of soil this week. We learned so much about soil composition and we look forward to our next phase, studying what lives in the soil.  Our earthworms are arriving in just a few days!
Math:  Mathematicians began studying measurement.  We started our unit by exploring non-standard measurements to help us understand why it is so important to use tools such as inches, rulers, and yardsticks.  This is no easy "feet"!
Ms. Murphy:  Friday was the last day for our fabulous student teacher, Ms. Murphy. Next week, she graduates from Boston College and she will continue her education in the 5th year Master's program.  
The Big Apple Circus:  What a show!  2Gers had an incredible field trip to the circus.  We rode the train into the city and it was so much fun to take the escalator up from the Government Center train station and see the big tent right in front of us.  We enjoyed seeing jugglers, horses, dogs, a tight rope walker, contortionists, clowns, and so much more! Thank you to all of those who chaperoned and helped to make our day so special.  

We had an amazing week in 2G.  It is so nice to see the sunshine!  Please enjoy these highlights of our studies:
Literacy:  We started reading the second grade core book, My Father's Dragon in our reading groups.  This is a wonderful adventure story full of great, new vocabulary.  Students are challenged to determine the meanings of words in context.  
Writer's Workshop:  2Gers wrote stories about "bright spots" in their April vacations.  I am blown away by the detail and sentence structure students are using.  Next week, we'll be writing "thank you" letters to helpers in our school community and beyond.  
Math:  Good "times" with multiplication!  Our incredible mathematicians studies multiplying by focusing on rectangular arrays, counting groups of rows and columns.  We learned that the multiplication symbol can also represent the concept of, "groups of". Thus, 3 x 5 = 3 groups of 5.  We also began division by breaking up given amounts into smaller groups (sharing among friends).  
Science:  Scientists explored sand this week.  They took a closer look at its colors, size of granules, and composition.  Now that we have learned so much about different types of soil, we will explore some special friends that live in it.  We will welcome earthworms to 2G in a few weeks!  
Special Guest Reader:  Mrs. Gomes' dad came to read us the book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Friday.  We had a blast hearing the story, then we created story pages of our own where our favorite foods were falling out of the sky.  There were so many delicious ideas!
Have a wonderful week.

We will miss you, Yuta!  2G ended an amazing week with a special celebration for Yuta who is moving back to Japan.  We wish him all the best and we look forward to connecting with him soon.  Please enjoy these highlights of our studies:

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  2G had a wonderful week.  On Monday, we participated in a drumming workshop with the Japanese Drumming Troop, Genki Spark.  It was amazing!  Please enjoy these highlights of our studies:

Happy March, 2G Families!  We had a fantastic week and we are so excited that Spring is on its way.  Please enjoy these highlights of our studes:
Literacy:  Mrs. O'Donnell shared beautiful stories with us this week.  We learned to be active listeners and thinkers during read alouds.  Students completed sheets during Literacy that asked them to write questions they had before reading a specific story, questions that come up during reading, and questions that remain after reading.  These are wonderful skills to develop as they help us pay attention to detail, as well as think beyond the literal text.
Math:  Mathematicians started a new unit of study this week: Shapes!  We focused on identifying polygons and their characteristics.  In addition, mathematicians explored the differences between congruent and similar shapes.  On Friday, Ms. Murphy taught us about lines of symmetry.  Ask your mathematician to find an object in your home that has symmetry!
Writing Workshop:  We have been studying character development in 2G.  Pairs of students were given books on specific elements of character development such as, "respect", "cooperation", and "caring".  Students worked together to create their own page illustrating how we show our good character at the Lincoln School.  * Sneak Peak...this is what we're presenting at our community meeting! *
Social Studies:  Maakye ("Good morning" in Twi)!  We began our study of Ghana.  This week we learned about the land in Ghana, the capital, the regions, bordering countries, and rivers.  Next week, we'll be exploring Ghanaian symbolism in their flag, clothing, and art.  
Ms. Murphy will be on vacation next week.  We'll miss her and we can't wait to hear about her trip when she returns!
Have a wonderful week.

2G had an amazing week!  We had so many special things to celebrate.  I am so proud to announce that 2G students donated 69 cans to our can collection for the Brookline Food Pantry.  The goal was for each class to collect about 30 cans and 2G knocked it out of the park!  I am consistently touched by the warmth in our classroom family.  Please enjoy these highlights of our studies:
Special Guest:  On Tuesday, Paul Hurteau, founder of, One World Classrooms, came to speak to 2G!  Paul spoke to us about his teaching experience in the Amazon Rain Forest in Ecuador.  We learned about what life is like for his students and their families.  He shared a beautiful slideshow, as well as many local artifacts.  This visit was a kick-off of our partnership with a specific school in Ecuador.  We've created a movie about snow/snow gear, as well as artwork to mail to our new friends.  In return, we'll soon be receiving a movie and artwork from Ecuador!  On Monday, the 25th, we will have the incredibly opportunity to Skype with students in Ecuador.  We are thrilled to take part in such a wonderful partnership.  
Fundations:  There's nothing we can't do!  This week we started exploring contractions. We will continue to study contractions next week, as there are many patterns to learn.  
Math:  We completed our unit exploring addition and subtraction through puzzles, word problems, and fact families.  Ask your mathematician to create a story problem for you to solve!
Publishing:  Students published their biographies on Wednesday.  I was blown away by the incredible stories 2G created about so many influential people.  Writers also brought their Post-it posters home to share their research/organization process with you.  Way to go!
Valentine's Day:  2G had a fabulous Valentine's Day celebration.  Students exchanged valentine's, solved Valentine's Day themed word/number puzzles, and created Valentine's Day creatures.  While also enjoyed a number of delicious treats...thank you for your yummy donations!  
Class Meeting:  Every week, we hold a class meeting in 2G to discuss topics related to our four school rules in the Olweus Anti-Bullying Program.  On Friday, we had a wonderful discussion about including others in activities.  
I hope you are all enjoying a fantastic February vacation!  I look forward to seeing you on Monday.