Welcome 2015! Procedural writing and Math talk

Welcome 2015!
Hope everyone had a Happy New Year! We are off to a busy start in Grade Two.

The students are enjoying knitting on their knitting machines while I read aloud 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. I will post some pictures of the knitting as we get more projects done. I am liking the Ninja headbands some of the boys are making :)
Here is a great link to a video about why learning a skill such as knitting as a child can be an important skill as an adult. 
Knitting to learn mathematical skills


Procedural Writing
We have been learning to write 'How to...' instructions. Using everyday tasks, the students are writing instructions. I have been introducing success criteria as well as we are using the 'Bump it Up Wall' to move our writing along a continuum. We recently wrote about such topics as, "How to brush your teeth", "How to wrap a present", "How to put your jacket on", "How to use the slide", "How to do a somersault" and "How to build a snowman". Students had to plan out the steps and in some cases role play to figure out what steps are involved. Using language such as 'First, Then, Next, Finally' we planned out how sequenced instructions need to be detailed and concise. I have seen big improvements with our writing as we continue to read instructional books and make personal connections to our every day life. A great moment happened when one of my students got out a 'knitting book' from our library and one student read it while the other taught herself to finger knit. Then they both came to me and said how important it is to have detailed instructions or else they never would have figured it out. A fun connection!

Math Talk

 Here is a chart outlining the questioning that I have taught the students prior to our math talk.

Here is an example of how students counted an array. The numbers at the top were the student answers as to how many dots were on the plate. If an answer is wrong, we accept that answer but through discussion we talk about how to count to achieve accuracy. The sectioned areas are how we 'Subatized' our thinking! In case you are wondering (as I did at first) what subatizing was, it is merely a word that refers to the 'rapid, accurate and confident judgement of numbers'. When you consider that most primary students are still consolidating the idea of number and value, then this is a skill that will improve through familiarity and experience. By showing and discussing the varied strategies that other students are using, we can expand and further develop those strategies. 

Trip news: We are planning a winter trip. Stay tuned for more details once they are finalized.