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MLK Tekes and Tzitzit

Community: Switching Groups and A Visit from Two Friends: Old and New

Today at Kabbalat Shabbat we reflected on this past week which was our first full week in a long time, and our first week with new groups. Students were asked to say something nice from this week, or a challenge or a compliment. Sam said he was happy to be in a new group where he could work with new kids, like Zelig. Matan complimented the teachers that they made good groups. Rohan and Allie both said that they enjoyed math this week. All students participated in the sharing. Ask your child what they shared about the week.

This week Amy came to visit second grade with her new baby, Gracie. The students were excited to see Amy again, and she was amazed at how much they have grown. In Morning Meeting they received an extra special share- Amy shared all about baby Gracie! We learned about what Gracie has learned to do, like giggle and wave her hands, and Amy shared about what it is like to be a new mother. The students were so sweet and welcoming with the baby, making sure to keep the volume at an appropriate level, and engaging her by making eye contact and smiling. Thank you for visiting Amy!

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Reading

This wee, most of our reading was on the subject of great leaders. With new books in our library on great figures during the Civil Rights Movement, we explored books about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent leaders. We read “Tar Beach” by Faith Ringgold, the story of 8-year-old Cassie, an African American girl growing up in Harlem in the mid-20th century. We spent time analyzing the illustrations of “Tar Beach” alongside some of Faith Ringgold’s other pieces, and we discussed the influence that Faith’s great-great-grandmother – an enslaved African American woman whose main task was to sew quilts for her owner’s family – had on her art.

During our independent reading this week we concentrated on noticing when the characters were speaking in the books we are reading and how the author used quotation marks. We also practiced writing sentences with quotation marks, making sure to add the quotation marks at the beginning of the sentence and after the final punctuation.

Writing and Social Studies

This week was dedicated to preparing for our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tekes, which provided a wonderful opportunity to integrate writing and social studies. After reviewing the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges, the second graders brainstormed and selected a few big words to describe qualities of great leaders. Then, they chose a quote from a recent read aloud that felt particularly important to them. Over the next few days we turned these planning sheets into gorgeously detailed ‘quilt’ squares made with marker, construction paper, colored pencil and textured scrapbook paper. Students carefully arranged their big words and quotations on the square, arranging them with drawings and symbols of freedom, peace, friendship, love, bravery and equality. Next, each child worked to create a detailed, quilt-like border, inspired by Faith Ringgold’s art. Check out our beautiful quilt on the 2nd bulletin board!

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Science

In science this week, students solved a mixture mystery. They correctly identified that it was salt and pepper by putting a small amount on an orange piece of paper and looking with a magnifying glass, as well as smelling it. Second graders put their science know-how into practice by using various ways to separate the mixture: assembling and pouring through a sieve, adding the mixture to water, and filtering with a coffee filter, funnel and empty cup. They also poured the mixture and water in petri dishes and made predictions as to what will happen in a number of days. Thinking back to how their salt and water petri dishes evaporated and made salt crystals, we are hoping to find “black crystals” in the near future in their new petri dish experiments. Stay tuned for the next report and photos…

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Yahadut: Tzitzit and Tallit Exploration

We are learning a new t’fillah that is connected to the mitzvah of wearing tzitzit (a prayer shawl) or tallit katan.  Phyllis visited our class to show us what a big tallit looks like. Phyllis taught us to count the strings and knots of the tzitzit and calculate the numerical value of the word tzitzit, in order to get to the number of mitzvot in the Torah, 613. Ask your child how we got to the number 613. Seventh grade student, Sammy Bender also visited our classroom to talk to us about his tzitzit which he has been wearing since first grade.

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Hebrew: Celebrating the 75th Day of school with Bingo

Every morning we count the days of school in Hebrew. We usually count by ones, two, fives, or tens. Today was the 75th day of school and we celebrated by playing Bingo in Hebrew, since it goes up to the number 75. Students enjoyed having the opportunity to practice their Hebrew numbers in such a fun way!

 

Art with Iviva:

In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, we talked about King’s legacy of peace, nonviolence and harmony. We explored symbols of peace, including doves and olive branches. Students used watercolor pencils and colored pencils to illustrate these ideas.

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