<p>September went by quickly, but the second graders in Mr. Mitchell's class took advantage of every learning opportunity. The students celebrated their diversity by making "Personal Puzzle Pieces" and “All About Me” train posters. The students studied ways they are alike and ways they are all special. The main focus during the first few weeks of school was on teamwork, cooperation, friendship and respect of self and others through community building activities. The students also celebrated Constitution Day by learning about how the rules of our country came to be on September 17th. Three days later, the crew of Room 216 set sail with Captain Blackbeard Mitchell for a day of piratey fun on "Talk Like a Pirate Day" on September 20th. Please check out the Photo Album page or Home page of the website to view lots of great pirate day pictures. Finally, the students started exploring rocks and minerals by beginning our new Foss science unit called Sand, Silt, and Pebbles. We also jumped into Unit 1 of Every Day Math, which was filled with review lessons to get the students prepared for learning about and understanding newer math concepts in the months to come. September was a great time to turn over a “new leaf” and set goals for an exceptional year! October will be a busy month for the second- grade students of Room 216. The students will start Reader’s and Writer's Workshop. They will read leveled books about Christopher Columbus, rocks, and Halloween. The students will also create homemade boats for a Columbus Day Boat Float project. The students’ boats are always very creative and most, from big to small, will float exceptionally well. This is a great opportunity for parents and students to have fun while learning how to design a buoyant boat. During math exploration, the students will review place value, time, addition, and subtraction. The students will play related math games like Addition Top-It, Beat the Calculator, and Doubles or Nothing from the Everyday Math program. Science will be simply super! The students will spend the month delving more into rocks and minerals with hands-on cooperative science lessons from our Sand, Silt, and Pebbles Unit. Finally, the students will learn about the importance Christopher Columbus played in our history, along with readings and fun activities related to Autumn and Halloween. October is sure to be a “thrilling” adventure in learning! </p>