Second Grade....

We slipped past the first week and are starting to get in to the real schooling now. Which is good, because when I ask Sheela what she learned she always tells me "nothing". I need to work on the way that I phrase that question. Leaving that aside, there is a new homework format this year.

Last year 95% of the homework that Sheela brought home was a single sheet of math problems covering some addition, some subtraction, some word problems, picture problems, math sentances, graphing and fractions. Usually there were only 10 problems a night. This year she gets a mix of "word work", math and reading. There are five assignments a week and she gets to choose two of five from the word work, two of five from the math and one of five reading assignments. She gets the list on Monday and has until Friday to complete them.

For reading she chose to read me a book and then I had to write a note to Mrs. DeWatters telling her which book it was. For her first math she chose to "identify two shapes" that she can find in her bedroom and two shapes that she can find on the play ground. I hope that the level of difficulty ramps up quickly. Her second math will be to write a story problem about a bus that makes five stops. She has to describe what happens at each stop.

The word work involves the correct use of a list of words that is provided for the week. For example, choose five of the words and use each one correctly in a sentance. Or choose five words and then write down that word and a synonym for that word. There will be no spelling tests this year at all.