Class Economy & Fractions

Dear Families,

Last week the students began their classroom economy project.  They asked important guiding questions such as:
- What is an economy?
- What are goods/services?
- Why isn't everything free?
- How can I add & subtract money from my bank account?

These are the main topics that we will cover as a class over the next few weeks.  I am hoping that this project will last throughout the year in the sense that students will continue to complete their jobs and work as a community to keep the classroom running.
Please talk to your student about their role in the economy and why it is important that each person do his/her job.  Also when at the store or gas station discuss prices of items, where you get the money to pay for these goods/services, and why things are not free.

In math this week we are beginning our unit on fractions.  This week will begin with an introduction of terminology such as what a fraction means, what it looks like, when is a fraction a part of a whole or part of a set, etc.  We are also talking about numerators and denominators.  We will use the next few weeks to discuss fractions as decimals and how fractions and division are related.

Spelling words of the week:  the long e sound spelled with a y
penny   dizzy   puppy   very   only   many   baby   lady   candy   worry

Building City Hall

Last Friday Reyna's architecture lesson was centered around the idea of a community and their economy.  The class discussed what kinds of businesses and services a community needs to thrive and what kinds of bulding would be home to them.  The students came up with community made up of a town hall, school, bank, hospital, fire/police stations, and a store.  The students worked in small groups to construct the community from carsboard boxes and construction paper.  Come in and check out the intricate detail that the students added to each building.  Some buildings have doors that really open.  The hospital has a helipad and helicopter. The fire station has a truck out front and ready to respond to any emergency.


Little Town - a community created by the IA second graders





Creators of the Fire/Police Station

Little School for the children of Little Town

Little Town Bank where the community members keep their money safe.