Tuesday

Today, we learned the difference between a compound word and a multisyllabic word.  Not all multisyllabic words are compound words!  Ask your child to tell you the meaning of a compound word... when two words get pushed together to make a new word!  For example, butterfly, catfish, pocketbook, etc.

We also learned that sometimes as mathematicians, we go too fast, like race runners speeding toward the finish line.  When we do this, we make mistakes.  As mathematicians, it's better to be like a hiker... someone who takes his or her time, who notices the details and thinks deeply about their learning.  We practiced this with the concept of before and after.  Try this yourself...

61 is one before ____.

Many second graders automatically said 60 because they saw the word 'before'.  By slowing down and really thinking about it, they realized that the answer is actually 62.

62 is one after ____. 

Many kiddos said the answer was 63, because they saw the word 'after'.  They had to slow down and think to see the answer was really 61!

We had a great day of learning!