Hofmann's Hotspot: October 2013

What's that smell coming from Room 27?? Could it be? Yes, it is!!! It's time for Pumpkin Math...yay!!! Today, Class 2H was immersed from our fingertips to our elbows, literally, in Pumpkin Math! What's that you ask? Just ask our second grade mathematicians! We investigated MANY mathematical questions today. Does the weight of a pumpkin compare to its size? What is the circumference of a pumpkin? How many seeds are in a pumpkin? Does every pumpkin have the same number of seeds? Is there any relationship between size and number of seeds?? Ahh...so much to explore! Who knew we could use so much math in a discussion about pumpkins?!! Don't believe us? Check out our amazing activity sheets, where we recorded all of our predictions, explorations, and data. Please excuse any stray pumpkin pulp and seeds that may have found their way to our sheets. Math CAN get p-r-e-t-t-y messy!! To get a better "picture" of what Pumpkin Math involves, check out our photo essay below. Happy Halloween :)

We LOVE Pumpkin Math...let's do it again tomorrow!!

Comparing the size of our pumpkins...

Goofy was the biggest
and Donald was the smallest!

Counting lines on our pumpkin.
Did you know the longer the pumpkin is on the vine, the more lines it has??

Team work is important
during ALL of
Pumpkin Math!!

Woody table...still counting lines...

Here we are measuring circumference!

Can't believe we are discussing such a big word
in second grade...CIRCUMFERENCE!!

Measuring circumference using
string and unifix cubes...

Ben is taking care of
the circumference...

Super cooperation measuring circumference...
Georgie, bored much?!

Atta boy George! Get in
on the action!!

How many inches is your
circumference, girls??

Now, we are ALL smiling!!

Time to cut open our pumpkins
and count the # of seeds..

Nice carving Samantha!

That's it...sort the seeds
from the pulp...

Yeah, Levy! Get in there!!

Getting messy...

Arjun and Aslan are not
afraid of a little pumpkin guts :)

Sorting seeds is fun for
everyone!

Best day ever!!

How's the smell Brendan??

Told you we were "up to our elbows"
in Math...and other things ;)

Check out all of
the different
methods we used
to count our pumpkin's seeds...so many ways!!!

Love how we showed our work
right on the table!! Always show your work...always :)

How many seeds were in your pumpkin??
Was there a relationship between size and seeds?
I think not!

Oh man, are we exhausted after all that work!!
GO PUMPKIN MATH!!

Happy Halloween!

Class 2-H had such a blast today learning all about Columbus discovering the Americas! This Italian explorer never gave up on his quest to find a shorter route to the Indies. Though his dream of reaching the Indies never came true, he is credited with discovering two whole continents- North and South America! In honor of his amazing 1492 voyage, we created our own model ships of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Then, we had fun acting out Columbus' route on the SmartBoard map. Just ask us to give you a retell of Columbus' story using our ships. Oh, and ask us to retell his voyage using sequence words. We love practicing our reading skills in all subjects!! Happy sailing back in time :)