Just a reminder that your child is expected to be reading at least 100 minutes at home each week as part of our weekly homework. The Race to 100 card should be returned on Friday morning. Our class has read 42,550 minutes thus far, but we have several students whose totals are well below 1000 minutes (expectation is at least 2400 by this time in the year).
The play last night was wonderful. The students did an excellent job and parent turn out was amazing. I thought those with speaking parts sounded much older and singing voices were robust! Way to go dinosaur dancers!
We wrote in our interactive journals this morning and finished up the gathering of our facts for our biographies. The students are now expected to have completed their fact gathering and be ready to turn facts into sentences on Monday (we were a little delayed this morning). We played three more rounds of syllable Lotto discussed that each syllable has a vowel sound. It's a hard notion, though, because the bossy e is a vowel but it is not spoken.
Students had a free writing day today and were thrilled. I can't believe how many partner teams are authoring texts. I was amazed at the level of productive conversation. When it gets loud, I'm always tempted to "shhhhh," but after listening in on conversations this morning I determined the students were on-task!
I graded the spelling tests this afternoon. We have several students who were very close to being in the Hall of Fame. One or two letters away! This week's hall of fame students are: Zach, Asher and Teresa.
We continued our conversation about data organization and representation. We began to talk about data sets that involve two attributes and what to do with data points that have BOTH attributes.
Our germ unit started today for health. Did you know that your nose, ears and even lungs have small hairs that act as filters to keep the germs out? We talked at great length about the two most important things we can do to keep ourselves healthy: keep our hands out of our mouths and noses and wash our hands with soap.
Enjoy your weekend. I know lots of you are busy with sports so I hope you have some time for relaxation.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
It's the BIG day
The play is tonight and we are ready! The 3rd grade teachers paid the second grade a compliment today after the play, and we are anxious to sing for you. Please be in the cafeteria at 6:45 dressed in tube socks, shorts and a solid color shirt. The dinosaurs are ready for their dancing.
Today was a bit of a disjointed day. We had our dress rehearsal this afternoon and practice this morning. I gave mini booktalks on books I was able to purchase from the book order this morning. Ask your child about the Snake book. (Gives me chills just thinking about it.) We talked about the importance of adding details to your drawings/diagrams in "all about" books and we had a chance to write more about our favorite subjects.
We practiced paths and made a path to get me to the cheese store, yarn store, coffee shop and then to my sofa. We've also begun talking about data collection and organization. If you deal with data at work take a moment to share that with your child.
See you tonight!
Today was a bit of a disjointed day. We had our dress rehearsal this afternoon and practice this morning. I gave mini booktalks on books I was able to purchase from the book order this morning. Ask your child about the Snake book. (Gives me chills just thinking about it.) We talked about the importance of adding details to your drawings/diagrams in "all about" books and we had a chance to write more about our favorite subjects.
We practiced paths and made a path to get me to the cheese store, yarn store, coffee shop and then to my sofa. We've also begun talking about data collection and organization. If you deal with data at work take a moment to share that with your child.
See you tonight!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Worms
Have you ever heard of vermicomposting? Watch here for more information about a grant we received to begin vermicomposting.
Students shared with the facts they have collected for their biography posters. I am impressed with the knowledge they already have and what they want to know about famous people. I cannot believe some of the things students noticed. Tomorrow we will begin to change our facts into usable sentences so that we can prepare our posters.
We played syllable Lotto this morning. The students had an enjoyable time and LOVE to clap out the syllables in words. This is a great way to practice syllabication. You can say a word and have your child clap the syllables. We continued working on our all about books; there will be some exquisite end products.
We continued with paths a little today. Be on the lookout for bits of your child's assessments coming home. I will attach a note to one page indicating whether your child needs extra practice with her rights and lefts.
We're continuing to read The Phantom Tollbooth. If you haven't ever read it, take some time to do so. It's full of exciting vocabulary (lots of synonyms) and idioms.
Costumes: your child should come to school wearing (or bring) his or her costume for the play. Children are expected to be in costume for the 1:00 pm performance.
Students shared with the facts they have collected for their biography posters. I am impressed with the knowledge they already have and what they want to know about famous people. I cannot believe some of the things students noticed. Tomorrow we will begin to change our facts into usable sentences so that we can prepare our posters.
We played syllable Lotto this morning. The students had an enjoyable time and LOVE to clap out the syllables in words. This is a great way to practice syllabication. You can say a word and have your child clap the syllables. We continued working on our all about books; there will be some exquisite end products.
We continued with paths a little today. Be on the lookout for bits of your child's assessments coming home. I will attach a note to one page indicating whether your child needs extra practice with her rights and lefts.
We're continuing to read The Phantom Tollbooth. If you haven't ever read it, take some time to do so. It's full of exciting vocabulary (lots of synonyms) and idioms.
Costumes: your child should come to school wearing (or bring) his or her costume for the play. Children are expected to be in costume for the 1:00 pm performance.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Another day closer
The play is one day closer and the students are singing their hearts out! It's wonderful to hear. I've got my days off this week, though, and am constantly surprised that it's only Tuesday night
We categorized facts today and worked on making sure we had facts from every facet of our biography subjects life. The posters are going to be amazing! We chose topics for "all-about" books this morning, and I think we'll have quite a wonderful collaborative book all about Bethany. We'll see if we can keep it in the office for students new to our school.
We finished our measurement unit today and took part of the assessment. Keep working with your child on left and right. Have them determine if you are making a right turn in the car or a left turn. Can they tell you if their bed is on the left or right side of the room?
Tomorrow we'll start a unit on categorizing data, a unit that I enjoy as much as the students.
The lost and found is bursting! Be sure to check for lost items.
We categorized facts today and worked on making sure we had facts from every facet of our biography subjects life. The posters are going to be amazing! We chose topics for "all-about" books this morning, and I think we'll have quite a wonderful collaborative book all about Bethany. We'll see if we can keep it in the office for students new to our school.
We finished our measurement unit today and took part of the assessment. Keep working with your child on left and right. Have them determine if you are making a right turn in the car or a left turn. Can they tell you if their bed is on the left or right side of the room?
Tomorrow we'll start a unit on categorizing data, a unit that I enjoy as much as the students.
The lost and found is bursting! Be sure to check for lost items.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Three more days until the Play
We are MOST excited about the upcoming play. The students are eager, anxious, happy, nervous and scared. It's showing in all areas of our curriculum, not just during music time.
Today was a busy day for fact finding in our room. Everyone worked on picking out interesting facts about their biography subject. I learned a lot about all the subjects. I had no idea that Mother Teresa cancelled her Nobel banquet so the money could be given to charity. I also did not know that Bessie Coleman survived at least one plane crash before her death.
We will be talking about syllables this week. See if you and your child can clap and count out the syllables in the names of all your family members.
We had a rough day in library. I know Mrs. Seawell expected better listening than she received.
Students seem to have a good handle on making paths and raced through some pages in Today's Math. We had time for extra any book reading, and then we zipped off to practice.
More sun for us!
Today was a busy day for fact finding in our room. Everyone worked on picking out interesting facts about their biography subject. I learned a lot about all the subjects. I had no idea that Mother Teresa cancelled her Nobel banquet so the money could be given to charity. I also did not know that Bessie Coleman survived at least one plane crash before her death.
We will be talking about syllables this week. See if you and your child can clap and count out the syllables in the names of all your family members.
We had a rough day in library. I know Mrs. Seawell expected better listening than she received.
Students seem to have a good handle on making paths and raced through some pages in Today's Math. We had time for extra any book reading, and then we zipped off to practice.
More sun for us!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Aaah, Friday
What a beautiful afternoon we are having. I hope everyone has the chance to be outside this afternoon. Ride your bikes, go for a walk, play soccer as a family! Enjoy the sun while we have it.
I want to let you know that we talked about Anne Frank today (as a biography subject). You can imagine that led to many questions. If your child has further questions, help him or her try to understand things on a second grade level. They don't need too much detail, but an honest answer is always better than trying to change the subject.
We've decided that we want to make posters for our biography projects. A few students want to go a different direction, and that's ok, as well. We'll make it work for everyone. Over the next few days students will be gathering facts, sorting them and turning their facts into sentences. We're still reading biographies and we're starting to talk about how to write an "All About" book (minus the girl scout cookies, of course).
Our class did an amazing job working with paths today. We might be finished with the Monday math activities already! We zoomed right through what we needed to get accomplished.
TV Turn-off week begins next Monday. Students are encouraged to participate. I will participate as well. It's a great opportunity to set limitations on TV watching. Even a week can make a lasting change.
Enjoy your weekend!
I want to let you know that we talked about Anne Frank today (as a biography subject). You can imagine that led to many questions. If your child has further questions, help him or her try to understand things on a second grade level. They don't need too much detail, but an honest answer is always better than trying to change the subject.
We've decided that we want to make posters for our biography projects. A few students want to go a different direction, and that's ok, as well. We'll make it work for everyone. Over the next few days students will be gathering facts, sorting them and turning their facts into sentences. We're still reading biographies and we're starting to talk about how to write an "All About" book (minus the girl scout cookies, of course).
Our class did an amazing job working with paths today. We might be finished with the Monday math activities already! We zoomed right through what we needed to get accomplished.
TV Turn-off week begins next Monday. Students are encouraged to participate. I will participate as well. It's a great opportunity to set limitations on TV watching. Even a week can make a lasting change.
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Thursday...
Well, now that we've got the date of the 2nd grade performance all ironed out....
Today the student's chose the subjects for their biography projects. Subjects range from César Chavez to LeBron James. Inventors were a big hit as were sports figures. We also worked on adding -ed, -ing and -s to words during spelling today. Students will be asked to generate a list of words that where you change the y to an i before adding an ending, so be on the lookout.
We learned that a straight path is always shorter than a path with turns to the same destination and had a chance to visit the Science Fair. We have some impressive scientists in our building!
Ask your student why Epossamondus has no hair on his tail. It's a fun story with a funny ending. How many books feature a persimmon eating opossum.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Today the student's chose the subjects for their biography projects. Subjects range from César Chavez to LeBron James. Inventors were a big hit as were sports figures. We also worked on adding -ed, -ing and -s to words during spelling today. Students will be asked to generate a list of words that where you change the y to an i before adding an ending, so be on the lookout.
We learned that a straight path is always shorter than a path with turns to the same destination and had a chance to visit the Science Fair. We have some impressive scientists in our building!
Ask your student why Epossamondus has no hair on his tail. It's a fun story with a funny ending. How many books feature a persimmon eating opossum.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Correction, CORRECTION! Most Important
Oh dear, oh dear.
A dreadful mistake.
There was some confusion about when the dinosaur program is. (Different dates on different memos...)
I have it on official authority that the Dinosaur Program IS THURSDAY, April 26th. (Not Tuesday, as previously mentioned.)
Sorry for any confusion.
A dreadful mistake.
There was some confusion about when the dinosaur program is. (Different dates on different memos...)
I have it on official authority that the Dinosaur Program IS THURSDAY, April 26th. (Not Tuesday, as previously mentioned.)
Sorry for any confusion.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Mid-week Wednesday
We are EXCITED about our upcoming dinosaur musical program. Just a reminder that our program starts at 7 pm, next Tuesday, April 24th. We will do our dress rehearsal at 1 pm that day. You are welcome to attend one or both performances, but all the children should arrive at school around 6:45 on Tuesday night.
Our biography project continues to captivate the students. We are reading biographies at every available opportunity, and can't wait to delve deeper into one person.
We saw Ms. Clifford today and talked about what we want to do when we "grow-up," though I always wonder what it means to be "grown-up." We have a crop of kiddos who are interested in being veterinarians. We're an animal loving group.
We worked on mazes in the computer lab this afternoon, practicing our right and left turns. Tomorrow we'll be talking about whether it's better to take a straight path or a path that twists and turns. I think the students have already got that figured out!
Just a reminder that if your student has a negative lunch balance for three days, she will be given a peanut butter sandwich and a carton of milk for lunch. Help your child eat a healthy lunch by depositing money into his account.
Our biography project continues to captivate the students. We are reading biographies at every available opportunity, and can't wait to delve deeper into one person.
We saw Ms. Clifford today and talked about what we want to do when we "grow-up," though I always wonder what it means to be "grown-up." We have a crop of kiddos who are interested in being veterinarians. We're an animal loving group.
We worked on mazes in the computer lab this afternoon, practicing our right and left turns. Tomorrow we'll be talking about whether it's better to take a straight path or a path that twists and turns. I think the students have already got that figured out!
Just a reminder that if your student has a negative lunch balance for three days, she will be given a peanut butter sandwich and a carton of milk for lunch. Help your child eat a healthy lunch by depositing money into his account.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tuesday, April 17th
Today's energy in our classroom has been electric! The students are completely engaged in reading biographies! I got out the rest of the biography collection (from my personal library, the Bethany library and the Multnomah County library) and students were captivated by the stories. It's looking like we will choose subjects for our biography report on Thursday, so students are having a chance to read about a variety of people in order to decide. Some favorites were Rachel Carson, Helen Keller and Babe Ruth!
We continued working on right and left with Turtle turns in math. Students have made the connection between the hands on the clock and the way the turtle rotates. Ask about Turtle Turns tonight!
During writing workshop we talked about the importance of having good illustrations in a how-to book, and the students had a chance to practice. I shared about myself being a visual learner and NEEDING those kind of illustrations.
I wish you all could have seen the crowd of students around the biography cart. It was truly an impressive sight.
We continued working on right and left with Turtle turns in math. Students have made the connection between the hands on the clock and the way the turtle rotates. Ask about Turtle Turns tonight!
During writing workshop we talked about the importance of having good illustrations in a how-to book, and the students had a chance to practice. I shared about myself being a visual learner and NEEDING those kind of illustrations.
I wish you all could have seen the crowd of students around the biography cart. It was truly an impressive sight.
Monday
Today we had the first of our long practices to prepare for our Dinosaur program, which is scheduled from next Tuesday night. We had the opportunity to visit the library today, as well.
We're cruising through our biography study! Students started their second biography reading group. We are reading about Harriet Tubman, Louis Braille, Rosa Parks, Jesse Owens and Eleanor Roosevelt. The students are continuing to work on choosing important facts.
We worked on making turns and angles during math and had the chance to visit the computer lab to move the turtle through the maze. Be sure to practice "left" and "right" with your child.
We also finished up some work with a story called Are We There Yet?. We mapped out their journey on our big map of Australia and had the chance to capture some of the things we're wondering about Australia. I'm looking forward to sharing Australia with our class.
We're cruising through our biography study! Students started their second biography reading group. We are reading about Harriet Tubman, Louis Braille, Rosa Parks, Jesse Owens and Eleanor Roosevelt. The students are continuing to work on choosing important facts.
We worked on making turns and angles during math and had the chance to visit the computer lab to move the turtle through the maze. Be sure to practice "left" and "right" with your child.
We also finished up some work with a story called Are We There Yet?. We mapped out their journey on our big map of Australia and had the chance to capture some of the things we're wondering about Australia. I'm looking forward to sharing Australia with our class.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday AND Thursday
Well, I'm a day behind, but I think I can get us caught up! Wednesday, we shared our biography facts with the class, went to the library, worked on our how-to books, and... We finished up the first investigation from our Measurement unit and took part of our math assessment. Then, we read from The Phantom Tollbooth and took our flight to Australia. We stamped our passports, took our carry-on luggage and settled in for the in-flight movie.
Thursday...
We had a mixed up day! We went to Specials this morning and had recess with the third graders this afternoon. We started new biography groups today, and the students did an amazing job making predictions and coming up with group agreements for how to treat each other. We continued to work on how-to books, and used published books as examples. We learned about the things that authors do to make their writing easy to understand.
We learned about paths during math and figured out that our class had on 114 pockets today. The students learned the importance of being very explicit when giving directions, or you might end up somewhere you don't intend! We read a book called Are We There Yet? by Allison Lester which is an account of a journey around the perimeter of Australia. Then we drew a giant map of Australia and the students taught me the names of the states, geographic features and oceans around Australia.
We have such a wonderful class. I say it often, but it is my pleasure to be your child's teacher.
Thursday...
We had a mixed up day! We went to Specials this morning and had recess with the third graders this afternoon. We started new biography groups today, and the students did an amazing job making predictions and coming up with group agreements for how to treat each other. We continued to work on how-to books, and used published books as examples. We learned about the things that authors do to make their writing easy to understand.
We learned about paths during math and figured out that our class had on 114 pockets today. The students learned the importance of being very explicit when giving directions, or you might end up somewhere you don't intend! We read a book called Are We There Yet? by Allison Lester which is an account of a journey around the perimeter of Australia. Then we drew a giant map of Australia and the students taught me the names of the states, geographic features and oceans around Australia.
We have such a wonderful class. I say it often, but it is my pleasure to be your child's teacher.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
And then it was Tuesday
Tuesday zoomed by! I looked at the clock yesterday afternoon and it was 4:30 before I'd even realized it.
The students finished the clarifying of their thoughts for their first biography groups and today will present the facts to the class. We received a letter from Mary Moody, our Trucker Buddy, and we learned that her mother had passed away and her sister had been in the hospital! No wonder we hadn't heard from her. We took some time to make a book of Happy Thoughts for her and will take time again before the end of the month to write to her again.
Students wrote measurement riddles in math and finished up tasks from Monday. We're cruising through our unit, and will be done with it in NO time! Wow. We finished packing our suitcases for our trip to Australia, and will get on the plane today. I've got the in-flight movie and the peanuts all ready. It should be a great time. Here's to one more day on our learning adventure together.
The students finished the clarifying of their thoughts for their first biography groups and today will present the facts to the class. We received a letter from Mary Moody, our Trucker Buddy, and we learned that her mother had passed away and her sister had been in the hospital! No wonder we hadn't heard from her. We took some time to make a book of Happy Thoughts for her and will take time again before the end of the month to write to her again.
Students wrote measurement riddles in math and finished up tasks from Monday. We're cruising through our unit, and will be done with it in NO time! Wow. We finished packing our suitcases for our trip to Australia, and will get on the plane today. I've got the in-flight movie and the peanuts all ready. It should be a great time. Here's to one more day on our learning adventure together.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Monday, 4.9
Today we went to an impressive performance by Ballet Folklorico. They shared three styles of dances from Mexico with us. The costumes and the dancing were impressive. Students were definitely wondering how the dancers made such quick costume changes!
We worked on refining our biography facts and will finish that up on Tuesday. We wrote Weekend News, which was done in a lickety-split fashion. In math, we measured the jumps we did on Friday and spent some time catching up in Today's Math. We were lucky enough to have the chance to use some computers to do an activity called Giant Steps, as well.
We finished making our official packing list for Australia, and tomorrow we'll pack our suitcases and learn about our dimensions of Australia.
We missed Library because of the assembly. It's been rescheduled for for Wednesday morning.
We worked on refining our biography facts and will finish that up on Tuesday. We wrote Weekend News, which was done in a lickety-split fashion. In math, we measured the jumps we did on Friday and spent some time catching up in Today's Math. We were lucky enough to have the chance to use some computers to do an activity called Giant Steps, as well.
We finished making our official packing list for Australia, and tomorrow we'll pack our suitcases and learn about our dimensions of Australia.
We missed Library because of the assembly. It's been rescheduled for for Wednesday morning.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Friday, April 6
The children were energized today! It was wonderful to be back after three days gone. I shared with the students the reason I was gone: my brother had open heart surgery on the 28th and developed some serious complications. Things have settled down for now, and I'm quite relieved.
We had a busy day today. Students finished reading their first biography book with their interest groups, and we will talk about sharing facts in an appropriate format on Monday. The students really enjoyed it and it was exciting to hear them discussing whether facts were important or not so important.
In writing workshop, we revised our how to books. Our kiddos have a wealth of knowledge all wrapped up in their minds. It was amazing to see some of their "how to" ideas.
We had our spelling test and measured three types of jumps during math. On Monday, the students will use items such as linker cubes to measure the lengths of their jumps, and will put things in numeric order. We're able to deal with ordinality in both math and reading!
We made the list of things we need to pack for Australia today, and on Monday we'll pack our bags for our "flight" on Tuesday. (We're only going on a "pretend" flight, of course."
Have a wonderful weekend.
We had a busy day today. Students finished reading their first biography book with their interest groups, and we will talk about sharing facts in an appropriate format on Monday. The students really enjoyed it and it was exciting to hear them discussing whether facts were important or not so important.
In writing workshop, we revised our how to books. Our kiddos have a wealth of knowledge all wrapped up in their minds. It was amazing to see some of their "how to" ideas.
We had our spelling test and measured three types of jumps during math. On Monday, the students will use items such as linker cubes to measure the lengths of their jumps, and will put things in numeric order. We're able to deal with ordinality in both math and reading!
We made the list of things we need to pack for Australia today, and on Monday we'll pack our bags for our "flight" on Tuesday. (We're only going on a "pretend" flight, of course."
Have a wonderful weekend.
Monday, April 2, 2007
April 2nd
Wow, the return from Spring Break certainly felt a little bit tough this morning. The 5 am alarm wasn't too welcomed....
We started back with gusto! Today the students chose the first book they want to read in their student-led literature circles, which we're doing as part of our biography study. We'll do 5 different groups: Thomas Edison, Sacagawea, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Amelia Earhart.
Students wrote "Newsflashes" of their spring breaks this morning. It was fun to read an invigorated account of your family activities.
We started a new math unit today on Measurement. For the next few days, we'll be working on non-standard units of measure. It's fun to watch children discover different ways of comparing measurement. Ask your child what they measured today and how they figured out if it was the same length as the paper strip.
We're finishing up our communities unit by making travel brochures for an urban, rural or suburban place of our choosing. Other big news is that we are getting closer to the second grade music program!
Just to let you know, I've had a family emergency and will have a sub on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday. I will be checking email, however.
We started back with gusto! Today the students chose the first book they want to read in their student-led literature circles, which we're doing as part of our biography study. We'll do 5 different groups: Thomas Edison, Sacagawea, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Amelia Earhart.
Students wrote "Newsflashes" of their spring breaks this morning. It was fun to read an invigorated account of your family activities.
We started a new math unit today on Measurement. For the next few days, we'll be working on non-standard units of measure. It's fun to watch children discover different ways of comparing measurement. Ask your child what they measured today and how they figured out if it was the same length as the paper strip.
We're finishing up our communities unit by making travel brochures for an urban, rural or suburban place of our choosing. Other big news is that we are getting closer to the second grade music program!
Just to let you know, I've had a family emergency and will have a sub on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday. I will be checking email, however.
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