We are truly in the final stretch! April Vacation is upon us. I hope you and your family have a wonderful week off! They have worked so hard as we've adjusted to five days in with the entire class. We've got a great flow going now. Only six-ish weeks after vacation and we will be looking at the summer before third grade. Eek!!
This week your students were busy creating their own island. There were lots of volcanos (even one named after a students mother - what an honor!), plateaus, and a few buttes dashed in. The students worked so hard and were very proud of their 3D maps. I hope they made it home in one piece. When the students come back, we will be digging deeper into those "flat landforms" also known as biomes. We will also have some feathers visitors coming to the school. Hmm... 🦉 In math, we will be diving back into data, graphing, and adding shapes to the mix. Many students have been inches closer to third grade math with their conferences. Any extra practice at home is appreciated and helps build their confidence and success during their math fact conferences here at school. Enjoy vacation!! A Look Ahead: 😴 Rest 🌴 Relaxation
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This week we had our first spelling test (who's excited?!) The students have been so flexible as the work has increased. I am so proud of the progress everyone has made this year. I have to remind myself there are second graders and not third graders in front of me sometimes.
We are starting our social studies project this week after sending home our seeds last week. We started to look at different kinds of maps and the different parts of a map. Never eat soggy waffles! Next week we are going to be creating our own 3D map with salt dough. I will be sending an email to parents asking for a few materials to make this messy project possible! I hope you're ready to get your hands dirty. We will be starting a new unit in math! We will be focusing on some more measuring and data during this unit. There will even be a few games thrown in there, too! A Look Ahead: 🗺️ - Creating a 3D map in social studies 📊 - In math, we're looking at data and measuring 🍃 - In reading, we'll be looking at Upcoming Events: 😎 - April 23rd: First Friday in the building 🌴 - April 26th - 30th: April Vacation!! We made it! Our first week with everyone in the classroom. The Silly Hippo Water Dragons may be exhausted, but it felt like our family was all together finally! We'll continue to introduce new activities and learning routines now that we have the time in person to do so. Next week will be our first spelling test week. This week, we practiced to see what those routines would look like. The trickiest part was the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing the words yet on Monday during the pretest. This helps me pick the perfect list for your student so they only have to study 4 or 5 words. This works two ways. If your students gets all the tested words correct on the first go before we practice - then I will move them to a challenge group. On the flip side, if they only get a few words correct, then we stick with the most important words to master and practice the skill. Look at the top of their pretest on Monday to know what their minimum group is for the week. I say minimum because I would never stop a student for striving for more! If you get Group A on Monday, study really hard and want to go for Group C on Thursday - go for it! We wrapped up our science unit on plants. Hopefully the baby green beans and snap peas made it home safely. Up next, we'll be talking about different landforms and bodies of water. That will scoot right into how these different areas make great biomes for animals and plants. We've got a lot of science coming up to finish up the year! Upcoming Dates: ☀️ April Vacation - April 26th - May 30th A Look Ahead: 📝 In math, we're finishing our unit and assessing on Thursday 🗺️ In science, we're going to look at maps, landforms, and bodies of water 📚 In reading, we're going to look at what an assessment looks like and strategies to tackle those questions Monday our entire class will be in school for the first time! There are going to be a few parts of our day that will be a little bit different to accommodate more bodies in the classroom at one time. Here's a glimpse at the biggest changes:
- Lunch: 1/2 of the class will eat at desks set up in the gym, this will rotate weekly - Snack: Since we are all in the classroom, I will show a TV show during a silent snack - windows and doors will be open, weather permitting - Recess: More friends to play with! We will rotate spots where our entire class can play outside together. We're going to continue our work with plants this week! Now that our plants are growing, how do they continue their life cycle? How do they spread seeds? What are some adaptations some plants have to help them survive better. And of course, checking on our little baby beans! In math, we've been focusing on coming up with a plan for all the different types of word problem patterns that have been introduced. Next week, we're going to look at word problems that need two steps to solve as well as hone our double-digit addition skills. I learned of the news from the Governor about shifting to five days a week at the same time as you. As I learn more information about how that will look at our school - I will share! Upcoming Events: 😊 Monday, April 5th - First Day with the entire class!! A Look Ahead: ➕ In Math, we're continuing to practice double-digit addition using lots of different tools 🌎 In reading, we're going to listen to fictional stories about helping the Earth 🐝 In science, we're going to learn about how seeds get pollunated and dispersed Spring is in the air! It is starting to get warmer, and we are hopeful to be spending some time outside. We're moving on from our changing earth and focusing on plants next week in science. We'll be looking at the parts of the plant, their lifecycles, and how they pollinate and disperse their seeds. I know I'm looking forward to some prettier scenery outside our windows as well!
We finished Unit 5 in math and will be starting Unit 6 this week. We've combined lots of lessons to ensure we are just about on track to a typical year. Now that we are moving towards new learning four days a week, the students will have to adjust their learning stamina. They've worked so hard this year, and I am confident they can handle it! I will not be introducing "homework" when we go to the four day in person model. There will be an increase in expected focus during the school day, and I expect they will need a break when I send them back home. Anything that gets sent home after school will be flexible and weekly, such as practicing their math facts, reading a book, or practicing their spelling words. In reading, we will soon be shifting their guided reading work to in school small groups. The students will remain three feet apart as we read and discuss their weekly text. One less thing for students to lose at home! Upcoming Events: 👍 March 26th - Report Cards Go Home A Look Ahead: 🌱 In science, we're starting to look at plants! 📊 In math, we're looking at data and comparing word problems 👀 In reading, we will be reading realistic fiction stories and looking at point of view The combined Silly Hippo Water Dragons are coming soon to a classroom near you! Our New Boston School Boarded voted to move forward to the next phase with a start day of Monday, April 5th. This means that in three weeks all 22 students will be coming into the building Monday through Thursday with a remote learning day on Friday. I am so excited to see my second graders more days during the week! I also have to secretly admit that I will not miss creating and scheduling the mass amount of Seesaw assignments for remote days... 🤫 As with any transition, there will be some bumps, but we will work through them together. As always, reach out if you have questions, and I will do my best to help!
We have started our Reading Challenge! The entire school is trying to come together and compete in the Iditaread Challenge. How many books can we read? We are on the Red Team (K, 2, and 5) and we hit the ground running. As your child reads at home, have them color in boxes to keep track. You can log them at home OR I can help them log their books at school. Click here to log in those books (or look on Seesaw). We started our Changing Earth unit this week! We talked about ways the earth can change fast! You may have heard some talk about tornados, floods, or volcano videos. Next week, we'll be talking about the less exciting changes: slow changes. You can see these changes all around you if you know where to look! Some students even observed a mini river thanks to our melting snow in the playground. Looking forward to doing some experiments next week to look closer at the ways our world can change slowly. These second graders have been ROCKSTARS this year. They've earned another reward and both classes chose movies (I may have to take that choice off next time... 😂). We will come up with movie ideas today at our Friday Zoom Check-In and have a permission slip to sign on Monday/Tuesday. Be on the lookout for those little slips of paper! Up Coming Events: 🌼 Saturday, March 20th - Spring is in the air 🍀 March 17th - Saint Patrick's Day, Trimester 2 Grades Close A Look Ahead: 🌊 Slow Changes in science 🛷 Reading challenge has begun! 🤓 Math assessment - Unit 5 is complete! The next time I see the students it will be March! This year is really going by quickly. We have (mostly) finished our opinion pieces. They are short, three-reason papers explaining an opinion on something. I will be grading these over vacation - so be on the lookout in March to see what they feel passionately about.
We're almost done our second term. Students have a few weeks after vacation before we begin our last chunk of the year. As we inch closer to third grade, expectations will continue to go up. The students have been rising to the challenge all year, and I am so proud of each and every one of them. If any bumps come up at home, feel free to reach out. I will also continue to reach out if I notice anything in the classroom. As the weather gets warmer, we will be starting some science projects. The end of the year is filled with animal habitats, landforms, plants, and erosion! I cannot wait to get started! Upcoming Events: 🌴 Vacation: February - 20th through the 28th A Look Ahead: 😴 Sleeping in... ZzZzZzZz 😀 No Seesaw! ✍️ No writing! 🖥️ Zoom is off-line! Have a great break! Happy Valentine's Day! It was nice to have a little bit of "normal" when celebrating Valentine's Day. We created heart bags that hung in front of each student's desk so no one was going in someone else's personal space. Thank you to every family for sending in Valentines and treats to make our celebration a success!
It was so nice to see so many families this week during Mid-Year Conferences. During a typical year I am able to get to know families a little easier because of classroom events where parents can volunteer. So, it was very nice to put a face to the emails I've been sending! If you didn't get a chance to chat with me, but you would like to, please reach out! We can find a time to chat about your child's growth. We started our opinion papers this week! What I've learned: there are some very big animal and video game lovers in this class! We should be wrapping up that project next week. Their pieces will be on the bulletin board for a little while, though. So you will have to wait and see what your student thinks about that important things in life, such as what is the best pet, video game, season, or even person! In math, we are starting to tackle word problems! We are going to introduce some new strategies to solve and understand all the different types of word problems. I promise - they won't be the complicated "Common Core" math strategies you read about on Facebook. We will also start to look at how you can show your thinking efficiently without writing a novel. Upcoming Events: 😎 February 15th: Presidents Day - We have school! 🌴 February 20th - 28th: February Vacation - Reach out if you have to quarantine because of travel, I can help plan ahead for work A Look Ahead: 🔢 In math, we start to look at different word problem strategies 🌎 In reading, we'll be looking at different cultures and comparing and contrasting them 👨⚖️ In social studies, we will look at our presidents! 💭 In writing, we will finish up our opinion papers We are officially halfway through the year! I am so proud of each and every one of the Silly Hippo Water Dragons! It's that time of year where I get to brag about your child. If you haven't signed up for a mid-year conference click here to pick a slot. I'm looking forward to chatting with all the adults at home.
Valentine's season is in the air! If your child has their Valentine's ready, they can bring them on their first in person day or on the day of. Please do not bring in a box for your child to collect their valentines. This was recommended from administration so it will minimalize the amount of things from home and thus house to house potential exposure. We will have a paper bag that students can decorate instead. Also, thank you to the families who signed up to bring in some treats! All treats will be prepackaged so they are as safe as possible, and we can also check for allergy information. We have started a new writing project! This one won't be as involved as our narrative, and the students sure do have lots to say. We're working on opinion writing. Be on the lookout to hear what the best animal, video game, or person is! We will do our first draft next week and finish up our final copy the following week. These second graders sure do have some strong opinions! In reading, students are working hard to push themselves with answering questions in writing. Reading their guided reading books at home will help them to continue to grow with their reading skills. Upcoming Events: ❤️February 10/11 - Valentine's Day Mini-Celebration A Look Ahead: 💰 In math, we're working on coins and making change 🌎 In reading, we have an Earth theme and will work on cause and effect 💖 In social studies, we'll talk about kindness 🤔 In writing, we're going to do our first draft on our Opinion Piece Everyone survived my first week back! The students earned a link for every day that I was gone - which means it's time to celebrate. They came up with lots of ideas, mostly including ice cream, to celebrate their good choices. We'll pick our activity next week and celebrate on a date to be determined. Stay tuned for more information on that.
You may have heard that we have a fancy new TV in our classroom! That's sorta true! We were able to get a Promethean Board which is basically a giant touch screen TV. The students are able to interact with the TV to show their thinking (after hand sanitizing), and it's been fun to use as a new tool! This past week included discussions about civil rights, what they are, and who are some famous people who have fought to make sure laws don't go against people's civil rights. Students also took a little time to think about something they could do to make the world a better place with their own two hands. Things like writing thank you letters to nurses, helping a stressed family member a little more with the dishes, picking up litter in the spring, or shoveling snow for an elderly neighbor were some of the ideas the classes came up with. There's a bright future ahead with so many thoughtful kids being raised in New Boston! We also wrapped up our Unit 4 for math by practicing measuring with inches and centimeters. That means it's time to review and assess next week! The big skills we will be looking at are time, measuring, and representing numbers in lots of different ways. We've also started back up our math fact practice. Your student is welcome to take a video at home of a math conference. If they get it correct, that will count and move them along faster. Many students are inching closer to subtraction (and some are even close to multiplication). Upcoming Events: 📦 January 25 - January 29th: Cardboard Challenge Week A Look Ahead: 📝 In math, we are going to be testing 🎵 In reading, we're looking closer at expressing yourself with music 📜 In social studies, we're going to look at the constitution 🤔 In science, we're going to break down our cardboard design into steps! We'll plan in class and student can attempt to create and improve their designs at home |
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April 2021
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