Happy December!

        Your kids did a beautiful job at both concerts on Friday (for the school and then for families).

We completed our Seed Experiment in science.  We measured the height of our plants and wrote down questions we have that we might want to research further.

This past week we read, Ira Sleeps Over as a whole class and then filled out a worksheet with the retell rope and some comprehension questions.  Then we did a “fish bowl” book club.  Four volunteers discussed the book while the rest of us watched and thought about the guidelines we set up for successful book clubs.  They did a great job.  Now everyone has a holiday book to read (one of 4 different books).  When students finish the preparation for these book clubs, they will meet with their group to have a discussion about the books.  The Ira Sleeps Over book club prep papers are in the folders.  That paper will give you an idea of the comprehension skills we work on in second grade.  How characters respond to a challenge and figuring out the author's message are examples.

         In math we have started our unit on money.  Second graders are expected be able to identify and know the value of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies.  They made Venn Diagrams to compare pennies to dimes and nickels to quarters.  One of the hardest parts of showing what you know about coins is being able to identify the coins on paper.  Any extra practice at home with coins would be great.  I will have a new “game” involving money for the homework logs on Monday.

         Finally, this week we read about and watched some videos about Beatrice Biira.  She grew up in Uganda and was not able to go to school until she was 10 years old.  Receiving a goat from Heifer International enabled her family to make enough money for her to buy a school uniform and books (thus making it possible for her to go to school).  One of the videos we watched is called, “First World Problems.”  It’s a funny rap song about the kinds of things we have the luxury of complaining about when we are not worried about where our next meal will come from or whether we have enough money for our children to go to school.  I plan to talk with the kids about doing a collection for Heifer International.  It’s great if the money donated is actually the child’s money.  You’ll hear more from your child next week.

Upcoming dates:

Class Holiday Special Snack, Thursday, December 19^th, 1:00 pm

(Room parents will be in contact about volunteers for food)

Winter Break December 21-Jan 5, first day back Jan 6th       

Best,

Caren

Blog Back in Business

Welcome back to the blog!

I have a lot to share and pictures to go with it, so I thought this was a good time to return to the blog (since finding out that I can still use it).

         Your child may have told you we made Thanksgiving cards for our Pen Pals (in my daughter’s second grade class in Virginia).  It’s nice to have an activity that utilizes several skills in an authentic way.  Connecting with another person with just letters really makes you think about what to write and what questions to ask.  Here’s a picture of the cards.  You might remember they sent us Halloween cards.

         We have been working on our “Seed Experiment” to find out if plants need water to grow.  So far it appears they do.  We also came up with this question:

We are learning to support our claims (in Science, opinions when discussing literature, and answers in math) with evidence.  

Here’s a picture of a table we made in Language Arts to keep track of our opinions and evidence regarding a story we read about a character named Myron.

         As you will see on the math work in the folders, we have been using tables to show our thinking in math (and science) as well.  We worked on problem solving again this week.  The problem in the folders is about “Feet at the Feast.”  We use these kinds of problems to help students become familiar with the problem-solving rubric.  Not everyone finished but we did go through some papers as a whole class using the rubric.  I included a student paper in the folders just to give you an example of the ways students might show the different parts of the rubric.  The paper I included has some great examples of showing math thinking.  It does not have the last “I noticed…” connection/reflection.  The rubric is comprehensive, so it takes a while for the kids to become proficient with all the parts.  I sent a copy of the problem-solving checklist home a few weeks back.  I will also have a copy of it on the blog if you want another look at it.

Upcoming dates:

Thanksgiving break   November 27-29 (Wed-Friday)

Chorus Concert for Parents, Friday, December 6, 1:30 pm.  Students can dress up if you/they want, they should wear a solid color shirt (snow date December 9^th).

Class Holiday Special Snack, Thursday, December 19^th, 1:00 pm

         Not to sound cliché, but I do enjoy and am thankful for the opportunity to work with your kids.  Thank you for your support to me and to your child.  I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable break.

Caren

America's White Table in honor of Veterans Day

Our STEM work, sshhhhh, don't discuss because I am going to have the students do the same project again.  This structure above got style points because of the flag on top.

The above pictures are of students making observations about their seeds.

Me Collage Homework

BREAKING NEWS!

            The first homework assignment is a Me Collage.  Each year in my class, we begin the new school year by reading Judy Moody was in a mood.  Not a good mood.  A bad mood. by Megan McDonald.  I pick this book for a couple of reasons.  First, I love the very first sentence, "Judy Moody did not want to give up summer."  It always seems so fitting for the adults and the kids!  Also, a large part of the book centers around a class project called a Me Collage.  It focuses on each child's strengths and interests and is a great way to get to know each other, appreciate differences and similarities, and learn new things about each other.  In fact, through this project, Judy discovers that someone with whom she thought she had nothing in common, is in fact a perfect friend because of common interests.

        Your child now has the opportunity to create their own Me Collage.  I have shown them one at school.  I will also provide a work sheet for brainstorming ideas.  Me Collages are best constructed on a heavy piece of poster board.  It's great if kids can find pictures in magazines or glue actual objects to the me collage (legos or pasta--for favorite activities/favorite food).  You don't have to do every category, and they shouldn't be a whole poster board of photos.

     Me Collages are due Monday, September 23rd.  If you are done before that, they can come in early.

         Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Me Collage Example

Dates for your Calendar

Monday, 9/23/19 Me Collages due

Monday, 9/23/19 Picture Day

Thursday, 9/26/19 Parent Information & Open House Night 5-6 pm