Halloween Fun!

Our Centers had a halloween theme this month :)

We read the Story Stella Luna and worked on the Parts of a Story

The next day we did some practice with Beginning Middle and End

At the beginning, Stella was happy flying with her bat family

Then she got lost and was taken in by a bird family

And in the end she found her bat mother :)

We hung the finished product by the ceiling to make it a bit more 'spooky' in here for the season :)

We read the book "The Very Busy Spider" by eric Carle and then made our our version- The Very Busy 2nd Grade Spider" and wrote about all the things we have been doing in 2nd grade so far this year!

I hung them in the hall for all you parents to see and enjoy 

All the kids dressed up for the halloween parade and party!

The kids decorated pumpkins with our classroom moms :)

Wednesday, Oct. 27th

Today in reading and writing we worked on our haunted house story.  We focused on the Promblem and Solution part of our story which was hard for some students.  We came up with some great problems ("I was ate up by a monster!") but forgot that we needed to have a solution to that problem at the end of our story.  We will continue working on these stories tomorrow!

In math we did geometry with the geo-boards.  We made pentagons, hexagons, octogons and trapezoids.  The kids loved working with the geoboards :)

We also got a chance to go to computers today! yaye!

Hope you all have a good night :)

PS- The kids did end up voting on a name for the guinea pig- it was a close one but the name is MEATBALL. haha :)

Tuesday, Oct. 26th

Today was the fall festival for all kids who have had good behavior at school for the past month! We had fall candy, did a fall art project and watched the movie version of the picture book "The first snow in the woods."
In writing/reading today we talked about characters and charater traits.  We started developing some of our characters to use in a "creepy haunted house" story.  Hopefully the stories will be done by Friday for you to enjoy at home on Halloween!
In math we are using base-ten blocks to model different numbers up to 999.  Tomorrow we will be moving on and starting with geometry and building different shapes while learning about perimeter and area.

Friday Update: Halloween parade at 8:45, Halloween Party will take place between 10:15 and 11:15. Dismissal is at 11:30.

** I am in need of empty, clean peanut butter jars (or any plastic jar with a screw off top) for a math center.  If you have one that you are about to toss, pleae send it to me! Thanks!!

Monday, Oct. 25th

Today in reading and writing we read the book "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle.  We then made text-to-self connection and listed the ways that we are also "very busy" and talked about what we don't have time for because we are busy.We made our own spider and listed the things we've been busy doing (we also took this oppurtunity to again list the ways how spiders are different than insects).
In math we work a lot with time and anolog clocks.  We also reviewed place value and coins.
In science we finished up our insect ABC books.  About half the class is done and is moving on to a new project starting tomorrow.  We will be starting our first social studies unit so it will bea great time to introduce the new project.

Hope everyone had a great night. 

Remember: The Halloween parade is Friday at 8:45 followed by an assembly and then our party.  Dismissal will be at 11:34 that day. 

Friday, Oct. 22nd

Yet another busy Friday in 2nd grade today! In the morning we went to reading groups and read about animal habitats and animals that live in ponds/wetlands.  We practiced with some unknown words and new vocab.  After reading groups we did our spelling test (THANK YOU to Molly's mom for coming in to help us with those!!) and read the book Stellaluna about a baby bat.  We started a story map about the book that we finished after lunch.  In the afternoon we also made a fun project that helped us visualize the beginning, middle, and end of the story as well as identify the main events and put them in correct sequence.  Our project is now hanging from our ceiling in the classroom :) We also made time for math in the afternoon which included counting money (4 dollars in change today!) and reviewing other skills from earlier in the week (time, place value, adding, subtracting, etc.)
Homework binders went home today (Thanks to Louis' Mom!!) Please check the orange folder for other fliers and work we have completed during the week.

Have a good weekend!! :)

Thursday, Oct. 21

Well, today was the big day- we finally got our guinea pig!! The kids were soooooooooo excited.  We were able to get her out of the cage and hold her.  The kids are going to vote on the name and came up with a few funny options. We will try to settle on something tomorrow.

In other news, we wrote about fall and talked about using our senses while writing (how does it feel, taste, smell, sounds, etc.) We also practiced more contractions. In math we continues working with place value but got to play a fun money game.  There were a handful of kids without coins (from the beginning of the year school supply list).  Ask your child if they had coins today- if the answer is no, please send some for them! :)

Have a good night :)

Wednesday, Oct. 20th

Today in reading/writing we continued to work with contractions.  We also began a Fact & Opinion project in my reading class.  In math we began working with place value- hundreds, tens, and ones.  We played a partner game in order to practice our place value skills.  It is absolutely necessary for students to know how to count by 100's, 10's and 1's in order for them to achieve at a high level in this next unit. 
In science we finished up our life cycle project.  We also had computer lab for the first time today (yaye!) and were able to do a reading inventory online that gave each student a list of books that are at their reading level.  Next time we go to library all the kids will be checking out "at my level" books.

I sent home extra Poupard Tshirt/sweatshirt order forms today for those who thought they lost theirs.  The forms are due back by FRIDAY. 

Have a good night!

Tuesday, October 19th

Today in class we talked about Facts vs. Opinion and characteristics of non-fiction texts.  In reading groups we are also learning about fact and opinion.  We teach the children that a fact is something that true to everyone, all the timee.  It can be proven. 
In writing we are using contractions and learning about how to use different contractions.  We will learn new contractions everyday this week.
In math we did a self-assessment and a REAL assessment about everything we learned so far (time, money, patterns, +, - )  I will grade them and send them home in the Friday folders.

Monday, Oct. 18th

Happy Monday! Today we had an insect museum to show off our insects to the other 2nd graders and the 1st graders! All the students had their insects out and got to answer questions and tell the other kids about their insects.  Ms. Stocks even came in to see our hard work!
In math we reviewed time, money, patterns, and fact families.  My biggest area of concern right now is money for all the students.  We are having a hard time remembering that a dollar can be made in several ways (a dollar bill, 4 quaters, 3 quarters 2 dimes and a nickel, etc.) We will keep practicing this until we all master it!
In writing we introduced contractions and continued emphasis in punctuation.  Students seem to remember . and ! but have a hard time recognizing when to use a ? We will also continue to work on this. 

I hope you all had a chance to look at the go-home folder on Friday.  Remember that Spiritwear orders are due on Friday.
Have a great night!

Friday, Oct. 15th

WOW! The insects that came in today were SO cute! The kids did a great job and their presentations were super.  There was a few kids who forgot to bring thier project so if that was you- bring it Monday!!

In other news, we let our butterflies go this morning.  They were getting close to the end of their life cycle and I thought it would be for the best for them to get outside before that happened!  The kids loved seeing them fly away.

Hope everyone has a chance to look at the homework binder this weekend- those of you who didn't have the insect project in today have an extra copy of the assignment in the binder tonight.  There is also an order form for Poupard Spiritwear (yaye!) which is due back on Oct. 22nd.

Have a good weekend!

Thursday, Oct. 14th

Today in class we learned about input/output charts in math.  This is something that I used to teach to FOURTH GRADERS so I was very impressed by how quick the 2nd graders picked this up! It is so fun to see how much they can do when they are really challenged.  The idea of input/output charts is for students to idenfity patterns in context and find the "rule" or function. 
In reading my group practiced with vocabulary and writing/reading/using new words.  We started a vocab. dictionary as well. 
In writing we focused on good ideas and adding details.  Of course, we still made sure to use ! . and ? as well as capital letters in the correct places.

Some students were concerned at science time when I showed some "imaginary insects" as examples that were turned in early- they didn't realize the assignment was due tomorrow!! Please refresh your memory about this project by reading the info sheet in the white homework binder- the project is due TOMORROW!! Remember, all insects (including the imaginary insect your student makes) have 6 legs, 3 body parts, anntennea and wings.

Have a great night! 

Wed, Oct. 13th

Today in class we practiced using correct punctuation.  We also practiced reading a passage and inserting periods where they belonged.  A lot of kids of a tendency to write and write and write without ever using punctuation.  We read books and passages to try and "hear" the periods (which sounds like a pause).
We also worked on writing questions to find out more about the story.  In addition, we reviewed soft G and Hard G sounds.
In math we practiced more with our fact triangles and talked about mental math.  We have been playing math games everyday that are designed to help improve our mental math skills.  Students should not have to use fingers for counting or adding.

Reminder: Insect project due Friday!

Tuesday Oct. 12th

Today in class we practiced using Fact Triangles (this will be part of your homework on Friday!), talked about when to use ? . and !, practiced working in groups, and read a new insect take-home book.  W are still workin gon our Insect ABC book and are also continuing to work on the Henry and Mudge book in reading (my reading group). 

Just so you know: The lunch room is now serving pizza on Tuesday instead of Wednesday.  Also, the after school pizza day is THURSDAY (there was a mix up about pizza after school day vs. pizza lunch room day). 

Please make sure to look at the Daily Report that your child brought home today- it is a great little reminder for them when you ask "what'd you do at school today?"

Monday, Oct. 11th

Today in class we worked on our Insect Vocabulary (anyone know an Insect word that starts with K, R, Y or Z?), practiced ounces & pounds using a balance in math, wrote about Christopher Columbus and practiced our phonics skills.
My reading group learned about sentence structure and reading "around the word" to figure out the meaning of unknown words.

I also sent you a note home today so please make sure to read it and send it back.  I need to hear feedback from everyone before I am able to make my next move :)

Friday, Oct. 8th

Today was such a great day! All of our butterflies 'hatched' and we even got to see one open up as we were watching!!  We made a fun butterfly craft in celebration :)
In writing we talked about Voice and practiced using different techniques we saw in our model text.  We want to start writing like real authors so we are trying to "try on" different styles of writing (what this means is that the kids will start writing with more descriptive language, using different tones in writing, trying to incorporate onomatopoeia, etc.)
In reading we continued working with the Henry and Mudge story and in math we talked about ounces and pounds.  We found that a pound is more than an ounce and practiced comparing different things to see which was heavier.  Try asking your student: which do you think is heavier, a _____ or a _______? You might be surprised at how interested the kids are in this and how methodical they are when considering your question.

HW binders went home today! Remember that the insect project is due on Friday!

THANK YOU to Sania's mom for helping us with our spelling tests today, Clara's mom for stopping in to do some paperwork-type stuff for us AND Louis' mom for stuffing those Friday folders!! We appreciate you!!

Have a great weekend :)

Thursday, Oct. 7th

Our butterflies officially hatched today! It happened while the kids were at specials (darn!) but I am sure that more will be coming out and hopefully we can see it happen!
Today in reading my group read Henry and Mudge go Camping and practice some comprehension strategies.  In writing we continued talking about Voice and how each author has their own voice when they write.  We are looking at a different author each day and noting what we like about their writing.  During journal time we are trying out some of the things that we have noted.
In the afternoon the students had a substitute.  They worked on subtraction and telling time.  They also had a game to play and a selection about ladybugs to read during science.  I hope they had a great afternoon and am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow!

Dont forget: Sock Hop tomorrow at 7pm and wear1950's wear to school tomorrow!
HW Binder due tomorrow! Spelling test tomorrow!

Wed. October 6th

Today in reading my group read non-fiction texts about constellations and camping.  We learned about the big and little dipper and challenged each other to try and find the big dipper in the sky at night.
In math we practiced more with analog clocks which is a real challenge for some students.  We also practiced addition and subtraction and fact families (ie-   4+3=7,   3+4=7,   7-3=4,   7-4=3)
In science we worked on our insect ABC vocab. books- the kids came up with a lot of great ideas.  This will be an on going project so you probably won't see it for a month or so.

Thanks to all those who walked to school today!  Don't forget about the Sock Hop of Friday night :) It is free admission and begins at 7pm.  

Tuesday, Oct. 5th

Today was our first school store- lots of the kids were able to get some neat stuff- I am sure you will be seeing those items at home tonight!

Tomorrow is walk to school day.  A note went home today letting everyone know that we are meeting at the police station at 7:50 and walking to the school in order to fulfill our "walk to school" requirement! Hope to see you there.

Dont forget about 1950's day on Friday and the Sock Hop that night!

Monday, Oct. 4th

OK- for all of you who were confused this morning (including me!) I want to let you know that we ARE still doing late start Monday every single Monday until JUNE!  All Mondays will be late start (9am) until June.

In other news, we had our very first town hall meeting today! We had Clara Keller and Amari White reading aloud and Sania Wilson recieving the good citizenship award!! Citizenship Breakfast is tomorrow for Sania and other good citizens award winners.
The pizza party for all students who went to summer school and/or completed the summer work AND gave it to me is TOMORROW! Everyone who is invited got an invitation home on Friday in their Orange folder.  There were a couple students who returned their summer bridge to me but only had 5-10 pages done.  Only students who completed the work will be invited to the party.  If you recieved an invite, you do not need to pack a lunch for your student tomorrow because the pizza party is during our lunch period.

Tonight at the dinner table ask your student what they are planning to do for their insect ABC book (Example: A is for Abdomen. The lowest part of an insect body) :)

Walk to school day is Wednesday.  We all meet at the police station to walk at 7:50.

Friday is 50's day at school. Wear your 50's clothes!

Sock Hop Dance Friday night.

Hope you all have a great night! Tomorrow is the first day of reading groups.

Friday, Oct. 1

Happy Friday! I hope you all got the HW binders and take-home folders.  I was missing a couple of the orange take-home folder today so if you had yours at home please send it back to school asap.

Today was a very busy day at school! Our butterflies started to hatch right in the middle of science time- We still had them in the caterpillar cup so we had to do an emergency transplant into the butterfly cage! Luckily, they all survived :)

In math we worked on mental math and addition facts. Try giving your student an addition fact to solve when your driving, waiting in a line, or just at home! The more they practice mental math, the better!

We will be starting reading groups on Tuesday.  All the students have been placed into groups depending on their needs. The students will still be doing phonics, read aloud, and silent reading with me in the classroom but will now have 50 minutes of leveled instruction as well- woo hoo!!

THANK YOU to Molly's mom for coming in to give spelling tests today, Louis' Mom for stuffing those HW binders, and Clara's mom for making us Rice Krispie Treats for good behavior :)

Hope you have a great weekend!