Fabulous Friday!

Happy Friday!

A few reminders!

Wednesday: Bird Day Field Trip (8:45-12), students need a sack lunch

Saturday: Chicken BBQ, Ms. Mottaz and I will be working the drive thru until 6:00.  Stop by and say hi!

Homework Club

This week we had our first Homework Club celebration.  The students who brought back their homework completed during the last 2 weeks ate lunch in the classroom on Monday.  They were excited to have a little more extra time to eat and enjoy a "Magic School Bus" video as they ate!

Please remember that it is an expectations that students complete 15 minutes of reading, practice their spelling words, and play a math game (online or games provided) or practice math facts for 10 minutes each night.  Please make sure that you are initialing in the literacy spot (for your child completing their reading & spelling homework) and in the math spot (for completing math homework). We are about a month in to weekly homework and overall I feel that it is going well.  Please let me know if you have any questions about homework.

Spirit Day - Western Attire Day!!

Next Friday, October 13, will be Western Attire Day.  Your child can wear western clothes in support of the Chicken BBQ on October 14.  I cannot wait to see all the cowgirls and cowboys that we have on Friday!

Chicken BBQ

We are SO excited for the 60th Annual Chicken BBQ!  

Make sure to check out the items that our class is putting in the Teacher Town section of the Silent Auction!!

• We will have two class photographs that are signed by each of the students.
• We will have two craft projects that are created by all the students.
• We will have two pizza party lunch certificates for the winner and two friends.

Next week, I will send out a blog post (or email) that includes a picture of the items that we will have in Teacher Town - so you will know what to be looking for!

Pizza Party

Yesterday a form came home in your child's homework folder about our end of the trimester pizza party.  At the end of each trimester, we have a pizza party for the students as a celebration of all their hard work. We ask for a one time $5 donation from each student to help cover the cost of the pizza.  We also ask for volunteers to donate chips, healthy side or dessert for the students.   If you have not had a chance to fill out and return this form, please do so by October 20.

Pumpkin Reading Project

Here are some examples:

  

  

 

• Students will get a small (we said between a softball and basketball size) pumpkin to decorate to represent a character from a book. 

• The student is expected to transport the pumpkin themselves, so please make sure they can carry it without assistance. 

• The student needs to decorate the pumpkin at home. 

• Please do not carve the pumpkin, as they rot faster when carved. 

• Students need to complete a short book report on the book.  They need to identify the title, author and character.  They need to describe the character, explain if they liked the character or not. 

• It needs to be about a book the student has read or have had read to them. 

• If the book they are using is from school, they can borrow a copy for the presentation.  You can also check them out at the school library or the public library if you don’t own the book. 

• If you look on Google, there are a lot of other examples.  😊

• If you are not able to get your student a pumpkin, please let me know and I will get them a paper cut out to decorate. 

• The student needs to bring the pumpkin, the short book report and the book to school on October 24^th.  

Bird Day!!

On Wednesday, October 11, we will have our first field trip in 2nd grade!  We will be going to Audubon Bird Park. 

• We will be leaving around 8:30 and returning about 12:30.  
• Clothing: Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather - we will be outside for the entire field trip so a jacket maybe appropriate for the early morning time.  We will be walking so please have your child wear tennis shoes.
• Lunch: If you selected that you would be sending a lunch with your child that day on the field trip form, please remember that EVERYTHING in the lunch needs to be disposable.  Please send your child's lunch in a gallon size bag with his/her name clearly marked.  If you selected a school lunch, it will be ready for your child that day!

 

Today we had a bird lab to help get ready for our Bird Day field trip.  The students learned about the different adaptations that birds have to help them to survive.  Some of the materials that the kiddos used were tongs, straws, slotted spoons and tweezers to replicate the different type of bird's beaks. The students learned that all birds are not able to eat the same food due to these adaptations.  Click here for pictures from our lab.

Lots of Learning Has Been Happening in 2nd Grade!!

Math

We have continued to learn about different strategies to help us solve simple addition problems.  We have talked about doubles facts (example: 8+8=16) and about near doubles (example: using 8+8 to help solve 8+9).  We have also learned about combinations of tens, different ways to make 10 (example: 4+6) and making 10 (using a combination of ten to solve a problem that's sum is larger than 10 (example: using 4+6 to solve 4+8 by breaking the 8 into a 6 and a 2).  The fifth strategy that we talked about this week is the turn around facts or the commutative property of addition (example: 7+3=10 and so does 3+7).  We also applied what we were learning to writing number stories (word problems) and solving them.

Writing

We have finished up our rough draft of our first small moment (personal narrative)!  The kiddos have worked so incredibly hard on this piece of writing!!  On Thursday, we started the editing process.  The students worked with their writing partner to make sure that all their sentences started with capital letters and ended with a punctuation mark.  We also talked about proper nouns and how the specific name of someone, something or some place needs to be capitalized.  We have started to have student/teacher writing conferences to talk about writing convention goals.  Next week, we will meet with our writing partners again but this time focus on revising (adding, removing, moving or substituting words) to make our writing even better.  On revising day we talk a lot about word choice.  By the end of the week, we will have started writing our final draft!

Reading

This week our reading skill focus has been talking about story elements of books that we read.  When talking about story elements in second grade we focus on the characters (physical description and their traits), the setting (when and where), and the problem/solution.  It is important when talking about the solution of a book that the solution solves the problem of the story (it is related).  Throughout the week we have focused on one these elements in The Gruffalo and on Thursday the students put all their knowledge together and wrote about these elements while we read Hotel Bruce.  Next week, we will continue to work on independently identifying the story elements of various books.  The students will also make a fall story elements tree from a book that has been read!

Word Study

This week was our last week of practicing spelling trick words.  Next week we will start by working on different vowel patterns within words.  Over the next four weeks our focus will be on long and short vowels.  We will first learn that by adding an "e" to the end of a CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) word that will turn the short vowel sound into a long vowel sound.  I like to call it the "Magic e."  Next week, we will focus on short a and long a, and the spelling words will be: glass, fast, last, snap, sack, make, same, came, page, face.

Social Studies

We started talking about rural and urban communities this week.  The kids drew a mural of what rural and urban means to them and it is hanging in the hallway across from our classroom.  They did a great job with it!  We also had a discussion that there is more of a variety of jobs and more jobs in urban environments; however, some jobs (example: large animal vet) would need to be in a more rural community.  Throughout next week we will continue to talk about rural and urban, but add in suburban.

As a reminder, toys do not come to school unless it is for show & tell for your child's sticker chart or another classroom celebration.  Please help your child make good choices & keep their toys at home.

I hope that you have wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Ross

It was Another Happy Friday!

This week may have been short, but we packed it FULL of great learning!

Here's What We Have Been Learning About! 

Math

This week in we started talking about three different strategies to help us solve addition problems.  One strategy was double facts, which is a number plus the same number (example: 2+2=4).  We also talked about combination of 10 (2 numbers that add together to make 10).  Today, we learned about making 10.  In the making 10 strategy, the two numbers add up to more than 10 but are grouped together in away to make 10.  An example of this is 9+4, you can break apart the 4 into 1 and 3.  Then you can add the 1 to the 9 (which makes 10), then add 10+3, and you find out that 9+4=13.  Next week, we will continue to work on addition strategies.

There are a variety of Everyday Math (EM) resources that can be found online.  One of these resources is the student reference book.  You or your child can access this resource the same way that you access the EM online games. One of these resources is the My Reference Book and the Homelinks.

What is My Reference Book?

My Reference Book is a resource that if FULL of information about what your child will learn in second grade.  This is perfect spot to go if you or child has a question about a math concept that has been taught.

You can click on the blue My Reference Book.

 

This is page from the My Reference Book.  There is speaker at the top - so the child can actually listen to this page being read. What are Home Links? Home Links are the sheets that we send home at the beginning and the end of the unit.  At the beginning of the unit, you receive a letter home about what we will be teaching in that unit.  At the end of the unit, we send home some extra resources that your child can practice on what we did during the unit before the test.  These sheets are COMPLETELY optional, but would be a good support and reminder for what will be on the test.

Click on the EM at Home button and then you can look at Today's Home Link.  This is a worksheet to reinforce what was taught today.

If you would like to see or review all the Home Links you can click on the Menu at the top, and then select EM at Home on the drop down menu.  You can then view all the Home Links that correspond to the lessons that we have taught.

Writing

We have worked extremely hard on working of the beginning of our personal narrative.  On Wednesday, we learned that a lead hooks the reader and is the first sentence in a piece of writing.  The students tried out three different types of leads (sound, question and action).  After they wrote these leads, each child chose their favorite lead to start their beginning.  The other components of the beginning include introducing the setting and the characters.  We talked about the importance of showing (describing) and not telling.  Next week, we will revise and edit our personal narrative.

Reading

This week the reading skills that we focused on was predicting, asking questions, and trying to answer the questions that were asked in a nonfiction book.  We read two books about the arctic called Arctic Animals and Arctic Life (which tied into our social studies geography unit).    Next week, we will be starting to talk about story elements (characters, setting, problem/solution).

Social Studies

We have been talking about geography and culture of the arctic and the hot desert.  We have talked about the adaptations that animals and plants have done to be able to survive in these extreme conditions.  Then we compared arctic and desert life to life in Missouri.  The students were able to chose whether they wanted to move to the arctic or the desert and what they would need to bring and do to be able to survive.  All of their hard work is hung in the hallway - so the next time you are school make sure you check it out!  Next week, we will be learning about rural, urban and suburban.

Word Study

This week, we have practiced spelling question words to help us as we write questions about reading.  Next week, our spelling words are: think, about, went, both, sure & have.

Bird Day Field Trip

Our first field trip of the year will be October 11.  We will be loading the bus about 8:30 and returning to RBE around 12:30.  Please make sure that your child is wearing appropriate clothes for the weather and tennis shoes because we will be outside.  Also, your child will need to bring a sack lunch (everything disposable) - if you would prefer to buy a sack lunch from the cafeteria that is an option.  An informational sheet came home earlier this week about the field trip - if you have not returned this sheet, please do so by Monday.

Next week, we will start to learn about different bird adaptations.  We will explore these adaptations to help us be prepared for our Bird Day Field Trip.  We will learn about how these adaptations help each type of bird survive.  We will have "Beak Lab" on Friday where the kiddos actually get to pretend to be birds and try out different beaks and how they pick up their food!

Veteran's Day Assembly

Below is a letter from Mrs. Sharp, RBE's music teacher, about the Veteran's Day Assembly.

 

Special Reader - Mrs. Neale!!

Today we had a special reader!  Mrs. Neale (our assistant principal) came and shared two of her favorite Bob Marley songs "One Love" and "Three Little Birds" (or you might be more familiar with"Everything's Gonna Be Alright").  After each song she shared, she read a book by Bob Marley's daughter Cedelia Marley.  The students LOVED singing along with Mrs. Neale!! :)  You must check out the videos!

       

Junior Achievement

This week, Mrs. Dent taught us about taxes and government jobs.  The kiddos were SO excited about getting "paid" from all their hard work at Sweet 'O Doughnut shop last week!  

After they were paid, Mrs. Dent taught us about a variety of different government jobs that are paid through our taxes.  Then, the students had to pay their taxes...they were not so happy after having to give $2 of their $5 back to for taxes.

Headphones/Ear Buds

We use laptops and other technology in the classroom as well as in Media.  Please make sure your student has a pair of headphones or ear buds at school.

Twitter

Don't forget to follow our classroom on Twitter.  It's @MossRBE, we try to post once a day and today we posted a video of the students singing with Mrs. Neale.  It's really cute.  Check it out!

Historical Fiction

We also started a historical fiction study today.  Today we read Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride.  After we read the book, the student's responded to the book by writing at least two sentences about what they learned, thought or questions that they still had.  They worked so hard on this!

As a reminder, please send me a copy of your child's sports, dance, gymnastic, or other extra-curricular activities.  I would love to come to whatever I can!  I hope that you have a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!  

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mrs. Ross