Yea for the warmer weather! I saw daffodil shoots and Snowdrop flowers in bloom on my jog yesterday morning! Let’s stay healthy, which means that even when the mid-day temperatures seem warm, I don’t allow bare arms outside. I encourage students to keep a fleece or sweatshirt in their lockers for mid-day recess, to wear outside when the winter coat you needed in the morning is too heavy.
Homework
Daily: Build your reading fluency by reading aloud to a parent several times a week; mark your Lambshead Book It Calendar; practice vocabulary & basic math facts!! And carefully do the cursive & Home Links the night they come home! Read the biography of the woman you chose for your March book report. Discuss at home the character traits that made this woman so successful. Include this information in your book report.
Due Wednesday: Spelling workbook, pages 102-105; library books to return??
For Friday: Spelling, vocabulary & reading tests
Due next Tuesday, 3/16: Lavender-colored Biography story map due on the woman you will present for your March Book Report.
Due any day by March 26: Your March book report presentation/creative project
Reading The fossil unit was quite challenging for many students. Today we start reading stories having the theme of Courage, which shouldn’t be so challenging. This is also an excellent unit to follow up on the many stories of courage and heroism in our February as well as March book reports! Many of the stories we’ll read are about 2nd grade kind of courage, including this week’s: “Molly the Brave and Me”. Ask your child how the main character, Beth, learned that she was brave. Know the meanings of these vocabulary words: guts, homesick, wimp, swatted, creepy. Our spelling words are verbs, all in the present tense.
Math: Some students have demonstrated a good understanding & use of the Partial-sums algorithm to add 2-digit numbers; I will work with them on using this concept to add larger numbers. I will also give extra focused help for the bulk of the class to master this important skill. Everyone needs to practice basic math facts, to learn them more automatically (see the addition/subtraction inventories coming home today!) To assist this, we will do “Mental Math” (a bit like Rocket Math) on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays to work on building our skill and speed, progressing from addition, to subtraction, and then multiplication
We also continue to work with sorting out the information from story problems, choosing a helpful graphic organizer.
Coming…
Friday: Report cards come home
Sunday: “Spring ahead” with your clocks!
Thurs, 3/18: Science Fair – during school, and for families, in our room from 6:30 – 7 PM (come at 6 to see the exhibits in Creticos’s & Naber’s rooms)
Fri, 3/26 at 2:55 – Spring vacation begins!
Attached: many tests & papers – review them together; rejoice in your successes, pay attention to what you need to work on.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Week of March 2, 2010
March is here, bringing Women’s History Month and the Science Fair! For Women’s History Month, the book report is to be on a biography of a woman. You many choose any of the suggested creative, but think coming in character as the woman you learned about is a great way for your classmates to “meet” her.
The February book reports were well-done and enhanced our social studies’ learning!
Homework
For March there will be 1 Story Map due, by Tuesday, March 16 (It’s lavendar, coming home today.) on a biography of a woman. Your oral report & project are due any day in March.
Daily: Build your reading fluency by reading aloud to a parent several times a week. Practice vocabulary & basic math facts!! And do the cursive & Home Links the night they come home!
Due Thursday: Spelling workbook, pages 98-101
Discuss at home: What work are you doing on your Science Fair this week?
Reading & Social Studies Our learning about the Colonial Period continues this week, as we continue reading a biography of Paul Revere, then read Six Silver Spoons, historical fiction in which the main characters encounter Revere on his famous ride. We’ll also learn about another hero of the American Revolution, Casmir Pulaski, in whose honor we had yesterday’s holiday. Eleanor, Ava, Sydney, Nina, Jane and Jeremiah will bring to life the culture & political tension of the pre-Revolutionary days as they present a little play “Tea for Felicity”.
Our spelling words work with the rule about when to double a final consonant before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel---this is an important rule to learn!
In the computer lab we are typing up our writing about our Dinosaur field trip. We hope to have it into a power point slide show available for you to see when you come to our Science Fair on 3/18!
Math: We continue to work with addition and subtraction of 2-digit numbers; for story problems we are using excellent graphic organizers to sort out the facts we know, so we can see more clearly which operation to use in solving the problems. We will work with base 10 blocks to build a better foundation of understanding how we can do short-cuts such as “borrowing”, now called “trade first”.
Science: Sink & Float. We will make boats of different size, shape, weight and capacity as we continue to explore the properties of buoyancy.
Attached: Lavendar Story Map form for March biography; Home Link 6.2, new spelling words; vocabulary & social studies tests.
I was so sorry I was sick last week and had to miss both Wednesday’s and Friday’s evening performances by our students, but I hear that they did an excellent job both evenings!! I’m glad so many of you were able to come too!
The February book reports were well-done and enhanced our social studies’ learning!
Homework
For March there will be 1 Story Map due, by Tuesday, March 16 (It’s lavendar, coming home today.) on a biography of a woman. Your oral report & project are due any day in March.
Daily: Build your reading fluency by reading aloud to a parent several times a week. Practice vocabulary & basic math facts!! And do the cursive & Home Links the night they come home!
Due Thursday: Spelling workbook, pages 98-101
Discuss at home: What work are you doing on your Science Fair this week?
Reading & Social Studies Our learning about the Colonial Period continues this week, as we continue reading a biography of Paul Revere, then read Six Silver Spoons, historical fiction in which the main characters encounter Revere on his famous ride. We’ll also learn about another hero of the American Revolution, Casmir Pulaski, in whose honor we had yesterday’s holiday. Eleanor, Ava, Sydney, Nina, Jane and Jeremiah will bring to life the culture & political tension of the pre-Revolutionary days as they present a little play “Tea for Felicity”.
Our spelling words work with the rule about when to double a final consonant before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel---this is an important rule to learn!
In the computer lab we are typing up our writing about our Dinosaur field trip. We hope to have it into a power point slide show available for you to see when you come to our Science Fair on 3/18!
Math: We continue to work with addition and subtraction of 2-digit numbers; for story problems we are using excellent graphic organizers to sort out the facts we know, so we can see more clearly which operation to use in solving the problems. We will work with base 10 blocks to build a better foundation of understanding how we can do short-cuts such as “borrowing”, now called “trade first”.
Science: Sink & Float. We will make boats of different size, shape, weight and capacity as we continue to explore the properties of buoyancy.
Attached: Lavendar Story Map form for March biography; Home Link 6.2, new spelling words; vocabulary & social studies tests.
I was so sorry I was sick last week and had to miss both Wednesday’s and Friday’s evening performances by our students, but I hear that they did an excellent job both evenings!! I’m glad so many of you were able to come too!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Week of February 22, 2010
Science Fair: What wonderful hypotheses your students have made—I can’t wait to see their experiments and results at our 3/18 Science Fair!
This is a light homework week (again, no spelling), because I am hoping you will come back to Longfellow for our Wednesday & Friday evening events (parents, see below). The main homework is to study for the reading test tomorrow, Wednesday’s fossil vocabulary test, and Friday’s Social Studies and basic facts math tests. Practice vocabulary & basic math facts!! And do the cursive & Home Links the night they come home!
Due Friday: Science Fair Planner; oral book report if not already done
No school next Monday, honoring General Pulaski’s contribution to the American Revolution.
Due next Tuesday, 3/2: February Book It calendars (optional)
This is a busy week at school, finishing up the 2nd Trimester, with end-of-unit tests in Reading and Social Studies. If there’s time, we’ll read together Jean Fritz’s fascinating biography, And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? We’ll not only learn about this American hero, but we’ll learn a lot about Colonial Life, and the start of the American Revolution. This book provides wonderful background knowledge for many of the book reports we’ll hear this week as well.
Math: As you can see from the attached Parent Letter from EDMath, we are back to focusing on computation. This week we’ll collect data & put it into bar graphs; we’ll also work more with the challenging concept of comparisons in story problems, and work with graphic organizers.
For Parents
Tonight at 7 PM: Special Board Meeting regarding possible referendum
Wed: Come to the Arts Fiesta! Your child’s performance on stage highlights work in Music and Spanish classes; see his/her artwork displayed in the hall! Students are to meet at 6:15 in the mini-gym—call a classmate if you need a ride.
Fri at 6:30: Night at the Museum; Come enjoy the dance and oratory performances, which include many of your classmates.
Attached: Parent letter--resource for Unit 6 math; vocabulary flash cards for Social Studies
Recipe for “Peanut Butter Smoothie”
~~part of Rowan’s creative project about George Washington Carver
You will need:
2 cups chocolate ice cream
2 cups milk
5 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
First, measure out the ice cream, put it in a big bowl, and leave it to get soft.
Add the milk and peanut butter.
Mix everything together with a wooden spoon or whisk until smooth and creamy.
Pour into a glass, add a straw and sip.
Nourish to Flourish News – February is exercise month. On Tuesday, there will be a trivia contest for 2nd grade students set up on the playground. On Wednesday, all students and staff are encouraged to jog or walk around the field at recess time. Wear workout clothes on Thursday and participate in the all school cha-cha slide at the end of the day.
This is a light homework week (again, no spelling), because I am hoping you will come back to Longfellow for our Wednesday & Friday evening events (parents, see below). The main homework is to study for the reading test tomorrow, Wednesday’s fossil vocabulary test, and Friday’s Social Studies and basic facts math tests. Practice vocabulary & basic math facts!! And do the cursive & Home Links the night they come home!
Due Friday: Science Fair Planner; oral book report if not already done
No school next Monday, honoring General Pulaski’s contribution to the American Revolution.
Due next Tuesday, 3/2: February Book It calendars (optional)
This is a busy week at school, finishing up the 2nd Trimester, with end-of-unit tests in Reading and Social Studies. If there’s time, we’ll read together Jean Fritz’s fascinating biography, And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? We’ll not only learn about this American hero, but we’ll learn a lot about Colonial Life, and the start of the American Revolution. This book provides wonderful background knowledge for many of the book reports we’ll hear this week as well.
Math: As you can see from the attached Parent Letter from EDMath, we are back to focusing on computation. This week we’ll collect data & put it into bar graphs; we’ll also work more with the challenging concept of comparisons in story problems, and work with graphic organizers.
For Parents
Tonight at 7 PM: Special Board Meeting regarding possible referendum
Wed: Come to the Arts Fiesta! Your child’s performance on stage highlights work in Music and Spanish classes; see his/her artwork displayed in the hall! Students are to meet at 6:15 in the mini-gym—call a classmate if you need a ride.
Fri at 6:30: Night at the Museum; Come enjoy the dance and oratory performances, which include many of your classmates.
Attached: Parent letter--resource for Unit 6 math; vocabulary flash cards for Social Studies
Recipe for “Peanut Butter Smoothie”
~~part of Rowan’s creative project about George Washington Carver
You will need:
2 cups chocolate ice cream
2 cups milk
5 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
First, measure out the ice cream, put it in a big bowl, and leave it to get soft.
Add the milk and peanut butter.
Mix everything together with a wooden spoon or whisk until smooth and creamy.
Pour into a glass, add a straw and sip.
Nourish to Flourish News – February is exercise month. On Tuesday, there will be a trivia contest for 2nd grade students set up on the playground. On Wednesday, all students and staff are encouraged to jog or walk around the field at recess time. Wear workout clothes on Thursday and participate in the all school cha-cha slide at the end of the day.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Week of February 16, 2010
Longfellow (Spring) Arts Fiestas, are opportunities for the "Arts" at Longfellow to showcase what they do with students in class throughout the year. Visual Arts, Spanish and General Music put together a presentation for each grade level in the building. On the night or day of the Fiesta, the galleries (hallways) are filled with student art from the featured grade level and all the students in Spanish and Music present a program in the auditorium. I hope every family can be here on Wed, 2/24, for the 2nd grade performance at 6:30. This enables your child to participate with classmates; and, hearing your praise for his/her hard work means so much to your child!
In class this week we have some very special “visitors” for Black History Month! Bessie Coleman, Langston Hughes, Mary McLeod Bethune, Henry Brown, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King will all be impersonated by our 2nd graders who will also be “performing” at the “Night at the Museum” on Fri, 2/26!
Our final “Fossil” story is “Let’s Go Dinosaur Tracking”. We will focus on identifying the main idea and the supporting details for each section. This skill really helps when reading as well as writing expository pieces. The vocabulary words to know are: tracks, analyze, canteen, limestone, paleontologist. In class we’ll also work on synonyms & antonyms. No Spelling homework this week!
Math: we are finishing Unit 5 on geometry, focusing on symmetry and the attributes of solid figures. We are making pyramids from straws, and we will compare the different kinds of pyramids. Note the Study Guide: students are expected to know the names & characteristics of flat and solid geometric shapes, and be able to demonstrate understanding of geometric vocabulary: line segment, square corner, parallel, symmetry, vertex, face, edge.
Social Studies: Unit 5 is on “America’s Past”. This week our focus will be on the Colonial and Revolutionary War period. Next week’s book reports on that period will augment our class reading & discussions!
Science: The students will get use the Scientific Method as they have fun molding clay to explore shape as a factor of buoyancy!
Think Science Fair… how will you collect your data? Will you use a list or a chart? To display it, will you use a bar graph? This week I will teach students how to make a bar graph.
Homework: Have you read through the questions to prompt your hypothesis for our Science Fair??
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your February Book It calendar; There will be Home Links most every night, due the next day; practice your spelling, & vocabulary (for both reading & geometry); practice your basic math facts (use flash cards??)
Due tomorrow: any Feb book report story maps that weren’t turned in today! Home Link 5.9
For Friday: be ready for reading, vocabulary & math tests (no spelling this week!); Turn in your Science Fair hypothesis (the back page of green packet)
Saturday, come with friends & family to Longfellow’s Fun Fair, noon – 4! (It’ll be the first one I will miss as I have out-of-town company for the weekend.)
Due next week: If you didn’t give your book report this week, we’ll expect it next week.
Tests next week: Wed—Fossil vocabulary; Thurs – Social Studies, Unit 5 (vocabulary flash cards are also attached, but memorizing these is less important than the reading & geometry vocabulary, since the social studies test will be open-book); Friday – Timed test on 100 basic addition and basic subtraction facts, Science quiz on “Sink & Float”.
In class this week we have some very special “visitors” for Black History Month! Bessie Coleman, Langston Hughes, Mary McLeod Bethune, Henry Brown, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King will all be impersonated by our 2nd graders who will also be “performing” at the “Night at the Museum” on Fri, 2/26!
Our final “Fossil” story is “Let’s Go Dinosaur Tracking”. We will focus on identifying the main idea and the supporting details for each section. This skill really helps when reading as well as writing expository pieces. The vocabulary words to know are: tracks, analyze, canteen, limestone, paleontologist. In class we’ll also work on synonyms & antonyms. No Spelling homework this week!
Math: we are finishing Unit 5 on geometry, focusing on symmetry and the attributes of solid figures. We are making pyramids from straws, and we will compare the different kinds of pyramids. Note the Study Guide: students are expected to know the names & characteristics of flat and solid geometric shapes, and be able to demonstrate understanding of geometric vocabulary: line segment, square corner, parallel, symmetry, vertex, face, edge.
Social Studies: Unit 5 is on “America’s Past”. This week our focus will be on the Colonial and Revolutionary War period. Next week’s book reports on that period will augment our class reading & discussions!
Science: The students will get use the Scientific Method as they have fun molding clay to explore shape as a factor of buoyancy!
Think Science Fair… how will you collect your data? Will you use a list or a chart? To display it, will you use a bar graph? This week I will teach students how to make a bar graph.
Homework: Have you read through the questions to prompt your hypothesis for our Science Fair??
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your February Book It calendar; There will be Home Links most every night, due the next day; practice your spelling, & vocabulary (for both reading & geometry); practice your basic math facts (use flash cards??)
Due tomorrow: any Feb book report story maps that weren’t turned in today! Home Link 5.9
For Friday: be ready for reading, vocabulary & math tests (no spelling this week!); Turn in your Science Fair hypothesis (the back page of green packet)
Saturday, come with friends & family to Longfellow’s Fun Fair, noon – 4! (It’ll be the first one I will miss as I have out-of-town company for the weekend.)
Due next week: If you didn’t give your book report this week, we’ll expect it next week.
Tests next week: Wed—Fossil vocabulary; Thurs – Social Studies, Unit 5 (vocabulary flash cards are also attached, but memorizing these is less important than the reading & geometry vocabulary, since the social studies test will be open-book); Friday – Timed test on 100 basic addition and basic subtraction facts, Science quiz on “Sink & Float”.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Week of February 8, 2010
I enjoyed the time last week to meet with you & your child; we had good progress to celebrate, and set some fine goals. I have typed them out and attached them to your child’s take-home folder, for easy reference and frequent reminder.
This week we read “Monster Tracks”, a “how to” book… we will read, and then follow the directions to make our own fake (or simulated) fossil. Then together we will read and discuss biographies of both Lincoln and Washington. Therefore, we will not have a reading test on Friday. However, all students will be expected to know the vocabulary words for our Unit Test: instructions, mold, clue, prehistoric. All of this week’s spelling words use the consonant blends /br/ & /fr/. The workbook includes some fun work with analogies.
Math: I’ve noticed that some of the difficulty students are having in our geometry unit is that they are not reading the questions carefully. Parents, it would help if you would check over your child’s Home Link, to make sure s/he is reading & thinking carefully. Thank you to all who brought in 3-D objects for our “Shape Museum”! We are moving into solid, ie 3-D, geometry, learning even more new vocabulary: vertex, face, edge, as well as prism, sphere, cylinder, sphere, pyramid, cone.
Social Studies: We will discuss history & culture as together we read biographies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. [Happy B’day to both as we have no school next Monday!]
Science: We will do a number of science experiments this week, practicing for the Science Fair! We’ll make hypotheses, design experiments, collect data and draw conclusions… mostly about buoyancy.
Homework: Have you read through the questions to prompt your hypothesis for our Science Fair??
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your February Book It calendar; There will be Home Links most every night, due the next day; practice your spelling, & vocabulary (for both reading & geometry); practice your basic math facts (use flash cards??)
Due tomorrow: “Lambshead Home Link”; bring in a small item you would like to use to make a fossil
Due Wednesday: Spelling workbook pages 90-93 (&/or challenge sentences)
For Friday: be ready for spelling test
Due next Monday: Story map on the book you are reading for your February book report. Let me know whether you are reading fiction, biography, or other nonfiction, so I can give you the appropriate story map. Orators for the Black History Museum need to do their oratory for their book report by Fri, 2/19.
Coming… busy weeks as we go through February:
• Fri, 2/19: due date for Science Fair hypothesis (the back page of green packet)
• Sat, 2/20: Longfellow’s Fun Fair, starting at noon. Please consider donating items for the 2nd grade raffle basket, which has a theme of Family Reading.
• Wed, 2/24, at 6:30 PM: Spring Arts Fiesta for 2nd graders; Note: 2nd graders are performing & need to be here by 6:15… parents’ bonus is to get a good seat in the auditorium, or to browse the 2nd grade artwork in the hallways!
• Fri 2/26: due date for Science Fair planner
• Fri, 2/26: Night At the Museum – come see a number of students from our class participating in the Oratory (telling us about a notable African-American, “in character”); Julian & others will also be performing African dancing and drumming.
I’m glad the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl… and my favorite spectator sport is just ahead, the Olympics!
This week we read “Monster Tracks”, a “how to” book… we will read, and then follow the directions to make our own fake (or simulated) fossil. Then together we will read and discuss biographies of both Lincoln and Washington. Therefore, we will not have a reading test on Friday. However, all students will be expected to know the vocabulary words for our Unit Test: instructions, mold, clue, prehistoric. All of this week’s spelling words use the consonant blends /br/ & /fr/. The workbook includes some fun work with analogies.
Math: I’ve noticed that some of the difficulty students are having in our geometry unit is that they are not reading the questions carefully. Parents, it would help if you would check over your child’s Home Link, to make sure s/he is reading & thinking carefully. Thank you to all who brought in 3-D objects for our “Shape Museum”! We are moving into solid, ie 3-D, geometry, learning even more new vocabulary: vertex, face, edge, as well as prism, sphere, cylinder, sphere, pyramid, cone.
Social Studies: We will discuss history & culture as together we read biographies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. [Happy B’day to both as we have no school next Monday!]
Science: We will do a number of science experiments this week, practicing for the Science Fair! We’ll make hypotheses, design experiments, collect data and draw conclusions… mostly about buoyancy.
Homework: Have you read through the questions to prompt your hypothesis for our Science Fair??
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your February Book It calendar; There will be Home Links most every night, due the next day; practice your spelling, & vocabulary (for both reading & geometry); practice your basic math facts (use flash cards??)
Due tomorrow: “Lambshead Home Link”; bring in a small item you would like to use to make a fossil
Due Wednesday: Spelling workbook pages 90-93 (&/or challenge sentences)
For Friday: be ready for spelling test
Due next Monday: Story map on the book you are reading for your February book report. Let me know whether you are reading fiction, biography, or other nonfiction, so I can give you the appropriate story map. Orators for the Black History Museum need to do their oratory for their book report by Fri, 2/19.
Coming… busy weeks as we go through February:
• Fri, 2/19: due date for Science Fair hypothesis (the back page of green packet)
• Sat, 2/20: Longfellow’s Fun Fair, starting at noon. Please consider donating items for the 2nd grade raffle basket, which has a theme of Family Reading.
• Wed, 2/24, at 6:30 PM: Spring Arts Fiesta for 2nd graders; Note: 2nd graders are performing & need to be here by 6:15… parents’ bonus is to get a good seat in the auditorium, or to browse the 2nd grade artwork in the hallways!
• Fri 2/26: due date for Science Fair planner
• Fri, 2/26: Night At the Museum – come see a number of students from our class participating in the Oratory (telling us about a notable African-American, “in character”); Julian & others will also be performing African dancing and drumming.
I’m glad the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl… and my favorite spectator sport is just ahead, the Olympics!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Week of February 1, 2010
This is parent-child-teacher conference week; your conference is scheduled for 2/____
We’ll review the fall goals, celebrate growth and set new goals. Parents, this is also time for you to share insights or questions.
Many thanks to Olivia’s mom, who organized, cooked & chopped for our delicious & healthy breakfast on Friday, and for all who assisted her and/or sent in food & supplies!! Let’s all continue our Wellness theme of getting a good night’s sleep & eating a healthy breakfast every day!
The students did a fine job on their book reports, becoming more skilled in their oral communication! This month’s book report is due any time this month—just let me know when you are ready. Choose a book related to Black History Month or President’s Month. It can be fiction or nonfiction, about Africa, African-Americans, George Washington and the Colonial Period, or Abraham Lincoln & the Civil War period. Ask me if you’d like to borrow a book from my own collection or if you’d like help students finding a book of interest to you. If you read a biography, your project can be coming “in character”, ie, presenting your book report as if you were that person coming to our classroom. Tell us about your life, and what you did that was so great that a book was written about you! It’s probably not too late to decide to be an orator at the “Night at the Museum” (Longfellow’s cool Black History program) on Friday evening, February 26; you would do a practice presentation in our room as your Feb. book report. (If interested, see me for the “commitment” form.)
I’m quite sure you heard an enthusiastic account of your young paleontologist’s adventure last Thursday… digging up suchomimus’ bones, and learning to test hypotheses about the location & function of each bone! This week’s story is about a popular question: “Why Did the Dinosaurs Disappear?” This scientific review continues our learning about how studying fossils gives clues to the past. We will read the various theories, and do some hard scientific and cause-effect thinking! I encourage everyone to read this story at home, discuss the different theories, and form your own opinion. The vocabulary words are more familiar than recent weeks: starve, climate, eruption, moisture, discovery. The spelling pattern is the “bossy R” sound & spelling, with the /er/ and /or/ sounds. Ask your child… to tell you the 3 different spellings for the /er/ sound.
Our writing this week will involve blending what we have learned on our field trip with our fossil reading to describe how to get fossils out of hard rock. It is a challenge for 2nd graders to really think through all the steps to explain “how to”. Try it at home orally; in class, we will start with “How to make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich!
Cursive writing is progressing nicely; we are having fun finding words using the cursive letters we now know.
Math: We focus on 2-dimentional work this week, learning these important geometry vocabulary words: point, endpoint, straightedge, line segment, parallel, square corner (ie right angle).
Social Studies: Throughout this month, in preparation for and during our book reports, we will read together & discuss history & culture related to Africa, African Americans, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Science: We are investigating the properties that affect the buoyancy of objects; this week we are looking at size as a factor.
Homework
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your February Book It calendar; There will be Home Links most every night, due the next day; practice your spelling & vocabulary
Due tomorrow: January Book-It calendar (opt)
Due Wednesday: Spelling workbook pages86-89 (&/or challenge sentences)
For Friday: be ready for reading, vocabulary & spelling tests
Due next Monday: Capture 5 recording sheet of your moves in the game you play with an older member of your family. On Monday, not before, please….bring in cylinders, spheres, rectangular prisms, cones, pyramids and/or cubes for our Shape Museum. Anything you’ll want to take home after a week needs to have your name on it.
On Friday, 2/12 we will have a little Valentine’s Day party from 2:15 – 2:45, to celebrate friendship. If you want, bring a Valentine for each of your classmates; Monday’s news will include all the names. Please let me know if you can coordinate or assist at our party.
Coming home today: Pink February Book It Calendar, home link 5.3, spelling tests
We’ll review the fall goals, celebrate growth and set new goals. Parents, this is also time for you to share insights or questions.
Many thanks to Olivia’s mom, who organized, cooked & chopped for our delicious & healthy breakfast on Friday, and for all who assisted her and/or sent in food & supplies!! Let’s all continue our Wellness theme of getting a good night’s sleep & eating a healthy breakfast every day!
The students did a fine job on their book reports, becoming more skilled in their oral communication! This month’s book report is due any time this month—just let me know when you are ready. Choose a book related to Black History Month or President’s Month. It can be fiction or nonfiction, about Africa, African-Americans, George Washington and the Colonial Period, or Abraham Lincoln & the Civil War period. Ask me if you’d like to borrow a book from my own collection or if you’d like help students finding a book of interest to you. If you read a biography, your project can be coming “in character”, ie, presenting your book report as if you were that person coming to our classroom. Tell us about your life, and what you did that was so great that a book was written about you! It’s probably not too late to decide to be an orator at the “Night at the Museum” (Longfellow’s cool Black History program) on Friday evening, February 26; you would do a practice presentation in our room as your Feb. book report. (If interested, see me for the “commitment” form.)
I’m quite sure you heard an enthusiastic account of your young paleontologist’s adventure last Thursday… digging up suchomimus’ bones, and learning to test hypotheses about the location & function of each bone! This week’s story is about a popular question: “Why Did the Dinosaurs Disappear?” This scientific review continues our learning about how studying fossils gives clues to the past. We will read the various theories, and do some hard scientific and cause-effect thinking! I encourage everyone to read this story at home, discuss the different theories, and form your own opinion. The vocabulary words are more familiar than recent weeks: starve, climate, eruption, moisture, discovery. The spelling pattern is the “bossy R” sound & spelling, with the /er/ and /or/ sounds. Ask your child… to tell you the 3 different spellings for the /er/ sound.
Our writing this week will involve blending what we have learned on our field trip with our fossil reading to describe how to get fossils out of hard rock. It is a challenge for 2nd graders to really think through all the steps to explain “how to”. Try it at home orally; in class, we will start with “How to make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich!
Cursive writing is progressing nicely; we are having fun finding words using the cursive letters we now know.
Math: We focus on 2-dimentional work this week, learning these important geometry vocabulary words: point, endpoint, straightedge, line segment, parallel, square corner (ie right angle).
Social Studies: Throughout this month, in preparation for and during our book reports, we will read together & discuss history & culture related to Africa, African Americans, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Science: We are investigating the properties that affect the buoyancy of objects; this week we are looking at size as a factor.
Homework
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your February Book It calendar; There will be Home Links most every night, due the next day; practice your spelling & vocabulary
Due tomorrow: January Book-It calendar (opt)
Due Wednesday: Spelling workbook pages86-89 (&/or challenge sentences)
For Friday: be ready for reading, vocabulary & spelling tests
Due next Monday: Capture 5 recording sheet of your moves in the game you play with an older member of your family. On Monday, not before, please….bring in cylinders, spheres, rectangular prisms, cones, pyramids and/or cubes for our Shape Museum. Anything you’ll want to take home after a week needs to have your name on it.
On Friday, 2/12 we will have a little Valentine’s Day party from 2:15 – 2:45, to celebrate friendship. If you want, bring a Valentine for each of your classmates; Monday’s news will include all the names. Please let me know if you can coordinate or assist at our party.
Coming home today: Pink February Book It Calendar, home link 5.3, spelling tests
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Week of January 26, 2010
It’s the online computer age… In case you didn’t see last week’s Thursday packet… we will now save paper by publishing it online at: http://www.op97.org/longfellow/digitalbackpack/. If you do wish to continue receiving paper copies you need to let the office know.
Also, you can fill out the optional Scholastic Book order online… go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs → parents →You’ll need to register & use our class activation code: 1FFAG. I’ve extended the due date to this Thursday, 1/28.
This short week will fly by, with Thursday’s field trip, and all the students’ wonderful book report presentations! Another special event is Friday’s celebration of the Wellness Committee theme for January: to get a good night of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. So sleep in a bit on Friday morning and come to school in your PJs, for a healthy breakfast in the classroom! Olivia’s mom is organizing a potluck breakfast; please contact her (528-4032) to arrange what healthy food your child can contribute.
In reading this week we will finish our story map summaries of the book, Kate Shelly & the Midnight Express. Then we’ll learn more about individual dinosaurs by reading Dinosaur Time, and make a chart organizing the characteristics of these different dinosaurs. During our field trip we’ll “dig up” dinosaur bones in “the field”, and also work “in the lab” studying the bones to determine where they fit in the skeleton of a suchomimus. Back at school we will use what we experienced, as well as our fossil reading, to write about being a paleontologist. This week’s spelling words all use the consonant blends of wh or sh.
Math: As you can see from our last Home Link, we are learning to be observant of shapes, and notice how things are alike and how they are different. This is foundational to seeing & understanding how shapes are classified. This week we will study polygons (closed shapes with many angles or corners) and learn the difference between a line and a line segment.
Science: While we’re loving our Sink & Float study, this week our science is being paleontologists!
Homework
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your January Book It calendar; Home Links and cursive papers are due the next day; practice your spelling
Due any day this week: January book report
Due Thursday: Parent-teacher conference confirmation forms; Field trip – wear comfortable Paleontologist’s clothes & bring a healthy snack as well as your lunch. Final day to submit paper or on-line Scholastic Book Orders & money; Spelling workbook, pages 74-77 (or meaningful sentences if you have challenge words).
For Friday: Spelling test; PJ & breakfast in the classroom day! Also, this is the last day for contributions for the St. Jude’s math-a-thon, and the Longfellow blanket drive.
Due next Monday: January Book It Calendar;
Capture 5 recording sheet of your moves in the game you play with an older member of your family.
Coming home: reading, spelling & math tests! The last reading test was quite difficult; and many students did very well on the last math test! Keep the important green packet about our March 18 Science Fair in a safe place for frequent referral. Also, parents, please note your conference time, attached, and return the confirmation slip!
Also, you can fill out the optional Scholastic Book order online… go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs → parents →You’ll need to register & use our class activation code: 1FFAG. I’ve extended the due date to this Thursday, 1/28.
This short week will fly by, with Thursday’s field trip, and all the students’ wonderful book report presentations! Another special event is Friday’s celebration of the Wellness Committee theme for January: to get a good night of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. So sleep in a bit on Friday morning and come to school in your PJs, for a healthy breakfast in the classroom! Olivia’s mom is organizing a potluck breakfast; please contact her (528-4032) to arrange what healthy food your child can contribute.
In reading this week we will finish our story map summaries of the book, Kate Shelly & the Midnight Express. Then we’ll learn more about individual dinosaurs by reading Dinosaur Time, and make a chart organizing the characteristics of these different dinosaurs. During our field trip we’ll “dig up” dinosaur bones in “the field”, and also work “in the lab” studying the bones to determine where they fit in the skeleton of a suchomimus. Back at school we will use what we experienced, as well as our fossil reading, to write about being a paleontologist. This week’s spelling words all use the consonant blends of wh or sh.
Math: As you can see from our last Home Link, we are learning to be observant of shapes, and notice how things are alike and how they are different. This is foundational to seeing & understanding how shapes are classified. This week we will study polygons (closed shapes with many angles or corners) and learn the difference between a line and a line segment.
Science: While we’re loving our Sink & Float study, this week our science is being paleontologists!
Homework
Daily: read aloud for 20 minutes and fill in your January Book It calendar; Home Links and cursive papers are due the next day; practice your spelling
Due any day this week: January book report
Due Thursday: Parent-teacher conference confirmation forms; Field trip – wear comfortable Paleontologist’s clothes & bring a healthy snack as well as your lunch. Final day to submit paper or on-line Scholastic Book Orders & money; Spelling workbook, pages 74-77 (or meaningful sentences if you have challenge words).
For Friday: Spelling test; PJ & breakfast in the classroom day! Also, this is the last day for contributions for the St. Jude’s math-a-thon, and the Longfellow blanket drive.
Due next Monday: January Book It Calendar;
Capture 5 recording sheet of your moves in the game you play with an older member of your family.
Coming home: reading, spelling & math tests! The last reading test was quite difficult; and many students did very well on the last math test! Keep the important green packet about our March 18 Science Fair in a safe place for frequent referral. Also, parents, please note your conference time, attached, and return the confirmation slip!
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