Spirit Day Tomorrow

Just a friendly reminder that it is Spirit Day tomorrow (Dec. 16). Celebrate Shorecrest and wear your green and gold or spirit wear.

Aussie Jingle Bells by Colin Buchanan and Nick Bland

Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden ute,
Kicking up the dust, esky in the boot.
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs,
It's summertime and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day, hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.

Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos,
The swaggie climbs aboard - he is welcome too.
All the family's there, sitting by the pool,
Christmas Day the Aussie way, by the barbecue.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day, hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.

Come the afternoon, Grandpa has a doze,
The kids and Uncle Bruce are swimming in their clothes.
The time comes 'round to go; we take a family snap.
Pack the car and all shoot through, before the washing-up.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day, hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.

Spelling of Hanukkah!

Just so the kids know, HANUKKAH has a U in it, not an A. I found different ways to spell this word (Chanukah, Chanukkah, Hannukah) so I was a little confused which was correct. All are acceptable in my eyes. Happy holidays.

Week of Dec. 14, 2009

Wow! Only a couple more days until the 2 week vacation. We will be doing many interesting holiday activities this week, including painting a candle holder and making a gingerbread house. The students will also continue finding out about holidays in different cultures, with a focus on Europe.

Please send in a shoe box by Friday. Your child will put their small gingerbread house in this for easy transportation home.

Also, Friday is a half day, with dismissal at noon. The students will have a holiday snack and games from 9:15 and then be involved in a holiday sing-a-long in the theatre at about 11am.

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones! Please continue to encourage your child to read, write and practice their math facts over the vacation.

Have fun and be safe.

- Ms. O'Mullane


Library Helper: Mrs. Peffly
Parent Reader: Contact me if you'd like to volunteer

Language Arts - Review

Mathematics - Review partial sums addition; Unit 4 quiz; Review telling time

Social Studies - Holidays in Europe

Science - Rocks and Minerals

Dec. 7-11 in Brief

Here is our week at a glance. We are talking about holiday celebrations around the world and if you would to come in to share a family tradition or holiday, please contact me and we will set up a time for your visit.

Parent Reader - Michelle Schnitt
Sharing for the month of December - Tuesday: Reilly, Devin; Wednesday: Chloe, Noah; Thursday: Renata, Emma, Turner; Friday - John, Erin

Language Arts
Phonics - Consonants /s/c; /j/g, dge; Inflections: -ed, -ing (double final consonant)
Spelling - slice, dodge, city, huge, nice, space, gem, price, cage, fudge
Bonus words - central, fireplace, gentle, gymnast, celebrate
High Frequency Words - above, shoes, tough, wash, wear, woman, young
Reading - Big Bushy Mustache by Gary Soto
Fluency - Phrasing
Comprehension - Fiction and nonfiction; Monitor comprehension: reread
Robust Vocabulary - wilting, flitted, swirling, trance, route, semblance, distraught, improvise
Grammar - Plural possessive nouns
Writing - Small moments

Mathematics
* Partial-sums addition algorithm
* Review of unit 4 and quiz
* Points and line segments

Social Studies
* Europe
* Holiday traditions around the world

Science
* Rocks and Minerals

Homework - 11/30

1. Use this week's spelling words or high frequency words in sentences. Create five interesting ones to share in class.
2. Reading.
3. Practice spelling words and read over the student friendly explanations for the vocabulary words.

Week of November 30, 2009

I hope you all had a terrific Thanksgiving.

Here is our week at a glance. No Current Events this week. We will be having open sharing.

Library - Michelle Schnitt
Parent Reader - Meredith Leonhirth

Language Arts
Phonics - long vowel e/ey; Inflections - -ed, -es (y to i)
Spelling - very, messy, lady, happy, key, baby, money, funny, candy, sunny
Bonus - chimney, nobody, breezy, twenty, keyhole
High Frequency Words - board, cook, enjoy, expensive, favorite, imagine, popular, year
Reading - At Play: Long Ago and Today by Lynnette R. Brent
Fluency - Punctuation
Comprehension - Author's purpose and asking questions
Robust Vocabulary - recently, housed, official, nominate, recreation, leisurely, ramble, archaic
Grammar - Singular Possessive Nouns
Writing - Personal Narrative

Mathematics
* Estimating Costs
* A Shopping Activity (adding 2-digit numbers mentally; calculating the total cost of two items; demonstrate making change for whole-dollar amounts up to $100)
* Exploring length, area and attributes
* Paper and pencil addition strategies

Social Studies
Europe

Science
Rocks and Minerals

Happy Thanksgiving

I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving. Life is good and we have a lot to be thankful for this year. I am off to Orlando with my girls to have some fun!

Marion O'Mullane

Spirit Day

Don't forget that it is Spirit Day tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 18). Wear your green and gold and celebrate Shorecrest.

South America Presentations

Today we heard Reilly, Renata, Erin, Asher and Emery present information about countries in South America. You all did a fantastic job sharing interesting facts about Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, French Guiana, and Colombia. Congratulations. I can't wait to hear from the rest of the students. Thanks also to all those parents who came in to watch. I know that your child felt proud having you in class.

Homework 11/17

1. Math worksheet (Home Link 4.1) Change Number Stories
2. South America project
3. Spelling, vocabulary and reading

Homework this Week

For homework this week, I will be giving the students time to work on their South American country presentation and visual. I can't wait to hear what they have found out. Remember that parents are most welcome to come along to watch the children present. I will post the times of the presentations again at the end of the week. Thanks for your support and help with this project. What a terrific learning experience!

Keep reading each day and review the high frequency words from the list on the back of the homework record sheet. I will be testing these on Thursday, seeing Friday is a day off for the students.

Important Events this Week

* November 9-12 • Book Fair in Student Activity Center
I plan to take the students to the Book Fair at 9am on Tuesday to see what is available for purchase. You can return with your child if you want to purchase. If after school does not work, you can come by and collect your child during the day, but keep in mind that lunch is between 11:30-12:oo and the students do have specials at certain times during the day.

* Wednesday, November 11 • Poetry in the Park (EC-4) 8:30 a.m. Lower Div. Quad
Please bring a deck chair or blanket to sit on. FYI - We will be performing towards the end of the program.
Let's hope it is a fine day. Please send in a bandana and cowboy hat by Tuesday, if you have not already done so.

* Friday, November 13 • No classes EC-8 — Faculty Prof. Day.

South American Research Project

As a part of our unit on South America, the students will be required to do an oral presentation about a country in South America. Note cards can be used to help guide in this presentation and a visual aid will also work well (e.g. poster, book, music, clothing worn, arts/crafts). A note suggesting what to include in this presentation was sent home today (Monday, November 2). You will need to guide your child in locating information about their country, but try to encourage them to work independently on their visual aid. I will be taking the students to the library this week to locate information and demonstrate how to take notes. This is going to be a fun learning experience.

Poetry in the Park

Next Wednesday, November 11 is Poetry in the Park. The students will need to bring in a cowboy hat and bandana to wear for our presentation. If your child does not have a cowboy hat, maybe they could ask a friend or family member to borrow theirs. Please email me if you have any questions.

Homework 11/4

1. Practice poem
2. South American Country Research Project
3. Spelling, vocabulary, and reading

Homework 11/3

1. Practice poem
2. Math - Home Link 3.6 - Frames and Arrows
3. South American Project
4. Reading

Homework 11/2

1. Practice, Bad Baxter Barton (our poem for Poetry in the Park)
2. Start finding out about your South America country (you will do your presentation during the week of Nov. 16th)
3. Spelling review, read over the high-frequency words, and read over the robust vocabulary student-friendly explanations
4. Reading

Week of November 2

Here's our week at a glance. I am busy writing progress reports and can't believe how much the students have progressed since the beginning of the school year. Lots of terrific things are happening in second grade.

I will not be in class on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and the students are in the capable hands of Mrs. Manella. Have a terrific week.

Current Events: Tuesday - Reilly, Devin; Wednesday - Chloe, Noah; Thursday - Emerson, Turner; Friday - John, Erin.

Language Arts (Theme review and Vocabulary Builder)

Phonics - Review long vowel i/ie,igh; long vowel a,ai,ay; r-controlled vowel ar; long vowel o/oa/ow

Spelling - Words with ie, igh, ai, ay, ar, ao, ow (see back of Homework Record sheet for specific words)

High-Frequency words - straight, cheer, brother, lose, learn, caught, coming, knee, idea, laughed, million, surve, world, ago, accept, fair, though, clear, half, believe, impossible, enough, brought, understand, early, quite

Reading - Readers' Theater "A Trip to the Fire Station"(Documentary)

Fluency - Review intonation and expression

Comprehension - Make predicitons, use prior knowledge, plot, and story structure

Robust Vocabulary - minor, previous, priorities, extinguish, hazard, efficient, instantly, drench

Grammar - Nouns, singular and plural nouns, proper nouns

Writing - Poetry (Revise and Publish)

Mathematics - Unit 3* Frames and Arrows

* Making Change by Counting Up

* Coin Exchanges

* Review Unit 3

Social Studies

* South America

* Research project

Science

* Watering Earth's Plants

* Lima bean study

* Planting seeds and watching them grow

Fall Festival and Book Club Orders

Just a reminder if you plan on ordering books from Scholastic Bookclub, please send in your order by October 30. Mrs. Happle will be helping me submit the order. Thanks, Mrs. Happle.

Fall Festival is on Friday and the parade of costumes begins at 8:30am. Fourth Grade will be leading the procession and head to the gym and back. The students will then return to the classroom and change into their play clothes for the Fall Festival. Please pack an extra bag for your child's costume. The students will remain in class until 10:00am until the Fall Festival starts. Please collect your child from the classroom at 10:00am and sign them out when you are about to leave school. Dismissal is at 12:30pm on Friday. I plan to leave a sign-out sheet on
my classroom door, just incase you can't find me amongst all the students, parents and teachers on the school grounds. See you on Friday. It will be lots of fun!

Homework 10/28

1. Social Studies - South American animals and people. Research.
2. Practice poem "Bad Baxter Barton"
3. Reading

Homework - 10/27

1. Math Home Link (3.3) - Times of the Day; Home Link (3.4) - What's My Rule? with Blocks
2. Practice poem, Bad Baxter Barton
3. Reading
4. Spirit Day tomorrow. Wear your green and gold.

Homework- 09/26

1. Spelling worksheet (front and back)
2. Read over poem for Poetry in the Park
3. Reading

Week of October 26th

Here is a taste of what we will be doing this week in class. Remember it is Spirit Day on Wednesday (wear your green and gold) and Fall Festival on Friday (can't wait to see what you are wearing). We are in for a treat!

Library Helper: Mrs. Leonhirth
Parent Reader - Mrs. Jacobs
Current Events - Tuesday - Emery, Keaton; Wednesday - Ellie, Asher; Thursday - Renata, Chase, Samuel; Friday - Lindsey

Language Arts

Phonics - long vowel /o/oa, ow

Spelling - boat, snow, coat, grow, float, own, low, load, soak, bowl

Bonus Words - yellow, snowflake, sailboat, carload, window

High-Frequency Words - believe, brought, early, enough, impossible, quite, understand

Reading - Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin; Rock a Bye Cows by Sam Curtis

Fluency - Expression

Comprehension - Plot; Use Story Structure

Robust Vocabulary - brisk, strutted, gobbled, paced, request, negotiate, compromise, improve

Grammar - More Proper Nouns

Writing - Poetry and Personal Narrative

Mathematics
* Exploring numbers, time and geoboards
* Gathering data and entering data in a table, and drawing a bar graph
* Frames and Arrows having two rules
* Making Change by Counting Up

Social Studies
* South America
* Mapping

Science
* Watering Earth's Plants

CONGRATULATIONS!

CONGRATULATIONS, on a fabulous performance on Friday. You all rocked the house. Your hard work paid off. I am so proud of you.

Show Time

Wow! The students were fabulous today at our dress rehearsal and you are in for a treat tomorrow.

Thanks to all my students for your enthusiasm and effort. I am so proud of you and I can already see how much you have grown and developed since the beginning of second grade (and it is only October).

Next, Poetry in the Park. More information will come your way next week.

Homework - 10/19

1. Practice show poems and "I Am A Small Part of the World"
2. Bring in your bandana (if you haven't already done so)
3. Comprehension worksheet (Two Famous Scientists)
4. Reading

A Busy Week Ahead

What a busy week we have this week rehearsing for our Friday show. In class we will be reviewing spelling, vocabulary and high frequency words, which I have copied on the back of this week's homework log. We will continue learning about South America in Social Studies, Plants in Science, and working with Place Value, Money and Time in Math.

The children are excited about the show and we look forward to seeing you there on Friday, October 23rd at 8:30am. The students will wear their uniform bottom (shorts or skort), flag t-shirt (they made at school) and bandana. Please send in the bandana, if you have not already done so.

Have a great week.

Picture Retake

Picture Retake Day for the EC through 4th Grade will be in the morning on Tuesday, October 20 in the Student Center. Please surrender your old Picture Packet when retaking your picture. Anyone who was absent on the regular Picture Day must have his or her photo taken on this day. Picture order forms are available in the Lower Division office.

Homework - 10/12

1. Christopher Columbus activity sheet

2. Practice poems for our show

3. Read over the student-friendly explanations for vocabulary and practice this week's spelling words

4. Reading

Our Week at a Glance

Here is a taste of what we will be doing this week at school. On Monday, the students will see a performance presented by The ArtsPower called Jigsaw Jones and on Tuesday it is Picture Lady and Gentleman Day.

Language Arts

Phonics - r-controlled vowel /ar/, syllable pattern C-/e

Spelling - car, art, barn, farm, start, card, yarn, part, dark, hard

Bonus Spelling - barnyard, starlight, carpet, artist, market

High Frequency Words - accept, ago, clear, fair, half, though

Reading - The Great Ball Game retold by Joseph Bruchac; The Bat by Douglas Florian

Fluency - Expression

Comprehension - Plot; Use Story Structure

Robust Vocabulary - clutched, clambered, clumsy, ached, feud, superior, refuse, insult (v)

Grammar - Proper Nouns

Writing - Personal Narrative; Tall Tales

Mathematics - Unit 3 - Place Value, Money and Time

* Numeration and place value

* Using coins to buy things

Social Studies

* Christopher Columbus

* South America

Science

* Plants

Library Helper: Mr. Ryan

Parent Reader: Mrs. Crawford (Thursday)

Current Events: Monday - Joshua, Lindsey; Tuesday - Emery Keaton; Wednesday - Ellie, Asher; Thursday - Renata, Chase and Samuel

Thanks so Much

I wanted to thank all of those parents who helped the students paint their t-shirts for our show, including Mrs. Happle, Mrs. O'Neill, Mrs. Pfeffly and Mrs. Jacobs. A special thanks to Mrs. Quilty who coordinated it all. The t-shirts look fantastic. Students and parents did a wonderful job.

Antarctica

Antarctica is fifth in size.
It's a desert of ice where glaciers rise.

You'll find penguins and seals, whales and birds,
But a polar bear would be absurd!

Explorers and scientists must be bold
To visit that sub-zero cold.

No countries or cities or towns are here,
No roads, no cars, no TV's near.

It's a land that is covered with ice and snow,
A land where few would ever go.

BRRRRR!

Our Week at a Glance

Language Ars
Phonics - long vowel /a/ai,ay and compound words
Spelling - pay, mail, paint, day, rain, stay, sail, way, train, tray
High Frequency Words - coming, curve, idea, knee, laughed, million, world
Bonus Spelling - mailbox, highway, daytime, raindrop, crayon
Reading - Gus and Grandpa and the Two-Wheeled Bike by Claudia Mills; No Helmet? Pay Up! from Time for Kids
Fluency - Intonation
Comprehension - Make predictions; Use prior knowledge
Robust Vocabulary - rickety, rattling, prying, impatiently, romp, defeated, jubilant, master (v)
Grammar - Singular and Plural Nouns
Writing - Personal Narrative

Mathematics (Unit 2)
* Exploring weights, scales, equal groups
* What's My Rule? routine
* Counting strategies for subtraction
* Subtraction for "Harder" subtraction facts
* Review and quiz

Social Studies
* South America

Science
* Weather

We will also be spending a lot of time preparing for our Second Grade show.

Second Grade Show News

We are all excited about the up coming Second Grade Program. The children are so excited and have been working very hard to get ready. As a reminder, the program will be Friday, October 23rd, in the Janet Root Theatre at 8:30am.

This week, each child will be responsible for drawing the flag of the country he/she has been assigned to research. This is to be done at home on a sheet of 8 1/2" by 11" bond paper. Markers only should be used to color the flag. A picture of the country's flag and instructions will be sent home on Monday (Oct. 5). Please see that the completed flag and a wire hanger (to hang the t-shirt on) are returned to class by Wednesday, October 7.

Your child will also need one regular-sized bandana for our program. It should be the traditional western pattern in any color. In addition, if you haven't already sent in your child's white t-shirt at the beginning of the school year, please do so. In addition to this we will need the following items for the stage set:

* Brown paper grocery bags - for the rain forest vines.
* Gallon milk/water bottles (no yellow) for ice sculpture.
* Stuffed animals - tagged with student name (the animals aren't needed until 10/21.). Think animals that relate to the South American rainforest and Antarctica.

We greatly appreciate all the help we already have received with decorations, props, and planning! What a special event this will be.

Thank you,

The Second Grade Team

South America Poem

South America is fourth in size,
With emerald jungles and bright blue skies.
The Amazon River flows far and long,
Where birds and beasts all sing their song.

A sloth climbs slowly through a tree,
Monkeys swing in the canopy.

Up in the Andes Mountains high,
The Incas lived in days gone by.

Coffee and chocolate, potatoes and gum,
Are foods that from South America come.

Some Websites to Try

Here are some websites to try. Let me know what you think.

www.puzzlemaker.com (you can use spelling or vocabulary words to create puzzles)

http://www.mathfactcafe.com/

http://aaamath.com

www.coolmath4kids.com

www.funbrain.com

Homework - 9/28

1. Spelling - Writing words in sentences
2. Weather - Washington DC Style (reading temperature and answering questions)
3. Practice continent poems
4. Reading

Homework - 9/28

1. Spelling and grammar worksheet
2. Practice the poems for our second grade program (Europe, Antarctica, South America, and The Seven Continents)
3. Review spelling words and also the robust vocabulary definitions
4. Reading

Week at a Glance - September 28

Here is our week at a glance. Please encourage your child to practice the four poems (Europe, Seven Continents, Antarctica and South America) for our second grade program (coming up soon). I will see most of you on Wednesday for our Parent-Teacher Conference. Have a terrific week.

Library Helper - Stacy Jacobs
Current Events - Monday - Ellie, Asher; Tuesday - Emery, Keaton; Thursday - Renata, Chase, Samuel; Friday - Joshua and Lindsey
Parent Reader - Brian Anderson

Language Arts
Phonics - Long vowel i/ie, igh; inflections -ed, -ing
Spelling - pie, high, tie, light, night, bright, right, might, tight
Bonus Spelling - weeknight, lightning, sightsee, nightstand, sunlight
High-Frequency Words - brother, caught, cheer, learn, lose, straight
Reading - Winners Never Quit! by Mia Hamm; Two Races retold by Eric A Kimmel
Leveled Readers - Nancy Lopez - Super Golfer by Janet Woodward; Michael Jordan - No Quitter by Janet Woodward; Pele - Soccer Legend by Janet Woodward
Fluency - Intonation
Comprehension - Make Predictions; Use Prior Knowledge
Robust Vocabulary - techniques, specially, struggle, traction, agile, spectator, competitive, worthwhile
Grammar - Nouns
Writing - Launching the writing workshop

Mathematics (Unit 2)
* Fact Families
* Exploring Weight, Scales, Equal Groups
* Name Collections
* Frames-and-Arrows Routines

Social Studies
* North America

Science
* Weather
* A Temperature Experiment

Homework - 9/24

1. Math worksheet (Addition Facts)
2. Practice Europe poem
3. Practice spelling and vocabulary words
4. Reading

Homework - 9/23

1. Write six sentences using some of the bonus spelling words.
2. Science worksheet - Read about temperature and complete the activity page relating to reading a thermometer.
3. Reading.

Homework - 9/22

1. Math - Home Link 2.3 - Double Facts
2. Using the map created today in computers, write how you would get from the Fire Station to the School. Use cardinal directions, street names and other points of interest in your description.
3. Vocabulary and spelling review
4. Reading

International Day of Peace Voice Thread Featuring Second Grade

Homework - 9/21

1. Spelling worksheet (front and back)
2. Practice the Europe poem
3. Practice this week's spelling words and also the student friendly definitions for this week's vocabulary
4. Reading

Week of September 21st

Here is our week at a glance. Also I wanted to remind my students that Wednesday (September 23) is Spirit Day and on Friday is the All School Pep Rally and that they may wear their spirit clothes on both days. Have a happy and peaceful week.

* Current Events - Tuesday - Reilly, Devin; Wednesday - Noah, Chloe; Thursday - Emerson, Turner; Friday - John, Erin
* Parent Reader - Molly Camp

Language Arts (Review)
* Phonics - Review (short and long vowels)
* Spelling List - has, win, spot, best, mud, same, broke, rule, clean, sleep
* Bonus - continent, America, Atlantic, equator, ocean
* Challenge Word Review - picnic, fabric, puppet, contest, homemade, teapot, peanut, plastic, napkin, rotten, mistake, classmate, beehive, mealtime, rabbit, helmet, subject, bedtime, notepad, seaweed
* High-Frequency Word Review - already, prove, police, eight, covered, everything, through, woods, guess, different, children, short, ears, finally, hundred, sugar, bicycle, special, sometimes, exercise
* Reading - Readers' Theater: Neighborhood News
* Leveled Readers - News from the Market (By Derek Scott); Morning News from the Fair (By Derek Scott); Book Week News (By Derek Scott)
* Fluency - Review accuracy and reading rate
* Comprehension - Review characters; Use graphic organizers; Main idea and details; Answer questions
* Robust Vocabulary - flutters, selected, announcement, career, penalty, location, excitable, positive
* Grammar - Review sentences, statements and questions, commands and exclamations, and parts of a sentence
* Writing - Review and publish

Mathematics (Unit 2)
* Double facts
* Turn-around facts and the +9 shortcut
* Addition strategies that use the double facts
* Subtraction from Addition

Social Studies
* North America
* Mapping Skills

Science
* Weather

Homework - 9/17

1. Math - Home Link 2.2 (Addition Facts)
2. Practice spelling and vocabulary (for tomorrow's quiz)
3. Reading

Homework - 9/16

1. Read the book we made today in the Science Lab and explain The Water Cycle to your mom or dad
2. Complete The Water Cycle worksheet
3. Practice the Europe poem
4. Reading

Homework 9/15

1. Spelling (write six sentences using this week's spelling words)
2. Math (Home Link) p. 13 (Addition Number Stories)
3. Practice the Europe poem
4. Read

Homework - 9/14

1. Spelling worksheet (ee and ea)
2. Practice the Europe poem (learn by Friday)
3. Reading

Week of September 14th

Here's a summary of what we will be doing this week in class. Just a remind that Photo Day is on Tuesday, September 15th. If you are planning on ordering photos, please send your order to school on this day. Have a terrific week.

Language Arts

Reading: Dogs by Jennifer Blizin Gillis; Animals Have Special Jobs from Weekly Reader

Leveled Readers: Cats by Diana Noonan; Ponies by Dianna Noonan; Hamsters by Dianna Noonan

Phonics: Long vowel e/ee, ea; Inflections - ed, -ing

Spelling: see, please, need, deal, sleep, mean, green, clean, keep, eat

Bonus Spelling: teapot, beehives, seaweed, peanut, mealtime

High Frequency Words: bicycle, exercise, sometimes, special, sugar

Fluency: Reading Rate

Comprehension: Main Idea and Details; Answer Questions

Robust Vocabulary: disability, position, attached, assistance, depend, responsibility, frisky, affinity

Grammar: Parts of a Sentence

Writing: Form: Paragraph of Information; Trait: Organization

Mathematics
UNIT 2: Addition and Subtraction Facts
* Addition number stories* Review "easy" addition facts

* Double Facts

* Turn-around facts and the +9 shortcut

Social Studies

* North America (Canada and Mexico)

* Mapping Basics

Science

* The Water Cycle

* A trip to the Science Lab on Wednesday

Library Helper: Liz Jack

Parent Reader: Liz Jack

Current Events: Tuesday - Emery, Keaton; Wednesday - Ellie, Asher; Thursday - Renata, Chase, Samuel; Friday - Joshua and Lindsey

Congratulations to all who shared a Current Event last week. You were fantastic. Keep up the great effort.

Homework - 9/10

1. Complete spelling worksheet (writing 5 sentences using spelling words from this week's list)
2. Math Home Link 1.11
3. Practice spelling words and the vocabulary definitions
4. Reading (don't forget to have your parents sign your homework log)

Homework 9/9

1. Science lab homework (if possible). Use something similar to baking soda if you don't have it
2. Practice spelling words and the student friendly vocabulary definitions
3. Reading

Homework - 9/8

1. Spelling worksheet
2. Math - Skill Link pp. 4-5
3. Practice spelling words and read over student friendly vocabulary definitions
4. Read for 20 minutes

Week of September 7th

Here's what the students will be doing this week. If you haven't yet subscribed to my blog, please do so. This allows you to be notified when I post another message. Hope you have a terrific week.

Language Arts

Reading - Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant; Dogs by Marchette Chute

Leveled Readers - Ben and Sooty by Pauline Cartwright; Lucy and Bill by Pauline Cartwright; A Pet That Fits by Pauline Cartwright

Phonics - Long vowels /a/a-e, /i/i-e, /o/o-e, /(y)oo/u-e; CVC Pattern in Longer Words

Spelling - same, kite, home, plate, ride, rope, race, rule, broke, tune

Bonus Spelling - mistake, bedtime, homemade, classmate, notepad

High Frequency Words - children, different, ears, finally, hundred, short

Fluency - Reading Rate

Comprehension - Main Idea and Details; Answer Questions
Robust Vocabulary - blockades, soaked, misplaced, principles, deny, consider, opinionated, bulk

Grammar - Commands and Exclamations

Writing - Form: Description; Trait - Organization

Mathematics

* Equivalent names for numbers

* Counting Patterns (including looking for patterns on the calculator)

* Relations (<,>,=) and Home Links

* Exploring temperatures, Base-10 Structures, and Dominoes

Social Studies

* Map Basics - The World on a Globe

* North America

Science

* Scientific Method

* Recording observations

* A visit to the Science Lab on Wednesday

Library Helper: Mrs. Peffly

Parent Reader: Mrs. Leonhirth

Current Events: Tuesday - Reilly and Devin; Wednesday - Chloe and Noah; Thursday - Emerson, Turner; Friday - John and Erin.

Europe Poem

Here is another poem to practice at home for our October show.

The sixth is Europe; it's second to last.
Here you'll find castles and tales from the past.

You can pick tulips in Holland and olives in Spain.
You can skate on the Danube, or ride on a train.

There are wolves in the forest, hedgehogs in the row.
There are sights and sounds that travelers love so.

You can see the Eiffel Tower or listen to Big Ben,
Eat some tasty pasta or have teatime with a friend.

Homework - 9/3

1. Complete one page in World Passport (name, date of birth, place of birth, paste in photo of self or draw one)
2. Time for Kids (Read and complete worksheet "Getting to Know Time for Kids")
3. Practice spelling and vocabulary words
4. Reading

Continent Poem

There are seven continents on Earth,
Seven great masses of land.
Some are large and some are small,
But each one has something grand.

Asia is the largest,
And Africa's number two.
North America is third in size,
Between two oceans blue.

South America is in fourth place.
Antarctica is number five.
Europe is the second to last,
And Australia is smallest in size.

Homework - 9/2

1. Finish science worksheet (finding objects that are of different textures and recording what you found on worksheet)
2. Fill the rattle we made in the science lab and bring to school tomorrow
2. Language Arts worksheet
3. Reading

Homework 9/1

1. Spelling worksheet (write 5 interesting sentences using words from this week's spelling list)
2. Learn the student friendly vocabulary definitions (sent home yesterday)
3. North America worksheet (due Friday)
4. Read for at least 20 minutes


* Please return the Spanish word search from yesterday's homework assignment if you have yet to do so

Homework - 8/31

1. Spelling worksheet (pp. 7 and 8)
2. Spanish word search
3. Recite continent poem for our October show
4. Read for 20 minutes

Week of August 31st

Here's what we will be covering in second grade this week. If you would still like to sign up for the September conference, or Parent Reader, please send me an email. Have a great week.

Language Arts
Reading - Frog and Road All Year by Arnold Lobel; Life as a Frog by Victoria Parker
Leveled Readers - A Surprise for Squirrel and Rabbit by Dot McHarry; Bump! by Dot McHarry; The Surprise by the Stream by Dot McHarry
Phonics - Short Vowels /e/e, /o/o, /u/u; Inflections -s, -es
Spelling - not, best, run, job, bed, spot, get, mud, ten, duck
High Frequency Words - covered, everything, guess, through, woods
Fluency - Accuracy
Comprehension - Characters and using graphic organizers
Robust Vocabulary - ventured, described, edge, hesitate, anonymous, unselfish, satisfied, neighborly
Grammar - Statements and Questions
Writing - Form: Paragraph
Trait - Ideas

Mathematics
* Partner study routines
* Addition facts
* Grouping by tens - $1, $10, $100
* Introducing the Student Reference Book
* Math Box routine
* Working in small groups
* Place Value patterns on number grids

Social Studies
* North America
* Map Basics
* Understanding Directions

Science
* Scientific Method
* A visit to the science lab on Wednesday

We made it!

What a terrific first week. You all did a wonderful job and achieved a lot including coming up with a list of class promises, sorting through our school supplies, learning about the class routine and rules, completing some writing, reading and math assessments, walking through our fire drill, playing some "getting to know you" games, having Spanish class on Wednesday and art on Friday, painting our portraits, sharing some pictures and souvenirs from summer, listening to lots of great stories. I already know that it is going to be a great year.

Dear Parents

I am looking forward to working with you and your child in second grade. It will be a great year of learning, growth and high achievement.

I strongly believe in the importance of including the family in all aspects of your child's educational programs and I enthusiastically encourage and welcome your involvement and partnership.

You can expect me to provide for your child:
1. A safe and structured learning environment
2. High expectations for learning and behavior
3. A classroom that values independence and cooperation among children and adults
4. A program that will be adapted to meet his/her needs through the implementation of effective teaching techniques
5. A program that will encourage your child to express him/herself through various forms of expression

I expect that your child will:
1. Do his/her work to the best of his/her ability
2. Behave in a respectful and cooperative manner toward classmates and adults
3. Exemplify the Lower Division Motto and come to school with a positive attitude
4. Return completed homework and assignments on the day that it is due
5. Come to school on time

During the week, your child will also see the following teachers:

Anna Baralt - Instructional Technology - Tuesday from 9:15-10:00

Dotti Smay - Library - Tuesday at 12:10 (every other week)

Bethsabe Bockman-Pedersen - Spanish - Monday and Wednesday from 9:10-9:40

Valerie Diaz Leroy - Music - Thursday at 12:00

Amy Pope, Woodward Every, Jeffrey Deidrich - P.E. - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 10:45

Sue Rowe - Art - Monday at 12:00

Homework is assigned Monday through Thursday. It should take approximately 15 minutes or so to complete, varying somewhat with each child's personal work habits. In addition, I encourage each student to read for at least 20 minutes.

Important Date: Back to School Night - August 24th at 7pm (Janet Root Theater).

Again, welcome to Second Grade! I look forward to working with you this school year. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Welcome to Second Grade

Wow! I can't believe that it is August already and school will begin soon. I hope you all had a terrific vacation and are feeling great about the new school year ahead. I know that I am, and can't wait to work with you this year.

What did you all do during the break? I was lucky enough to go back to Australia and spend time with my family and friends. It took us 20 hours on the plane to get there, but it was well worth it. My daughters had the chance to experience the Aussie way of life and explore many interesting and beautiful places, including the natural landscape, friendly locals and amazing flora and fauna. I have lots of pictures to share with you.

See you soon. I can't wait!