Week 27

Dear Parents,

            We spent three days on time to the minute this week. It was a very hard concept for this group. Thank you for the extra support at home doing the homework pages. We worked small group, whole group and one on one on this skill. We have moved on to area, but telling time to the minute will be on our next test. Thank you for continuing to work with your children reinforcing this skill.

            In writing this week we finished up our imaginative stories and went on to writing a folktale. I am really impressed with the imagination and care put into these stories. I will be hanging them in our classroom and out in the hall for all to see. Next week we will be going on to poetry using sensory details. Please remember to have your child bring in an object from home on Monday. A letter explaining is in your child’s Coyote Friday folder.

           In reading we continued on with our media literacy unit. The children chose a story and created a movie poster about it. They were given a rubric to follow so they know how it will be scored.

           In science we have been focusing on the parts of a plant and what the purpose of each part is. We even planted seeds of our own and are watching them to see when they will sprout. We learned that all plants need to sprout is air, warmth and water. They need a few things more, like soil, sun and nutrients to grow into healthy plants.

           In social studies we’ve continued on with mapping skills. We learned what a map looks like that has a bird’s eye view. We even created a bird’s eye view map of our classroom and had a rubric to follow to know how it will be scored.

           It was so nice talking to you about your children! Spring conferences are completed for everyone who signed up. If you still wish to have a conference please e-mail me and we will set one up.

We had so much fun supporting CRE!

Learning the rules!

The boys and girls cheered each other on!

Boosterthon was a great success!

Amiyah is our Leader of the Week!

Week 26

Dear Parents,

       The children were happy to be back at school on Monday, although they were a bit tired. I think fun was had by all over Spring Break! We finished up our math unit on fractions and took a test today,

        In language we worked all week at planning out an imaginative story, adding show me, not tell me emotions to our characters. These stories had characters, settings and events that were created in the imaginations of your second graders. I am really impressed at how each of them are growing in their writing abilities as they use the mini lessons to create their own stories.

        In reading we finished up our unit on the different kinds of media. The children experienced the different media: print, digital, electronic, and social. We had many opportunities to sort, make tree maps, and discuss what we knew, wondered and learned. We found out that all media is made to persuade, inform or entertain us.

       In science we finished up our study of weather by discussing the water cycle and how the water that we use on earth has been here since the dinosaurs were here!

       In social studies we continued with our map skills. We saw where we live in Carrollton, Texas, America, North America, and the earth. We made a compass rose and used it to answer questions about directions on a map.

        We ended our economics unit today by using the money we earned this nine weeks to buy a ticket to see a movie, Everyones Hero. We were also able to buy snacks and treats. We had some practical experience with the prices of items, supply and demand. The sour treats were in high demand in our classroom! We had a great time wrapping up the unit as we spent all our cash.

         Congratulations to Amiyah who is our student of the week!

     

      *Spring pictures went home before Spring Break. Please choose what you would like to purchase- send in the money, extra pictures with money, and/or the picture pack if you do not wish to buy any. ( So far only 7 children have returned either pictures or money. These are due next Friday.)

* Please Send the LISDOLA Field trip form in by Monday. If your child has not turned it in another form will go home today. This field trip has no cost.

Week 25

Dear Parents,

       What a great week we had! We had lots of great learning opportunities as we got ready for open house. It was great to see the faces of your children as they shared all their hard work. Their faces showed pride as they showed you how much they have grown in their learning this year. For those of you who couldn’t make it, all their hard work will be coming home tonight in their pocket. As we take down the displays that were up, they too will go home so your child can add it to their collection of work from second grade.

        In math we began learning about fractions as equal parts of a whole. We then talked about one of the parts, then moved on to more than one part. Today we talked about 4/4 as equal to a whole. When a fraction is representing all of its parts it is talking about the whole thing.

        In language we began by mapping out an imaginative story on a multi flow map. We then picked our characters, setting, and event from over 30 choices of each. We then began weaving them into imaginative stories using sensory words to describe our setting. After Spring Break we will be creating our own characters, setting and event to be woven into another imaginative story.

         In reading we have been learning about folktales and all the characteristics of the seven different kinds. We have been comparing and contrasting different versions of the same story. We have been delving into the characteristics, thoughts, words, and actions that create a character. We made connections to self, other texts, and to the world. We took a comprehension check on Friday.

          In science we finished graphing our weather, learned more types of weather as well as the different types of clouds. We looked at our weather chart and looked for weather patterns. We noticed the warmest and coldest days we graphed. We realized that the weather impacts our daily;y lives from the clothes we choose to wear to the activities we plan to do. Checking weather predictions will help us plan correctly.

           In social studies we learned our cardinal and intermediate directions. We made a compass rose with all the directions and used it to answer questions.

I hope you all enjoy Spring Break with your families! Stay safe and have fun!

Week 24

Dear Parents,

             We had another great week of learning as we are gearing up for open house next Thursday from 5:30-7:00.You may come at any time and stay as long as you wish. The children have worked hard so far this year and would love to share that hard work with you. This week choices for a spring conference will be going home. This Spring conference if you choose to have one will include your child. He/she will be presenting his/her leadership notebook. I then will be catching you up on your child’s progress so far this year and their middle of year assessment scores. Please send your conference choices back as soon as possible as I will schedule you on a first come, first scheduled basis. You may also choose to sign up for a time during open house.

               In math we finished up our unit on number sense for numbers up to 1,200. This also included problem solving. Our next unit up will be fractions! In language we finished up our biography reports and posters. I saw a lot of growth in each child’s ability to decide what was important information and what was interesting. Sometimes they came to the conclusion that some of each helped shape that person’s life. The presentations went very well. They learned to speak up, speak slowly, and give their report with fluency. The reports and posters will be on display at open house.

                In reading we began a two week unit on folktales. We are learning that there are many different kinds of folktales like fairy tales, fables, legends, pourquois,  trickster tales, and myths. We are learning the difference between these kinds of stories and are identifying the themes within them. They have really enjoyed it so far!

                  In science we concluded our unit on objects in the sky and are beginning our unit on weather. We will be tracking the weather for nine days and be making observations such as wind speed, temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation. We will be learning about the seasons and the weather that changes in each. We will also learn that knowing the weather helps us know how to dress each day.

                  In social studies we were studying landforms. We learned what they were and completed a flip book showing five of them. We then designed our very own continent and added 7 landforms in or around it. We had to create a map key so that those landforms could be identified. These too will be displayed at open house. The timelines were presented on Friday. Not only did your child gain important knowledge about what a timeline is, but they have a wonderful keep sake. These precious projects will also be displayed at open house.

*Spring pictures went home on Friday. Please choose what you would like to purchase- send in the money, extra pictures with money, and/or the picture pack if you do not wish to buy any.