Week 15

Dear Parents, 

       In Math this week we have been learning the basics of multiplication and division as repeated addition and repeated subtraction. We have been building buildings with our snap cubes. We talk about the groups as floors and the number in each group as rooms. We built 5 floors and then used our math skills to figure out how many rooms there were in 10 floors. We also had objects that we had to put into equal groups. This showed us how to divide the objects.

       In Language we have been learning how to write a biography. We learned that a person’s life needs to be told in a chronological order. We also had to distinguish which facts were important and should be included in our biography. We then worked with partners to rewrite the information in our own words. We took this piece through the writing process.

       In reading we have been learning about how things change over time. We have read about how communication, homes, schools, toys, games, and transportation have changed over time. We completed a book that showed our knowledge about then and now.

        In science we finished up our unit on force and motion and took our assessment on Thursday. We will be starting a new unit next week.
Congratulations to our Leader of the Week, Analise!

*It’s yearbook time! The 2018-2019 CRE yearbook is on sale now. Ordering information went home in student Friday folders. You can also order online at www.balfour.com and select our school. Order by January 25^th to guarantee your copy when our yearbooks are delivered in May.

                                                                                                                                                                 

*Thank you to all the families who participated in our first Habit Newsletter last month!

In your child’s folder on Monday, will be the November Goals Newsletter. Attached to the newsletter is an activity that corresponds with the monthly habit of December, Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind. Please assist your child in completing the activity and sign/return the half sheet to their homeroom teacher by TUESDAY December 6th. 

We will be tracking grade level participation for returning the half sheet. The grade level with the highest percentage of participation for December will receive 15 minutes of extra recess!

*Please note that this month students only have one day to complete and return the activity to their teacher

Our Creations!

Fun at Maker Space!

Our Thankful Circle

They Worked!

Synergy to create a Roller Coaster

Force and Motion Marble Painting

Week 14

Dear Parents,

    This week in math we finished up our unit on measurement, area, perimeter and time. We will continue to practice these TEKS at school and I will still be sending homework home to reinforce these skills as well. We took our assessment on Thursday.

     In writing we had several smart lessons to learn some parts of speech. We learned about adjectives and worked with partners to describe ice cream. Some of our excellent adjectives were: icy, melted, sweet, yummy, delicious, minty plus many more. We learned how apostrophes are used to make contractions and to show possession. I can’tbelieve how touching our second grader’sthankful writing prompts turned out to be! We learned that pronouns take the place of nouns. We will be watching for all these parts of speech in our writing. We also finished up our how to bake a turkey writing. We actually watched a how to video, then used our transition words to write the steps. We then used our handprint to make a turkey. I hope you love this keepsake. Don’t forget to ask them for their what they are thankful for cornucopia papers they were very sweet.

    We also read several Thanksgiving related stories and practiced our reading skills by writing the story elements, answering comprehension questions, and writing text- to- self  connections. One of their favorite activities was the directed drawing of The Rough Faced Girl.  

    In science we started our unit on force and motion. We dipped a top in paint, then watched the track it left across the paper. We realized that the more force used the longer the paint track was and the longer the top kept spinning. We actually used string to measure the tracks. We also saw that some objects slide easily because of their physical properties and others do not. Physical properties can cause objects to slide, roll, or spin. On Friday Mr. Salas was in our classroom as our watchdog dad. He helped a group synergize and create a roller coaster that allowed a marble to go through the track because of the momentum the marble built up as it raced down the first big hill. Thank you Mr. Salas for being with our class off and on today!  

    Wishing you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving together! 

A Clip of our performance!

Our Veterans!

Our Veterans Celebration!

Expository Reading Activities

Week 13

Dear Parents,

       This week in math we have focused on three different math skills. Area, we learned that the area is the inside of a shape. We used inch squares to build shapes with different areas and then looked at shapes drawn in our math book to count how many square units made up each shape. We then looked at two different shapes that had the same area, but this time we looked at the outside, or perimeter of the shape. We learned that the perimeter is only measured in units around a shape. After that we began measurement with a nonstandard unit like a paper clip. We soon moved on to measuring with rulers and yard sticks.

       In writing this week we are writing a how to expository piece of writing. I’m not going to tell you our topic since this will be made into a wonderful keepsake which will come home right before our Fall break! They are working very hard on it and can’t wait to share it with you.

        In reading we have been learning about expository texts such as manuals, recipes, and directions. We have been working at 4 stations, one a day, to use these expository reading texts to create some fun projects, recipes, and to follow directions. 

         In science we have been learning about magnets. We had two investigations so far. One we used magnets to see their affect on iron filings. Next we dug in sand for buried treasure. The magnets helped us find some objects, but not others. We had to dig with our hands! We learned the terms magnetic/ nonmagnetic and put our objects on a T- chart.

         The leader in me focus for the month is be proactive. Please read the below blurb about how your family can be a lighthouse family! 

*This is Coyote Ridge’s 3^rd year using the Leader in Me Program. In order to continue growth and learning at home, we will send home a newsletter each month that will focus on a different habit. We will also send home an information sheet that provides more activities and details about the focus habit. By the end of the year we will have discussed all 7 Habits. If your family participates in ALL 7 Newsletters, you will be showcased in our school as a Lighthouse Family!

*Be Proactive Day – November 14^th

As you know, we are focusing on Habit 1: Be Proactive this month. During class, we have been discussing how to be proactive vs reactive along with controlling our own actions. To continue the growth of this skill we are having a school wide spirit day on Wednesday, November 14^th- Be Proactive Day! We would love for everyone to participate by wearing YELLOW from head to toe! Let’s be proactive!

*Our Veterans Program was a wonderful celebration which honored our veterans. Analise had a family member come who is a veteran. The second grade sang a song ( we were in the back row) and learned motions to a song (we were in front) to honor them. Aleena helped lead the second graders by being out front!

Measuring with rulers and yardsticks for hands on math!

Pumpkin Math!

Working Together!

Monster Breakout with Mrs. Wall was so much fun!

Week 12

Dear Parents,

          This week in math we finished up our unit on two digit subtraction with and without regrouping. We took our assessment on Wednesday and began our unit on time on Thursday. In second grade your child needs to be able to tell time to the hour, to the half hour and to the minute. They need to know the terms a quarter to and a quarter after an hour. A time like 5:46 could be named as five forty-six, forty-six minutes after five or fourteen minutes to six. They need to be able to look at the time 3:45 and correctly draw the hands on an analog clock. We are all a little confused by the verbage right now, but soon will know how to use it. Time homework sheets will continue to go home so that you can help reinforce these important skills.

           In language we have been working hard on our expository writing about why we like our favorite holiday. We are using transition words and are taking this writing through the writing process. We are also working on a Veterans Day acrostic poem to honor our veterans. We can’t wait to perform at our Veterans Day program on November 9^th. I hope you can come see us at  8:30  in the gym.

            In reading we read a Scholastic News about Pumpkins, and one about the history of Halloween candy. We listened to Pumpkin stories and did activities like summarizing the story with a beginning, middle and end and figured out the theme of the story. We read an expository book on the growth of a pumpkin seed. We also carved a pumpkin. We estimated how many seeds were in it, how many inches the circumference was and how much it weighed. We used calculators to figure out the difference between our estimate and the actual numbers. Our pumpkin had 496 seeds (And yes, we counted them all! ), weighed 15 pounds (the nurse was happy to let us use her scale), and had a circumference of 37 inches. We then got to choose whether we would like to write a how to carve a pumpkin expository writing or the  growth of a pumpkin expository writing in our fun pumpkin books.

              In science we continued discussing our vocabulary and played charades to see if we could guess the right word. We worked on talk, read, talk, write activities in which we learned more about our three kinds of energy: light, heat (thermal energy), and sound. We did a CER activity in which we made a claim about what we have learned and stated evidence to support our claim.

• Please send in your box tops! The class with the most wins a pizza party!

*A big thank you to those of you who contributed to our stuff the pantry service project. We can make a difference at CRE!

NEW at CRE:

This is Coyote Ridge’s 3^rd year using the Leader in Me Program. In order to continue growth and learning at home, we will send home a newsletter each month that will focus on a different habit. We will also send home an information sheet that provides more activities and details about the focus habit. By the end of the year we will have discussed all 7 Habits. If your family participates in ALL 7 Newsletters, you will be showcased in our school as a Lighthouse Family!

In your child’s Friday Folder is the October Goals Newsletter. Attached to the newsletter is an activity that corresponds with the monthly habit of November, Habit 1: Be Proactive. Please assist your child in completing the activity and sign/return the half sheet to their homeroom teacher by November 9th. We will be tracking grade level participation for returning the half sheet. The grade level with the highest percentage of participation for November will receive 15 minutes of extra recess!