Week 33

 Dear Parents,

            In math this week we continued focusing on our solids and shapes as we created shapes, made new shapes, used reasoning to figure out which shapes were used and divided shapes. We reviewed on Thursday and took our assessment on Friday.

             In writing we edited, revised and published our procedural papers. We then began researching the Great White Shark and are learning the features of an informational report. First we wrote what we thought Great White Sharks looked like. Then we began by reading a book and finding facts about what the Great White Shark looks like and where it lives. We confirmed some ideas and found new ones. We can’t wait to keep researching next week!

             In reading/social studies we learned about service workers and their jobs. We created a town map that had 3 services and 3 goods stores. On Tuesday we watched the Lorax and talked about how we can protect our Earth. We wrote promises to the Earth so she can be beautiful and clean for future generations. We read a scholastic News called “Follow That Bottle” as we learned what happens to a recycled bottle. We read The Best Habitat For Me and completed a cloze procedure paper. 

               In science we began a new unit on the behaviors and characteristics of animals. We chose animals from a bag and wrote about the characteristics we noticed and how it could help the animal get food or water. We watched a video of ocean animals and described them as well.

 

• On our field trip day we will be getting back to school in time to eat lunch. If it is a nice day we talked about eating outside – like a picnic lunch. It would be a great day to pack a lunch, but if your child needs to buy a lunch that is an option as well.

Week 32

 Dear Parents,

   This week in math, we reviewed for our End of year CBA Math assessment and took it on Tues. and Wed. On Thursday we had a fun Egg Hunt Math and Around the room Math to do. The students enjoyed finding the eggs and answering the questions.

     In writing they began by brainstorming ideas for their How to individual projects and began drafting and revising them. We continue learning the Capital Cursive Letters in our handwriting books.

      In reading/ social studies our focus was economics. We learned about producers and consumers and completed a sort. We will be making a circle-rama with the information we learned next week. We read the Scholastic News Article “Billions of Bugs’ and completed a reading check point.

       In Science we continued read and learning about the life cycles of butterflies and frogs. We created a project that shares our learning. On Thursday we took our assessment over this unit.

        I have had a few parents inquire about coming on our field trip. If you would like to, you may call the theater and tell them the date and the name of our school and see if you can purchase a ticket. You will need to drive yourself, but you can come to school that morning and follow our buses.

         We are collecting white standard sized pillow cases for a project. Every year there are several children who cannot purchase one. If you buy a pack of two and would like to donate the other pillow case, it would be appreciated. I would like to ensure that every child gets to make this fun keepsake of second grade.

Week 31

 Dear Parents,

        This week in math we studied geometry. We went from observing our 3-D shapes to observing our plane shapes. We counted faces, vertices, and edges with our 3-D shapes and learned that some shapes only have flat surfaces. Some roll and some do not. The ones that roll do not have edges as edges are straight lines. We counted vertices and sides on our plane shapes and even learned the name of a shape that has 12 sides. We used a chart to help us with all the names.

         In writing we finished up our class project on how to draw a crab. We brainstormed things we know how to do and began our individual projects on how to do something we know how to do well.

          In reading we learned about economics- earning, spending and saving. We talked about needs and wants and did a scoot around the room to see if we understood the concept. A lot of children thought a car was a need, but we found out it is a want. We read about making good choices with our money. We read a Scholastic News article-

Called “ Butterflies are back and took a comprehension check after reading and discussing it together.

            In science we set up our unit on life cycles of frogs and insects. We had our caterpillars arrive last Friday. We watched them eat, grow and wriggle out of their skin to be a chrysalis. We learned all about the life cycles of butterflies and frogs and earned money by answering questions about what we learned.

            Thank you for all of you who signed your child up for his/her leadership conference. My sign up genius is now closed, but feel free to e-mail me and I will make a time with you so we can meet and your child present to you. The last three weeks, I have been so proud of my students as they presented.

 

*We have an upcoming field trip to see Aladin. I am only allowed 1 chaperone, but I did find out that you may purchase tickets on your own and drive yourself to the theater if you’d like to attend. The information is coming home in your Coyote Folder today. Here is the link to sign up to be our chaperone. First one who signs up will be coming with us:

https://lewisvilleisd.voly.org/opportunity/view.html?id=104635

Week 30

  Dear Parents,

                 Donuts with Dads was a huge success. I wish I could have been in the Café to welcome you, but I was watching all of second grade who came to our rooms at 7:15. I know you enjoyed your time together!

                 We had another great week in second grade! In math we finished up our unit on fractions and took our assessment. We are now learning Geometry- solid shapes. We are looking for those shapes in our world, counting the faces, flat surfaces, edges, and vertices.

                  In writing we finished up researching famous Americans as we learned about Theodore Roosevelt. We then began learning about how to write a procedural paper. We practiced following a paper about how to draw a dolphin. Then we started researching the body parts of a crab as we will compose a class paper about how to draw a crab.

                  In reading/social studies we learned about our earth as we looked at a globe and read about the continents , oceans, equator, and hemispheres. On Tuesday we read about the origin of April Fools Day , read jokes, and chose one to make a class joke book. We practiced our reading skills as we read two passages and answered questions on a district reading check point.  On Friday we read a Scholastic News article called Slam Dunk! We then took a comprehension check.

                 In science we finished up our unit on seed dispersal and pollination. We took our assessment on Friday. We also got a wonderful surprise in the mail. Our caterpillars arrived. We will be observing them until they become Painted Ladt Butterflies! This is so exciting. They are already growing very Quickly!