May 18-22

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Please send in all shoeboxes by WEDNESDAY!!  Any extra shoeboxes would be greatly appreciated as well.  With the whole second grade participating in these projects, I’m sure we’d be able to find a use for any extras.

Homework packets are due on Thursday.   Also, you will receive the last homework packet of the year this week.  It’s crazy how fast the time has flown by!!

Mrs. Thibodeau will be coming to visit us on Friday!  She’ll be showing the Good Touch/Bad Touch video that you previously received information about in totes.  It’s always a joy to have Miss Tippy Toes come to visit!

Classroom wish list:  If anyone is able to donate any modeling clay to the class, it would be greatly appreciated!  Earth tone colors would be best (browns, tans, whites, grays, blacks, etc.) since we’ll be using the clay to make models of the animals we have been studying.  It would be best if we could have all donations by WEDNESDAY!  Thank you so much for your consideration.

This week in:

Phonics:  We are working with the schwa sound.  Our focus words are:  idea, comma, alone, agree, ago, above, again, awake, away, and alike.

Spelling:  Students are working on list #2!  They will be assessed on these words on Friday.  

Vocabulary:  Our new words are:  vast, oceans, areas, voyage, and planet.  We’ll use our vocabulary words to define these words and show our understanding of them.  Then, we’ll search for them in the short story called “Continents and Oceans” and also in the short story called “Record Holders!”

Comprehension:  This week, we’ll review main idea and supporting details.  The main idea is what a story is mostly about.  The details give more information to support the idea.  We’ll practice this skill while we read Columbus Explores New Lands 

Grammar:  We will talk about possessive pronouns.  These words take the place of a possessive noun.  These words shown who or what owns something.  Examples are:  my, his, your, and her.

Writing:  This week, we will finish our animal report final drafts.  We’ve been practicing how to write appropriate paragraphs.  When we write our final drafts, we will make sure each new idea is a new paragraph and that each new paragraph starts with an indent.  

Team Howard will also have the chance to write a riddle about the animal they have been studying.  

Science:  We will continue our study on habitats.  We’ll illustrate different kinds of habitats and then solve different animal riddles to decide where each animal belongs.  

Engineering:  Our animal projects are also accompanied with a diarama.  These will be entirely student created.  They will be responsible for creating a background that looks like their animal’s habitat as well as creating several 3D components.  They will also incorporate natural elements likes sticks, rocks, and sand.  Finally, they will use clay to create a lifelike representation of their animals.  We will begin these diaramas this week.

Math:  Word problem flexible groups will continue.  Please refer to previous posts to find the specific standards these groups revolve around.  

I will also begin our measurement unit with Team Howard this week.  This week, we will estimate things that could be about an inch, about a foot, and about a yard.  We’ll also estimate things that could be about a centimeter or about a meter.  Later, we’ll use measurement tools like rulers, yard sticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes to measure items around the room in inches and centimeters.

Have a great week!