December 7-11

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Tomorrow is an early release day!  This month’s theme is Holiday Spirit.  Students are invited to wear the colors of the holidays or a festive hat, scarf, or jewelry.

This week, Mrs. Thibodeau and her good friends, George and Kelso, will come to visit us again!  

Next week, the second grade team will be hosting an Elf Workshop to allow students to make gifts for the families.  In my room, students will get a choice between making a card holder or a bookmark.  SUPPLIES NEEDED:  ribbon (preferably festive and at least 1 inch thick), clothespin, and festive holiday scrapbook paper.  If you are willing and able to donate any of these items, please send them in by Tuesday, December 15th.

On Friday, your child will be receiving a script for a Holiday Readers Theater play that we will be performing on December 21st.  Please do not misplace this script!  Practicing  their lines will be your child’s only homework for next week.  Please contact me with any questions you may have.

THIS WEEK IN...

Phonics:  We are working with the long /i/ sound with the spelling patterns:  i, ie, igh, and y.  Our focus words are:  wild, mind, lie, tie, high, sight, light, dry, cry, and try.

Vocabulary:  Our new words are:  peered, giggled, snuggled, fluttered, vanished, and recognized.  We’ll define these words and build connections to them.  Then, we’ll search for them in the short story called “Leo Grows Up”.

Comprehension:  This week, we will review the challenging skill of making inferences.  When we make inferences, we make decisions based on the clues in the story and in the pictures and on our schema (what we already know).  We’ll practice this skill while we read Farfallina and Marcel by Holly Keller.

Grammar:  We will work on possessive nouns.  A possessive noun shows who or what has something.  We add an apostrophe and an “s” to make a singular noun possessive.  For example, “The duck’s egg will hatch soon” or “The cow’s calf is learning to stand.”

Writing:  At last week’s second grade meeting, we got some distressing news!  The elves are thinking about closing their workshop because they believe that kids only want technology and not toys for Christmas.  Second graders were challenged to write persuasive letters to the elves pleading their case about why the workshop should stay open.  This week, we brainstormed reasons for why the workshop should be open and then planned our writing like a double stuffed oreo!  

O:  opinion

R:  reason #1

E: explanation

R:  reason #2

E:  explanation

O:  opinion restated

We used this template to help us write our rough draft letters today.  On Thursday, the Team will read their drafts to two peers, asking for suggestions on how to make their letters stronger.  Then, they will edit and revise as needed.  On Friday, we will write our final draft letters in our neatest and best handwriting.  The most convincing letter will be selected to be read at our second grade meeting on December 18th.  If the second graders do a great job, the elves said we could host an Elf Workshop on the 18th!

Holidays Around the World:  This week, Scott will travel to India and learn all about Diwali.  He’ll also go to China and learn all about Chinese New Year.  He’ll also go to Israel to learn all about Hanukkah.  Finally, he’ll bring us to Sweden and Uganda to learn about how they celebrate Christmas.  Each day with Scott brings new learning and fun projects!  

Here are a couple videos Scott sent us to watch as we studied India and China.

Reader’s Theater:  This week, we will read three holiday stories:  Mooseltoe, Olive, the Other Reindeer, and The Gingerbread Boy.  These books are the inspiration for the three plays we plan to perform the week before vacation.  On Friday, students will be introduced to their individual parts.  These scripts will then become your child’s homework.  Next week, we will begin rehearsals.  In rehearsal, we will practice reading with fluency.  We’ll practice adjusting the volume and pace of our reading, reading accurately, and reading with expression.  We want to entertain our audience!  Then, we’ll have the chance to create a stage background for our plays as well as some props.  It’s going to be a lot of fun!

Math:  This week, we will focus on money.  We reviewed what the most common coins look like, their value, and their names.  Next, we searched for specific coins (heads and tails) in a sea of mixed up coins to help us learn the difference.  Then, we practiced adding nickels and pennies together and dimes and pennies together.  Later, we’ll practice adding quarters together.  We’ll also practice comparing coins and their values to each other.  For example, what would be greater?  Five pennies or one dime?  

Words to think about:  "You were made to... Make your dreams come true, make the impossible possible, be yourself, accomplish any goal, change the world, live a beautiful life.  Only YOU can make it happen."