February 8-12

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

This week, we are doing a project that is very near and dear to my heart.  We'll be creating 100 valentines for the residents at Birchwoods Assisted Living facility in Portland.  I would LOVE to have some of you help me deliver them!  If you would like to bring your child (and maybe even a friend in the class), please let me know.  That way, I'll know how many people to wait for.  My plan is to deliver the valentines this Friday after school.  If you have any questions, please let me know!

This Wednesday is an early release day!  Please plan accordingly.

Spirit Week Schedule:  
Monday:  mismatched clothes
Tuesday:  favorite team attire
Wednesday:  pink and/or red
Thursday:  pjs or comfy clothes

This Friday is our Fairy Tale Ball!  Please help your child come dressed as their favorite fairy tale character.  These costumes could be as simple as a hat or even wearing what your child thinks is their character's favorite color.  If you need any help or have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Next week is vacation, so today your child received a "switcheroo" homework packet.  Please follow the directions on the cover.  These packets will be due the Monday we return to school so your child has two weeks to work on it.

We will be taking our spelling test on Unit 12 words this THURSDAY!  The words for unit 12 are:  little, long, very, after, and words.

This Thursday, the second grade team will be celebrating winter and encouraging active play with a winter carnival!  Students are invited to bring sleds and other winter gear for a day of fun outside.  I'll be sending home a flyer tomorrow with more information.  Please send along an extra set of dry clothes for your child to change into once all the fun is done.  

THIS WEEK IN...

ELA:  We will continue our journey through fairy tales!  We are constantly reading tales.  For some, we have a short activity to help extend our learning and others we simply think critically about before, during, and after we read the book.  This week, your child's goal will be to complete a poster of their favorite character.  Their posters are required to have the name of the character, whether they are a protagonist or an antagonist, the problem, the solution, what magic was used in the story, a picture of their character, and the moral of the story.  Team Howard will share these posters with other second grade students this Friday at the ball.

MATH:  This week, we continue our focus on place value.  Our lessons will focus on five ways to write a number.  We'll practice writing numbers in standard form, word form, expanded form, picture form, and identify what digits are in the hundreds, tens, and ones place.  We'll play games that will require students to have a deep understand of the hundreds, tens, and ones place as well as the ability to compare numbers using <, >, and =.  

Valentine's Day Fun:  We'll be creating "Love Monster" bags to collect all of our valentines.  We'll also enjoy the delicious friendship snack mix we've all had a hand in creating.  Finally, we'll play some fun minute to win it themed games to encourage cooperation, good sportmanship, and to bond as a class.  

I'm so excited to share such a fun week with Team Howard!

February 1-5

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Team Howard welcomes Miss Gilmour to the team!  Samantha Gilmour is an education student from the University of Maine Farmington.  She will be student teaching with us until May.  We are so excited to have her on our team!

You’ll see two papers come home from Miss Gilmour today.  One is a survey and the other is a permission slip.  During her student teaching experience she will be taking pictures to add to her portfolio.  The permission slip will let her know whether or not you would like your child to be photographed.  Your child’s name will never be used with the photograph.  If you have questions, please let me know.

Next week, the second grade team at Russell School will be holding a fairy tale ball!  For the next two weeks, we will be studying fairy tales.  Next week, your child will select their favorite fairy tale character and create a poster.  They are also invited to come to school dressed like their character for the ball.  This can be a SIMPLE costume.  It could be as simple as a hat.  Please look out for more information coming home in your child’s folder at the end of the week.

THIS WEEK IN...

Spelling:  We are working on Unit 11.  The words are:  way, find, use, may, and water.  

Phonics:  We are working with the long /u/ sound with the spelling pattern u_e.  The focus words are:  mule, June, fuse, duke, use, tune, dune, and flute.  The words bugle and music do not follow this pattern.

Vocabulary:  Our new words are tips, obeys, attention, accident, enormous, and buddy.  We’ll practice defining these words, using them in a sentence, and building connections to them.  Then, we’ll search for the words in the short story called “Safety and School” by Brian Sullivan.

Comprehension:  We will focus on using illustrations.  When we use illustrations we are looking for clues to help us better understand the story.  We’ll practice this skill while we read Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann.

Scholastic News:  Since tomorrow is Groundhog Day, we’ll be reading a special issue of Scholastic News all about Ms. G, a groundhog from Massachusetts.  Then, we’ll answer questions about Ms. G providing evidence from the text.

Math:  This week, we will be playing some fun place value games that will have us thinking all about the ones, tens, and hundreds place.  We’ll also have to think about how to compare two numbers using the symbols <, >, and =.  Ask you child about the fun and challenging place value game we play together!

Social Studies:  Today, the Love Monsters arrived!  They brought a special message telling us to be extra kind and extra nice to others in the coming days.  If we’re caught doing something nice, we’ll get a special treat from the Love Monsters.  In addition, the Love Monsters will leave a kindness challenge for us to complete each day.  

Read Aloud:  This week’s read alouds will be focused on fairy tales.  We’ll be reading Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty and Beast, Cinderella, and the Gingerbread Man.

Fairy Tales:  This week, we’ll read the story of the Three Little Pigs and the True Story by A. Wolf.  We created a motivational poster showing the moral of the story from the Three Little Pigs.  Tomorrow, we’ll write an opinion letter to the editor sharing our thoughts on who we think is telling the truth.  Later this week, we’ll read two versions of Cinderella.  First, we’ll create an invitation to Cinderella’s ball.  Then, we’ll create interview questions for Cendrillon (the other version of Cinderella).  Finally, we’ll read two different version of Little Red Riding Hood.  With the original version, we’ll make a missing poster of The Big Bad Wolf.  With the fractured version, we’ll be creating a magic wand ending and write a different ending to the story.

January 11-15

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Please remember to send your child to school with all of their winter gear.  They need boots, hats, mittens, snow pants, and coats to be able to play at recess.  Also, please remember to send in a pair of sneakers for your child to change into after recess.  It helps keep are classroom a little cleaner :)  Thank you!

This Wednesday is an early release day.  Please plan accordingly.

Next week, we will be starting an engineering project and we need your help!  If you could please send in:

paper towel rolls, yogurt cups, tissue boxes, cereal boxes, cracker boxes, or any other item made out of chip board...

It would be greatly appreciated.  We would like to have all donations by Friday, please.  Thank you!

Team Howard also owes a big thank you to Mrs. Meek from Miss Davis’ class.  She generously gave up her time and prepared materials for us for a bridge kit engineering lesson.  She taught Team Howard all about the parts of a bridge, the different kinds of bridges, and how to make a bridge.  You probably saw the finished products your child brought home last week.  This activity was incredibly challenging but Team Howard persevered and met their goal!

THIS WEEK IN...

Spelling:  We are working on unit 9.  The words are:  its, who, now, people, and my.

Phonics:  We are working with the long /o/ sound with the spelling patterns o, oa, oe, and ow.  Our focus words are:  most, told, soap, foam, toast,  toe, goes, grow, mow, and crow. 

Vocabulary:   Our new words are:  imaginary, uniform, practices, starting, tryouts, and coach.

Comprehension:  This week, we will review how to make inferences when we read.  When we make an inference we take what we read and what we already know (our schema) and make a decision about the story.  We’ll practice this skill while we read There’s Nothing Like Baseball by Angela Johnson.

Grammar:  This week, we’ll talk all about contractions!  A contraction is where you take two words and combine them into one smaller word with an apostrophe.  For example, do not becomes don’t.  

Writing:  This week, we will practice beginning our writing in many different ways.  Sometimes we’ll use dialogue.  Sometimes we’ll use action.  Sometimes we’ll use something else!  The power of a great beginning is crucial when it comes to great writing.  We’ll search for example in children’s literature and then we’ll practice different ways to start some of our own stories.

Math:  Today, we unpacked our new group of standards that focus on place value.  Here are the standards we will now focus on.

I can understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent the amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones, in a number.  I also understand that numbers can be represented as bundles of 100, bundles of 10, and bundles of 1.

Example:  In the number 732, there are 7 hundreds, 3 tens, and 2 ones.  We also see 7 bundles of 100, 73 bundles of 10, and 732 bundles of 1.

I can skip count within 1,000 by 5s, 10s, and 100s.  

Example:  Starting at the number 425...

Skip counting by 5s:  425, 430, 435, 440, 445, 450, 455, 460

Skip counting by 10s:  425, 435, 445, 455, 465, 475, 485, 495

Skip counting by 100s:  425, 525, 625, 725, 825, 926, 1,025

I can read and write three digit numbers in numerals, number names, and expanded form.

Example:

Numerals:  425

Number names:  four hundred twenty five

Expanded form:  400 + 20 + 5

I can compare two three-digit numbers using >, <, and =

Example:

425 > 349

425 < 972

425 = 425

We will also continue with our flexible groups for math facts.  In your child’s group, they are receiving direct instruction on what they need most to be able to add and subtract fluently within 20.  

Science:  Tomorrow, we will be having Outdoor Science with Mrs Letieqc.  She’ll be going over some expectations of what Outdoor Science will look like and also expectations around using the Outdoor Classroom.  She’ll be back to visit us various times this year to help enrich our science curriculum.

We’re also going to start a new unit on matter.  Matter is all around us!  We categorize matter into three categories:  solids, liquids, and gases.  This week, we’ll learn about the differences between the categories as well as some examples that fit each category. Then, we’ll be reading Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss.  We’ll use the story as inspiration to create our very own oobleck!  Our job as scientists will be to decide whether oobleck is a solid or a liquid.  I’ll let you in on a little hint... it’s both!  Watch this sweet video to understand a little bit more about what I’m talking about:

Read Aloud:  Today, we started a fun new genre... mystery!  We are reading A-Z Mysteries:  The Missing Mummy.  While we read the story, we will keep track of clues, suspects, and the mystery itself in our very own detective notebooks.  Hopefully our information will help us solve the mystery of the missing mummy!

Early Release Fun:  After reading The Missing Mitten Mystery  by Stephen Kellogg, we’ll design our very own pair of mittens.  Then we’ll practice our descriptive writing skills while we write four sentences describing our mittens.  Hopefully our descriptions have enough details because... YIKES!... our mittens will go missing too!  

January 4th-8th

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Welcome back to school!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!  I definitely enjoyed being able to spend some quality time with my family.  Any time I get to spend with them is so special to me!

Now that the snow is here, please help you child to remember to bring all of their winter gear with them to school.  They will need their winter coats, snow pants, boots, hats, and mittens to play during recess time.  

Regular homework will begin again this week.  Homework packets are due on Monday!

THIS WEEK IN...

Writer’s Workshop:  We are focusing on the writing goal that states that our writing has an order and that it makes sense.  We will playing a fun game called “Masterpiece Mixup” where a brilliant story has been broken into pieces.  It will be up to us to put the masterpiece back together again!  In our individual work time, Team Howard will visit three stations.  First, they will help fix mixed up short stories and put them back in the correct order again.  Then, they will use picture cues to help them write a short story that has a beginning, middle, and end.  Finally, we’ll use pictures, questions, and statements to prompt our writing.  Students will have the choice to write for three different purposes:  to inform, to persuade, or to share a personal memory (a narrative).

Reader’s Workshop:  Each day will focus on a different reading strategy.  First, we’ll talk about the importance of tuning into interesting words.  There are so many great words in the books we read each day!  We’ll practice how we stop and think about them in our reading.  Then, the team will be given their very own word catchers to catch any interesting words that they find during their read to self time.  These words will be words they can use in conversations or in their writing.  Next, we’ll focus on a strategy that helps us solve unknown words.  This strategy is called cross checking.  When we cross check, we’ll ask ourselves three very important questions.  Does is look right?  Does it sound right?  Does it make sense?  We’ll also practice a comprehension strategy called retelling.  This time, we’ll practice it with flair!  We’ll use the yellow brick road from the Wizard of Oz to help us retell the characters, setting, problem, beginning, middle, end, and solution.  Finally, we’ll practice another accuracy strategy called stretch, blend, and reread.  We’ll stretch out each sound in difficult words, blend them together, and then reread them with gusto!  

Spelling:  This week will be our review/challenge week.  Any words your child missed from units 5-8 will be words that they practice again this week.  Then, however many words remain in our 10 practice words will be filled with challenge words from the third grade priority list.  Team Howard will be assessed on these words on Friday.

Math:  This week, we are going to have a lot of fun reviewing our strategies for memorizing our math facts.  In second grade, we have to remember how to add and subtract numbers up to 20 in a snap!  That’s a lot of math facts!  To help us with our fluency we’ve been practicing some strategies to help us remember these facts quickly.  Here’s a review of what we’ve practiced so far:

+1/-1:  We picture a number line in our head.  The number we are looking for is either the next number (+1) or the number before (-1).

+2/-2:  We picture a number line in our heads again.  If we add two, we take two hops forward on the number line.  If we subtract two, we take two hops backward on the number line.

+/- combinations of 10:  We’ve practiced this a lot!  Every day, we count the days of school.  We then review how many more straws we’ll need to make a bundle of 10.  For example, on the 57th day of school, there would have been 7 bundles of one (straws) in the ones place.  On this day, we would have needed 3 more bundles of one (straws) to make a bundle of 10.  We’ve also practiced this a lot with tens frames.  We’ve practiced identifying how many dots are in a tens frame in a snap.  Then, we talk about how many more would be needed to make a bundle of 10.  With each kind of practice, we talk about how the facts can be flipped as well.  For example, if we have 4, we’ll need 6 more to make 10 because we know that 4 + 6 = 10.  If we know that, then we also know that 6 + 4= 10.

+/-doubles:  We love singing the doubles rap!  These facts come with lots and lots of practice and are super important for us to know!  We need to know our doubles facts forwards and backwards if we want to be able to memorize our near doubles (doubles +1) facts.  Here’s a silly video of some teachers singing the doubles rap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG6n5xLt-0Q

+/- near doubles:  If we know our doubles, then we can practice our near doubles!  Near doubles facts are facts like 1+2, 3+4, 5+6, etc.  So, if we know 1 + 1 = 2, then we know that 1 + 2 = 3, because 2 is one more than one.  Here is another example:  I can solve 6+7 because I know that 6 + 6 =12.  So, that means 6 + 7 = 13 because 7 is just one more than 6.  

Social Studies:  This week, we will go back to basics with our classroom vision.  We’ll be breaking each part of it down and sharing what each part means and how we can show that in the classroom.  We’ll talk about respect, effort, attitude, cooperation, and honesty.  

Read Aloud:  This week’s read alouds will focus all on the power of a growth mindset.  A growth mindset is one where you believe your brain is flexible and can grow with practice and determination.  Those with a growth mindset are able to persevere, take chances, and learn more.  They believe anything is possible!  We’ll kick off our book study with this video of an inspiring little boy in California who invented his very own arcade!  Check out the video below:

We’ll also learn a little bit more about how our brain works.  The team already knows the parts of their brain and what each part is responsible for.  This short video shows them a little more about how their brain can actually grow and become stronger.  

Then, we’ll use the books below as conversation starters about how the characters in the book were able to show growth mindset and how it their mindset and their attitude helped them accomplish their goals in the end.  

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

December 21-22

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Tomorrow will be the last day of school before winter break.  I hope everyone enjoys the holidays!

Tomorrow, students are invited to dress in their pajamas or comfy clothes for our Elf Workshop Celebration Day!

Flat Kids went out in the mail today!  We'll all be looking forward to the fun adventures your friends and family will be taking our flat kids on in the near future!

THIS WEEK IN...

ELA:  Our focus for the week will be our Reader’s Theater performances.  We have worked so hard on ready accurately, smoothly, and with expression.  We’ve also practiced reading at an appropriate volume, reading while standing, and reading with gestures and movements.  It is going to be so fun to perform for each other today!  This morning, the team worked hard on creating name tags, props, and scenery to enhance their plays.  This was definitely a test in cooperation and communication.  However, everything is coming together and I know the performances will be beautiful!

Read Aloud:  I purchased a new book for the classroom called How to Catch Santa.  It’s a great read!  We’ll read it today.  We’ll also read the holiday classic, The Polar Express.  The holidays really seem to bring about a LOT of great children’s literature.

Elf Celebration:  In celebration of our very own Elf Workshop opening, the second grade team will be submitting Elf Applications to the one and only Santa Claus.  Then, we’ll watch Saving Santa as a whole grade level in the library.  During the movie, students will also be invited to take some pictures with their friends in our very own photo booth, complete with holiday props.  

Holiday Celebration:  We’ll also be wrapping all of the fabulous gifts the team has made and purchased for their families over the past few days.  We hope you enjoy the small gifts that come home.  A lot of love and patience went into making them :)

I hope everyone has a lovely winter break and enjoys celebrating the holidays!  See you all again in 2016!

December 14-18

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

There is not a normal homework packet this week.  Your child's only homework is to practice their lines in our holiday reader's theater plays.  Your child brought home their highlighted script today.

This week, Russell School  will be receiving a $500.00 check from a local bank!  We are so lucky to be in such a supportive community!

The Studio of the Living Arts will be visiting Russell School on Thursday and performing a shortened version of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker. I look forward to seeing members from our special community perform such a special presentation for us!

On Friday, students from GNG High School will be singing beautiful Christmas carols to the students of Russell School.  It's going to be great to see the older role models of our district bringing some festive holiday cheer to our school!

We'll also be having a Holiday Shop hosted by the Patriot Parents.  Students are invited to bring a small amount of money to purchase gifts for their families.  All gifts will be under $1.00.  If you would like to send in money for your child, please send it in a closed envelope with your child's name clearly written on it.  

Finally, the second grade students will find out soon (probably on Thursday) that they were able to persuade the elves to keep the workshop open!  That means we'll get to host our very own workshop on Friday!  Second graders will travel to all of the second grade classrooms to make gifts for their families.  In my room, students will have a choice between a book mark or a card holder.  Thank you so much to all of you who were able to donate items!  

Students are also invited to dress up like elves on Friday for the workshop!  Red, green, festive hats, scarves, jewelry, etc. are all welcome!

If you would like to volunteer at our Elf Workshop, it will be this Friday from 12:10-2:00.  If you plan to come in, just send me a quick note or email so I can plan on having you there to help out.  

THIS WEEK IN...

Spelling:  We will work on unit 8.  The words are no, make, than, first, and been.  This also means that we will have a summative test on units 5, 6, 7, and 8 on Friday.  The week we come back in January, will be our review/challenge week.  Your child's words for that week will be decided from the summative test.  

ELA:  We are hard at work practicing for our reader's theater performances!  We will be performing:  "Olive, the Other Reindeer", "The Gingerbread Boy", and "Mooseltoe."  When we practice for our performance we are practicing our accuracy (reading words correctly) and our fluency (pace, expression, and phrasing).  Then, we'll have the chance to make our plays come alive with props and a dynamic student created background!  We'll perform these plays for our team on Monday, December 21st.  

We'll also be helping these stories come alive with some fun activities.  For Olive, we'll be writing our very own reindeer applications and explaining why we would make great reindeer.  For the Gingerbread Boy, we'll be sampling some gingerbread cookies and writing how to eat a gingerbread cookie.  For Mooseltoe, we'll write about a time where things didn't go quite so perfectly perfect.

Math:  This week, our focus is going to be on telling time.  We'll review the difference between analog and digital clocks.  We'll review the parts of a clock.  We'll also practice telling time to the nearest hour, half hour, quarter hour, and nearest five minutes.  Finally, we'll practice the difference between a.m. and p.m.  

Holidays Around the World:  We'll finish up with Russia, Mexico, Australia, and finally America for Kwanzaa and Christmas.  It has been such an eye-opening experience for Team Howard to learn a little about the many countries around the world and their different traditions.

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."