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."

November 30-December 4

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Please help your child remember to bring their homework packet back to school every Monday!  When they turn in their homework, they receive 15 minutes of choice time as a reward.  For students who do not turn in their homework, they work on homework during this time instead.

The temperature has dropped quite a bit since the beginning of the year.  Please be sure to send your child to school with their coat, hat, and mittens every day.  Soon, when the snow gets here, they will also need their snow pants and boots.

The Winter Concert will be next Monday evening at GNG Middle School.  Hope to see you there!

This week in...

Spelling:  We are working on unit 6.  The words are:  into, has, more, her, and two.  Our test will be on Friday.

Phonics:  We are working on the long /a/ sound with the spelling patterns ai and ay.  Our focus words are:  main, wait, sail, tail, train, jay, pay, stay, hay, and may.

Vocabulary:  Our new words are:  serious, broken, personal, informs, and heals.  We’ll define these words, build connections to them, and then search for them in two short stories called “A Ride to Help” and “Time for an X-Ray.”

Comprehension:  We’ll continue to focus on identifying the sequence of events as we read A Trip to the Emergency Room.  We’ll look for clue words like first, next, then, and last to help us.  

Grammar:  This week, we will focus on proper nouns.  Proper nouns are words that name a special place, person, or thing.  For example:  Mrs. Howard, Mercy Hospital, and Gray Park are all proper nouns.  Proper nouns always start with a capital letter.  

Writing:  Now that we have built our writing stamina, we are going to focus on some of the nitty gritty parts of writing.  This week we’ll focus on what makes a sentence complete.  We’ll also compare phrases to sentences.  

Math:  This week, we will be concluding our fractions journey and moving onto new topics!  We’ll be unpacking and practicing our time and money standards for second grade.  These standards will be introduced now and practiced throughout the year.

In second grade, students must be able to:

-Tell time to the nearest five minutes and understand the difference between A.M. and P.M.

-Solve word problems involving money where students are asked to add money (coins and dollars) up to $2.00.  Students must use ¢ and $ appropriately.

Social Studies:  Today, we received a mysterious package that had maps all over it, with a note telling us not to open it until after recess.  When we did open it, we received a note from Scott Trot, a friend who decided he wanted to travel the world and learn all about the different holidays!  He left us suitcases and maps to help us keep track of his journey and all of the souvenirs he sends us.  A little birdie told me Scott Trot will be visiting England, France, Italy, and Germany this week to see how they celebrate winter holidays.  It sure is going to be fun!

Science:  We will be wrapping up our unit on landforms this week.  Today, we put some finishing touches on our dream islands and have been working hard to finish up our maps and postcards to Pete and Penelope.  Another little birdie told me they might be coming to Russell School this week to congratulate the team on all of their hard work!  

Words to Think About:  

“Go confident in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined.”

-Henry David Thoreau

November 23-24

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

There is no school Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday this week as we have a teacher’s comp day and as we observe the Thanksgiving holiday.

This week’s homework packet will be a little different.  We like to switch things up during vacation weeks to keep things interesting.  Students will be expected to continue their reading and spelling practice.  Then, they are asked to complete a math and literacy worksheet in the packet.  This packet will be due when we return to school on Monday, November 30th.  Please let me know if you have any questions!

THIS WEEK IN...

Writing:  This week, we will be writing postcards to our pirate friends, Pete and Penelope, from our dream islands!  We’ll include information about the people, the weather, location, special features, and landforms.

Nonfiction Fun:  Turkeys, turkeys, turkeys!  We read all about turkeys and collected facts.  Then, we displayed our facts in a fun turkey design.

Feasting on Inferences:  This week, we’ll practice making inferences with some Thanksgiving flair.  First, we’ll help Sage and Max figure out what their mom needs from the grocery store by using recipe cards and clues from the story.  Then, we’ll practice making inferences after reading some short stories.  When we make inferences we use our schema and clues from the text to help us understand the story.

Thanksgiving Then and Now:  We’ll be reading a Thanksgiving themed article from Scholastic News all about Thanksgiving in the 1620s.  Next, we’ll use the text to answer questions.  Then, we’ll make comparisons between many of the ways our lives are different now compared to the lives of the people living in the 1620s.  

Read Aloud:  This week, we’ll read two short picture books.  First, we’ll read The Story of the Pilgrims  by Katherine Ross.  Then, we’ll read A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Diane de Groat.  

Math:  We continue our work with fractions!  We’ll focus on partitioning circles and rectangles into halves, thirds, and fourths and writing fractions to match the part of the shape that we shade.  We’ll be sure to use correct numerators and denominators.  We’ll also talk about fractions that represent one whole (i.e. 2/2, 3/3, and 4/4).  

Science:  We are working on completing our dream islands!  This week, we’ll complete our maps (including a compass rose and key) and paint our islands in life-like colors.  We’ll also finish labeling the landforms we included on our islands.  

Have a great week and a happy Thanksgiving!