We went above and beyond on our donations for the girl we adopted! Thank you so much for all of your donations. After purchasing the shoes, we had money left over that we were able to put towards another child in need. Thanks for showing that Caraway Cares!
We will have our buddies, a mime presentation and a great choir performance in school this week! This is a great way to end the semester on a high note!
WRITING:
We will have no spelling words this week to test over. I know the class will be so upset!
This week, we will focus on letter writing and making lists. Whether our letter is a persuasive one to our parents, a reindeer job application, a poem to a cup of hot, delicious cocoa, or telling the season Winter what it means to you, the students can enjoy thinking outside the traditional holiday box.
READING:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. The class has enjoyed making inferences this past week and we will continue to study main idea and making predictions. We will point our the difference between main idea and supporting details in a reading passage.
MATH:
This week is a review of all things math! We will review with some winter themed math games to cover all the topics we introduced this semester. To end the week, we will have our math benchmark.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our study on historical figures is coming to a close. Our class did a great job on researching, writing a final report and creating a visual for their project. It's time to present them to the class! My hope is this project had the students thinking about what their contribution in their life will be.
REMINDERS:
Dec. 19 - Class Holiday Party
Dec. 20 - Last Day of Fall Semester
Dec. 21- Jan.6 - No School
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
December 10th-14th
WRITING:
We are working on finishing our All About books this week. The topics ranged from All About Computers to All About Pizza! Later on in the week will be a stinky, smelly, rotten combination of adjectives, alliteration and illustrations. We are dissecting The Grinch's characteristics that made his heart so small and coming up with ways to make him grin. We will move on to illustrating the lines of The Grinch song and putting it to video. It will be quite a production!
READING:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. The knowledge igloo is filled with facts that have frozen in our brains! The students have loved finding out facts about all the types of penguins! Ask anyone how long an Emperor penguin can hold its breath under water!
We will work on how to inference and making predictions with pictures and texts and main idea with filling out fish bones and banana split sundaes! This should make us crave more for main ideas!
MATH:
We will build on our pattern knowledge and move into Input/Output tables. This will involve finding the rule from a robot, machine, patient and more to find what comes next in the pattern. Students will use vocabulary of increasing by and decreasing by to state the rule and continue the pattern until they find their answer.
A review of tables and patterns will be on Thursday and we will assess this Friday.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our study on historical figures will continue with our independent research project. The students selected a historical person on Friday that they wanted to learn more about. This individual study will go through the process of gathering more facts from Pebble Go and library books, writing a research report and creating a model of what that person looked like.
If you have spare fabric, buttons, string.....anything scrappy or crafty....we would love your donations! The writing and making of the models will be done in class, so all supplies will need to be at school by Tuesday.
REMINDERS:
Dec. 17 - Family Art Night
Dec. 19 - Class Holiday Party
Dec. 20 - Last Day of Fall Semester
Dec. 21- Jan.6 - No School
We are working on finishing our All About books this week. The topics ranged from All About Computers to All About Pizza! Later on in the week will be a stinky, smelly, rotten combination of adjectives, alliteration and illustrations. We are dissecting The Grinch's characteristics that made his heart so small and coming up with ways to make him grin. We will move on to illustrating the lines of The Grinch song and putting it to video. It will be quite a production!
READING:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. The knowledge igloo is filled with facts that have frozen in our brains! The students have loved finding out facts about all the types of penguins! Ask anyone how long an Emperor penguin can hold its breath under water!
We will work on how to inference and making predictions with pictures and texts and main idea with filling out fish bones and banana split sundaes! This should make us crave more for main ideas!
MATH:
We will build on our pattern knowledge and move into Input/Output tables. This will involve finding the rule from a robot, machine, patient and more to find what comes next in the pattern. Students will use vocabulary of increasing by and decreasing by to state the rule and continue the pattern until they find their answer.
A review of tables and patterns will be on Thursday and we will assess this Friday.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our study on historical figures will continue with our independent research project. The students selected a historical person on Friday that they wanted to learn more about. This individual study will go through the process of gathering more facts from Pebble Go and library books, writing a research report and creating a model of what that person looked like.
If you have spare fabric, buttons, string.....anything scrappy or crafty....we would love your donations! The writing and making of the models will be done in class, so all supplies will need to be at school by Tuesday.
REMINDERS:
Dec. 17 - Family Art Night
Dec. 19 - Class Holiday Party
Dec. 20 - Last Day of Fall Semester
Dec. 21- Jan.6 - No School
Thursday, November 29, 2012
December 3rd-7th
Is it really December already. This weather really gets me in the holiday spirit (oh wait... it's still 75 degrees out!)
Writing:
This week in writing we will make "All About" books. These books will have many of the non-fiction elements we have been learning about such as a table of contents, a diagram, and procedural text. We will organize our books using different types of paper for each type of writing. We will also focus on using pronouns this week.
Reading:
Guided reading groups will continue as well as our class research on penguins. We have used many resources this week to build our "knowledge igloo". We look forward to using many more non-fiction and fiction resources to gain even more knowledge about penguins. At the end of the week we will be able to identify fiction from non-fiction.
Math:
We are working on patterns and tables this week. We will play some games and work on many types of charts and tables about various things to better understand this skill. We will make tables about animal parts, candy, and even a pizza topping table.
Social Studies:
We will continue to learn about historical figures this week. We will focus on people such as Abigail Adams and Uncle Sam. We also have some local families and people that we will discuss such as the Moehring family who perfected the Round Rock Donut.
Caraway Cares Project for Second Grade:
From now until December 11th each of the second grade classes are going to collect coins with a coin drive. We will use the coins that are collected to purchase a gift for a family in our Caraway community. Our class has adopted a child who wants new shoes so our goal is to collect enough coins to purchase that item. Once we have collected enough we'll purchase the item and wrap it. The children get so excited about opportunities to help out others in need so I'm really looking forward to this.
Reminders:
Life Journals- Are due on Friday. Please help your child to continue to work on theirs at home.
Class Winter Party- December 19th at 1:45, everyone is welcome to join us! Details to come...
Book Fair- Dec. 3-7: This will take the place of our normal library time. We will have time on Monday to preview the books and then our class will have time to purchase on Thursday. The Book Fair will be open after school each day and until 6 on Tuesday if you want to come check things out for yourself!
Caraway Choir Concert- Dec. 4th at 6:30
Writing:
This week in writing we will make "All About" books. These books will have many of the non-fiction elements we have been learning about such as a table of contents, a diagram, and procedural text. We will organize our books using different types of paper for each type of writing. We will also focus on using pronouns this week.
Reading:
Guided reading groups will continue as well as our class research on penguins. We have used many resources this week to build our "knowledge igloo". We look forward to using many more non-fiction and fiction resources to gain even more knowledge about penguins. At the end of the week we will be able to identify fiction from non-fiction.
Math:
We are working on patterns and tables this week. We will play some games and work on many types of charts and tables about various things to better understand this skill. We will make tables about animal parts, candy, and even a pizza topping table.
Social Studies:
We will continue to learn about historical figures this week. We will focus on people such as Abigail Adams and Uncle Sam. We also have some local families and people that we will discuss such as the Moehring family who perfected the Round Rock Donut.
Caraway Cares Project for Second Grade:
From now until December 11th each of the second grade classes are going to collect coins with a coin drive. We will use the coins that are collected to purchase a gift for a family in our Caraway community. Our class has adopted a child who wants new shoes so our goal is to collect enough coins to purchase that item. Once we have collected enough we'll purchase the item and wrap it. The children get so excited about opportunities to help out others in need so I'm really looking forward to this.
Reminders:
Life Journals- Are due on Friday. Please help your child to continue to work on theirs at home.
Class Winter Party- December 19th at 1:45, everyone is welcome to join us! Details to come...
Book Fair- Dec. 3-7: This will take the place of our normal library time. We will have time on Monday to preview the books and then our class will have time to purchase on Thursday. The Book Fair will be open after school each day and until 6 on Tuesday if you want to come check things out for yourself!
Caraway Choir Concert- Dec. 4th at 6:30
Monday, November 19, 2012
November 26th-30th
Parents,
WRITING:
Our writing will incorporate alliteration this week. Through ABC books, procedural topics and narratives we will weave a web with wonderful words in our writing! There may be a challenge or two this week with only talking using alliteration, too:)
READING:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. This week, we will take our nonfiction facts we learned and begin our first research unit as a class. I will take them through each step of how we prepare for research, inquire about research and discover our answers to research.
MATH:
With our use our knowledge of addition and subtraction and mix the problems up! This week, the students will identify word and number problems as adding or subtracting by noticing the key words and symbols for each problem. We will bowl for our problems, make word problems, review throughout the week and assess on Friday. Remember, these are all problems that do not involve regrouping.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our rock unit is over and social studies begins again! We will study historical figures by means of their contributions to our city, state and country. An important discussion of rules, rights and responsibilities for citizens will be our introduction. The students will get to brainstorm how they can make a difference in different environments and then we will move into our study covering 16 contributors throughout the next two weeks.
REMINDERS:
Nov. 28 - Family Spirit Night at Corner Street Bakery
Nov. 29 - Picture retakes
Dec. 3 - Book Fair
WRITING:
Our writing will incorporate alliteration this week. Through ABC books, procedural topics and narratives we will weave a web with wonderful words in our writing! There may be a challenge or two this week with only talking using alliteration, too:)
READING:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. This week, we will take our nonfiction facts we learned and begin our first research unit as a class. I will take them through each step of how we prepare for research, inquire about research and discover our answers to research.
MATH:
With our use our knowledge of addition and subtraction and mix the problems up! This week, the students will identify word and number problems as adding or subtracting by noticing the key words and symbols for each problem. We will bowl for our problems, make word problems, review throughout the week and assess on Friday. Remember, these are all problems that do not involve regrouping.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our rock unit is over and social studies begins again! We will study historical figures by means of their contributions to our city, state and country. An important discussion of rules, rights and responsibilities for citizens will be our introduction. The students will get to brainstorm how they can make a difference in different environments and then we will move into our study covering 16 contributors throughout the next two weeks.
REMINDERS:
Nov. 28 - Family Spirit Night at Corner Street Bakery
Nov. 29 - Picture retakes
Dec. 3 - Book Fair
Friday, November 16, 2012
November 19th and 20th
Writing and Reading:
This week we will work on ABC order. We will also write a story using a leaf's point of view to tell about how it falls from the tree to the ground. We will work on making lists about the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. In reading we plan to work on retelling a story and comparing characters in a story. We will also meet with our 4th grade buddies to disguise our friend Mr. Turkey to help him escape a Thanksgiving demise. We will NOT have spelling words this week.
Math:
Adding and subtracting two-digit numbers will continue this week. We have some fun holiday games to reinforce the strategies taught. There will NOT be math homework this week.
Science:
We'll continue our study of rocks and their properties this week by doing a rock report and assessing what we've learned during the unit.
Reminders:
This week we will work on ABC order. We will also write a story using a leaf's point of view to tell about how it falls from the tree to the ground. We will work on making lists about the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. In reading we plan to work on retelling a story and comparing characters in a story. We will also meet with our 4th grade buddies to disguise our friend Mr. Turkey to help him escape a Thanksgiving demise. We will NOT have spelling words this week.
Math:
Adding and subtracting two-digit numbers will continue this week. We have some fun holiday games to reinforce the strategies taught. There will NOT be math homework this week.
Science:
We'll continue our study of rocks and their properties this week by doing a rock report and assessing what we've learned during the unit.
Reminders:
- Thanksgiving Holidays: Nov. 21-23
- Class Turkey Trot: Nov. 20th at 9:00 on the track, come and join us!!!
- Picture Re-Takes: Nov. 29th
Thursday, November 8, 2012
November 12-16
To honor our veteran's we will hold a discussion in class of the attributes of a veteran and write letters to send to the VA hospital in Temple. If you are or have a veteran in your family, please let me know, so your child can write a letter to them. Thanks for your help!
WRITING:
Last week, we learned how to tie a shoe, carve a pumpkin, brush our teeth and make a smore. This week we will put our procedural writing skills to the test and select a topic on our own to inform and teach our readers how to do something. I look forward to the ideas our class comes up with!
We will also focus on the difference between a verb and an adverb by silly sentences, grab bags and videos.
READING:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. This week, we will focus on nonfiction attributes of text. We will dissect their book and its features, go on a scavenger hunt for specific features, and create a road trip through a book stopping at key points throughout the book to prove it is nonfiction.
MATH:
Last week, we worked out addition problems that had two digits in them. We will switch over to subtracting with two digit numbers this week (without regrouping or borrowing). We will learn about Elevator Magic, by Stuart Murphy, fruit shooting, I spying, and end our week going loco for subtraction!
SCIENCE:
After a fabulous adventure at Inner Space Caverns, we are starting our science unit on rocks. We will put back on our scientist goggles and lab coats to investigate the different characteristics and features of rocks and what makes them similar and different from one another. Students will explore size, shape, color, texture, layers, weight and much more in the activities for this week.
REMINDERS:
Nov. 12-Veteran's day (school will be in session)
Nov. 14-Thanksgiving lunch at school
Nov. 15-Skate Night
Here are some pictures from our field trip to Inner Space Caverns:
And the award for best sleeping position goes to.....
WRITING:
Last week, we learned how to tie a shoe, carve a pumpkin, brush our teeth and make a smore. This week we will put our procedural writing skills to the test and select a topic on our own to inform and teach our readers how to do something. I look forward to the ideas our class comes up with!
We will also focus on the difference between a verb and an adverb by silly sentences, grab bags and videos.
READING:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. This week, we will focus on nonfiction attributes of text. We will dissect their book and its features, go on a scavenger hunt for specific features, and create a road trip through a book stopping at key points throughout the book to prove it is nonfiction.
MATH:
Last week, we worked out addition problems that had two digits in them. We will switch over to subtracting with two digit numbers this week (without regrouping or borrowing). We will learn about Elevator Magic, by Stuart Murphy, fruit shooting, I spying, and end our week going loco for subtraction!
SCIENCE:
After a fabulous adventure at Inner Space Caverns, we are starting our science unit on rocks. We will put back on our scientist goggles and lab coats to investigate the different characteristics and features of rocks and what makes them similar and different from one another. Students will explore size, shape, color, texture, layers, weight and much more in the activities for this week.
REMINDERS:
Nov. 12-Veteran's day (school will be in session)
Nov. 14-Thanksgiving lunch at school
Nov. 15-Skate Night
Here are some pictures from our field trip to Inner Space Caverns:
And the award for best sleeping position goes to.....
Friday, November 2, 2012
November 5th- 9th
Parents,
Reading:
Writing:
This week we will work on procedural writing. Our purpose will be to tell the reader "how-to" do something while including procedural words such as next, then, and last. We will peer conference and share our writing later in the week. We are also working on writing complete sentences using a model from the teacher.
Reading:
Daily 5 will continue along with guided reading groups. I have really enjoyed getting to read with them each day. I can see a lot of progress! We will work on the skill of questioning this week while reading. We will form questions before, during and after reading and discuss why questioning is an important reading strategy.
Math:
We will revisit and build on our base 10 combinations of adding and subtracting this week. Mental math will be incorporated with some quick thinking story problems as well. We will use the tens frames to practice and several games.
Social Studies:
It's election time in second grade too! We will discuss the process that our country goes through during the Presidential Election. Our second grade election will be based around candies instead of people, "Candy for President!" We plan to talk about campaigning, slogans, and primaries. It should be very fun to see what the grade level chooses as our favorite candy!
Reminders:
- Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns- November 9th, 9:15-1:30, please return permission slips!!!
- TAG Informational Meeting- Caraway Library, 5:30, November 8th
- Report Cards- come home on Tuesday, November 6th. Please keep the hard copy and return the brown envelope, it's reused the entire year.
Check out our awesome pumpkins!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
October 29th- November 2nd
Parents,
Wow, has it been 9 weeks already?? I have seen so much growth in everybody since the beginning of the school year and I am excited to see what we can accomplish in the upcoming weeks!
In writing this week, we are continuing our Halloween fun. We will finish up our stories about our pumpkin or Frankenstein creations and move onto planning our Halloween night. We will also be looking at how-to writing by describing the directions for making witches brew.
Reading: In between rounds of Daily 5, students will have the opportunity to finish and present their trick-or-treat book report along with their pumpkin. We will also be working the self-assessment portion of our book reports.
In math, we are continuing our study of money. We will be doing many activities and games to reinforce our knowledge of coins. We will finish up on Friday with an assessment over what we learned.
Science and Social Studies: The first two days of the week will be spent reviewing energy and motion along with an assessment on Tuesday. Beginning Wednesday, we will be learning about the election process by having our own election in class. By voting on and electing our favorite candy, students will learn about our government, campaigning, and voting.
Reminders:
Pumpkins for the book report are due on Monday, the 29th.
The Harvest Festival is next Saturday, November 3rd. The PTA could really use volunteers! Please consider helping them out with 30 minutes of your time!
Report cards will come home on November 6th. Look for an email around that time detailing what each grade means!
We are taking a field trip to Inner Space Caverns on November 9th. Permission slips will be coming home in Tuesday folders. Please sign, have your child sign the back, and return by November 6th. We don't need chaperones but you are welcome to meet us there and enjoy the day with us!
Wow, has it been 9 weeks already?? I have seen so much growth in everybody since the beginning of the school year and I am excited to see what we can accomplish in the upcoming weeks!
In writing this week, we are continuing our Halloween fun. We will finish up our stories about our pumpkin or Frankenstein creations and move onto planning our Halloween night. We will also be looking at how-to writing by describing the directions for making witches brew.
Reading: In between rounds of Daily 5, students will have the opportunity to finish and present their trick-or-treat book report along with their pumpkin. We will also be working the self-assessment portion of our book reports.
In math, we are continuing our study of money. We will be doing many activities and games to reinforce our knowledge of coins. We will finish up on Friday with an assessment over what we learned.
Science and Social Studies: The first two days of the week will be spent reviewing energy and motion along with an assessment on Tuesday. Beginning Wednesday, we will be learning about the election process by having our own election in class. By voting on and electing our favorite candy, students will learn about our government, campaigning, and voting.
Reminders:
Pumpkins for the book report are due on Monday, the 29th.
The Harvest Festival is next Saturday, November 3rd. The PTA could really use volunteers! Please consider helping them out with 30 minutes of your time!
Report cards will come home on November 6th. Look for an email around that time detailing what each grade means!
We are taking a field trip to Inner Space Caverns on November 9th. Permission slips will be coming home in Tuesday folders. Please sign, have your child sign the back, and return by November 6th. We don't need chaperones but you are welcome to meet us there and enjoy the day with us!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
October 22-26
Parents,
It is Halloween Fest in writing this week. We will be writing all sorts of spooky stories as well as thinking and writing about candy and Halloween night!
Reading: We are beginning our Trick or Treat Book Reports. Students will be writing about different parts of their chosen book including the problem, solution, climax and their favorite part. Please send the book to school with your child on Monday. It will be staying at school for the week and needs to be labeled with your child's name.
In math, we are beginning our study of money. We will be using our addition and subtraction strategies and applying them to counting coins. Help your child at home! Let them count out your change or ask them to show different addition or subtraction sentences in coins.
Science: At the beginning of the week, we will be finishing up our study of energy. We will be looking at different materials and noticing how light shines through some but doesn't shine through others. Later in the week, we will be looking at how things move and if they roll, slide, or spin.
Reminders:
Next week is Red Ribbon Week! We will be talking about the importance of staying drug free with lots of fun activities.
Monday: Sock it to Drugs: wear crazy socks
Tuesday: Drugs and I Do Not Mix: wear mismatched clothes
Wednesday: Say No to Drugs: wear red
Thursday: Boot out Drugs: wear boots or western clothing
Friday: Say Boo to Drugs: wear a Halloween shirt
Wednesday, October 24: Early Release Day. School will let out at 12:45.
Thursday, October 25: Science Night. Come hang out at Caraway for a night of Science!
Pumpkin book characters are due next Monday, the 29th. These pumpkins can be any size!
It is Halloween Fest in writing this week. We will be writing all sorts of spooky stories as well as thinking and writing about candy and Halloween night!
Reading: We are beginning our Trick or Treat Book Reports. Students will be writing about different parts of their chosen book including the problem, solution, climax and their favorite part. Please send the book to school with your child on Monday. It will be staying at school for the week and needs to be labeled with your child's name.
In math, we are beginning our study of money. We will be using our addition and subtraction strategies and applying them to counting coins. Help your child at home! Let them count out your change or ask them to show different addition or subtraction sentences in coins.
Science: At the beginning of the week, we will be finishing up our study of energy. We will be looking at different materials and noticing how light shines through some but doesn't shine through others. Later in the week, we will be looking at how things move and if they roll, slide, or spin.
Reminders:
Next week is Red Ribbon Week! We will be talking about the importance of staying drug free with lots of fun activities.
Monday: Sock it to Drugs: wear crazy socks
Tuesday: Drugs and I Do Not Mix: wear mismatched clothes
Wednesday: Say No to Drugs: wear red
Thursday: Boot out Drugs: wear boots or western clothing
Friday: Say Boo to Drugs: wear a Halloween shirt
Wednesday, October 24: Early Release Day. School will let out at 12:45.
Thursday, October 25: Science Night. Come hang out at Caraway for a night of Science!
Pumpkin book characters are due next Monday, the 29th. These pumpkins can be any size!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
October 15-19
Parents,
We are starting a new story in writing this week. We are focusing on a time when we were sick. We will be thinking of details that tell our readers how we felt, what we missed doing, and what made us feel better. We will be editing our stories with a peer using a rubric and learning to use indentations in our paragraphs.
In reading, in between Daily 5 rounds, we will be looking at story elements. We will look closely at different stories and pick out the main characters, the problem, and the solution. Students will continue in their guided reading groups. I always look forward to listening to everyone read in their group. It is wonderful to see how each child is progressing!
Math: We are continuing with different subtraction strategies. We will be using addition problems to help us with subtraction. Later in the week, we will move onto Fact Families and we will end the week with focusing on strategies to help us solve word problems. We will have an assessment covering addition and subtraction on Friday.
Science: We are finishing up physical and chemical changes in the beginning of the week and will have an assessment on everything we have learned on Tuesday. Later in the week, we will be focusing on magnets as well as different types of energy.
Reminders:
The Give a Hoot Picnic is on Thursday, October 18th at 5:30 pm. Look for information in your child's Tuesday folder!
Have a great week!
We are starting a new story in writing this week. We are focusing on a time when we were sick. We will be thinking of details that tell our readers how we felt, what we missed doing, and what made us feel better. We will be editing our stories with a peer using a rubric and learning to use indentations in our paragraphs.
In reading, in between Daily 5 rounds, we will be looking at story elements. We will look closely at different stories and pick out the main characters, the problem, and the solution. Students will continue in their guided reading groups. I always look forward to listening to everyone read in their group. It is wonderful to see how each child is progressing!
Math: We are continuing with different subtraction strategies. We will be using addition problems to help us with subtraction. Later in the week, we will move onto Fact Families and we will end the week with focusing on strategies to help us solve word problems. We will have an assessment covering addition and subtraction on Friday.
Science: We are finishing up physical and chemical changes in the beginning of the week and will have an assessment on everything we have learned on Tuesday. Later in the week, we will be focusing on magnets as well as different types of energy.
Reminders:
The Give a Hoot Picnic is on Thursday, October 18th at 5:30 pm. Look for information in your child's Tuesday folder!
Have a great week!
Friday, October 5, 2012
October 8th-12th
Parents,
I have enjoyed meeting with everyone so far to discuss your child's progress in second grade. I am looking forward to chatting with the rest of you this week!
In writing this week, we will be finishing up our super hero stories. Students have had fun coming up with their own super hero and writing a daring story where he or she gets to save the day! This week, we are working on editing our stories using rubrics and peer editing. Come check out the bulletin board at the end of the week to see our finished products!
In reading, we are in full force Daily 5! Students are becoming independent readers and I am enjoying seeing each child progress! We are also working on making connections to the books we read. You can help at home by asking your child "What did this book make you think of?" Or "Did this book remind you of another book?"
Math: We are adding to our addition strategies as well as beginning to look at subtraction strategies. We will also be learning about multiple addends and how we can take a difficult problem and turn it into problems we know.
Science: Our study of matter continues! We will be learning about physical and chemical changes. We will be doing several neat experiments to show that a chemical change makes a new product and a physical change doesn't change the actual product, only how it looks.
Reminders:
Bike Rodeo is this Saturday, October 6th. Bring your bike and helmet and learn about bike safety!
There is no school on Monday, October 8th. I look forward to seeing those of you who have conferences scheduled for that day.
Wednesday, October 10th is Spirit Night at Catfish Parlour beginning at 5pm. 15% of the cost of your dinner goes straight to Caraway!
For those planning ahead, the Give a Hoot picnic is the following Thursday, October 18th. Come and enjoy a picnic with your family and friends!
I have enjoyed meeting with everyone so far to discuss your child's progress in second grade. I am looking forward to chatting with the rest of you this week!
In writing this week, we will be finishing up our super hero stories. Students have had fun coming up with their own super hero and writing a daring story where he or she gets to save the day! This week, we are working on editing our stories using rubrics and peer editing. Come check out the bulletin board at the end of the week to see our finished products!
In reading, we are in full force Daily 5! Students are becoming independent readers and I am enjoying seeing each child progress! We are also working on making connections to the books we read. You can help at home by asking your child "What did this book make you think of?" Or "Did this book remind you of another book?"
Math: We are adding to our addition strategies as well as beginning to look at subtraction strategies. We will also be learning about multiple addends and how we can take a difficult problem and turn it into problems we know.
Science: Our study of matter continues! We will be learning about physical and chemical changes. We will be doing several neat experiments to show that a chemical change makes a new product and a physical change doesn't change the actual product, only how it looks.
Reminders:
Bike Rodeo is this Saturday, October 6th. Bring your bike and helmet and learn about bike safety!
There is no school on Monday, October 8th. I look forward to seeing those of you who have conferences scheduled for that day.
Wednesday, October 10th is Spirit Night at Catfish Parlour beginning at 5pm. 15% of the cost of your dinner goes straight to Caraway!
For those planning ahead, the Give a Hoot picnic is the following Thursday, October 18th. Come and enjoy a picnic with your family and friends!
Friday, September 28, 2012
October 1-5
Parents,
We made it to October!
In writing this week, we will be focusing on verbs again. Throughout the week, we will be working on an action story using vivid verbs. We are focusing on writing longer stories with multiple connected paragraphs.
Reading: Daily 5 is almost fully launched! This week we will be practicing the last component: Listen to Reading. Students will have the opportunity to listen books on the computer. They can see the pages of the book as someone else is reading it to them. We will also be working on an author study of Leo Lionni books. We will read several of his books and focus on similarities and differences between them as well as themes and illustrations.
Math: We are digging into addition by studying "count on" strategies as well as learning our doubles (5+5). We will end the week with learning about combinations and how many ways we can add to ten.
Science: We are learning about classifying materials. Students will have the opportunity to sort through different materials and classify them using their own system. We will also continue to learn about the different forms of matter and how we can classify them using their characteristics.
Reminders:
School pictures are on October 4th. Look for information in your Tuesday folder!
Bike Rodeo is now on October 6th from 8:30 until 11:30 am.
I am looking forward to seeing each of you during your child's conference! Remember, there is no school on October 8th!
We made it to October!
In writing this week, we will be focusing on verbs again. Throughout the week, we will be working on an action story using vivid verbs. We are focusing on writing longer stories with multiple connected paragraphs.
Reading: Daily 5 is almost fully launched! This week we will be practicing the last component: Listen to Reading. Students will have the opportunity to listen books on the computer. They can see the pages of the book as someone else is reading it to them. We will also be working on an author study of Leo Lionni books. We will read several of his books and focus on similarities and differences between them as well as themes and illustrations.
Math: We are digging into addition by studying "count on" strategies as well as learning our doubles (5+5). We will end the week with learning about combinations and how many ways we can add to ten.
Science: We are learning about classifying materials. Students will have the opportunity to sort through different materials and classify them using their own system. We will also continue to learn about the different forms of matter and how we can classify them using their characteristics.
Reminders:
School pictures are on October 4th. Look for information in your Tuesday folder!
Bike Rodeo is now on October 6th from 8:30 until 11:30 am.
I am looking forward to seeing each of you during your child's conference! Remember, there is no school on October 8th!
Friday, September 21, 2012
September 24-28
Parents,
In writing this week, we will be continuing with spelling. Students will take a pretest on Monday and receive a list of words based on how they did. We will work with those words during the week, and they will have an assessment on Friday that will have 5 of these words and 5 surprise words. Students will bring home a list on Monday for practice at home!
We will also be adding to our grammar knowledge with the study of verbs! We will also be making dream boards that will help us focus our dreams on where we want to go to college and what we want to be when we grow up.
In reading we will be introducing our fourth component of Daily 5: Word Work. During this time, students will have the opportunity to work with and manipulate their spelling words using materials other than a pencil and paper. We are also focusing on retelling stories in a coherent logical order.
In math we are learning about number lines. Students will learn how to read use a number line. We will be looking at hundreds charts and learning how use them as well! Homework will come home on Tuesday.
We are beginning science this week. We will be learning that we are all scientists as well as conducting several experiments to help us learn about matter.
Life Journals are always due on Friday! Students need to be writing about an event that has happened to them and attaching some sort of artifact or picture to the journal entry.
Reminders:
If you haven't returned the form I sent home about conferences, please do so as quickly as possible. Also if you haven't signed up for a conference time yet, please visit this link http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D45ABAB2BA31-fall (the password is hoveland) and do so!
This week is Education, Go Get It week and there is a theme for every day.
Monday: Give a Hoot Day: Wear your Caraway t-shirt
Tuesday: Dress for Success: Dress up for the career of your choice
Wednesday: Step up for Education: Wear your tennis shoes
Thursday: Hats off to College: Students wear their favorite collegiate hat
Friday: Show Your College Spirit: Wear your favorite college shirt.
Tuesday, the 25th is the Watch DOGS' (Dads of Great Students) kickoff breakfast. It is in the annex at 7:45. This is a great program that gets our wonderful dads in the schools. If you think you might be interested, come and learn more at the breakfast!
Skate Night is Thursday, the 27th at 6:30 pm.
Bike Rodeo is Saturday, the 29th. Be on the lookout for more information to come!
Please contact me with any questions!
In writing this week, we will be continuing with spelling. Students will take a pretest on Monday and receive a list of words based on how they did. We will work with those words during the week, and they will have an assessment on Friday that will have 5 of these words and 5 surprise words. Students will bring home a list on Monday for practice at home!
We will also be adding to our grammar knowledge with the study of verbs! We will also be making dream boards that will help us focus our dreams on where we want to go to college and what we want to be when we grow up.
In reading we will be introducing our fourth component of Daily 5: Word Work. During this time, students will have the opportunity to work with and manipulate their spelling words using materials other than a pencil and paper. We are also focusing on retelling stories in a coherent logical order.
In math we are learning about number lines. Students will learn how to read use a number line. We will be looking at hundreds charts and learning how use them as well! Homework will come home on Tuesday.
We are beginning science this week. We will be learning that we are all scientists as well as conducting several experiments to help us learn about matter.
Life Journals are always due on Friday! Students need to be writing about an event that has happened to them and attaching some sort of artifact or picture to the journal entry.
Reminders:
If you haven't returned the form I sent home about conferences, please do so as quickly as possible. Also if you haven't signed up for a conference time yet, please visit this link http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D45ABAB2BA31-fall (the password is hoveland) and do so!
This week is Education, Go Get It week and there is a theme for every day.
Monday: Give a Hoot Day: Wear your Caraway t-shirt
Tuesday: Dress for Success: Dress up for the career of your choice
Wednesday: Step up for Education: Wear your tennis shoes
Thursday: Hats off to College: Students wear their favorite collegiate hat
Friday: Show Your College Spirit: Wear your favorite college shirt.
Tuesday, the 25th is the Watch DOGS' (Dads of Great Students) kickoff breakfast. It is in the annex at 7:45. This is a great program that gets our wonderful dads in the schools. If you think you might be interested, come and learn more at the breakfast!
Skate Night is Thursday, the 27th at 6:30 pm.
Bike Rodeo is Saturday, the 29th. Be on the lookout for more information to come!
Please contact me with any questions!
Monday, September 17, 2012
September 17-21
Parents, here is an update for our upcoming week!
This week in reading we will be focusing on the next component of Daily 5: Read to Someone. Students will practice reading with a partner and checking each other for comprehension and accuracy. By reading with a partner, students can hold each other accountable for doing their best and making sure they understand what they are reading. We will continue to build up our individual reading and writing stamina!
In writing, we will working on writing stories from our hearts or from things we know about. We are setting up our Writer's Workshop that takes students through each step of the writing process. We are also beginning grammar with the study of nouns. We will continue spelling this week and students will have different levels of lists based on their performance on the pretest. Their assessment will be on Friday.
In math, we will be learning about place value. We will also be working on putting numbers in order and recognizing greater or lesser values. Homework is called Reading and Writing Numbers to 999. It will be due Wednesday.
It's Freedom Week in social studies. We will be learning the meaning behind the constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance. We will also be learning about different parts of the world, such as oceans and continents as well as the cardinal directions. We will wrap up the week with the different land forms.
Reminders:
Life Journals are coming home Monday. It is only one entry per week, you do not need one for everyday!! Students need to be gluing some sort of artifact or picture or they can draw a picture to accompany their writing.
Wednesday, September 19 is Early Release Day! Students will be done with school at 12:45. Each bus will run normally.
We started our normal library schedule last week. We go on Thursdays. Help your child remember to bring his or her books back so that he or she can check out new books. If your child is done with the books before Thursday, send them back and I can send him or her to the library during a spare moment.
Skate Night is coming up the following week on Thursday, September 27th from 6:30 to 8 pm.
Have a wonderful weekend!
This week in reading we will be focusing on the next component of Daily 5: Read to Someone. Students will practice reading with a partner and checking each other for comprehension and accuracy. By reading with a partner, students can hold each other accountable for doing their best and making sure they understand what they are reading. We will continue to build up our individual reading and writing stamina!
In writing, we will working on writing stories from our hearts or from things we know about. We are setting up our Writer's Workshop that takes students through each step of the writing process. We are also beginning grammar with the study of nouns. We will continue spelling this week and students will have different levels of lists based on their performance on the pretest. Their assessment will be on Friday.
In math, we will be learning about place value. We will also be working on putting numbers in order and recognizing greater or lesser values. Homework is called Reading and Writing Numbers to 999. It will be due Wednesday.
It's Freedom Week in social studies. We will be learning the meaning behind the constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance. We will also be learning about different parts of the world, such as oceans and continents as well as the cardinal directions. We will wrap up the week with the different land forms.
Reminders:
Life Journals are coming home Monday. It is only one entry per week, you do not need one for everyday!! Students need to be gluing some sort of artifact or picture or they can draw a picture to accompany their writing.
Wednesday, September 19 is Early Release Day! Students will be done with school at 12:45. Each bus will run normally.
We started our normal library schedule last week. We go on Thursdays. Help your child remember to bring his or her books back so that he or she can check out new books. If your child is done with the books before Thursday, send them back and I can send him or her to the library during a spare moment.
Skate Night is coming up the following week on Thursday, September 27th from 6:30 to 8 pm.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
September 10th-14th
Parents,
I am having such a good time getting to know your children better. I am already so happy with how this year is going!
In writing this week, we are going to begin our spelling lists. We do spelling a little differently at Caraway. We use a program called Words Their Way and it focuses on learning spelling patterns rather than memorizing a list of words. Students will take a pretest each week to determine the pattern they need to work on. Throughout the week, students will work on their spelling pattern and take an assessment on Friday.
We will be also working on telling stories with pictures. This will help students focus on what they are trying to tell their audience and will result in a detailed story.
Reading: We will be starting the second component of Daily 5 called Work on Writing. This component allows students to have time to journal their ideas and return to old stories. We will be continuing to build up our reading stamina and hopefully will be able to read silently for twenty minutes!
Math: We will be working on our graphing skills. To practice, we will make graphs our class favorites. Later in the week, we will be discussing probability and how likely something is to happen.
Social Studies: We will be discussing community and what it means to be a good friend and citizen. We will learn about Texas symbols and how to recognize them. We will also be focusing on mapping. As a class, we will discuss buildings in our community and make a classroom map of all the important buildings around us.
Reminders: Open House is Monday, September 10th. Our class meeting is at 6:30, followed by a PTA meeting at 7. If you have children in grades 3-5, their class time is at 7:30.
We will begin our Life Journals this week. These come home every Monday and are due by Friday. These Life Journals are an opportunity for students think about something special that has happened to them recently and write about it. We will share these every Friday.
Keep recording those reading minutes and remember to initial your child's communication log!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Orientation on Monday!
I am having such a good time getting to know your children better. I am already so happy with how this year is going!
In writing this week, we are going to begin our spelling lists. We do spelling a little differently at Caraway. We use a program called Words Their Way and it focuses on learning spelling patterns rather than memorizing a list of words. Students will take a pretest each week to determine the pattern they need to work on. Throughout the week, students will work on their spelling pattern and take an assessment on Friday.
We will be also working on telling stories with pictures. This will help students focus on what they are trying to tell their audience and will result in a detailed story.
Reading: We will be starting the second component of Daily 5 called Work on Writing. This component allows students to have time to journal their ideas and return to old stories. We will be continuing to build up our reading stamina and hopefully will be able to read silently for twenty minutes!
Math: We will be working on our graphing skills. To practice, we will make graphs our class favorites. Later in the week, we will be discussing probability and how likely something is to happen.
Social Studies: We will be discussing community and what it means to be a good friend and citizen. We will learn about Texas symbols and how to recognize them. We will also be focusing on mapping. As a class, we will discuss buildings in our community and make a classroom map of all the important buildings around us.
Reminders: Open House is Monday, September 10th. Our class meeting is at 6:30, followed by a PTA meeting at 7. If you have children in grades 3-5, their class time is at 7:30.
We will begin our Life Journals this week. These come home every Monday and are due by Friday. These Life Journals are an opportunity for students think about something special that has happened to them recently and write about it. We will share these every Friday.
Keep recording those reading minutes and remember to initial your child's communication log!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Orientation on Monday!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
September 4th through 7th
Parents,
We had a great first week of second grade. Everyone had fun getting to know more about our classmates!
No school on Monday! Enjoy your day off!
Language Arts:
We will be starting Daily 5 this week. Daily 5 is our reading program that has five components. We are beginning the first component this week called Read to Self. After lots of practice, the goal is for students to be able to sit and read for 20 uninterrupted minutes. We will be introducing the rest of components in the following weeks. We will also begin learning about and using different strategies to improve our reading, such as checking for understanding.
Writing:
In writing, we will be reviewing what makes a complete sentence. We will also be discussing the different types of sentences (interrogative, declaratory, etc.) and how we use them in writing.
Math:
This week in math we will be focusing on time again. We will be reviewing the basics of analog clocks and telling time to the 5's (12:00, 12:05, 12:10, etc.) Homework is a worksheet called "Draw the Hands," and will come home on Tuesday and will be due Wednesday.
Social Studies:
This week we will be discussing different cultural elements. We will discuss holidays and why we celebrate them. We will also discuss cultural celebrations unique to Austin, such as Pioneer Days and the Hairy Man Festival. We will wrap up the week with a discussion about monuments around the United States and Austin and why they are important.
Reminders:
Open House or Orientation is on Monday, September 10th. Second grade's time is at 6:30, followed by a PTA meeting. Grades 3-5 are at 7:30 after the PTA meeting.
If you haven't returned the forms that were sent home in the Tuesday folders, please do so as soon as possible!
We will have lunch every day at 11:15. Your child can bring a lunch or eat from the cafeteria. If you plan to join your child for lunch, please let me know so I can mark down your lunch choice. Adult lunches cannot be put onto student accounts, and need to be ordered in the morning since our lunch is delivered to the school. There are extra sides your child can purchase, in addition to the lunch. Your child will need permission to purchase these extras. Please send me an email and let me know.
Make sure you are recording your child's reading minutes in the yellow communication log as well as signing in the box!
We had a great first week of second grade. Everyone had fun getting to know more about our classmates!
No school on Monday! Enjoy your day off!
Language Arts:
We will be starting Daily 5 this week. Daily 5 is our reading program that has five components. We are beginning the first component this week called Read to Self. After lots of practice, the goal is for students to be able to sit and read for 20 uninterrupted minutes. We will be introducing the rest of components in the following weeks. We will also begin learning about and using different strategies to improve our reading, such as checking for understanding.
Writing:
In writing, we will be reviewing what makes a complete sentence. We will also be discussing the different types of sentences (interrogative, declaratory, etc.) and how we use them in writing.
Math:
This week in math we will be focusing on time again. We will be reviewing the basics of analog clocks and telling time to the 5's (12:00, 12:05, 12:10, etc.) Homework is a worksheet called "Draw the Hands," and will come home on Tuesday and will be due Wednesday.
Social Studies:
This week we will be discussing different cultural elements. We will discuss holidays and why we celebrate them. We will also discuss cultural celebrations unique to Austin, such as Pioneer Days and the Hairy Man Festival. We will wrap up the week with a discussion about monuments around the United States and Austin and why they are important.
Reminders:
Open House or Orientation is on Monday, September 10th. Second grade's time is at 6:30, followed by a PTA meeting. Grades 3-5 are at 7:30 after the PTA meeting.
If you haven't returned the forms that were sent home in the Tuesday folders, please do so as soon as possible!
We will have lunch every day at 11:15. Your child can bring a lunch or eat from the cafeteria. If you plan to join your child for lunch, please let me know so I can mark down your lunch choice. Adult lunches cannot be put onto student accounts, and need to be ordered in the morning since our lunch is delivered to the school. There are extra sides your child can purchase, in addition to the lunch. Your child will need permission to purchase these extras. Please send me an email and let me know.
Make sure you are recording your child's reading minutes in the yellow communication log as well as signing in the box!
Friday, August 24, 2012
August 27th- August 31st
It was great to meet so many of you this morning at "Meet the Teacher". Our first day of second grade is right around the corner and I couldn't be more excited! We have some neat activities planned and I know your children will just love second grade.
Language Arts:
Second grade will have an Olympic theme this week. We will be working on many things such as interviews and glyphs to learn more about each other. We will discuss and write about what expectations second graders have including manners and school rules. We hope you will continue to read at home. All second graders are expected to read 100 minutes a week. You will be able to record their reading time in the communication folder that comes home every day.
Math:
This week we will focus on time. We will review analog and digital times and counting by fives. Math homework will come home on Tuesdays this year and it will be due on Wednesdays. There is no homework the first week of school.
Social Studies:
We will talk about what makes a "gold medal" second grader this week! We will also practice filling each other's buckets with compliments. We will review the school behavior goals: Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful and make some posters to share with the rest of the school.
Reminders for the Week:
* Go to the cafeteria in the morning and sit with our class until the bell rings at 7:35
* Your child will be counted tardy if they are not in our classroom by 7:45
* Please send a nutritious snack each day
* Open House is September 5th (details to come)
* Send back communication folders each day, signed
* "What lights you up" homework is due on Friday, August 31st
* Me in a Nutshell (brown bag) homework is due Friday, August 31st
* Complete and return pink cards on Wednesday (they will be in the Tuesday folders)
Have a great rest of your weekend, and I will see everyone on Monday morning!
-Ms. Hoveland
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Meet Ms. Hoveland
This is my first year at Caraway and I am excited to be part of this wonderful school and to be your child's teacher!
I attended Trinity University in San Antonio and graduated in 2010. I stayed an extra year to work on my Master's degree in Teaching and graduated the following May. I came up to Austin every weekend during the fall for Texas football and I knew I had to move here after I graduated!
I love everything about teaching and I am honored to have your child in my class this year. I am excited to come to school everyday and look forward to learning and laughing with my students! During the year we will focus on the individuality that makes each child unique and every student will learn to appreciate and value the differences in all of us. I also hope to instill a love of learning in each child and promote an appetite for new knowledge and unique experiences. This is going to be a great year of learning and trying new things. Parents, I look forward to working with you this year in order to give your child the best experience possible!
Welcome to Second Grade!
I attended Trinity University in San Antonio and graduated in 2010. I stayed an extra year to work on my Master's degree in Teaching and graduated the following May. I came up to Austin every weekend during the fall for Texas football and I knew I had to move here after I graduated!
I love everything about teaching and I am honored to have your child in my class this year. I am excited to come to school everyday and look forward to learning and laughing with my students! During the year we will focus on the individuality that makes each child unique and every student will learn to appreciate and value the differences in all of us. I also hope to instill a love of learning in each child and promote an appetite for new knowledge and unique experiences. This is going to be a great year of learning and trying new things. Parents, I look forward to working with you this year in order to give your child the best experience possible!
Welcome to Second Grade!
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