Friday, September 26, 2014

September 29- October 3rd

September 29th- October 3rd
Writing
This week our focus will be on putting a story in the correct order.  Our goal is to have a clear beginning, middle, and end to a story.  We will practice this skill by ordering “everyday tasks” such as tying shoes or making a bowl of cereal.  By the end of the week we will write about how we brush our teeth. 

Spelling this week focuses on beginning blends with words such as clip, crab, glass, and slug. For an extra challenge at home, have your child brainstorm more words that fit this pattern!


Reading
This week we will be focusing on making connections and inferences as we read. Students will understand that making connections will help them dig deeper to figure out the author’s meaning of the story. We will learn how to make text-to self, text- to text, and text-to world connections as we read. We will also be learning about inferences. When we make an inference we are using our schema (what we know) and the author’s clues to make a guess as to what is happening in the story. 


Math
We are wrapping up our place value, addition and subtraction unit this week! We will spend a few days learning some more strategies such as finding the missing addend. We will be upping the ante this week by mixing addition and subtraction word problems together. After a few days of practice, we will review everything we’ve learned before assessing on Friday.


For homework this week, please complete Addition and Subtraction Problems with 20: Level 2 on Khan Academy.


Science
This week in science we will continue tracking the weather and reading thermometers daily.  We will move into science safety and discuss the importance of using science tools correctly.  We’re going to learn about different scientists and  identify different topics that these scientists study.  We will ask the question, "what is science?" and students will describe their idea of a scientist, including the things scientists study and the tools they use. Students will go over science safety contracts, then take them home in their folder to sign and return.  We will discuss what do we do that makes us all scientists.  We’ll introduce vocabulary a scientist might use when conducting investigations, such as prediction, question, plan, observations, and explanations. At the end of the week, students will make their own science safety videos!  Throughout the week we will be putting our science safety rules to the test by continuing our weather experiments.


Reminders
September 30th:  Individual picture day (These orders are prepaid, please send order forms by Sept. 30th)
September 30- October 1st: OLSAT testing
Library Day is Thursday: Don’t forget to return books to school!

Friday, September 19, 2014

September 22-26

September 22-26

Writing
This is “Education, Go Get It” week at Caraway.  We will write about what college or university we would like to attend and possible jobs we would like to have.  We’ll finish off the week by designing a t-shirt with the college/university logo on it to share with the class.  During Writer’s Workshop we’ll be conferencing and checking for correct ending marks and spelling.  We will continue our spelling practice this week by using some hands-on activities with things such as playdoh, marker boards, and pompoms.  On Fridays we will assess how well they know the spelling pattern.  If you would like additional “at home” practice there are some links on the blog under “websites”.

Reading
This week students will understand that good readers ask questions before, during, and after they read. We ask ourselves questions to help us comprehend what the author really means in a story. As a class, we will practicing asking questions as we read. Students will each get a “toolkit” to help flag questions they have as they read their individual books.

Spelling
The spelling list will come home on Monday and we will assess knowledge of the skill on Friday.   

Math
In math this week, we are going to become problem solving detectives! Problem solving is a process and we are going to go through the steps one at a time. We will figure out the question, look for key words, get rid of extra information and choose a strategy to help us solve the problem. The first part of the week is all about addition and we will end the week with subtraction! Taking our time to learn these addition, subtraction, and problem solving strategies is essential so we can start working with bigger numbers!

Khan Academy: Please have your child complete Addition and Subtraction Word Problems within 20: Level 1 before next Friday.  

Science
This week we are moving into science.  We will be discussing weather and how it affects our lives.  Seasons are going to be a big topic and what to wear in certain types of weather.  We will read some books on weather, sing some songs and discuss what each season each student enjoys the most.  We will learn how to read a thermometer and how different weather instruments are used in predicting weather.  We will do some fun weather experiments and learn how to make a thunderstorm, make lightning and fog at home!  We will make scientific connections to our everyday life and discover how science is all around us!

Reminders
September 24th: Early Release Day at 12:45 (lunch is served)
September 30th:  Individual picture day (order forms coming in Tues. folder)

Friday, September 12, 2014

September 15-19

September 15-19

Writing
We will continue our spelling practice this week by using some hands-on activities with things such as playdoh, marker boards, and pompoms.  On Fridays we will assess how well they know the spelling pattern.  If you would like additional “at home” practice there are some links on the blog under “websites”.  We will also focus on writing about a small moment this week.  We’ll generate ideas by telling 5 finger stories and sketching out the story.  Our focus is on writing a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Reading
This week students will be introduced to how to read to someone. There are 3 ways that we can read to our partner. The first way is called “I read. You read.” This is when one student reads out loud a part of their book to their partner, and then their partner reads out loud a part in their book. Students will also learn how to “Choral” read. Students will share one book and read the words together. “Read One Book” is the last way to read to someone. This is when students read the same book and take turns reading. We will continue to read to self to build our reading stamina. Teachers will also be giving reading assessments this week.

Spelling
The spelling list will come home on Monday and we will assess knowledge of the skill on Friday.   

Math
We are finishing up with place value in the beginning of this week by practicing odd and even numbers. Then we are moving onto addition. This week is all about learning quick strategies for adding in our heads. No more counting on fingers! You can help your child by calling out math facts in the car or when you’re cleaning up dinner.

This week in the computer lab we will be getting our first program called Khan Academy set up! Expect homework from this program the week after. Until then, here are some links you can use:

Remember, math homework is 20 minutes per WEEK!

Science/Social Studies
Students will be presenting their historical figures research posters this week.  We will learn more about their important contributions from all of our classmate’s presentations.  I love seeing all of my students’ individual perceptions about the people we study, it’s so fun!  This week we are also celebrating “Freedom Week” and discussing what freedom means to us.  We will identify the functions of governments such as establishing order, providing security, and managing conflict.  Constitution Day is September 17th and students will compare the U.S. Constitution to rules and laws in their own life.  American symbols have important meanings and will will learn about them. Then we will draw what freedom means to each of us.  We will be introduced to fun patriotic songs and have fun singing along!

Reminders:

September 24th: Early Release Day at 12:45 (lunch is served)

Friday, September 5, 2014

September 8-12

Hi Parents, 

September 2-5
Writing
We will begin our spelling practice this week by learning about words with the short vowel sounds.  We will practice our words at school with various lesson throughout the week.  On Fridays we will assess how well they know the spelling pattern.  We will also focus on writing using sensory language to make up our own ice cream flavors.  We will travel through the writing process during Writer’s Workshop to get our writing in tip-top shape!

Reading
This week we will distinguish the features in a sentence. We will look at texts to see how authors capitalize the first letter in a sentence, use different ending punctuation to express meaning, insert commas to show a pause, and uses quotation marks to show dialogue between characters. We will also be learning the importance of making predictions before, during, and after we read books! Students will read independently each day  to  build their reading stamina.

Spelling
The spelling words focus on short vowel sounds this week.  We will send home your child’s words on Monday to practice throughout the week.   

Math
This week is all about expressing numbers in different forms. We will be learning about standard and expanded form, as well as word form. We will also l be looking at ordering and comparing numbers, using <, >, or = symbols. Number lines will be useful as we look at finding missing numbers. We will learn how to build numbers out of base-10 blocks and learn that each digit in a number has a value. It’s sure to be a great week of building number fluency so we can move into larger numbers!

Science/Social Studies
The big question of the week in Social Studies is, what is a good citizen? Students will finish the sentence “Citizenship means….” We’ll discuss that being a good citizen isn't just about being a good person. We're going to look at historical figures from the past and discuss why they are considered a good citizen. We're going to look at their character traits and learn what contributions they made to their community state and nation. People such as Thurgood Marshall, Irma Rangel, Sojourner Truth, Amelia Earhart, and Theodore Roosevelt and many more. At the end of the week we will pick a historical figure to research and do a fun in class project where we act out that character and present to the class why they were on a good citizen. It’s going to be a lot of fun and engaging learning!

Reminders
September 8th: 2nd Grade Open House- 6:30pm, PTA meeting 7:00
September 24th: Early Release Day at 12:45 (lunch is served)