April 27th-May 1st

Language Arts:

Now that our written reports are complete, we will focus on making our projects this week! Students will pick and choose what they want to include in their project according to to the options given to them on their menu. Although they can bring supplies from home that we don’t have in the classroom, the project itself must be completed solely at school. On Friday, we will put our projects on display as all of second grade will walk around to each classroom to see other student research and learn about other animals!

We will also be talking about test taking strategies.  We’ll be completing some reading passages and revising/editing reviews to get some extra practice in as we will be taking the Language Arts Curriculum-Based assessment next week on May 6th.

Math

This week we will review and assess our three digit addition and subtraction skills and start our fractions unit! We will discuss what it means to divide something into equal shares and explore halves and fourths. We will end the week with a fun activity where students will use fractions to create a candy pizza!

Science:

This week in science we will learn that living organisms have basic needs that must be met for them to survive within their environment.  Students will identify factors in the environment, including temperature and precipitation, that affect growth and behavior such as migration, hibernation, and dormancy of living things.

At-Home Enrichment (optional homework):

Research: research the “question of the week” and bring what you find out to school.  It can be any type of presentation such as a poster, powerpoint, game, etc.

Question of the week: Research an animal that goes into hibernation.  Include their life cycle, behavior, food they eat, diagram, adaptations and interesting facts.

Math Enrichment:

Want to work on your computer coding skills? Add the app Run Marco! from the Google App Store and learn how to write code!  

Want to practice some multi-step word problems? Check out these websites!

Grand Slam Math Word Problems

Problem Solving : Multistep Word Problems Quiz

Word Problems with Multiple Steps

Science Enrichment:

Check out this fun website about different animals and their migration:

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Reminders

Saturday, April 25: Earth Day Celebration at the Oak View Park

May 6: Early Release at 12:45, National Bike/Walk to School Day & 2nd Grade Language Arts Benchmark Assessment

May 8: Kona Ice Day

May 11-15: Book Fair

May 14: 5th Grade Legacy Gala & Fine Arts Night

April 20-24

Reading:

We will work on a book study in each of our reading groups this week.  We will work on main idea, problem/solution, elements of a story/chapter, and fact and opinion.  Please continue reading at home each day for 20 minutes.      

Writing:

Our animal written report and project continues this week.  We have our facts organized and are ready to put them into paragraph form.  We will write using complete sentences and revise as we go.  We will finish up our written report on our animal and then we will begin our projects!  We will use a menu to decide on what we want to include in our projects.  Later in the week your child may bring home a note with any supplies (beyond what we have in the classroom) that are needed for their projects.  

Math

We are moving into 3 digit subtraction this week! We’ve mastered addition and are ready for something harder. We will practice regrouping in the tens and hundreds place. We will also learn how to subtract across the zeroes (700-259). We will get lots of practice through games, I-Spies, and word problems. The J section on iXL has some great practice on these skills.

Science:

This week we will discuss the functions of a plant and how they help plants meet their basic needs in more detail.  Students will discover the life cycle of a plant and focus on the vocabulary.  We’ll discuss the importance of plants to our world and how we use them as food and other resources.  We will identify external characteristics of different kinds of plants that allow their needs to be met.  By identifying the functions of specific plant parts, we will discover how those parts allow a particular plant to meet its needs and survive in its environment.

At-Home Enrichment (optional homework):

Research: research the “question of the week” and bring what you find out to school.  It can be any type of presentation such as a poster, powerpoint, game, etc.

Question of the week: Research carnivorous plants: what are their characteristics, where are they found, what makes them interesting, what are some different types, how does it meets its basic needs?  

Math Enrichment:

Want to work on your computer coding skills? Add the app Run Marco! from the Google App Store and learn how to write code!  

Science Enrichment:

• Plant your own seed and watch it grow!  Graph your results over the next month.
• Build a bug on this website:

http://justkidsgames.com/play.php?BuildABug

Try these fun websites that have riddles, quizzes and crafts about insects!  

http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/oldentyouth.htm

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/fun-games/insect-world

http://www.butterflyschool.org/student/insectgame.html

Reminders

April 18- Celebration of Families; 7:30-1:30

April 20-23- STAAR testing, no volunteers in the building

May 1- Field Day

April 13-17

Reading:

We will use non-fiction books in our reading groups and continue reading about our animal while we research.  We will focus on non-fiction features such as the glossary and sub-titles while we read.  We will be reading from a variety of resources.    

Writing:

Our animal research continues this week.  We will organize our facts from our research and then begin our writing process.  We will set up our writing into paragraph form to write about each category.  We will write using complete sentences and revise as we go.   This project will continue for the next couple of weeks.  We will work through several steps including organizing facts, creating a final product, and presenting information.

Math

This week we are learning about triple digit addition! We will practice regrouping in the tens and hundreds place. In order to really hone our skills, we will play several games and solve word problems. iXL has several great activities to practice this skill at home. Check it out for your child’s weekly math homework.  

Science:

This week students will observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics of plants help them meet their basic needs such as stems carry water throughout the plant.

We will discuss and compare different plants and their characteristics.  We’ll have fun exploring plants and seeds throughout the week!

At-Home Enrichment (optional homework):

Research: research the “question of the week” and bring what you find out to school.  It can be any type of presentation such as a poster, powerpoint, game, etc.

Question of the week: What is the biggest bug in the world? Tell all about it’s physical characteristics and special adaptations.

Math Enrichment:

Want to work on your computer coding skills? Add the app Run Marco! from the Google App Store and learn how to write code!  

Reminders

April 10- Family Fun Night

April 16- Coffee & Conversations; 7:45

April 18- Celebration of Families; 7:30-1:30

April 6-10

Reading:

This week we will finish up our books on Legends, Tall Tales, and Myths.  We will have a chance to report back to the class and present them.   We will also begin reading from a variety of sources to research an animal.

Writing:

Our animal research begins this week.  We will focus on writing brief statements and facts about the animal we picked.  We will discuss plagiarism and how we can transfer information from a book into a note without copying it directly from the source.  This project will continue for the next 3 weeks.  We will work through several steps including goal setting, presenting information, and a self-evaluation.  

Math

This week we are moving into place value with larger numbers in the thousands.  We will have a number of the day where students will build the 4-digit numbers using place value blocks, written form, expanded and standard form.  We will discuss the value of each digit.  For example, what is the value of the thousands place?  Students will review odd and even numbers and discuss that only the last digit matters when deciding if a number is odd or even. Using our knowledge of place value with larger numbers, students will be adding and subtracting 10, 100, and 1,000 from various numbers in the thousands.  At the end of the week we will have a quick quiz to check for understanding.

Spelling

We will continue to practice the spelling rule of the week each day.  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 “learning links”.  A great site to visit is Go-Noodle.  There is a game called Body Spell that would be neat to use!

The spelling list will come home and we will assess their knowledge of the spelling pattern on Friday.   

Science:

We will continue to explore insects and their many life cycles this week. We will begin to group/classify all animals and insects towards the end of the week while looking closely at their attributes.  We will also work on a animal design project where we will use some creativity to design an animal including it’s body parts and life cycle.  

At-Home Enrichment (optional homework):

Question of the week: Why do we have ear wax?

Math Enrichment:

Who wants to challenge their multi-step problems solving skills?

Play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Science Enrichment:

Build a bug on this website:

http://justkidsgames.com/play.php?BuildABug

Try these fun websites that have riddles, quizzes and crafts about insects!  

http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/oldentyouth.htm

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/fun-games/insect-world

http://www.butterflyschool.org/student/insectgame.html

Reminders

April 3- No School- Good Friday

April 7- PTA Meeting & 2nd Grade Choir Performance

April 10- Family Fun Night

April 16- Coffee & Conversations; 7:45

April 18- Celebration of Families; 7:30-1:30