Snow Days Galore!

I can't believe it is Friday already! What a mixed-up couple of weeks! I just wanted to pass on a couple of pieces of information to you.

Our class will be attending a production at the Lied Center on Thursday in the afternoon. Volunteers won't be needed on this field trip, but it would be a good time to start thinking about whether or not you might be interested in going to the Kansas City Zoo with our class in April! I will let you know that date once it has been set.

I am in need of a couple of volunteers to help with Kansas Day in our classroom. Our room will be used as the "butter churning station" from 11:35-1:35 next Friday, January 29. Students will listen to a book about pioneers while shaking jars of cream to make butter, which they will then get to enjoy on slices of fresh homemade bread! 6 different groups of first and second grade students will rotate through our class that day...that is a lot of bread and butter! If you would be interested in helping with slicing bread, spreading butter, handing out snacks, and possibly reading out loud, please let me know. The more the merrier!

Today, students picked poems to memorize for our Poetry Cafe at 2:45 on February 11. They will be bringing home a set of their assigned poems on Monday. Part of daily homework until February 11 will include practicing these poems. We will also be working on them here at school. Look for a formal invitation to the Poetry Cafe soon...we hope to see all of you there!

The 100th day of school this year will be all about math! Believe it or not, the 100th day of school will be next week on Thursday, January 27. We will be celebrating in many ways here in our classroom. One thing that we need you to do to help is to send in 100 pieces of a snack to make a "100th Day Trail Mix". Examples might be small pretzels, raisins, pieces of cereal, mini marshmallows, etc. Please send your childs pre-counted snack to school on Thursday.

Due to the snow day yesterday, I am extending the deadline for Scholastic book orders to Monday. I will submit the order than and have your books to you as soon as possible. I will not send a Scholastic order home for the month of February, due to the book fair.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Winter Wonderland!

I hope that your 2nd graders have enjoyed these past couple of snow days! I'm sure there has been much sledding, snowman-building, and hot cocoa drinking! I, also, have kind of enjoyed running around in the snow with the dog and drinking hot tea on the couch...but I am very excited to return to Langston Hughes tomorrow!

In math this week, we will continue to study data collection and analyzing of graphs. We started this unit looking at different types of pictographs. Next, we practiced putting data onto a table and solving comparison problems using the table. Later this week, we will begin to look at bar graphs. Student should be able to accurately graph information and state different facts about the graphs. Specifically, we have been working on making comparison statements using graphs and tables (for example, "Joe has 6 more snowballs than Mary"). During our daily routines in math, we continue to practice telling time and are also working on place value.

It has been so much fun starting our 2nd grade poetry unit! So far, students have been working on couplets and different types of shape poems. Be sure to check out our "Poet Tree" in the pod to see some samples on display! In the coming days, students will begin writing list poems, cinquains, and acrostic poems. Tomorrow, we will take a quick break from writing poetry to write book reviews.

We have enjoyed reading some of Tomie DePaulo's books since school resumed! Students learned that DePaulo's family is half Irish and half Italian, and that he incorporates his heritage into many of his stories. We will continue to read his books in the days to come. I also hope to start "Mr. Popper's Penguins this week! This is always a favorite...for the students, as well as for me!

What a time to begin studying weather in science! Last week, students observed some sunny and mild days. I'm sure they are going to love talking about the weather this week! Early last week, students learned about the seasons and did some writing to describe winter, spring, summer, and autumn. On Friday, the class began to learn about the different types of clouds. When our science test rolls around, 2nd graders will need to know about cumulus, cumulonimbus, stratus, and cirrus clouds. This week, we will continue our study of clouds and will also begin to look at the different types of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail). We will take a break from our weather unit of study on Friday to study about Martin Luther King Jr. and the impact he had on America.

There will be no school next Monday, January 17 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) or January 31 (professional development day). There will also be no school February 18 (recording/reporting day for teachers) or February 24 and 25. Conferences will be Wednesday, February 23, and Thursday, February 24. I can't believe it's almost that time again! I can't wait to share your child's progress with you!

I hope that 2011 has gotten off to a wonderful start for all of you! Have a great week!