Happy Mayday!

I can't believe that, in less than a month, this school year will be drawing to a close! We are in the process of wrapping up some things and fine-tuning some 2nd grade skills. It's going to be a busy month!

Guided reading groups ended last week. During the next two weeks, I will be using our Daily 5/Language block to do some year-end reading testing. Students will also be doing some reading comprehension and word work activities in class during that time. When testing is finished, we will begin our "Teach the Class" week. I will be sending an information letter home this coming week. Now would be a good time to start talking with your child about possible ideas for teaching the class. Some lessons that have worked well in the past are various cooking lessons, sports lessons, small craft projects, how to play different board and card games, how to take care of animals, and how to draw something. Be creative!

This week will be the last week of spelling groups. On Wednesday, all students will begin working on a "commonly mis-spelled words" list. The following week, all students will begin working on a fun spelling list including words from our curriculum this year. Students should still plan to turn in some sort of spelling homework for these two lists, and will still be tested on Wednesdays.

Our current math unit includes a lot of different information, as you have probably noticed! So far in unit 13, students have worked on multiplication, division, fractions, and geometry. Next week, we will spend a couple of days on probability and statistics, and then do some more work with geometry. The unit 13 assessment will be on Wednesday or Thursday.

I haven't looked at the amphibian/reptile test that students took on Thursday, but our guest teacher from that day, Mrs. Sullivan, reported to me that they all worked really hard and seemed to know their information! This coming week will be our Junior Achievement week, and we will be welcoming Sydney's mom, Mrs. Smetak, into our classroom to talk about production. For the rest of the month of May, we will be using our science/social studies block to study about animal adaptations, United States symbols, and so some geography review.

We had a great day at the Kansas City Zoo yesterday! The weather was beautiful, the animals were active, and every member of our class did a great job of following directions and being respectful to our parent helpers. Thanks so much to Shannon, Nami, Gretchen, Ashley, Bethany, and Jenn for joining us on our trip and being excellent group guides.

Please check with your child one last time about school supplies. I know that many students are working with dry markers and almost-empty glue sticks. Those things will definitely come in handy with some of our end-of-the-year projects. Our treasure box is also running low again. If you are interested in donating small items to re-stock it, let me know!

I will be sending out our final book order for the year on Monday. Now would be a great time to stock up on 3rd grade types of books for the summer! Let me know if you need suggestions!

Thanks, as always, for all that you do!

April showers bring May flowers?

Happy (rainy) Friday! I have lots of news to share with you about curriculum and upcoming events. We are definitely in the home stretch for the school year! In math, students were assessed on place value, money, and three-digit addition and subtraction on Wednesday. Yesterday we began a unit on basic multiplication. So far, everyone seems to be picking the concept up fairly quickly! After multiplication we will visit fractions, 3-dimensional shapes, and finish up with time for some review. I have really been pleased with each 2nd grader's progress in math this year! Everyone has picked up some wonderful strategies. I definitely have some junior herpetologists in my class. So far, we have studied frogs, toads, and salamanders in the amphibian category and snakes and lizards in the reptile category. In the next couple of weeks, students will learn the difference between alligators and crocodiles and will also learn about turtles. Please hang on to any reptile/amphibian sheets you see come home. These will be helpful for review when the time comes to study. Many students are in the process of wrapping up and illustrating their animal research projects. They have learned so much, and I have been so proud to see how independently they have learned to work. Most students are following the writing process very well. You are going to love reading their books when they bring them home! After research is completed, we will spend the remainder of the school year reviewing some key writing concepts, doing some descriptive writing, and reviewing the 6 trait model. The last day of reading groups will be Thursday, April 28. I can't believe it is that time already! After reading groups have wrapped up, we will take 2 weeks for DRA testing and some in-class reading lessons. The week after that will be "Teach the Class" week. Each student will have the opportunity to teach the class how to do something. This is always a SUPER fun week! Information will be coming home soon. We have been having many conversations this week about the phrases "End the year strong!" and "Put your best foot forward!" Now that the weather has been getting nicer and summer is in sight, some students have had a challenging time remembering some of the basics that they have learned this year. There has definitely been an increase in careless mistakes, nameless papers, less-than-neat handwriting, friendship conflicts, and rushed assignments. Please continue to encourage your child and praise him or her for work you see coming home that is truly his or her best work. We will continue to press on here at school! A letter will be coming home on Monday with information about the zoo field trip. All money and permission slips have been turned in...thank you for that! Please see Monday's note for details about packed lunches, appropriate attire, etc. This note will also have information about the music program on Tuesday night. I look forward to seeing all of you there! Next Thursday will be the first annual Langston Hughes family fitness event! The event will kick off at 5:45 with a family walk for interested families. Meet at the front doors for the walk. The fitness event will be held in the multipurpose room, gym, and field from 6:00-8:00. I hope that many of you will be able to make it! I think it's going to be a great time! The week of April 25-29 will be Wellness Week here at our school. That Wednesday, April 27, will be a "Walk to School with Your Teachers" day. Cross your fingers for nice weather, and plan to walk to school on that day if you are able! It's always a lot of fun seeing my students and talking with them as we make the trek to school for the day. Thanks, as always, for all that you do. Stay dry out there!

April showers bring May flowers!

As I am sitting here in my house listening to the thunder after a temperature of 89 degrees this afternoon, I am reminded that it is spring and the school year will be over before we know it. I hope that all of the 2nd graders were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!

In math, we continue to practice working with place value and adding and subtracting three-digit numbers. Students are doing a great job working with money amounts and story problems! Thanks again for your continued help with flashcard practice at home. Students are showing steady growth in speed and accuracy with basic facts. This week, we will continue to work with place value and problem solving strategies.

Most students are now working on rough drafts of their animal research projects...so far, they are looking fantastic! We are using some time during writing to review the traits of good writing and the structure of a good paragraph. During our reading and language block, students are working on plural spelling rules and using the dictionary. We have been talking about how to use guide words to locate words alphabetically. This is a hard skill, but the second graders are doing a great job!

We wrapped up our trip around the globe on Friday! Students were very engaged this unit and asked a lot of great questions and learned many things! I will try to have the geography tests graded this week sometime. We are now moving into our science unit on amphibians and reptiles! Students will be learning the difference between amphibians and reptiles, as well as specific traits of frogs, toads, alligators, crocodiles, turtles, snakes, lizards, and salamanders! This Friday, we are excited to have a visitor come to Langston Hughes from Prairie Park Nature Center to show various reptiles and amphibians to the class. Be sure to check out the relevant links under our science tab!

Field trip money and permission slips are due at the end of this week. Thanks to those of you who have already turned them in! It is time to start crossing your fingers for a beautiful spring day on April 29. Please mark the following dates in your calendars.

April 8 - Board game party...students may bring in games on this day!

April 11 - Spring class pictures

April 19 - 2nd Grade music program

April 21 - Family Fun, Food, and Fitness Event

April 29 - Kansas City Zoo field trip

April 30 - School carnival (remember to send in your donations for our coffee themed basket!)

May 13 - Field Day

May 24 - Last day of school