Sunday, January 15, 2012

Happy new year!

It has been wonderful getting back into our 2nd grade routine. I hope that you all had a terrific holiday season with your family. Here's what's going on in our classroom!

In math, students are learning about different types of graphs in unit 7. During the course of this unit students will learn about picture graphs, bar graphs, line graphs, and circle graphs. They will practice gathering, showing, and interpreting data. We also continue to work on using basic addition and subtraction facts accurately and efficiently.

In science, we have begun our unit on weather. I will admit...it has been nice having our first days of weather observation be mild and sunny! It has been a beautiful winter so far. During this unit, students will learn about the different types of clouds, the water cycle, storms, precipitation, and what it means to be a meteorologist. There are a couple of great weather links in our link bar to the right...check them out with your child if you get a chance.

We will be taking the next couple of weeks off from reading groups in order to assess reading level. I should have some good information to share with you at conferences. During our language block, students are doing various reading comprehension activities. We are currently reading the classic "Mr. Popper's Penguins". In writing, students are working on poetry writing. Over the next few weeks we will cover couplets, cinquains, acrostic poems, shape poems, and free verse poems. We are also incorporating poetry into our reading activities with comprehension and fluency practice.

I look forward to seeing you all at conferences in just a few short weeks! It's hard to believe that we are nearly through another trimester. Enjoy the rest of your long weekend!