December Happenings

I hope that you all had a wonderful Fall Break with your families!  Students have done a great job of getting right back to work and are really challenging themselves here at school, even though they know that Winter Break is right around the corner.  These three weeks can be tough, but we do have a lot going on in our classroom! 

Unit 4 in math has gotten off to a good start.  We opened up the unit with a review of coins.  Students are now learning to count amounts that go over a dollar, and continue practicing writing money amounts using the correct label.  Yesterday, your 2nd grader brought home a small bag with directions about bringing in some coins to use in the classroom for extra money practice.  If you are able, please send this back by Monday.  It's so helpful to have real coins to use for practice.  Coins will be returned at the end of the school year.  During this unit, we will also begin looking at methods for subtracting 2-digit numbers.  Students will learn how to ungroup to make new tens as needed.  At home, please take some time to work with your child on basic subtraction facts.  Speed and efficiency with these facts will really help as the numbers being subtracted become larger! 

We are having a lot of fun writing personal narratives.  Students are learning important writing skills from master writers and are gaining confidence with practicing some of these craft moves in their own writing.  This week, we are discussing the different things that master writers do and why they do them.  We've had some good conversations about the tricks that make readers feel part of a story.  I love seeing 2nd graders getting so involved with the writing process!  They are showing real pride with their work, and I can't wait to share some of their pieces with you at our next conference.  We are also working on a super-secret writing project in our spare time...look forward to seeing those in just a couple of weeks!

This week's spelling work is a study of homophones.  As you work on these words with your 2nd grader, please be sure to take some time to discuss not only the correct spelling of the words, but also what the words mean and why they are homophones (they sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings). 

For the next few weeks, students will be looking at the historical significance of the "wild west".  This week, we have looked at a variety of tall tales.  We have talked about the importance of story-telling during a time when TV and computers weren't available.  Students are learning the traits of tall tales and comparing various versions of similar stories.  See if your child can tell you about how tall tales are stories about normal people who are "bigger than life" in some way, and how the tales have been passed down and exaggerated over many years.  Next week, we will be digging into some fairy tales that have been re-set in the west! 

Please make note of the following dates.  The next few weeks are going to be pretty jam-packed!  Thanks, as always, for all that you do.  If you have any questions about current curriculum or your child's progress, feel free to call, e-mail, or drop by at any time.  Have a great weekend! 

December 17 - Birthday Breakfast - Happy birthday, Sydney and Parker!

December 19 - Winter Parties

December 13/14 - Winter Celebration with Mrs. D and Mrs. W - Forms due December 9

December 22 - January 2 - No School

January 19 - No School - MLK Day