Fall Fun!

I can't believe it is already mid-October!  The month seems to be flying by.  Here's what's going on in our classroom for the next few weeks!

Reading:
We continue our Reading Street unit on exploration.  So far, students have learned what can be learned by exploring in different communities, exploring in outer space, and exploring in nature.  This week, we will talk about what can be learned by exploring the desert.  There are two more weeks in this unit.   Please remember to look for the "refrigerator copy" of words and skills that your child brings home at the beginning of each new week.  Students should be taking time each week to study their spelling words at home.  This week, students are working with inflected endings (ed, s, and ing) and reviewing how to find the main ideas and detail within an expository text.

Writing:
In Writer's Workshop, students continue to learn about writing personal narratives.  This week, we are working on "zooming in" to a story to find its heart and adding details to make a story better.  I hope your 2nd grader remembered to tell you about his or her new Tiny Topic Notebook!  This is for your child to use to record ideas of things he or she would like to write about.

Math:
We started Unit 2 of Math Expressions this week.  During this unit, students will learn about place value, money, and strategies for adding 2-digit numbers together.  Be sure to check out the math links on the right side of this page...there are some great practice games available!

Science/Social Studies:
In addition to daily geography practice, we are studying land and water.  I really enjoyed seeing the amazing posters and models that students brought in earlier this week!  They enjoyed sharing them with their classmates and are looking forward to sharing them with our 5th grade book buddies on Wednesday.  During the next couple of weeks, we will be studying the properties of matter (solid, liquid, gas) and learning about how water and wind can cause land erosion.

Upcoming Dates...Mark Your Calendars!
* Friday, October 16 - No school for students
* Wednesday, October 28 - Birthday Breakfast
* Friday, October 30 - Halloween parade/class parties
* Friday, November 6 - No school for students
* November 11&12 - Conferences (don't forget to sign up on Skyward)
* Friday, November 13 - No school