February News

Hello!

How quickly January flew by!  2017 has gotten off to a great and busy start here in 2nd grade.  Read on for information about current and upcoming curriculum, and be sure to mark the important dates on your calendars.

Math
Students did a wonderful job on the Unit 3 math test on measurement and shapes!  This week we jumped into Unit 4.  In this unit, students will be working with money...specifically, counting mixed groups of coins with totals over $1 and that include quarters...and subtracting two and three digit numbers.

What can we do at home?
* Have your child get on Blackboard and explore the videos, games, and activities for Unit 4.
* Have your child help you count money when you are out.  Encourage him or her to answer questions about making change when buying small items, figuring out how much more money is needed to purchase something, and exchanging coins for other coins to make the same amount.

Reading Street
In the next Reading Street unit, we will be exploring the question "What does it mean to be creative?"  During this unit, students will use several stories to learn about author's purpose, drawing conclusions, comparing/contrasting, summarizing, predicting, and inferring.  In spelling we will focus on long vowel patterns, compound words, and words with endings.

What can we do at home?
* Continue to work with your child on the weekly spelling and vocabulary lists that come home.
* Read with your child each night.
* Allow your child time to access IStation at home.
* Explore that optional at-home extensions on Blackboard for each Reading Street week.

Writer's Workshop
We have wrapped up our study of writing lab reports.  At this time, students are using checklists to create informational booklets about topics that interest them.  We will have our expository post-assessment at the end of next week.  After conferences, we will begin our unit on opinion writing.  In this unit, students will write friendly letters to a variety of audiences that explain their opinions about literature.

What can we do at home?
* Encourage your child to write a friendly letter to a friend or family member.  Take time to edit and revise as needed.  Focus on spelling and punctuation.
* Allow your child to access our student blogs from home and respond to the weekly questions.  Work with your child on building strong keyboarding habits.

Science
For the remainder of the month, our class will be studying engineering and the designs of different types of bridges.  Students are responsible for studying different bridges, creating an informative project about bridges, and designing a bridge in class that meets several guidelines and can carry as much weight as possible.

What can we do at home?
* Go for a drive around town and look at different bridges.  Ask your child to identify what types of bridges are most common in Kansas.
* Remember to send in a large shoebox lid for your child's bridge building project!  We will need these the last week of February.

Upcoming Dates...Mark Your Calendars!

February 7: Book Fair/Pancake Feed

February 14: Valentine's Day Party 

February 17: No School

February 22: Birthday Breakfast - Happy birthday, Sonomi!

February 22/23: Conferences

February 27-March 3: Junior Achievement

March 2:  Read Across America Day

March 17- March 24: Spring Break

March 29: Birthday Breakfast - Happy birthday, Kyle!  

April 4: Fitness Fair - Contact me if you'd like to help out that evening!