Reading Street
In our current unit, students are exploring various questions about creativity. They are reading fiction and nonfiction pieces of text and using them to compare and contrast, summarize, sequence, predict, and distinguish fact from opinion. During our reading block, students are independently working with new vocabulary words, spelling patterns, and written responses to reading.
What can we do at home?
Continue to practice new spelling patterns at home with you child at least one night a week. Allow your child time to log in to his or her I Station account and work through some of the lessons. Read together each night. Get on Blackboard and explore each week's story together. Allow your child to pre-read or re-read leveled books from his or her reading group online.
Writing
We continue to work on friendly letter and opinion writing. In this unit, students are learning to write convincing letters to a variety of audience types about different pieces of literature. We are practicing supporting opinions with facts and evidence, as well as using strong words to convince readers to think a certain way.
What can we do at home?
Encourage friendly debates in your house! Model giving specific reasons when you give your opinion about something. Ask your child why he or she feels a certain way about a topic. Write friendly letters to family members and friends. Encourage neat handwriting and correct sentence structure. Support your child in completing blog homework each Tuesday.
Math
We will be wrapping up our study of multi-digit subtraction with regrouping next week. In our next unit, students will practice telling time and working with different types of graphs.
What can we do at home?
Review the process of subtracting multi-digit numbers with your child. Write and solve story problems together. As we begin our next unit, encourage your child to practice telling time on an analog clock. Look for examples of graphs together, and analyze the data shown. Allow your child to conduct a small survey and graph the results.
Science
We had so much fun wrapping up our study of bridges and engineering with a special project from the Dyson Foundation! Students learned what design engineers do and what traits they have, then used that information to create new and improved clipboards for our class. This week, we are beginning our study of pollination and plants. During our library media lesson this Friday, Mrs. Jenny Williams will be covering some of our science standards on weather observation. In class, students are working with a weather map. In class for the next several weeks, 2nd graders will be studying pollination and plants.
What can we do at home?
As the weather warms up, take a nature walk! Look for examples of pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc.) and discuss the different plants you see.
Other
Awesome Squiggles is a global art challenge project where PreK-12 grade classrooms create original art based on four squiggly lines and then share their artwork with new friends around the world. The best part? Art translates into all languages.
Students will create their own masterpiece, and we will share our #awesomesquiggles with our partner classroom. We will be collaborating with schools from another city (maybe even state!) by Skype...so fun! You can learn more at http://awesomesquiggles.weebly.com/
March 29- Birthday Breakfast - Happy birthday, Kyle!
March 31 - Field trip to the Lawrence Arts Center (no funds/no volunteers needed), Guest speaker
in the afternoon
April 3 - Mrs. Williams out of town
April 4- Langston Hughes Fitness Fair - 6:00
April 5- Walk to School with Teachers/Field Trip Money Due
April 6- Annual smoothie competition
April 7- Workout Clothes to School
April 14- Prairie Park Nature Center ($5 cash/no volunteers needed)
April 18- Music Program - 7:30
April 21- No School
April 24-27- Aimsweb/MAP testing for 2nd Grade
April 26 - Birthday Breakfast - Early May birthdays - Happy birthday, Ragan and Andrew S.!
April 29- Carnival
May 3- Birthday Breakfast - Late May birthdays - Happy birthday, Abby B. and Abbie V!
May 10- Birthday Breakfast - Summer birthdays - Happy birthday Avery, Andrew N, and Gabe!
May 12- Field Day
May 17- Body Venture Field Trip (9:30-12:30) (No funds needed/contact Mrs. Williams for
information about volunteering)
May 24- Last day of school...have an AWESOME summer!
