Week of Feb. 23rd

Second graders are really looking forward to working with Charles Ahovissi, our artist in residence from Africa, next week!  We can hardly wait!  In reading we'll be discussing how we can be responsible family members.  We'll read another realistic fiction story called Bad Dog, Dodger!   We'll be using word structure to figure out vocabulary words.  We'll also be working on the plot and theme as a comprehension strategy.  In phonics and spelling we'll work with words which have silent letters.  In language arts we will finish up our book reviews and work on the pronouns, I and me.  Then, we will begin working on our add-on stories.  During math we will finish up Topic 14:  Measurement:  Capacity and Weight.  Then we'll move onto Topic 15:  Time and Temperature.  In health class we will continue learning about our bodies.  We'll focus on our skeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems during the next week.  Keep reading those AR books and practicing your spelling words!

Week of Feb. 17th

Next week in reading we'll be discussing why we should take care of animals.  We'll read a realistic fiction story called One Dark Night.  We will work on sequencing and use graphic organizers.  We'll continue working on using context clues to understand vocabulary words.  In phonics and spelling we'll be reading words with prefixes.  In language arts the students will be learning about pronouns for one and more than one.  We'll also learn how to write a book review of a fiction book.  During math class, we'll continue working in Topic 14:  Measurement:  Capacity and Weight.  On President's Day, we'll be learning about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  Then we'll begin our Health unit.  First, we'll learn about human life cycles.  Then we'll learn about our muscles.  Have a great week!

Week of Feb. 3rd

Next week in reading we'll be discussing how changes in weather affect us.  We'll be reading a narrative nonfiction called Helen Keller and the Big Storm.  The vocabulary strategy we will work on is using context clues to figure out word meanings.  We'll work on the comprehension skill of understanding fact and opinion, The students will be working with the comprehension strategy of asking questions.  In phonics and spelling we will be learning to read and spell words with the vowel patterns oo, ue,ew, and ui.  In language arts we will continue working on adverbs, specifically focusing on adverbs which tell how.  The students will also learn to write a response paragraph about the book Thundercake.  In social studies we will begin learning about African American heroes.  Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges are some of the heroes we'll be learning about.  In art we'll see art created by an artist named Jim Dine, and then create one of our own heart paintings.  We'll make our Valentine's Day sacks, and place them on our lockers for when friends begin bringing cards.  During math class we'll continue working in Topic 13:  Measurement:  Length and Area.  Have a great week!

January 27, 2014

This week we will be reading the story I Like Where I Am while working on plot and theme.  We will be working on spelling and decoding words with the vowel sound in joy.  In Language Arts we will be working on adverbs that tell when and where.  In Social Studies we will be learning about  maps with directions, American symbols and famous Americans. We will also be learning about Chinese New Year which takes place Jan. 31st.  In Math we will be finishing up our fractions unit and start on measurement.

Week of Jan. 20th

On Tuesday we will be 100 days smarter.  This week we will be celebrating our 100th day of school by writing a paragraph of what we will be doing and what we might look like when we are 100 years old. We are trying to jazz up our writing by adding lots of adjectives.   We will also be making mozaics of ourselves.  We will be making a special snack of 100 items and doing some other fun 100 day activities.  We will be reading Frogs and working on words with the ou and ow sounds.  We will be learning how these letters can make the sound that is in the word gown.  We will also work on comparing and contrasting.  Monday we will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday while learning about this famous African American.  In Social Studies we are learning about natural and cultural features.  We will also learn how these features are represented by symbols on a map.

Week of January 13th

This week we will be reading about the lLifecycle of a Pumpkin and working on fact and opinion.  We will also be reading and spelling words with the vowel sound in book.  In Language Arts we will continue to work on using adjectives and writing friendly letters.  We will be finishing up our geometry unit in math working on symmetry, translations, reflections and rotations.  In Science we will be learning aout the sun and the planets in our solar system.

Week of Jan. 6th

Welcome Back!  I hope you all had a super break.  This week we will be reading The Quilt Story and work on comparing and contrasting.  We will also be learning about words that end in -le.  In Guidance we will have a guest speaker to teach us about good touches, bad touches, and secret touches.  A note was sent home about this before Christmas.  In Language Arts we will focus on  writing a persuasive paragraph and using adjectives in our writing.  In Math we will be starting geometry learning about plane shapes and solid figures.  Goods, services, needs, and wants will be our Social Studies focus this week.  We will also be making a snowman art project to be displayed at Burger King.  The students will also be taking the MAPS tests this week and next to help the staff determine how to best meet each students individual needs.  Have a great week and stay warm!