11-20-15

11-20-15

I want to thank everyone for making it out for conferences this week.  Communication between home and school is the key for success.  Please contact me at anytime if you have any concerns or questions.

Language Arts

This week we explored the question, “How do you know if something is a fact or an opinion?” We read two informational texts about the deep blue sea. The first selection, Jellies, features beautiful underwater photographs and fascinating facts about jellyfish. Then Meet Norbert Wu will introduce us to a man who makes his living photographing animals that live in the ocean. What an exciting—and wet—job!

Target Vocabulary: decide, disgusting, drift, millions, simple, wrapped, choices, weaker 

Phonics Skills: Contractions 

Vocabulary Strategy: Base words and suffixes –er and –est (comparatives and superlatives) 

Comprehension Skill: Fact and opinion—tell if an idea can be proved or is a feeling 

Comprehension Strategy: Monitor/ clarify—find ways to figure out what doesn’t make sense

Math

Lesson 2 

Objective: Add and subtract multiples of 10 including counting on to subtract.

Lesson 3 

Objective: Add and subtract multiples of 10 and some ones within 100.

Lesson 4 

Objective: Add and subtract multiples of 10 and some ones within 100.

Social Studies

Portage - Phase 2 (Potawatomi)

This week we talked about how our name came to be Portage.  The "portaging" of a canoe is how our name came to be Portage, with its many waterways and streams which travel in both directions.  This area was an ideal place for the Potawatomi people and their lifestyle.  They traveled mainly by canoe.  By migrating to Portage each year the Potawatomis created paths when walking by foot.  These paths are known as the 3 major streets we continue to travel on today:  Oakland Dr., Westnedge Ave., and Portage Rd.

We also talked about the different responsibilities of the Potawatomi people.  The men were responsible for hunting, fishing, chopping down trees, making tools, etc...  The women made the wigwam homes, planting of crops, making of clothes, mats, child care,etc...

The Potawatomi lived in peace for many, many, years until the settlers starting buying all the land in Portage in the 1830's.  The first Pioneer settlers were from New York.

11-13-15

11-13-15

Tuesday, November 17th                       Thursday, November 19th 

4:30-4:45    Jimenez                                4:30-4:45    Open

4:45-5:00    Robinson                              4:45-5:00    Cassiday

5:00-5:15    Open                                    5:00-5:15    Cheatham

5:15-5:30    Underwood                          5:15-5:30    Open

5:30-5:45    Rozankovich                        5:30-5:45    Trzybinski

5:45-6:00    Grennwood                          5:45-6:00    Tangeman

6:00-6:15    Mayfield                              6:00-6:15    Reeves

6:15-6:30    Johnson                                6:15-6:30    Sibley

6:30-6:45    Vandersloot                          6:30-6:45    Open

6:45-7:00    Brannen                                6:45-7:00    Schoder

7:00-7:15    Koop                                    7:00-7:15    Riggleman

7:15-7:30    Voneitzen                             7:15-7:30    Proctor

7:30-7:45    Davis

Please double check your conference time and I look forward to seeing everyone next week.

Our classroom's holiday gift shopping time will be on Tuesday, December 1st.  The shopping will only take place during our recess time. 

Report cards will be sent home on Monday, November 16th.  I just want to give you a heads up that there won't be any grades for reading comprehension right now.  There is a letter from the district explaining our new standards based grading approach.  Basically, you need to have atleast 3 grades for each standard before our grade books can report out a trend.  Even though we have weekly comprehension tests on the stories we read, we have not had 3 tests that focus on one standard.  I can explain everything easier in person if you still have some questions.

Discount Ski Passes

Interested in skiing this year? We've got a deal for you... Purchase discount ski passes for the entire family through Lake Center! Discount passes are $14 for students and $20 for adults. This pass allows you to purchase a lift ticket to ski/snowboard for $14 and rent skis for $14. It pays for itself the first time you use it! 

Regular prices without a discount pass: 

$27 Lift (child) + Rentals $17 $38 Lift (adult) + Rentals $20 Feel free to share this incredible deal with others. *Email Lisa Koop if you have questions!lkoop@portageps.org 4th and 5th graders can join the coolest club in town... LCE Ski Club! Begins in January. The Ski Club meeting for 4th and 5th graders is Tuesday November 10 at 6:30pm in the cafeteria. A big thank you to everyone that went out and voted!  That was a huge bond proposal that will help out PPS for years to come.  New schools, new technology, new athletic improvements, etc...It's crazy to think about all the changes that have taken place since I started teaching in Portage.

Please continue to try and do Zearn at home.  This is by far the best math practice because it goes right along with our math series.  Since we just finished Module 3 in math, everyone should try to be finished with Mission 3 on Zearn.  We try to practice on Zearn twice a week at school but it's important that everyone is trying practice at home too.  If your child has already reached Mission 4 then you are in great shape.

Lexia is another program that we practice twice a week at school.  The goal is to be past level 12 by the end of the year.  A lot of students have already done this, which is great.  They can keep going on to higher levels that will challenge them.  Levels 10, 11, and 12 are considered 2nd grade.  Levels 13 and up are considered 3rd, 4th, and 5th.  If your child is not yet to the 2nd grade levels, then please start replacing some of their reading homework time with Lexia until they get caught up.

This week we answered the question “What can you learn from the way a character acts?” First we read a folktale called How Chipmunk Got His Stripes. Then we read a traditional tale called Why Rabbits Have Short Tails. As we read, we kept talking about the Big Idea, “Nature can teach us many things.”

Target Vocabulary: curled, direction, healed, height, toward, tunnel, tease, brag 

Phonics Skills: Base words and endings -ed, -ing (including spelling change of drop final e); words with consonant/ vowel (CV) pattern 

Vocabulary Strategy: Synonyms 

Comprehension Skill: Understanding characters—tell more about characters 

Comprehension Strategy: Summarize— stop to tell important events as you read

Next Week's Story:  Jellies

Portage in the Past - Phase 1

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been talking about what attracted the Potawatomi to Portage.  The swampy muck land and the vicious mosquitos kept many away.  The Great Lakes were another barrier to Michigan.  The Potawatomis saw much more in the land we now know as Portage.  This friendly group of Native Americans were always on the move but continued to come back to Portage.

Reasons the Potawatomi were attracted to this land:  streams, rivers, lakes, trees, various animals, nut trees, maple syrup, honey, fish, soil for crops, etc...

Like I said earlier, we finished up our 3rd Module or unit for the year.  I will share their end of module assessments at conferences.  We started Module 4 today.

GRADE 2 • MODULE 4

Addition and Subtraction Within 200 with Word Problems to 100

Module Overview

Topic A:  Sums and Differences Within 100

Topic B:  Strategies for Composing a Ten

Topic C:  Strategies for Decomposing a Ten

Topic D:  Strategies for Composing Tens and Hundreds

Topic E:  Strategies for Decomposing Tens and Hundreds

Topic F:  Student Explanations of Written Methods

Lesson 1 

Objective: Relate 1 more, 1 less, 10 more, and 10 less to addition and subtraction of 1 and 10.

We introduce the arrow way as another strategy to add tens and ones.