12-9-16

12-9-16

Language Arts

This week we read about schools in other parts of the world and explored the question, “Why do authors write different kinds of texts?” In the informational text Schools Around the World, we learned about how schools in other parts of the world are the same and different. We also read a selection of poems about school in School Poems.

Target Vocabulary: culture, community, languages, transportation, subjects, lessons, special, wear 

Phonics Skills: Vowel digraphs ee, ea (long e sound) 

Comprehension Skill: Author’s purpose—tell why an author writes a book 

Comprehension Strategy: Analyze/ evaluate—tell how you feel about the text and why

We have reached the point in our math lessons where we are learning about composing and decomposing ones and tens when adding or subtracting.  Just remember, 

composing = carrying over  

decomposing = borrowing.  

They just call the process by a different name now.  Students are also expected to draw pictures of the place value disks to show the process.

We have not yet gotten to the subtraction with decomposing yet but will eventually.  

Composing

Polar Express Pajama Jam

Our holiday party will be on Thursday, December 22nd.  We will be having our Polar Express Pajama Party.  We will probably watch the movie in the afternoon since our mornings are so busy.  We will also pop some popcorn and have some juice boxes.  Any leftover time will be spent on a Read-In.  Kids are more than welcome to bring in a blanket, pillow, books, stuffed animal, etc...  Just remember that they have to be able to take it all home on the bus that day.  If you are interested in donating some microwaveable popcorn, paper bowls, or juice boxes, please let me know.  

Nutcracker

The other 2nd grade teachers convinced me to participate in their nutcracker project they do with the kids each year.  I've never done this project before but I look forward to the challenge.  I will need your help collecting any items that you could send in to help decorate them.  I'm not expecting anyone to go out and buy anything but maybe just look around the house for any leftover arts & crafts materials.  Below you will find a list to help give you an idea.  My goal is to tackle this project the week before winter break.  I will also be looking for some parent volunteers to help once I know what I'm doing and when.

Nutcracker Needs: “Anything to decorate a Nutcracker”

• Hot glue gun, and glue sticks
• Fabric
• Wooden balls - pea size for noses
• Beads, sequins, etc.
• Aluminum foil
• Yarn -LOTS
• “Ice cream spoons” - wooden paddle like for arms
• Toothpicks or larger - cover with aluminum foil for swords
• Mini Toy drum, present, bell

12-2-16

12-2-16

Polar Express Pajama Jam

Our holiday party will be on Thursday, December 22nd.  We will be having our Polar Express Pajama Party.  We will probably watch the movie in the afternoon since our mornings are so busy.  We will also pop some popcorn and have some juice boxes.  Any leftover time will be spent on a Read-In.  Kids are more than welcome to bring in a blanket, pillow, books, stuffed animal, etc...  Just remember that they have to be able to take it all home on the bus that day.  If you are interested in donating some microwaveable popcorn, paper bowls, or juice boxes, please let me know.  

Nutcracker

The other 2nd grade teachers convinced me to participate in their nutcracker project they do with the kids each year.  I've never done this project before but I look forward to the challenge.  I will need your help collecting any items that you could send in to help decorate them.  I'm not expecting anyone to go out and buy anything but maybe just look around the house for any leftover arts & crafts materials.  Below you will find a list to help give you an idea.  My goal is to tackle this project the week before winter break.  I will also be looking for some parent volunteers to help once I know what I'm doing and when.

Nutcracker Needs: “Anything to decorate a Nutcracker”

• Hot glue gun, and glue sticks
• Fabric
• Wooden balls - pea size for noses
• Beads, sequins, etc.
• Aluminum foil
• Yarn -LOTS
• “Ice cream spoons” - wooden paddle like for arms
• Toothpicks or larger - cover with aluminum foil for swords
• Mini Toy drum, present, bell

Background Information

Nutcrackers
It was tradition that a nutcracker in the window kept the family safe from evil spirits and danger. The first nutcrackers were made in the design of kings and soldiers. They were made by common folk, who liked to have the kings and soldiers working for them, cracking their nuts.

Why do they have such a mean toothy look? To make a nutcracker work, the working lever had to be put into the head part. To do this, it had to be sawed in straight lines, so the teeth and mouth opening had to be square. This made a stern look instead of a smiling mouth.

1. Nutcracker Folklore: " According to German folklore, nutcrackers were given as keepsakes to bring good luck to your family and protect your home. The legend says that a nutcracker represents power and strength and serves like a trusty watch dog guarding your family from evil spirits and danger. A fierce protector, the nutcracker bares its teeth to the evil spirits and serves as the traditional messenger of good luck and goodwill." ... http://www.magicofnutcrackers.com/Nutcrackers/HistoryofNutcrackers.htm
2. Story of the Ballet (in under 5 minutes!):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEdNd2mTVWQ
3. Audio of the Nutcracker story:http://www.storynory.com/2008/12/15/a-christmas-nutcracker/
4. Nutcracker animated:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byrYjX4fhmQ
5. Kids Love Nutcrackers:http://www.kidslovenutcrackers.com/
6. Ten Interesting Facts: The Nutcracker is holiday tradition. Every year, millions of Nutcracker fans from Los Angeles to New York attend local productions of the famous ballet at area concert halls, theaters, and performance venues. For many families, attending The Nutcracker is an annual holiday tradition like hanging stockings on the chimney and caroling around the neighborhood. http://musicology-101.com/?p=142

Language Arts

During the next few weeks, we’ll explore the theme Tell Me About It. Our reading selections in this unit focus on how we communicate with each other. From a fanciful tale of typing cows to artists from around the world, we’ll read about the ways people share their ideas and feelings. As we read, we’ll explore the Big Idea “We learn from each other.” We’ll begin this week with a humorous fiction story called Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Farmer Brown’s cows have found a typewriter, and they’re using it to demand better working conditions. What will Farmer Brown do? We’ll also read about how real animals communicate in the informational text Talk About Smart Animals! Throughout the week we’ll consider the question “What helps you make a decision about a character?”

Target Vocabulary: problem, impossible, understand, impatient, furious, demand, gathered, believe 

Phonics Skills: Base words with endings -s, -es (including pronunciation and syllables) 

Vocabulary Strategy: Prefixes pre- (means “before”) and mis- (means “not” or “badly”) 

Comprehension Skill: Conclusions— use details to figure out more about the text 

Comprehension Strategy: Infer/ predict—use clues to figure out more about the story parts or important ideas

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.

Lesson 5 

Objective: Solve one- and two-step word problems within 100 using strategies based on place value.

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.

11-18-16

11-18-16

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.

Student Council is sponsoring this two-day fund raising campaign on Monday, November 21st and Tuesday, November 22nd.  Each classroom will receive a collection box for any donations (cash, loose change).  Checks have to be made out to JDRF.  I forwarded an email earlier in the week explaining the event in more detail.  Our school goal is to raise $1500 to help kids who live with diabetes.

We are headed to Miller Auditorium on Tuesday, November 29th to see Ensemble Espanol.  We will be leaving at 11:30 and returning around 2:15.  We will have to eat lunch in the classroom that day so please make sure everyone packs their own lunch.  Please let me know if you'd like to order a sack lunch from the cafeteria that day.

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

Module 4 & 5 easily take up the majority of the year in math.  Module 4 is 31 lessons in itself.  There will be a mid-module and an end of module assessment.

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.

Lesson 2 

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

Portage in the Past - Phase 1

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be 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 Potawatomi 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...

11-11-16

11-11-16

Parent Teacher Conferences

See everyone on Tuesday or Thursday!

Lexia

Lexia is up and running now.  Although, I'm not sure how many licenses our school will have as a whole.  For now, feel free to go to lexiacore5.com and practice reading from home.  Lexia can count as your 20 minutes of reading homework.  

Language Arts

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

Lesson 14 

Objective: Model numbers with more than 9 ones or 9 tens; write in expanded, unit, standard, and word forms. 

Lesson 15 

Objective: Explore a situation with more than 9 groups of ten.

Lesson 16 

Objective: Compare two three-digit numbers using <, >, and =.

Lesson 18 

Objective: Order numbers in different forms.

11-4-16

11-4-16

Halloween

Thank You to everyone that helped make this year's Halloween party a success.  The kids seemed to enjoy themselves at all the different centers and the treats were fantastic.  Here are a few pics from Halloween.  If you have others you'd like to share, I can put them on our class blog.

Field Trip

We lucked out on the weather for our field trip to the Potawotomi Village.  We were able to complete the whole tour before the rain came through.  We always use the field trip as an introduction to our Portage Unit.  We will probably spend from now until winter break talking about Portage in the past.

Ski Club

Ski Passes for Timber Ridge

Lake Center friends and families (students and adults) can purchase DISCOUNT passes for $20.00 each, through our LCE Ski Club. This pass allows you to ski anytime.  

After purchasing the discount passes, here is the cost for you each time you go to Timber Ridge:

• ADULTS: Lift tickets will be $14 Monday-Friday (Non-Holiday) and $20 Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays (Dec.26nd-Jan.2nd). Ski rental will be $14 anytime.

• STUDENTS:$14 lift and $14 Ski rental anytime.

Each person MUST have their own pass.  You can’t share.

Please return this sheet and check to:  Lake Center, by November 11th!

Questions? lkoop@portageps.org

Conferences are coming up!  NEW Scheduling Tool!

Click Here to schedule your conference(s).  The code is M8ugz You must type this code to schedule. Please give yourself enough time between conferences. You have until 4pm on Wednesday 11/9 to book and/or make any changes to your conference day/time.  After that date, you will need to contact the teacher directly.  Please remember only one conference per student.   If you need access to technology to schedule, please stop by our office or the Portage District Library.

This week we explored all kinds of weather. We also explored the question “How do you know what a story is mostly about?” In the informational text Super Storms, we learned about several kinds of extreme weather. Then we read Weather Poems, including “Night Drumming for Rain,” “Leaves,” and “Morning Sun.”

Target Vocabulary: flash, equal, damage, reach, pounding, prevent, beware, bend 

Phonics Skills: Consonant digraphs th, sh, wh, ch, tch, ph; base words with endings -s, -ed, -ing (no spelling changes)

Vocabulary Strategy: Compound words 

Comprehension Skill: Main ideas and details—tell important ideas and details about a topic 

Comprehension Strategy: Visualize— picture what is happening as you read

Lesson 9

Objective:  Count from $10 to $1,000 on the place value chart and the empty number line.

Lesson 10

Objective:  Explore $1,000.  How many $10 bills can we change for a thousand dollar bill?

Lesson 11 

Objective: Count the total value of ones, tens, and hundreds with place value disks. 

Lesson 12 

Objective: Change 10 ones for 1 ten, 10 tens for 1 hundred, and 10 hundreds for 1 thousand.

Lesson 13 

Objective: Read and write numbers within 1,000 after modeling with place value disks.