2-17-17

2-17-17

I just wanted to thank everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to make it to conferences this week.  We still have a lot of the school year left to go but we will not be having anymore conferences this year.  Please let me know if you want to touch base about any concerns that you might have as the year continues.  I will also do the same.  Sometimes it's just good to touch base before summer break to make sure everyone is on the same page.  Whether it's a phone call, email, or even meeting before or after school.

This week we pondered the question “What can you learn from signs in your community?” In the humorous fiction story, The Signmaker’s Assistant, a town’s residents learn that they can’t always believe what they read. We also read the play The Trouble with Signs.

Target Vocabulary: assistant, agreed, polite, failed, tearing, wisdom, trouble, cleared 

Phonics Skills: Words with r-controlled vowels ar (car) 

Vocabulary Strategy: Synonyms 

Comprehension Skill: Text and graphic features—tell how words work with art 

Comprehension Strategy: Question— ask questions about what you are reading 

We are off and running with Module 5:  Addition and Subtraction within 1,000 and Word Problems to 100.  It's basically all the same strategies that we learned in Module 4 only now the problems are just getting more difficult.  All the problems will involve 3-digit numbers rather than 2-digit.  We will move at a faster pace in Module 5 since none of the concepts are new.

Lesson 1 

Objective: Relate 10 more, 10 less, 100 more, and 100 less to addition and subtraction of 10 and 100.

Lesson 2 

Objective: Add and subtract multiples of 100, including counting on to subtract.

Lesson 3 

Objective: Add multiples of 100 and some tens within 1,000.

Problem 2: 550 + 200, 550 + 250, 550 + 260

Lesson 4 

Objective: Subtract multiples of 100 and some tens within 1,000.

Problem 4: 400 – 200, 440 – 200, 440 – 240, 440 – 260 

Lesson 5 

Objective: Use the associative property to make a hundred in one addend.

Lesson 6 

Objective: Use the associative property to subtract from three-digit numbers and verify solutions with addition.

We were able to complete our flip books on maps this week.  I think they turned out well and the kids enjoyed making them.  We've talked about how all good maps must have:  a title, map key, compass rose, scale or distance, labels, and it helps to have color.  Throughout the unit students will use cardinal directions to locate places on a map.  They also need to be able to use a map key to locate important features on a map.

2-10-17

2-10-17

Here are all the conferences that I have scheduled for next week.  Please look over the schedule and make sure everything is accurate.

If you would like to make any book orders for February, please do so by Friday, February 17th.  Please remember to use our class code DX98H.  Make checks payable to Scholastic if you are sending the form back in to school.

Mark your calendars now!  March 9th will be our Lake Center Elementary PLTW/STEM Student Showcase event from 6:30-8pm here at LCE.  Many of our students will be showcasing the work they have completed throughout this year in class centered around PLTW/STEM learning. We will also have a MakerSpace set up to explore! 

Click this link to hear more about what PLTW is and how it empowers our students and their futures!  More information and a flyer on our PLTW/STEM Student Showcase event will be on its way soon.  Don't miss out on this fun night!  

We finally finished Module 4.  It felt like the never ending module.  I will share how everyone did on their end-of-module assessments at conferences.  Module 5 is pretty much more of the same only the addition and subtraction gets harder and the problems are up to 1,000 now instead of 100.

This week we explored the question “What words show the order of events in a story?” As we read the realistic fiction selection Luke Goes to Bat, we found out about a boy who learned an important lesson with the help of his grandmother and the legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson. In the informational text, Jackie Robinson, we will learn more about this special American hero.

Target Vocabulary: practice, hurried, position, roared, extra, curb, cheered, final 

Phonics Skills: Words with long i (igh, ie, y) such as sigh, tie, by 

Vocabulary Strategy: Antonyms (opposites) 

Comprehension Skill: Sequence of events—tell the order in which things happen 

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

2-3-17

2-3-17

  Conferences are coming up on Feb. 14th and Feb. 16th.  Please use this link and the code tk238 to sign up.

I can't believe it took me so long to try out this website.  This is the perfect website to help your child master their addition and subtraction facts.  If they master both addition and subtraction, they can move onto multiplication and division.  It's the perfect site.  I'm sending home parent letters so you can access the site at home.  It will link your child's data so you can follow along with their progress at home.  They even have an app for like $5 or it's completely free at xtramath.org.  My goal is to have everyone do at least one round daily at school.  It will be much easier next year once all the grades are 1:1 with technology.  For now, we have to share in 2nd grade.  Please email me if you have any questions.  You do need to know my email which is bcritz@portageps.org and each child has a 4-digit pin.  I'll send the pin #'s home as well but they are on a tiny piece of paper so email me if you need it again.

I've had a few emails about the details of our Valentine's Day.  It will be on Friday, February 10th which is a half day.  I don't usually do a party or anything but I do let the kids pass out valentine's and I have a few activities planned throughout the day. 

Valentine Originality

Decorate a box at home to be your Valentine mailbox. This will hold your cards from your classmates and teachers. You may use any type of box you wish. Some examples are shoe, cereal, cracker, shirt, tissue, whatever! Turn your box into some clever, creative item to be your mailbox. Some fun ideas may include a toaster, shark, computer, doghouse, candy bar, oven, microwave, fire truck, pop can… really stretch your brain to have an unusual type of mailbox. Or decorate it and make it beautiful!

Guidelines:

1. Cover your box completely.

2. Have an opening large enough for valentines from friends.

3. Create an easy way to remove your cards so you can use

your box to take your valentines home.

4. YOUR NAME must be clearly marked by the opening so it

will be easy for your friends to deliver your valentines.

5. HAVE FUN!

Due Date: Friday, February 10th

Here are a few examples from previous years.

Class List for Valentine's Day

Evelyn

Sam

Thomas

Chase

Avery

Grant

Lexi

Logan

Isabella

Evie

Khushi

Keegan

Allie

James

Evan

Brady

Carlina

Courtney

Kollin

During the next few weeks, we’ll explore the theme Heroes and Helpers. As we’ll discover, this category can include anyone from caped superheroes to people you see every day at work, at school, or in your own mirror! As we read, we’ll discuss the Big Idea “We can all make a difference.” This week, we meet Mr. Tanen, a school principal who uses his tie collection to help his school. Mr. Tanen’s Tie Trouble is a realistic fiction story about a hero and a helper. Students will explore the question “When might a character need help solving a problem?” We’ll also read an informational text called Playground Fun.

Target Vocabulary: received, account, budget, disappointed, chuckled, staring, repeated, fund 

Phonics Skills: Base words and endings -ed, -ing (including doubling the final consonant and /ed/, /t/, /d/, pronunciations for -ed) 

Vocabulary Strategy: Homographs(Multiple Meaning Words) 

Comprehension Skill: Story structure— tell the setting, character, and plot in a story 

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

Lesson 24 

Objective: Use manipulatives to represent subtraction with decompositions of 1 hundred as 10 tens and 1 ten as 10 ones.

Lesson 25 

Objective: Relate manipulative representations to a written method.

Lesson 26 

Objective: Use math drawings to represent subtraction with up to two decompositions and relate drawings to a written method.

Lesson 27 

Objective: Subtract from 200 and from numbers with zeros in the tens place.

Maps

This week we reviewed the differences between maps and globes.  We also focused on cardinal directions and started making our own compass rose.  We also went over the key components that make a good map:  Title, Map Key, Compass Rose, Scale, Color, and Labels.