4-28-17

4-28-17

Our class has done a great job with our Pennies for Patients fundraiser.  If you would like to donate, you can still do so on-line until Sunday(midnight).  I do know that any class that raises $250 on-line earns a pizza party.

We are going to spend another week on Working In Space.  Space is always a fun topic to extend and we need more practice with opinion and informational writings.  That means there won't be a spelling test next week.  I figured next week is already pretty busy with Dibels testing and a 1/2 day on Friday so no point in trying to squeeze in a new story.

This week we found out how astronauts explore new places in the informational text Working in Space. We pondered outer space further when we read Space Poems. Children also explored the question “What can you learn from headings and captions?”

Target Vocabulary: astronomy, force, orbit, repair, explored, future, space, float 

Phonics Skills: Words with vowel diphthongs ow (cow), ou (pound) 

Vocabulary Strategy: Classify/categorize 

Comprehension Skill: Text and graphic features—tell how words go with photos 

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

It's time to freshen up those money skills.  We will be starting the money section of Module 7.  We will obviously review the value of coins real quick but the students are expected to already know the value of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.  In second grade, we focus more on counting coin combinations up to a dollar and word problems involving money.  There are only about 6 lessons spent on money.  IXL is definitely the best resource for reviewing money and counting up different coin and dollar combinations.  Zearn would be the 2nd because it goes right along with our lessons at school.  Sumdog is good if you set the skill for money.

All we were able to squeeze in this week was the difference between wants and needs.  Needs are anything that help keep you alive:  air, water, shelter, clothing, and food.  Wants are pretty much everything else.  Things that you would like to have but don't necessarily need to stay alive.  I plan to tackle more social studies next week since we aren't moving ahead in language arts.

4-21-17

4-21-17

There are going to be some changes to our spelling homework for the rest of the year.  We have officially been cut off of copies because of budget reasons so I can no longer make spelling homework copies.  Everyone does have an account set up on spellingcity.com though.  So please use that site if you want your child to have weekly practice.  We will still be having spelling tests on Fridays.  Reading and Math Logs will still be sent home every Friday so be sure to keep reading at home.  Please don't let the math fact practice add stress to your week.  You know your child, if they have the math facts down then you can ease off the practice.  If your child is still using their fingers to add and subtract then they need the extra practice still.  Xtramath.com is great for math fact practice.

This week we explored the question “How do you know if something is a fact or an opinion?” We began by reading the biography The Dog That Dug for Dinosaurs. Can you guess what the surprising discovery might be in this story? Then we read an informational text called La Brea Tar Pits, where there were more surprising discoveries for us to find!

Target Vocabulary: discovered, guard, remove, souvenirs, amazed, explained, exact, growled 

Phonics Skills: Words with vowel diphthong oo (book); possessives, singular and plural 

Vocabulary Strategy: Synonyms 

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

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

We are getting close to finishing Part 1 of Module 7 in math.  Part 1 focuses on interpreting graphs and data.  We will be moving on to money next.  We will spend a few days reviewing all the coins and their values because our math program jumps right into counting different coin combinations within a $1.  IXL is probably the best resource besides Zearn for counting money. I will eventually change the skills on Sumdog to match as well. 

Lesson 1 

Objective: Sort and record data into a table using up to four categories; use category counts to solve word problems.

Lesson 2 

Objective: Draw and label a picture graph to represent data with up to four categories.

Lesson 3 

Objective: Draw and label a bar graph to represent data; relate the count scale to the number line.

Lesson 4 

Objective: Draw a bar graph to represent a given data set.

Lesson 5 

Objective: Solve word problems using data presented in a bar graph.

We are getting ready to begin our unit on economics in the classroom.  Here is a list of the vocabulary words that each child is expected to learn throughout the unit.

Needs - things that you need to live (water, air, food, clothes, shelter).

Wants - things that you would like but don't necessarily need to live.

Producer - someone who makes or grows a good.  A producer can also provide a service.

Consumer - someone who buys a good or service.

Goods - something you buy that you can touch.

Services - something someone does for you.

Natural Resources - come from the Earth and are used to make a good or service.

Capital Resources - is a good we use over and over again to help produce other goods and services.  Examples:  tools, equipment, factory, road, machines

Human Resources - a person who uses his or her skills to produce a good or a service.

Coming in May......

4-14-17

4-14-17

Or shall I say was reading month....hopefully every month is reading month.  I just wanted to share all the photos of our guest readers from March.  It was a couple crazy weeks leading up to spring break so I apologize for the delay.

Logan's Dad - Mr. Kissinger

Thomas' Mom - Mrs. Evans

Isabella's Mom - Mrs. Monarch

Khushi's Mom - Mrs. Patel

This is actually Joe Flacco's younger brother Tom.  I think I was the most excited when I made the connection.  The other player never told us his name but he plays wide receiver (#7)

If you're looking for a great way for your child to earn a free book and to continue reading over the summer.  Check out this link.  You can print the form out on-line or the next time you visit Barnes & Nobles, just ask for one there.  I can also print out a copy for you as we get closer to summer.

https://www.thebalance.com/barnes-and-noble-summer-reading-program-for-kids-1356824

Our campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society officially begins Monday, April 17th.  It runs until April 30th.  On-line donations are encouraged but the kids are bringing home personal piggy banks to collect any money you may want to donate.  Classroom that raises the most money wins Olive Garden for the class.

If a student didn’t pre-order, there are some extras in the office. They are first come, first serve. The cost is $15 and checks should be made payable to PPS. If they bring in cash, they must send in the exact amount as change will not be given.

We are going on a field trip to the Kalamazoo Civic Theater next Thursday, April 20th to see The Moon's a Balloon.  I wish I could tell you more about the play or performance but I'm not really sure what it's about.  I do know that we will be leaving LCE at 11:35 so it doesn't really effect our lunch other than we will be eating in our room.  Kids can still order from the cafeteria if they want or they can bring their own lunch.  We should be back from the field trip around 2:00.

Family Plan for Early Dismissal

You should have seen a pink sheet of paper come home this week along with the field trip permission slip.  Please take a moment to update this new form.  Some changes have been made to the form since the beginning of the year to help things go a little smoother in case we have another early dismissal in the future.  Please return it back to school ASAP.  If the form never made it to you then please let me know so I can get you another.

During the next few weeks, we will be exploring the theme What a Surprise! We will read about all kinds of surprises. As we read, we will explore the Big Idea “A surprise can change your life.” We will begin with a fantasy story about a big birthday surprise, The Mysterious Tadpole. We will also learn about real tadpoles in the informational text From Eggs to Frogs. Throughout this first week, we will talk about this question: “Why is it helpful to know the setting of a story?”

Target Vocabulary: confused, ordinary, control, sensible, suspiciously, training, cage, upset 

Phonics Skills: Vowel diphthongs oo (shoot), ew (dew), ue (true), ou (you) 

Vocabulary Strategy: 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

We finished up Module 6:  Foundations of Multiplication and Division.  We will start up Module 7:  Problem Solving with Length, Money, and Data on Monday.  We will start off with graphs and data.  It will be very helpful if everyone freshens up on their money skills.  Try to review pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and counting different coin combinations.  IXL is a good resource for the kids to use for both graphs and money.

We are very close to wrapping up our unit on continents and oceans.  We've traveled around the world visiting all 7 continents and putting together our continents booklet along the way.  Hopefully we can finish putting the booklet together today and everyone can share it with you this weekend.  Our final assessment will be next week on Monday or Tuesday so be sure to review a world map or globe over the weekend.