3-25-16

3-25-16

I plan on giving the OLSAT test next Tuesday.  It's a standardized test that is required for all 2nd graders.  The test takes around and hour and a half.  If your child happens to be sick, they will have to make it up on a different day and time.

This is the final week for our unit on changes. We have read many interesting selections and talked about how they relate to the Big Idea, “Living things change over time.” The living things in question this week are plants. We are going to explore the question “What steps would you take to plant a garden?” In the fantasy story How Groundhog’s Garden Grew, we will find out how Squirrel helps Groundhog with his vegetable garden. In the informational text Super Soil, we’ll learn how soil helps plants grow.

Target Vocabulary: sprouting, crops, blossomed, underneath, fortunate, drooping, promised, harmful 

Phonics Skills: Words with /aw/: au, aw, al, o, a 

Vocabulary Strategy: Using context 

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

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

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.

Everyone did an excellent job on their continents and oceans assessment.  We started our new unit on economics this week.  Our main focus this week was the difference between needs and wants.  Everyone needs air, water, food, clothes, and shelter to stay alive.  Everything else is pretty much a want.  We did a few activities that really got the kids thinking about the differences between needs and wants.  We will move onto goods and services next week.

3-17-16

3-17-16

The kids have had a lot of fun with Louie the Leprechaun this week.  I'm sure you've heard how he has messed up our room and left little surprises behind.  They even learned what their leprechaun name would be.

Language Arts

We are still talking about the Big Idea that “Living things change over time.” This week we explored the question “What helps you make a decision about a character?” It definitely takes a long time to make a rug, as we found out when we read the narrative nonfiction selection The Goat in the Rug. It also takes a long time to make a basket, which we now know more about after reading the informational text Basket Weaving. What else takes a long time to make?

Target Vocabulary: sharpening, spinning, strands, weave, yarn, dye, duplicated, delicious 

Phonics Skills: Suffixes -y, -ly, -ful; final stable syllables -tion, -ture 

Vocabulary Strategy: Multiple-meaning words 

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

We are cruising right along with Module 6 in Math.  Module 6 focuses on repeated addition and the foundations of multiplication and division.  The students learn how to make equal groups and then turn those equal groups into arrays.  They also have to write the correct repeated addition sentence for those equal groups or arrays.  The hardest thing for the kids to keep straight is the difference between a row and a column.  Zearn is great support for Module 6.

Lesson 12

Objective:  Use math drawings to compose a rectangle with square tiles.

Lesson 13 

Objective: Use square tiles to decompose a rectangle.

Lesson 15 

Objective: Use math drawings to partition a rectangle with square tiles, and relate to repeated addition.

We have made it all the way around the world in our classroom.  We are finishing our flip book on continents and even made our own map so the kids can study the continents and oceans at home.  Our goal is to be done with this unit.  We will continue to work with those that need extra support one-on-one at school.  It will definitely be a good idea to quiz them from time to time in the future just to be sure that they retained the information.

We will be moving ahead with our economics unit next week.  Economics focuses on needs, wants, goods, services, producers, consumers, natural resources, capital resources, and human resources.

3-11-16

3-11-16

Mother/Son Event

Patriotic Party

 March 18th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

​

Join us for a Patriotic Bash at Lake Center Elementary. 

You and your son will be rocking out to Patriotic themed and party music. There will be fun games and time spent together. 

​The goal of the event is for Moms to have a special time with their Son(s). Some of the games/activities will require Mom and Son(s) to participate together. Wear your best Red/White/Blue outfits and join us at Lake Center Elementary café/gym.

Sign up to volunteer online at  Sign Up Genius http://bit.ly/1ENWYlk

The 2016 Growlers Reading Program

We are participating in the Kalamazoo Growlers's reading incentive program this spring.  All the kiddos have to do is continue reading at home and turn in their reading logs.  Everyone qualified for a single already and will work toward the rest of the prizes each week.

Prizes

Single (3 reading logs)-(1) free voucher for a Launch-a-Ball at any 2015 home game! Launch a Ball is a post-game activity where kids throw a ball at targets on the field to win prizes!

Double (3 reading logs) –  (1) Free spin voucher for the Growlers Prize Wheel – prizes include broken game-used bats, autographed memorabilia, and much more!

Triple (3 reading logs) – (1) set of Growlers baseball cards!

Home Run (4 reading logs)  – (1) ticket to Reading Day at the Ballpark on Sunday, June 12! They are also entered into to win the Growlers VIP Experience that includes a private meet and greet with the team, batting practice, throwing out the 1st pitch, and one inning as the PA announcer during the game! –

See more at: 

http://northwoodsleague.com/kalamazoo-growlers/growlers-reading-program/#sthash.As1y6Y6q.dpuf

*In short, if everyone keeps reading and handing in their homework every Friday, they will earn a ticket to the Reading Day at the Ballpark on Sunday, June 12 @ 1:05

This week: During the next few weeks, we will be exploring the theme Changes, Changes Everywhere. We will read about babies that grow up, making new friends, how plants grow—even how goat wool gets changed into a rug! As we read, we will explore the Big Idea “Living things change over time. ”During this first week, we read Penguin Chick, about emperor penguins and how they raise their babies. This selection gave us information to use as we think about the question “How do you know which facts are important?

This week’s…

Target Vocabulary: finally, junior, otherwise, slippery, steer, waterproof, webbed, whistle

Phonics Skills: Words with r-controlled vowels er (father), ir (bird), ur (nurse)

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

Comprehension Strategy: Infer/predict—use text clues to figure out important ideas

We are cruising along in math.  Please look over the Mid-Module assessment that everyone took this week.  Please continue to keep up with Zearn, especially if you noticed that your child struggled with any of the concepts.  IXL has some good multiplication and repeated addition practice too.

So far we have traveled to Australia, Antarctica, Europe, South America, and North America.  That leaves Asia and Africa for next week.  We will keep practicing the placement of all the continents and oceans as well.  Our hope is to finish up continents and oceans next week so we can begin our unit on economics the week of the 21st.