Second Grade Travels

Thanks to all the parents who joined us for our Bon Voyage Picnic! A good time was had by all! It was a great sendoff to what will be a wonderful journey.
Reading
We read a funny story this week about some brothers who try to read together. The students made great connections to other texts and to personal experiences.
Writing
We have used our brainstorming books and started writing in our draft writing books. Next week we will do a quick review of the different parts of a narrative story. Students should have a beginning, middle and ending for each of their stories. We will revise and edit these stories.
Math
We continue to practice place value and time and money skills. Kate Ulrich has generously donated her time to organizing volunteers who would like to tutor students in these important life skills. If you would like to volunteer to tutor on a regular basis or just on occasion, this is a great opportunity.
Social Studies
We are wrapping up our first unit on People and Places. Children are using map skills and discussing the difference between urban, suburban and rural areas. We were able to watch President Obama's speech on Wednesday. His message of responsibility and goal setting really hit home with our class. Many of the students looked at me as he mentioned these words, wondering if maybe I had helped write his speech. (In case you were wondering, no.)
Science
We have 4 monarch caterpillars in our classroom and many cicada shells. The students are enjoying observing these insects. Thanks to Ethan for generously sharing his creatures!
Mayflower
After many hours of reading, planning and meeting with colleagues I have decided to move ahead with the Mayflower re-enactment. A balanced curriculum will be presented to the students with the help of many of our District 97 educators. We will begin our study of Native Americans in early October. With our ongoing theme of travel and journeys we will explore Native American life in the Eastern Woodlands and the Great Lakes. Lynn Allen will be helping with several lessons and activities and our 5th grade reading buddies, who also study the First Nation, will be learning along with us. We will continue to explore the journeys of other cultural groups as the year progresses. As always if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Scholastic Book Orders are due September 14. There are many favorites available. For each online order we receive a free book for the classroom.
A blog!
You may have noticed that the newsletter is the printed version of a blog. Please check it out at
http://bparkinsonop97.blogspot.com
If you would prefer to read the blog online rather than get a paper version let me know.