Happy New Year! I hope 2010 will be a wonderful year for each of the students in my class!
There are a couple of reminders and curriculum updates.
Winter Recess
Expect that your child will be outside at least once during the day for at least 25 minutes. Unless the temperature is below 5 degrees or the wind chill is below -5 degrees we will go outside at lunch. Do not count on a warming center. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately!!!
Music Concert
Don't forget to mark your calendars for our second grade music show on Wednesday, January 20 at 6:15. The title of the show is Sing Me to Peace. It is sure to be a treat! Detailed instructions to follow.
Conferences
Conferences are scheduled for the week of February 1rst. Please look for a schedule with your child's homework on Monday. Please return it by Wednesday. Your child will come with you to this conference. You will spend 15 minutes with your child and 15 minutes with me.
Art Start
I hope you had a chance to read about Art Start in the letter that went home on Tuesday. If you are able to volunteer for any of the days, it would be GREATLY appreciated. We will be meeting on Tuesdays from 12:00-1:00. Our first class will be January 12, but volunteers are not needed until the 19th. Your child will receive his/her states on Monday.
Reading
We continue to read in our Open Court book about different animals that camouflage. This week we read about sea creatures that use camouflage. Did you know an octopus can change colors?
I am also really enjoying reading the book The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin with all the students during our small reading groups. Some groups are reading independently and some are reading the book with more support. It is a great novel about a Chinese American Girl trying to make friends, learn about her strengths, and learn about her culture. Each Friday we will discuss the chapters we read during our Book Group. We will finish it in time to celebrate Chinese New Year in February.
Writing
We are learning about organization in writing. We learned that it is important to group similar ideas together when writing a story. We read and looked at a lot of non-fiction books and learned about the characteristics of non-fiction books. Each student will write their own book. Each book will have two paragraphs, a picture with a caption, a diagram and a glossary. This format used can be used again when students do their own research project later this spring.
Math
Students had a great time exploring different geometric concepts this week. We talked about polygons and angles and attributes. In addition we reviewed- through games -place value, time, money, and addition. We also looked at division for the first time through a conceptual game. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRACTICE ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION FACTS! GET FLASHCARDS OR MAKE FLASHCARDS!
Science
We started a brand new science unit called Sink and Float. At first I was skeptical that the science would be challenging and age appropriate! I learned a lot about buoyancy and surface tension as I prepared for this unit. It is an interesting topic and the students love getting their hands wet!