Hello 3rd GRADE!

Dear Parents,

    I can't believe this is my last blog news post for the 2016-2017 school year.  I want to thank you all for your continued support this year as I adjusted to Park View and MGSD.  It has been an awesome year and I couldn't have asked for a sweeter class of students and a more supportive group of parents.  

     I have so enjoyed watching your children grow socially and academically this school year!  You all have much to be proud of!  Please know that it has been my true pleasure to be your child's second grade teacher!  

     Below are some fun Bubble Science activities from last week!  We had so much fun experimenting with bubbles!  

Our field trip to the library was such fun!  I am in love with these pictures of the class at Pelican's! 

Monday we will begin working on our class stores. Students will help in creating materials. Thank you to all that helped by sending in supplies!  

Tuesday is Fun Day-Field Day (Be sure to send you 2nd grader in comfy clothes, tennis shoes, and sunscreen.)

Wednesday will be our class store shopping day! Students have been working to earn $ to shop in our class stores!
Thursday will be our last day in 2nd grade together! 

Not our last day forever-

surprise to come!

Please remember it is a half day for students!  We will be autographing pillowcases and spending some last minutes together as a class!  

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and BE SURE to CHECK YOUR CHILD'S FOLDER!!!  HINT, HINT! 

Shark WEEK!

Dear Parents,

     We had a fantastic week of learning in class.      We spend a week learning and researching about sharks! The students first started with a KWL which allows them to organize their thinking and record their learning about a topic.  We read Sharks by Gail Gibbons while filling in our anticipation guide. 
Check out this fun video below! 

This week was the quietest week during our research and writing time.  The students were totally absorbed in researching their chosen shark. They created their own Wixe presentation and we invited Mrs. Voncanos's class to join us to learn all about sharks!

We also had a super fun time on our field trip to Patterson Farm.  The class did a wonderful job representing Park View!  We planted beans, fed some sweet goats, went on a hayride, and picked some delicious strawberries! 

The students are working hard as we finish testing.  Their reading assessments are just about done and next week we will begin their Math and Writing assessment.  I am so very proud of how well the students are doing.  They are growing leaps and bounds! 

*Your second grader should have brought a math review packet home to review.  We will be taking the assessment over a few days so please take the time to review the sheet with your child.  

Important Dates:

May 29-No School Memorial Day

May 31st-2nd Grade Walking Field Trip

June 2-2nd Grade Cookout 

Donations: A letter came home on Friday about Bubble Science.  Please check your second grader's folder for a list of supplies needed for our experiments.  Thank you so much for always helping to supply our fun filled learning in class! 

Fun Run and PEEP Adoption!!

Dear Parents!

Happy Spring Break!  I wanted to share some of the excitement from our week...
Thank you so much to all that made donations to our Fun Run!!!  The class loved having the opportunity to help our school to update our playground and media center with the funds that were raised.  

We also spent Thursday adopting Marshmallow Peeps! The students LOVED being a Peep Parent as they went through the learning centers set up in the classroom like weighing and measuring their peep, writing peep sitter directions, and even responding to a letter from Principal Peep about their peep's behavior at school!  

 There were even TWINS!

 We made peep nests and read books to them at naptime!

A very special THANK YOU to Mrs. Cherry and Mrs. Holmes for making our chocolate fountain a yummy success for our PEEP Kabobs!

PEEP Credit: This is optional fun!

Students were challenged to take care of their peep over break and bring back some PEEP Care Proof like a journal of what they did with their peep over break, drawn pictures/diagrams or photos about their peep adventures.  

These are just examples of ideas!  They sky is the limit.  Students choosing to participate will be rewarded with a fun prize the Monday that we return. 

(Also, if your peep has an accident, feel free to adopt a new one:) 

Have a fun and safe spring break!

Molting and Life Cycles

Dear Parents,

     It was a BIG week of learning fun in 2nd grade.  We spent the week focusing on cause and effect and how nature provides us with many natural examples! 

     This week we explored the life cycle of the praying mantis.  We are even hatching several egg cases in room 203!  The students read books & explored videos of the life cycle.  We worked to understand the cause & effect relationship between the 3 stages in the incomplete life cycle of the praying mantis.  

CHECK out this cool site that we explored to learn more about these amazing creatures!  Just click the image below!

The students created their own diagrams of the life cycle and the wrote a How to about their diagram.

 

 

We even molted like a mantis does in their last stage!  

(Just old school white glue but they were amazed!!!) 

In math, we continued to focus on word problems with a special emphasis on compare problems.  I am so proud of how the students are able to identify what type of problem they are solving and then are able to set up the problem and apply a strategy. Here is a video tutorial we watched this week to help us with compare problems. 

Here is a math homework sheet if you are interested in practicing at home. Just click the link to download. (If you need a paper copy, let me know.)

Important Dates: 
Spring Concert 3/10 (Book Fair)
Fun Run 3/12 
Peep Day 3/13

Balto & the Iditarod!

Dear Parents,

     This week in 2nd grade, we started an amazing adventure!  We began reading a historical fiction book called The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto.  

This book follows Balto as he saves the children of Nome, Alaska by carrying much needed medicine over what is now the Iditarod Trail.  The class loved following the Iditarod race on the site below!

We even got to got to ALASKA!  Well, we got to Skype Gideon's grandma in Alaska and it was super cool!

We will continue with this book next week,  focusing on main idea and details.  The class will also zoom in and practice their text detective skills in learning more about the race and the sled dog breed.  

In math, we spent some much needed time reviewing for our third quarter math assessment and also practicing regrouping with triple digit addition and subtraction.  Here is a video of one of our favorite geometry songs from our review this week!  

Math homework sheet:  Remember this is optional but it is a great way to have your students teach you what they are learning in class.  (Just click the image below to download.  If you need a paper copy, just let me know.) 

Be sure to check out FRONT ROW with your 2nd grader.  It is a fantastic site that the students have been LOVING! 

You can head to our Links for Kids tab above to get the passcode to enter.  Your kiddo knows how to do this-let them teach you! 

Important Dates: 3/28 End of 3rd Quarter

3/29 Early Release Day

Read Across America

Dear Parents,

     This week in 2nd grade, we celebrated Read Across America & Dr. Seuss.  We made Dr. Seuss Fact Hats and wore some crazy socks!  The students researched the author on PebbleGo! 

We read books with flash lights during our Drop Everything and READ time!  

For our Character Dress Up Parade, the class dressed as Princess and the Pea! 

We loved celebrating books and the amazing author Dr. Seuss! 

Click below to visit Seussville online! 

     In math, we continued to work on word problems.  Students are learning to identify change unknown, joining two groups, and start unknown problems.  We are working to show our work in two different ways. We will continue to focus on word problems next week and begin our review for our 3rd quarter assessment.  

Here is a great video showing what we will be focusing on in class! 

Check out this link for some review work for your 2nd grader to use at home.  If you need a paper copy, let me know:)

     In writing, students are working on free choice research reports!  They are so excited about choosing their own topics and digging through books, PebbloGo, and Discovery Ed for interesting facts! 

Don't forget that March 14th is spring pictures! 

     Have a great Sunday!