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!

Famous American Research

Dear Parents,

     This week in 2nd grade we focused on the word 
RESEARCH!  
The class spent time exploring both text and online articles written about famous Americans. They each chose a famous American to research and write a report on.  I was amazed at how excited they became and how independent they were about recording information about their American! 

     Check out Pebble Go on our MGSD Digital resource page at home.  It is a fantastic place for students to research topics in science, social, studies and many more! 

     We also learned what a biography is and how the nonfiction text features that have been studying make their way into that type of text too! 

     In math,  we jumped into double digit addition with regrouping.  The first day or two were a bit rocky but by day 3 we were regrouping like champs. Check out this video we made in class! 

     Here is a link to download some practice sheets for home!  This is a great way for your 2nd grader to "teach" you the skill that they are learning in class. If you need a paper copy, let me know! 

     I also had no idea we had this AMAZING!!!!!! nature trail at Park View!  We took advantage of the good weather and made a few little hikes enjoying the trail and the pretty trees!  

 Important Dates: 
Read Across America March 6-10
(More information to come on this!)
Mother and Son Bowling March 2nd
Chick-Fil-A Night March 7th 5-8:00
Early Release March 8th 

Nonfiction Text Features

Dear Families~

     This week in 2nd grade,  we did some major digging into nonfiction text features and The Water Cycle!  I am so proud of your kiddos and their hard work.  

     We became text feature surgeons by suiting up in surgical masks and gloves to "cut" out text features from a text.  They then had to diagnose the text features by answering questions from the text features in a Google Form all while earning cooperation chips!  They were AMAZING!  Mr. Hobbs and Mrs. Johnson visited and joined in on the fun!

So this is why there were rubber gloves and a surgical mask in your child's book bag:)

     We also dove into the world of science with The Water Cycle.  Enjoy this song below!  ALERT!!!!  Don't let your 2nd grader hear it or you will be listening to them sing it all day!  Also, remember I listened to it HUNDREDS of time this week and that means I totally deserve a homemade chocolate chip cookie or other delicious baked good-wink, wink:)

On Friday, we made it RAIN in class!!!!  The class did an amazing job with our cloud science experiment.  Even if there was a fire drill right in the middle of it...

They created their own diagram and caption to go along with our nonfiction text feature study and our informational writing unit. 

In math, we worked on open number lines.  The students solved double digit addition and subtraction problems using 10 and 1 hops on a number line.  

Here is an example video below. 

Many of the students are able to now do these equations in their head.  Hello~Mental Math! 

Here is a fantastic number line for your kiddos to practice online.  Just click the image!

You can also download a copy of this week's math practice sheets HERE.  If you want a paper copy just send me an email and I will get you one.  

Don't forget that Tuesday is Valentine's Day!  We will be exchanging cards in the morning and having a sweet treat provided by Mrs. Schroeder.  
We have 21 second graders and 2 teachers.  

Classroom needs: We are in need of the following items if you are interested:

Dum Dum Lollipops

Lysol Wipes

Crayons

Have fun and safe weekend!

Penguin and Arrays

Hi Families!

    Happy January!  This week in reading we waddled into the world of PENGUINS!  The class loved learning from a variety of books, videos, and hands on activities.  Check out one of our favorite penguin videos below! 

We also located Antarctica on the world map and wrote about what we learned about penguins in this region in Wixie. 

The students are doing a great job navigating their online Google classroom!

I have to say that Hatching Penguin Eggs on Friday was a total favorite!  We spend the day reading and view videos on the penguin's life cycle. 

Then I passed out eggs to the daddy penguins and they had to keep them safe on their feet while the mommies went out to sea to eat-GOLDFISH crackers!

We then switched when the babies hatched just like real penguin parents.  

Check out the video below!

In writing, we are still focused on opinion writing.  Students are working to state their opinion and then give supporting details.  Below is our OREO anchor chart.  Today we even enjoyed some Oreos as we wrote some fun snow stories for the hallway!

In math, we are working on arrays and repeated addition.  The students went on an array hunt all over the school and created arrays with snowballs.  

But first we had a FUN snowball (cotton ball) fight!

Check out this array video at home and allow your 2nd grader to tell you all about them as you see them at home this weekend!

If you are interested in some math work at home, your 2nd grader has been using IXL from the MGSD digital resource page in class.  It is a great site and your child can work on a variety of skills at a variety of levels.  

Here is a link to download some extra practice sheet too!

Important Dates: 

No School January 16th Martin Luther King Day

No School January 23rd Teacher Planning

Compare and Contrast with Gingerbread

Run, run as fast as you can!  We have been comparing and contrasting different versions of The Gingerbread Boy.  The class had such a great time looking for similarities and differences in the story.  

Check out 2 of our favorites below!

The class worked on their Wixie sites creating venn diagrams to show their thinking.   I love to watch how they navigate these online sites!  

In writing, we worked on our persuasive writing and sold gingerbread house!  The class was so excited about seeing the different houses and meeting in groups with Mrs. VonCannon's class to create their writing.

  

We ended with a celebration of hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies!

In math this week, we worked to compare 3 digit numbers by identifying their place value.  You can watch one of our mini lesson videos below!

Don't forget that Thursday is our field trip to see the play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!  You can watch it at home below!  Be sure you 2nd grader dresses up a bit for this event!

All permission slips and money are due on Wednesday so that we can prepare for the trip!

Enjoy your last bit of SUNDAY!

Point of View and Comparing Numbers

Happy December Families!  I can't believe we are this far into the school year... 

This week in reading,  we focused on Point of View and character change.  We read a very sweet story called.  Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch.  You can watch a video read of the story below. 

The class worked hard on examining how Mr. Hatch's feelings changed in the story and proving why.  

Next week in reading, we will be comparing and contrasting different versions of 

The Gingerbread Man. 

I would love to have some Gingerbread cookies to decorate on Friday if anyone is interested- 

Hint, Hint!

In math, we started our unit on Comparing Numbers.  Watch this introduction video below!

They really enjoyed working in our math BUILD centers this week and there was lots of good math talk going on. 

This week we will continue with comparing numbers but in different forms. IXL is a great place for students to practice their math skills.  You can choose the grade level so you can challenge your kiddos at home!  Check it out below!

We will be working on our persuasive writing by designing and selling our own Gingerbread Houses!  It is going to be so much fun! Check out some history behind these sweet houses!

Important Dates:

Don't forget Field Trips forms for December 15th are due!  We are so excited to see our play! 

Winter Break: December 19-January 2!