December is here, and we are all feeling it! With the snow on the ground, and the children talking of elves and Christmas decorations, singing songs and getting ready for the Christmas concert, this last week seemed to fly by!
We are working hard on our winter stories! This week students were expected to finish drawing their story board, and are now onto writing their stories. They are practicing taking the one idea, and expanding it by using detail of what the character is doing, seeing, and even thinking or feeling. The students are starting to get it, and the stories are coming alive!!!
In math we have continued to talk about coins, and how we can use them to create different amounts. Students realized that when you use a few of the same coin, you end up skip counting! Students will continue to practice this skill at the beginning of the week, and we will be moving on to balancing equations. It is always interesting when students find out that the number sentence can be on the right side of the equal sign, or both sides of an equation can be a number sentence.
We finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this week, and are looking forward to watching the new movie version on Tuesday afternoon! If you are able to send in a small snack for the class, then we can make a small party out of it! Any parents that would like to volunteer in the morning to make microwave popcorn and put it in individual paper bags for both classes, please contact Ms. Secord at lmsecord@cbe.ab.ca.
We have continued our talk around communities, and have expanded our inquiry to Alberta. We looked at the different symbols of Alberta, and even practiced drawing a few of them. We will expand our inquiry even further to different communities of Canada after winter break.
We have been practicing hard for the Christmas concert, and will have a few run throughs this week before our big productions on Thursday afternoon at 1:00pm and evening at 6:30pm. We are so excited to perform, and are looking forward to showing you what we have created! Remember, if you need more tickets for the evening performance please contact the office.
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Friday, November 30, 2018
week 13
Wow, how is it already December? As of today, we have been in school for 60 days already! Where has the time gone?
It has been another busy week! The students worked very hard on their dance routine, and it was great to see all the parents who were able to make it out today for the performance! Our students definitely have some skills!!!
We are almost done reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and are thinking that it would be a great idea to watch it on movie day on December 20th! We can't wait!
In math we have been looking at even and odd numbers and are moving into looking at money and the value of Canadian coins. Did you know that you can tell if a number is even or odd just by looking at the ones place? Then all you have to do is find out if that number in the ones place is even (every one has a buddy) or odd (one of the ones is lonely). Ask your child to show you what they know.
In writing we have begun working on a holiday story! We have used a visual organizer to plan our story, and we are now using a story board to draw out the events in order. Over the next few weeks we will be using our pictures and expanding writing skills to create awesome stories that we will share with you!
We have been developing our sense of our community from small to large. We started with self, then family, then Cranston, and now Calgary. Next week we will be looking at Alberta and Canada, and how those communities effect how we live.
Next week:
We will be looking at how coins are counted, and how many cents makes a dollar. Students will be experimenting with different ways to put coins together to create the same amount.
Students will be working on expanding their ideas for their story writing, and looking at how they can use their words to help the reader "see" the story in their heads.
It has been another busy week! The students worked very hard on their dance routine, and it was great to see all the parents who were able to make it out today for the performance! Our students definitely have some skills!!!
We are almost done reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and are thinking that it would be a great idea to watch it on movie day on December 20th! We can't wait!
In math we have been looking at even and odd numbers and are moving into looking at money and the value of Canadian coins. Did you know that you can tell if a number is even or odd just by looking at the ones place? Then all you have to do is find out if that number in the ones place is even (every one has a buddy) or odd (one of the ones is lonely). Ask your child to show you what they know.
In writing we have begun working on a holiday story! We have used a visual organizer to plan our story, and we are now using a story board to draw out the events in order. Over the next few weeks we will be using our pictures and expanding writing skills to create awesome stories that we will share with you!
We have been developing our sense of our community from small to large. We started with self, then family, then Cranston, and now Calgary. Next week we will be looking at Alberta and Canada, and how those communities effect how we live.
Next week:
We will be looking at how coins are counted, and how many cents makes a dollar. Students will be experimenting with different ways to put coins together to create the same amount.
Students will be working on expanding their ideas for their story writing, and looking at how they can use their words to help the reader "see" the story in their heads.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
week 12
Hello families! Sorry we have not sent out a blog in a few weeks. Here is an update of what we have been working on.
In writing, the students did an amazing week of Remembrance Day writing about the importance of remembering and what peace means to them. The students were very insightful and have such big hearts. Then we read a few different books from the Black Lagoon series, and the students used a writing organizer to plan their own Black Lagoon books. They took their ideas and put them into book form, and did their own illustrations! They look so good, and the students are so proud of them!
Both classes have been practicing editing for capitals and punctuation. This is a very important skill to have. Students need to be able to go back and review their writing and edit their own work.
In math the students have been focusing on getting a deeper understanding of place value. They learned about what a digit is, and that a one digit number is in the ones, a two digit number is in the tens, and a three digit number is in the hundreds. Students learned how to use base ten blocks and a place value chart to record numbers. They learned a game called Target Number, where they used a place value chart, base ten blocks, and dice to try and reach a number before their partner did. This was a great practice grouping ones into tens and being able to move that ten into the tens column, which will help their understanding of larger addition that is coming up.
We have been focusing on different types of communities, and how communities can be different sizes. From small to large, our communities are self, family, community, city, province, country, and world! We have now completed our self and family, and are moving into our community of Cranston and the different things it contains to help us work together and live happy and healthy lives.
We have done some amazing art! Both classes did a Remembrance Day display, and Ms. Secord's class did a Ted Harrison art project with Mrs. Brace, our substitute. Your children are so talented!
This week:
- we will continue to work on our editing skills, and do another story writing activity. The students will now look at using triple scoop words in their writing to help the reader be able to visualize their stories better.
- we will be working on our problem solving skills on open ended problems (a problem that has more than one answer). The website https://mathbeforebed.com has some great ideas for you to try at home.
- we will be looking at Cranston and thinking about how our community contributes to our way of life.
In writing, the students did an amazing week of Remembrance Day writing about the importance of remembering and what peace means to them. The students were very insightful and have such big hearts. Then we read a few different books from the Black Lagoon series, and the students used a writing organizer to plan their own Black Lagoon books. They took their ideas and put them into book form, and did their own illustrations! They look so good, and the students are so proud of them!
Both classes have been practicing editing for capitals and punctuation. This is a very important skill to have. Students need to be able to go back and review their writing and edit their own work.
In math the students have been focusing on getting a deeper understanding of place value. They learned about what a digit is, and that a one digit number is in the ones, a two digit number is in the tens, and a three digit number is in the hundreds. Students learned how to use base ten blocks and a place value chart to record numbers. They learned a game called Target Number, where they used a place value chart, base ten blocks, and dice to try and reach a number before their partner did. This was a great practice grouping ones into tens and being able to move that ten into the tens column, which will help their understanding of larger addition that is coming up.
We have been focusing on different types of communities, and how communities can be different sizes. From small to large, our communities are self, family, community, city, province, country, and world! We have now completed our self and family, and are moving into our community of Cranston and the different things it contains to help us work together and live happy and healthy lives.
We have done some amazing art! Both classes did a Remembrance Day display, and Ms. Secord's class did a Ted Harrison art project with Mrs. Brace, our substitute. Your children are so talented!
This week:
- we will continue to work on our editing skills, and do another story writing activity. The students will now look at using triple scoop words in their writing to help the reader be able to visualize their stories better.
- we will be working on our problem solving skills on open ended problems (a problem that has more than one answer). The website https://mathbeforebed.com has some great ideas for you to try at home.
- we will be looking at Cranston and thinking about how our community contributes to our way of life.
Friday, October 19, 2018
Week 7
We had such a great time today with the whole grade 2 group! It was a lot of fun going to the playground together, creating some chalk art, and getting to spend some time with our friends! Then we got to go to clubs and discover, create, and explore fun new ideas! What a day!!!
This week we have been working on descriptive writing. We are hoping to share this writing with the grade 3's to see if we are using the words needed to be clear in our writing. We read The Gruffalo, and The Gruffalo's Child, to see an example of some kinds of descriptions. Then we looked at the picture of a friendly alien to see if we could describe it. We will have some Halloween examples ready for you next week at Parent/Teacher conferences.
We looked at number lines this week, and how we can use them for skip counting. Students had to draw their own number lines to practice, but know that there are other places that we can find a number line to help us with counting. We will be looking at hundreds charts to find out different ways to skip count next week.
We have been working on creating a display from all of the things we have learned about small crawling and flying creatures. We will be working hard this week to finish the display to share with our families at conferences. We could definitely use some volunteer help in the afternoons from Monday to Thursday, 1:30-2:30pm, to do some paper cache and painting with the students! Please contact Mrs. Jackson or Ms. Secord if you can join us on any of those days.
We have been reading the Sideways Stories of Wayside School this week for our read aloud. See how many stories your child can remember about the children from Wayside. Use these chapter headings as a clue:
This week we have been working on descriptive writing. We are hoping to share this writing with the grade 3's to see if we are using the words needed to be clear in our writing. We read The Gruffalo, and The Gruffalo's Child, to see an example of some kinds of descriptions. Then we looked at the picture of a friendly alien to see if we could describe it. We will have some Halloween examples ready for you next week at Parent/Teacher conferences.
We looked at number lines this week, and how we can use them for skip counting. Students had to draw their own number lines to practice, but know that there are other places that we can find a number line to help us with counting. We will be looking at hundreds charts to find out different ways to skip count next week.
We have been working on creating a display from all of the things we have learned about small crawling and flying creatures. We will be working hard this week to finish the display to share with our families at conferences. We could definitely use some volunteer help in the afternoons from Monday to Thursday, 1:30-2:30pm, to do some paper cache and painting with the students! Please contact Mrs. Jackson or Ms. Secord if you can join us on any of those days.
We have been reading the Sideways Stories of Wayside School this week for our read aloud. See how many stories your child can remember about the children from Wayside. Use these chapter headings as a clue:
Chapter 1: Mrs. Gorf (hint: apples)
Chapter 2: Mrs. Jewls (hint: monkeys)
Chapter 3: Joe (hint: counting)
Chapter 4: Sharie (hint: sleeping)
Chapter 5: Todd (hint: robbers)
Chapter 6: Bebe (hint: drawing)
Chapter 7: Calvin (hint: teacher note)
Chapter 8: Myron (hint: president)
Chapter 9: Maurecia (hint: ice cream)
Chapter 10: Paul (hint: pigtails)
Chapter 11: Dana (hint: mosquitos)
We are looking forward to seeing you at Parent/Teacher Conferences! If you have not yet signed up or need help, please contact Mrs. Jackson or Ms. Secord, or the wonderful staff in the front office.
Have a great weekend!
Monday, October 15, 2018
Week 6
It was a short week, but still packed full of fun and learning! We home you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend!
This week we talked about diary and journal writing, and what to focus on when you are doing this kind of writing. We read 3 books about different creatures that were sharing their diaries, and the adventures they had. We talked about not writing about the boring, every day tasks that we do, but to instead focus on the important things that you might tell a friend. We created our own journal entires while pretending to be worms, and then on stuffy day we wrote a journal entry while we pretended to be our stuffy!
We continued to practice our increasing and decreasing patterns by creating art with our patterns. Instead of using block, some students decided to be creative with different pictures. We may have these displayed for parent teacher interviews.
In gym this week we got to play with the parachute!!! We are learning about cooperating with our classmates to do fun things, like make a dome with the pyramid, or playing different games.
We began practicing write to self this week, and we really enjoyed it! Did you know that during write to self we get to write about almost anything? Ask your child what the 3 rules are for what you are not allowed to write about.
We finished working on our food chain diagram this week, and then began talking about decomposers. Did you know that worms are decomposers?
We also finished reading Charlotte's Web, so we got to watch the movie! it surprised us that there were some parts of the movie that weren't the same as the book. We really enjoyed our movie afternoon, and look forward to reading another book that we can connect to a movie.
We are very excited about this coming week!
This week we talked about diary and journal writing, and what to focus on when you are doing this kind of writing. We read 3 books about different creatures that were sharing their diaries, and the adventures they had. We talked about not writing about the boring, every day tasks that we do, but to instead focus on the important things that you might tell a friend. We created our own journal entires while pretending to be worms, and then on stuffy day we wrote a journal entry while we pretended to be our stuffy!
We continued to practice our increasing and decreasing patterns by creating art with our patterns. Instead of using block, some students decided to be creative with different pictures. We may have these displayed for parent teacher interviews.
In gym this week we got to play with the parachute!!! We are learning about cooperating with our classmates to do fun things, like make a dome with the pyramid, or playing different games.
We began practicing write to self this week, and we really enjoyed it! Did you know that during write to self we get to write about almost anything? Ask your child what the 3 rules are for what you are not allowed to write about.
We finished working on our food chain diagram this week, and then began talking about decomposers. Did you know that worms are decomposers?
We also finished reading Charlotte's Web, so we got to watch the movie! it surprised us that there were some parts of the movie that weren't the same as the book. We really enjoyed our movie afternoon, and look forward to reading another book that we can connect to a movie.
We are very excited about this coming week!
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Week 5 - a little late
It was a very busy week last week! We started off the week with Orange shirt day, and it was amazing to see the support of all the staff and students in the school! We talked more about belonging, and how we feel we belong at school.
On Monday we had our first library day! It was awesome! Unfortunately we will be missing library this week as yesterday was Thanksgiving, but we look forward to Monday next week. Students can return their books this week if they wish to, but can also keep them until Monday.
In word work we learned how to do word searches, and got to practice finding Thanksgiving words in easy, medium, and hard word searches. We really enjoyed working independently and in small groups to discover those hidden words! Students will be using word searches throughout the year to practice their sight words.
We discussed the difference between spiders and bees, and why a spider is not an insect. Ask your child why a spider doesn't fit the description of an insect! Then we talked about the food chain, and the importance of balance. If one creature on the food chain grows or decreases in population, that affects the whole chain!
In gym last week we got to start trying out the climbing wall. Students had 3 rules they had to follow to be allowed to use the climbing wall. See if your child remembers those rules.
In preparation for Thanksgiving we did some writing around the things we are thankful for. The students were so thoughtful when sharing their ideas, and continue to try and record more of their ideas during writing time.
We continued to discover more about patterns last week. We looked into increasing and decreasing patterns, and will be creating some art around these ideas this week!
***REMINDER***
The weather is getting colder and the snow is falling! Please ensure that your child is well dressed for the weather, as we go outside every day for a body break.
On Monday we had our first library day! It was awesome! Unfortunately we will be missing library this week as yesterday was Thanksgiving, but we look forward to Monday next week. Students can return their books this week if they wish to, but can also keep them until Monday.
In word work we learned how to do word searches, and got to practice finding Thanksgiving words in easy, medium, and hard word searches. We really enjoyed working independently and in small groups to discover those hidden words! Students will be using word searches throughout the year to practice their sight words.
We discussed the difference between spiders and bees, and why a spider is not an insect. Ask your child why a spider doesn't fit the description of an insect! Then we talked about the food chain, and the importance of balance. If one creature on the food chain grows or decreases in population, that affects the whole chain!
In gym last week we got to start trying out the climbing wall. Students had 3 rules they had to follow to be allowed to use the climbing wall. See if your child remembers those rules.
In preparation for Thanksgiving we did some writing around the things we are thankful for. The students were so thoughtful when sharing their ideas, and continue to try and record more of their ideas during writing time.
We continued to discover more about patterns last week. We looked into increasing and decreasing patterns, and will be creating some art around these ideas this week!
***REMINDER***
The weather is getting colder and the snow is falling! Please ensure that your child is well dressed for the weather, as we go outside every day for a body break.
Friday, September 28, 2018
week 4
It has been a crazy week! We had our visit to the Chinook Honey Farm (which was amazing), we talked a lot about Orange Shirt Day, and today we did the Terry Fox run!
The field trip was a great success, and we couldn't have had better weather! We were lucky enough to have an entomologist sharing her knowledge of bees for the main presentation, and then got to explore some of the grounds and learn a bit more about the bees habitat. We played a racing game to collect "nectar" for our hive, and we got to see a real hive up close. They had a hive in a glass case where the bees had access to outside through a tube in the wall! Everyone was able to locate the queen, and then we got to do a honey tasting. It was so good!
In writing this week we read 2 books that taught us a little about Orange Shirt day. The first book, Shi-Shi Etko, was about a girl who was about to go off to school. She was collecting memories of her family, and saving them in her memory pouch, as she wouldn't be able to come home again until the next summer. In the next book, "When We Were Alone," a young girl and her grandmother are gardening, and the little girl asks her about different things in her life. The grandmother explains the restrictions she had when she was little and in school, and is now happy that she can wear colorful clothes, grow her hair long, and speak her own language. Orange Shirt day is to recognize the terrible things that First Nations children suffered in residential schools, and we used these books to just talk about how we feel belonging at home and at school, and what that would be like if we didn't have it.
In math we continued to work on patterns. This week we reminded ourselves how we find the core, and then we created different patterns using a combination of 2 or 3 attributes (size, color, and shape). The students practiced drawing multiple patterns. Next week we will be looking at increasing patterns, how to extend them and how to make them.
We looked into vowel patterns this week, and how an e can be bossy and act like a king, making other vowels say their name. Then we did a word hunt to try and find words that follow the pattern. See if you can find any of these words at home.
Today we had an amazing conversation about Terry Fox, and all the good he was able to do for people, even though he lost his fight with cancer. We totaled up our donations and talked a little bit about adding money, and then we read a book about Terry. He was courageous and brave, and he raised a lot of money to go to cancer research. After that we did an art project in our visual journals about Terry Fox, and then went on the Terry Fox run. The students were so amazing, and did their best. We were lucky to have a clear day and some sunshine today.
We also had a great lesson on how to make our good copy coloring look like our best work. We decided that when we do a good copy, we are going to try and make it look like Mrs. Jackson's coloring when she is taking her time, not Ms. Secord's coloring when she is rushing. The kids did such an amazing job, and are very proud of the work they have done.
The field trip was a great success, and we couldn't have had better weather! We were lucky enough to have an entomologist sharing her knowledge of bees for the main presentation, and then got to explore some of the grounds and learn a bit more about the bees habitat. We played a racing game to collect "nectar" for our hive, and we got to see a real hive up close. They had a hive in a glass case where the bees had access to outside through a tube in the wall! Everyone was able to locate the queen, and then we got to do a honey tasting. It was so good!
In writing this week we read 2 books that taught us a little about Orange Shirt day. The first book, Shi-Shi Etko, was about a girl who was about to go off to school. She was collecting memories of her family, and saving them in her memory pouch, as she wouldn't be able to come home again until the next summer. In the next book, "When We Were Alone," a young girl and her grandmother are gardening, and the little girl asks her about different things in her life. The grandmother explains the restrictions she had when she was little and in school, and is now happy that she can wear colorful clothes, grow her hair long, and speak her own language. Orange Shirt day is to recognize the terrible things that First Nations children suffered in residential schools, and we used these books to just talk about how we feel belonging at home and at school, and what that would be like if we didn't have it.
In math we continued to work on patterns. This week we reminded ourselves how we find the core, and then we created different patterns using a combination of 2 or 3 attributes (size, color, and shape). The students practiced drawing multiple patterns. Next week we will be looking at increasing patterns, how to extend them and how to make them.
We looked into vowel patterns this week, and how an e can be bossy and act like a king, making other vowels say their name. Then we did a word hunt to try and find words that follow the pattern. See if you can find any of these words at home.
Today we had an amazing conversation about Terry Fox, and all the good he was able to do for people, even though he lost his fight with cancer. We totaled up our donations and talked a little bit about adding money, and then we read a book about Terry. He was courageous and brave, and he raised a lot of money to go to cancer research. After that we did an art project in our visual journals about Terry Fox, and then went on the Terry Fox run. The students were so amazing, and did their best. We were lucky to have a clear day and some sunshine today.
We also had a great lesson on how to make our good copy coloring look like our best work. We decided that when we do a good copy, we are going to try and make it look like Mrs. Jackson's coloring when she is taking her time, not Ms. Secord's coloring when she is rushing. The kids did such an amazing job, and are very proud of the work they have done.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Week 3
It was so wonderful seeing all of you last night! Thank you so much for coming to visit our classrooms and introducing yourselves. We are looking forward to such a great year!
We just want to remind parents that it is getting cold outside, and it is time to start pulling out warmer jackets, mitts, and hats! As much as I don't want it to get colder, it has definitely been chilly outside. We spend some of our time throughout the day outside and some children do not have warm enough layers for the weather.
Did you know that September 21st is International Peace Day? We have been having some great conversations in class about the importance of Peace, and what peace looks like in our country and in our neighborhood. We read a book about Malala Yousafzai and her challenges in fighting for education for all children around the world. We found out that some children in the world are not allowed to go to school! We then took our ideas and wrote down the important things that we felt showed that we live in a peaceful place.
In math we looked at patterns this week, and took a look around the school at where we find patterns. We looked at simple repeating patterns using an ABAB or an ABCABC pattern. We talked about adding different attributes to our patterns, so it wasn't just a color pattern, or just a shape pattern, but it combined different aspects to add to the pattern. We used these ideas to create a patterned hand art to put up on our board to represent all of the different types of hands that come together to create Peace. We will continue to work on patterns this week, and thinking about some of the math vocabulary that goes along with patterns, such as the core, attributes, repeating, and increasing patterns.
We continued our important conversations about honey bees and their impact on our world. We also learned a few more facts about bees, and what our world might look like without them in our world. We got to watch a classic Reading Rainbow episode about bees that had some very interesting information that we plan to keep our eyes open for when we go visit the Honey Farm. We looked at comparison pictures from a grocery store that show all of the products we have available to us, and then a picture of how much would be missing if there were no more bees.
We are sad to say goodbye to Mr. Cooper in music. He has been an amazing teacher, and we had a lot of fun with him! But luckily, we get to welcome Mrs. McBride back to Cranston after her maternity leave!
In gym we continue to learn different ways of moving through the gym, such as galloping, skipping, and side shuffling. We have also been practicing our running in preparation for the Terry Fox run on Friday morning.
We just want to remind parents that it is getting cold outside, and it is time to start pulling out warmer jackets, mitts, and hats! As much as I don't want it to get colder, it has definitely been chilly outside. We spend some of our time throughout the day outside and some children do not have warm enough layers for the weather.
Did you know that September 21st is International Peace Day? We have been having some great conversations in class about the importance of Peace, and what peace looks like in our country and in our neighborhood. We read a book about Malala Yousafzai and her challenges in fighting for education for all children around the world. We found out that some children in the world are not allowed to go to school! We then took our ideas and wrote down the important things that we felt showed that we live in a peaceful place.
In math we looked at patterns this week, and took a look around the school at where we find patterns. We looked at simple repeating patterns using an ABAB or an ABCABC pattern. We talked about adding different attributes to our patterns, so it wasn't just a color pattern, or just a shape pattern, but it combined different aspects to add to the pattern. We used these ideas to create a patterned hand art to put up on our board to represent all of the different types of hands that come together to create Peace. We will continue to work on patterns this week, and thinking about some of the math vocabulary that goes along with patterns, such as the core, attributes, repeating, and increasing patterns.
We continued our important conversations about honey bees and their impact on our world. We also learned a few more facts about bees, and what our world might look like without them in our world. We got to watch a classic Reading Rainbow episode about bees that had some very interesting information that we plan to keep our eyes open for when we go visit the Honey Farm. We looked at comparison pictures from a grocery store that show all of the products we have available to us, and then a picture of how much would be missing if there were no more bees.
We are sad to say goodbye to Mr. Cooper in music. He has been an amazing teacher, and we had a lot of fun with him! But luckily, we get to welcome Mrs. McBride back to Cranston after her maternity leave!
In gym we continue to learn different ways of moving through the gym, such as galloping, skipping, and side shuffling. We have also been practicing our running in preparation for the Terry Fox run on Friday morning.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Week 2
What a busy week we have had! We have been reviewing some things that we learned last year, and are starting to learn new things already!
We had the opportunity to go to the Discovery Archeology program right here in our school, and we learned a bit about what an Archeologist does. Then we got to do some archeology ourselves! We handled some real bison bones, and tried to put his skeleton back together. We learned about artifacts and ecofacts, and we compared the differences between bison bones and human (plastic) bones. Thank you so much to our volunteers who were able to help out! You made this learning activity so much fun!
In math we started to learn about how to do number talks. This year we will be doing plenty of number talks, as it helps to strengthen the students mental math skills, and allows them to share their different strategies for solving problems. We are also talking about skip counting and number patterns.
In writing we completed writing our good copy of our goals, and we also did some art to go along with it! We can't wait to share what we have done at the open house next week. We have been doing some learning about vowels, and will be practicing basement letters next. Did you know that every word has a vowel in it?
Our inquiry on small crawling and flying animals has led us to a study of Honey Bees. We have looked at the life cycle, and gathered some knowledge about what we already know. We will be looking deeper into whether bees are helpful or harmful to humans.
We are practicing different ways of traveling in gym, while we continue to focus on safety and being aware of our surroundings and the people in it.
Important reminders:
1.***Please do not allow students to bring anything that is scented into the school (such as hand sanitizer and lotion), as we have many students and teachers with sensitivities or allergies to strong scents.***
2. We have plenty of school supplies in the classroom. Please leave your special supplies at home where you can use them there to practice.
3. If you have not returned your consent forms for school and media release, please send them in right away.
We had the opportunity to go to the Discovery Archeology program right here in our school, and we learned a bit about what an Archeologist does. Then we got to do some archeology ourselves! We handled some real bison bones, and tried to put his skeleton back together. We learned about artifacts and ecofacts, and we compared the differences between bison bones and human (plastic) bones. Thank you so much to our volunteers who were able to help out! You made this learning activity so much fun!
In math we started to learn about how to do number talks. This year we will be doing plenty of number talks, as it helps to strengthen the students mental math skills, and allows them to share their different strategies for solving problems. We are also talking about skip counting and number patterns.
In writing we completed writing our good copy of our goals, and we also did some art to go along with it! We can't wait to share what we have done at the open house next week. We have been doing some learning about vowels, and will be practicing basement letters next. Did you know that every word has a vowel in it?
Our inquiry on small crawling and flying animals has led us to a study of Honey Bees. We have looked at the life cycle, and gathered some knowledge about what we already know. We will be looking deeper into whether bees are helpful or harmful to humans.
We are practicing different ways of traveling in gym, while we continue to focus on safety and being aware of our surroundings and the people in it.
Important reminders:
1.***Please do not allow students to bring anything that is scented into the school (such as hand sanitizer and lotion), as we have many students and teachers with sensitivities or allergies to strong scents.***
2. We have plenty of school supplies in the classroom. Please leave your special supplies at home where you can use them there to practice.
3. If you have not returned your consent forms for school and media release, please send them in right away.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Welcome Back
We hope that everyone had a relaxing and fun summer! The students have jumped back into our school routine quite well.
This week we have been focusing on creating our classroom community. We have been talking a lot about kindness and respect, and how we treat each other as well as the materials in our classroom. We did different icebreakers to get to know our new class.
The students have had a chance to attend music and gym this week, and they are enjoying it so far! In gym we are learning to recognize and be aware of the uses and limitations of our space, and to think about the other people that might be in our space as well. We are experimenting with different movements and actions as we travel through the gym. We also got a lesson on playground rules. Ask your child if they remember the rules! In music we have been reviewing some of our school songs, and getting to know our temporary music teacher, Mr. Cooper. He will be with us for only a few weeks, as Mrs. McBride will be returning from maternity leave.
We have done a few writing tasks to warm up our brains and get us ready for some grade 2 learning. We have written about our summer vacation, and the adventures we had, as well as a little bit of an introduction about ourselves.
We began learning about the calming art of Zen Tangle. Although it is the first time that some students have tried this kind of art, they all did amazing! It definitely takes patience to do Zen Tangling, and so we will be practicing throughout the year.
We began to build our stamina around reading to self this week. It is important for the students to be able to read to self, and this year we will be moving to reading in our heads without having to say the words out loud. Students will be practicing reading to self at school, and should also be practicing reading to self or to an adult for 10-20 minutes every day at home.
Today at the end of the day the whole grade 2 team (7 classes) got together out on the field to have some time for all the grade 2's to interact, and for the teachers to get to know some of the students from other classes! It was so much fun! There was freeze dance, soccer, and parachute games. The grade 2 team is hoping to do this multiple times over the year.
In math we have begun to look at the calendar and start recognizing today, yesterday, and tomorrow. We have been practicing our subatizing skills, and using mental math strategies to recognize how many in a group. We learned a new math game called Addition Battle, where both players flip over a card at the same time and whoever adds them fastest (and correctly) gets to keep the cards. This is a great game to play at home to practice addition skills to 10+10.
Next week we will be working on goal setting and getting the guided reading groups organized. In math we will move into looking at patterning, and working on problem solving skills. For inquiry, we will be starting our investigation of small crawling and flying animals.
This week we have been focusing on creating our classroom community. We have been talking a lot about kindness and respect, and how we treat each other as well as the materials in our classroom. We did different icebreakers to get to know our new class.
The students have had a chance to attend music and gym this week, and they are enjoying it so far! In gym we are learning to recognize and be aware of the uses and limitations of our space, and to think about the other people that might be in our space as well. We are experimenting with different movements and actions as we travel through the gym. We also got a lesson on playground rules. Ask your child if they remember the rules! In music we have been reviewing some of our school songs, and getting to know our temporary music teacher, Mr. Cooper. He will be with us for only a few weeks, as Mrs. McBride will be returning from maternity leave.
We have done a few writing tasks to warm up our brains and get us ready for some grade 2 learning. We have written about our summer vacation, and the adventures we had, as well as a little bit of an introduction about ourselves.
We began learning about the calming art of Zen Tangle. Although it is the first time that some students have tried this kind of art, they all did amazing! It definitely takes patience to do Zen Tangling, and so we will be practicing throughout the year.
We began to build our stamina around reading to self this week. It is important for the students to be able to read to self, and this year we will be moving to reading in our heads without having to say the words out loud. Students will be practicing reading to self at school, and should also be practicing reading to self or to an adult for 10-20 minutes every day at home.
Today at the end of the day the whole grade 2 team (7 classes) got together out on the field to have some time for all the grade 2's to interact, and for the teachers to get to know some of the students from other classes! It was so much fun! There was freeze dance, soccer, and parachute games. The grade 2 team is hoping to do this multiple times over the year.
In math we have begun to look at the calendar and start recognizing today, yesterday, and tomorrow. We have been practicing our subatizing skills, and using mental math strategies to recognize how many in a group. We learned a new math game called Addition Battle, where both players flip over a card at the same time and whoever adds them fastest (and correctly) gets to keep the cards. This is a great game to play at home to practice addition skills to 10+10.
Next week we will be working on goal setting and getting the guided reading groups organized. In math we will move into looking at patterning, and working on problem solving skills. For inquiry, we will be starting our investigation of small crawling and flying animals.
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