Beginnings and Endings

We welcomed a new student to our class on Monday. Her name is Erika and she came to us from Decorah. She has done a super job adjusting to 2A!! Just as I assumed, the students did a wonderful job at welcoming her and making her feel at "home" her in our classroom. Thanks 2A...for reminding me why I love coming to work every day:)

On an ending note, the final day to test subtraction facts will be Friday, May 7. It seems like we have been testing these FOREVER and I'm ready to be finished!! I will still test on that Friday and then we will have the party the following week. I haven't decided on the party date yet. Thanks for helping your child practice these facts. I can definitely tell and it makes math class go a bit faster. Your help and support is greatly appreciated!!!

What are we studying??

We've been really busy in 2A lately...I'm trying to keep their mind off the nice weather!!! It's kind of working:) So what have we been doing...

For the past couple of weeks we've been learning about fractions in math. I quickly learned these are REALLY difficult for my 2A kids!! Oh boy... One thing they must know is that the bottom number tells them the number of equal groups. The top number tells them the number of groups we need to count. I think we have that under control! I encourage them to use counters so they can be dividing out the equal groups. Unfortunately, when we were finally understanding equal groups I had to teach them equivalent fractions. This added some confusion!! We are getting toward the end of the unit so we''ll have the test next week. A lot of the skills were beginning/developing so please keep this in mind when your child brings the test home.

In science we've been studying butterflies/moths. We got our "friends" a couple of weeks ago in the larva stage. The butterfly larvae quickly changed to the pupa stage. They are hanging in the butterfly net and we are anxiously awaiting Painted Lady Butterflies. They have been in the pupa stage for about a week so the 'big change' should happen fairly quickly. During Daily 5 time students are researching a butterfly of their choice. They need to find 3 facts about their butterfly and then think about where in nature it would best camouflage itself and explain how camouflage helps. Then they need to make their own paper butterfly just like the real one. They need to hang it in the classroom so it is camouflaged.

This is the site we used to research them:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/

During Daily 5 we started visualizations...what??? This is when kids make pictures in their minds as they read books. They don't really do this much when they're a beginning reader since all the books have pictures. However, now that many are reading chapter books it's important that they are thinking about the words and imagining what's happening. We just started this today so we will continue to practice for a couple of weeks.

Finally, in writing we've been learning all about word choice. We've practiced using a thesaurus to look up fancier words and we acted out energetic verbs yesterday. They started a writing project where they need to make a descriptive riddle about an animal. They must use good word choice so I can imagine the animal in my mind.

That's our past couple of weeks in a nutshell. I have about 5 full weeks left with the kids so the push is on. I have a lot to get accomplished so I hope Spring Fever stays away!!!

2A Presents...Amelia Bedelia

As you may have heard we've been practicing a play: Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia. The kids are REALLY excited about this!!!! We will be sending home invitations but just as a heads up performance dates will be Thursday, May 13 at 2:30 and Friday, May 14th at 2:30. I have several kids that are really concerned that no one will be able to come.

I have some parts that were double cast: Amelia Bedelia, Mr. Rogers, and Mrs. Rogers. Madison, Kailyn, Alex, and the rest of the class will perform on Thursday. Libby, Angelina, Austin, and the rest of the class will perform on Friday. If you have any questions please let me know!

State Fun Facts

Friday afternoon my kids were extremely TIRED!! So...I decided to let them do some learning and exploring on their own. Your child was with a partner and they had to explore Iowa and find out many facts about it. If they got that finished with Iowa they were able to explore another state. Here is the site incase your child wants to do some exploring at home:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/

Ridgeway and Cresco Fun

We had a SUPER time meeting our new Ridgeway friends on Friday!!! The games were fun, the weather was perfect, and the food was delicious. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and I had several students make some new friends! Everyone was really tired by the time it was all over...I guess that means the day was a success!

2A Sings...

The past week we've been doing some singing in 2A! Good thing the kids are good singers because I'm NOT!!!!! We continued with figurative language this week and they learned about onomatopoeia. What??? It means that a sound and the name for the sound have the same name: oink, vroom, quack, splash. Authors put these words in to make the book more interesting and they're definitely more fun to read! We practiced reading Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? When I started teaching about it this week I couldn't spell the word:) If I can't spell it...the kids definitely can't spell it, right? Amazingly I found a song on the Internet and now I can spell it!

O-n-o-m-a-t-o-p-o-e-i-a
(Sung to the tune of “Old McDonald”

O-n-o-m-a-t-o-p-o-e-i-a… with a
‘ruff-ruff’ here and a ‘baa baa’ there…
here a ‘vroom,’ there a ‘buzz,’
everywhere a ‘splat! splat!’
O-n-o-m-a-t-o-p-o-e-i-a!

Secondly, we've been 'Exploring Earth' in social studies. As you may have seen we've been labeling states, continents, and oceans. The kids really seem to like this and they know these pretty well. I found a song about the 7 continents:

The Continent Song
(Sung to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”

North America, South America
Antarctica, Antarctica.
Europe, Asia, Africa.
Europe, Asia, Africa.
Australia.

Finally...we started the Word Choice trait in writing. I've read Fancy Nancy books the last two days and they've started using some of her words. Their favorite so far is merci (thank you). Here is our word choice song:

The Word Choice Song
(Sung to the tune of "Ring Around the Rosie")

Writing with your best words
Finding lots of new words
Sparkle! Dazzle!
The words stand out!

Similes

This week we have had some fun with similes. Students learned that they are an example of figurative language -- they thought that was hard to remember! Basically they know that a simile must include the words "like" or "as" and that they have to compare two things. We discussed that authors use similes so that readers can form pictures in their heads while they are reading. We will learn other examples of figurative language in the next couple of weeks: personification and onomonopeia. Here are some of 2A's similes...enjoy!

The room is as quiet as a lamb.
I am as calm as a kitten. (Jenna)
I am as tall as a dinsaur. (Kael)
I am as loud as a lion. (Emma)
My brother is loud like a dinosaur. (Austin)
I am as rough as a dog. (Alex)
I am as fast as a cheetah. (Donavyn)
I as tough as a rhino. (Bryer)
I am fast like a dog. (Dylan)
The clouds are white like snow.
I am as caring as kitten. (Kailyn)
The lollipop is sweet like honey.
My brother is like a bossy r. (Kael)
The waves are as calm as flowers.
My sister is as nice as a kitten.
Fires are as wild as a shark.
I am as smart as a teacher. (Angelina)
Rock stars are as wild as chimpanzees.

I'm back...and reminders

Wow...I have really gotten out of the habit of blogging. I apologize!!! It's been a little hectic lately...family life, my vacation, kids' sicknesses, school...I'm sure everyone is there with me. I had a wonderful time is Las Vegas, however, I don't know if it's harder planning the trip or coming back!!! Regardless, it's nice to get back to "normal".

I guess spring decided to visit us this last week...what a nice surprise! I hope the sunshine sticks around for a while longer. With the warmer weather the kids think they can start dressing for summer. It's not quite that warm here yet! The building is still quite cool inside and with the length of recess time it does get chilly outside. The mornings are especially chilly and many students spend a good amount of time outside before school starts. Please remind your child of this in the morning when they are trying to leave without a coat! It is also still muddy on the playground so we are still asking students to wear their boots. I also reminded students that the weather is supposed to change by Friday and that there is snow in the forecast. So...please don't put away the winter clothes just yet. Silly weather!!!!!

Another important reminder is that we have Tech Night this Friday. The purpose of this is to share with and thank you and the community for the technology that we now have in our classrooms. We will hold an open house from 5-7 this Friday night. All classrooms will be open for students to visit and to use the technology. In here I will have students showing you how to use the Smartboard and there will also be computer games to use. There is also a free will donation soup supper: potato soup, chili, cinnamon rolls and beverages. Thanks for your support and I hope to see EVERYONE on Friday night!!!!!

Finally, I feel I need to mention that I have had to give many reminders lately about 2nd grade responsibilities. It seems that students have gotten Spring Fever! Yesterday we had a big discussion about this during literacy. We actually had to build our stamina again for Daily 5 because they seemed to have forgotten how to read quietly and correctly and to not talk. I was not very happy about this! I reminded them that we still have 2 1/2 months left of school and that I expect even more from them since we are at the end of 2nd grade. I also reminded them that 3rd grade will be even more difficult with more expectations; I am trying to get them ready for this. Also, a reminder that your child still needs to be completing homelinks almost nightly and reading 15-20 minutes each night. Please chat with your child about this...I appreciate it.

I hope you have a great rest of the week and I hope to see you on Friday. Don't get lost in the fog:)

Readers

Thank you so much to our 2 readers that volunteered last week. The kids really enjoy listening to stories...especially when someone besides me is reading them:) As you may have heard, one of our guests was Les Askelson from KVIK radio station. He asked us to record the pledge and then he would play it once in a while on the station. The kids were very excited about this!!!!! We recorded it the next day and Les played it last Friday. He said he would play it more than once so when I hear of the next time I'll let you and your child know.

If last week didn't work for you to come and read and you would still like to, please let me know. Please send a note or contact me with a day and time that works for you and we'll make that work in our schedule. The note I sent does list the times that work best for us -- they do not include specials, recess, and lunch. Thanks again!

Bryer

Bryer read Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Not Going to Move. These are some of our favorite books and the kids really enjoyed listening to him. I could tell that he practiced a lot because he was very fluent and read with super expression. Great job Bryer!

Dylan

Dylan was our mystery reader last week. He did a fantastic job!! He read the book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat. He read with great expression and the kids really enjoyed his reading. Good job Dylan!!

SNACKS

Our snacks have run low and we need some again. If you wouldn't mind, please send a box of crackers or something healthy to school with child. Thanks!! Your child's tummies thank you also:)

Subtraction Incentive

Last week I sent home flashcards to start our subtraction incentive. I do not care what order your child practices the facts as long as they are practicing at home!! For each "family" they test correctly students will earn an ingredient for party mix. Once again, please practice at least 3 nights with your child before s/he comes to school to test with me. I realize the easier facts won't take as much practice! This should not take much time out of your busy schedules. Please spend a few minutes each night with your child practicing these facts.

***I will not have the sub test facts next week. I will be back on Friday so I will try my best to test on that day!

Emma

Emma was our mystery reader a couple of weeks ago...sorry Emma!!! She did a fabulous job reading and used super expression. The students and I really enjoyed her story. Thanks Emma!

Valentine's Day

We managed to squeeze in a short Valentine's Day party before our early out. The kids opened their valentines and managed to eat a lot of candy!!!