Buddy!

With Thanksgiving last week, we spent some time learning about and sharing traditions.  It's important for students to respect the traditions and beliefs of others.  We discussed the fact that each family might celebrate or believe in different things but we must keep our opinions to ourselves.

A tradition students will be sharing in the classroom is the presence of Buddy the Elf (Elf on a Shelf).  Students found the elf in our classroom this morning. They were excited to find him and look forward to all the places he may appear in our classroom. They named him Buddy.

Vocabulary.

This week students will continue to discuss and review homophones.  Students are also learning about synonyms and antonyms which increases their vocabulary skills.  Students will also be learning to infer the meaning of new words.  Inferring is a strategy where schema and clues are involved to figure out the meaning.

Homophones: Words spelled differently but pronounced the same and have different meanings
Homonyms: Words spelled the same with different meanings
Synonyms: Words that mean almost the same thing
Antonyms: Opposites

We will use our computer lab time this week to focus on vocabulary and spelling activities. These can be found under "Literacy Websites" to the right.

Main Idea.

We have been spending some time focusing on nonfiction.  Students are learning that authors write with a main idea in mind.  The main idea is a key idea, sentence or fact that the author wants us to remember.  It informs us what the rest of the passage or section is mostly about. Then they identified the details that went with it. We did an activity where students had to find the other students who had a card about their same topic.  Within their cards, they had to work together to find the main idea. Students also watched a video and saw how other kids found the main idea. The video can be found to the right under "Educational Videos." We will continue to review and practice this skill all year. 

Word Work & Words Their Way.

You received a Words Their Way Spelling News handout earlier this year.  It informed you about our spelling program that helps kids interact with words and identify patterns to become more successful spellers.  Students continue to receive a weekly sort at their level.  Check out some photos of students at work with their word sorts! Ask your child to tell you about the weekly activities.  I hope you've been able to review their spelling tests each week.  They are doing a great job applying the patterns and rules of words.

Students have become very familiar with our routine for spelling and word work.  Students follow a schedule in working with their word sort each day with a spelling test on Friday.

Monday- Cut, Read, Sort and identify patterns
Tuesday- Sort, Read and Highlight chunks or patterns
Wednesday- Sort, Read and Blind Sort with a buddy (or word hunt)
Thursday- Sort, Read and Write Sort
Friday- Sort, Read and Glue Sort

A sort comes home each Monday with your child so you know what their focus is.  Students are becoming more independent in explaining their sort and discussing the patterns.  Students know how to work with their sort at school. The sort is provided as a home resource and are encouraged to use there as well.

Controlled R.

Students are learning a variety of spelling rules.  This week students are working with the controlled-r vowels. Basically, we are talking about the sounds these vowels make when paired with an r. It's not a long or short vowel sound but a sound that is essentially controlled by the r that follows it. Of course students are learning that there are always exceptions and words that don't follow the rules.

er, ur, ir = the /er/ sound:  her, burn, dirt
or = the /or/ sound (sometimes /er/): more, or   exceptions: word
ar = the /ar/ sound ( like a pirate): art, car

Students are identifying words in their reading and writing and increasing their accuracy with applying their knowledge.  Students learned a "connect 4" game with controlled-r words.

Lab Reports.

In Writer's Workshop, students have completed at least one lab report.  They followed the scientific steps listed below in a previous post.  Students conducted an experiment on their own using a toy car, a ramp and a variety of surfaces.  Students posed a question and created a hypothesis based on what they've learned about force and motion so far. Students worked in groups to do this. Students are learning to work more cooperatively in a group as well as apply science and writing knowledge.

States, Countries & Continents.

As we wrap up our Social Studies unit on Maps, students are learning the difference between states, countries and continents.  They identified them today and looked at a variety of maps.  They should understand that maps can show different things.

Students enjoyed hearing a song which names all 50 states in alphabetical order.  One of the students, Cecilia, was brave to sing the song for us which she previously learned from her sister.  Students were also amazed at some other kids who could learn and sing the song at extreme speeds.  They were so excited and are motivated to learn the song themselves.

Fifty Nifty United States Song

5-year-old States Song

50 States Song in 34.5 Seconds

Science Writing.

We are starting a new unit in Science.  Students will be learning about Force and Motion.  We will be learning to write like a scientist, using the scientific method to write lab reports.  We are conducting the first experiment together to help students learn the process to apply it on their own with other experiments. Students have discovered that it takes a lot of thinking, discussing and writing to accomplish what a scientist might do.

Students are learning about collecting data and recording results.  We are gathering books on the topic at hand to help us understand the results.

Grandparent's Day.

We had a great time with all of the visitors last Friday.  Students had so much enthusiasm to share their knowledge and experiences.  We worked on math, reading, writing and word work. Students shared their Personal Narratives in groups. We celebrated their writing accomplishments from this unit. They also spent time reading to their grandparents.

Students also showed their grandparents their work with money and 2-digit addition.  Many of the grandparents were surprised by the methods and strategies that the students are using.  Finally, they taught and played some of the learning games we play at school.

Personal Narratives: Revising & Publishing.

As we end our unit on Personal Narratives, students stories were published and they had the opportunity to reread, meet with writing partners and do final revisions.  I am so proud of the students' hard work to focus on making their stories stronger and longer. We discussed that no writer ever has a perfect story. Students will illustrate their stories and share them with grandparents tomorrow.  A copy of your child's story will come home.  Celebrate their accomplishment! We learned a lot about writing personal narratives and worked hard to apply writing techniques. A copy will also go in their special file along with their rough copy and revisions that I save for the end of the school year. I like to compile student work as a keepsake from second grade.

Maps.

In Social Studies, we are focusing on maps as well as communities.  Students are applying their knowledge to the real world.  Students are understanding why these skills are important and necessary.  Today students discussed the compass rose and the cardinal directions. They also listened to a fun song about maps.

Map Song


Map Song & Lyrics

Many students associate maps with a treasure map or map of the world but there are many different kinds of maps. Students have been creating some including those of their neighborhoods and a birds' eye view of their bedroom.

Ask your child about these vocabulary words: scale, compass rose, symbols, map key

Happy First Quarter!

Money Skills.

Students worked with money today relating dimes and pennies to tens and ones with place value.  Although students have had some experience with money, students are learning how to represent different amounts.  Students are learning dollar and cent notation.

In the computer lab today, students were able to play a variety of money games to work on skills.  Students worked at their level with different counting skills.

The websites we used have been added to the list on the right under "websites."

Halloween!

Sorry for the late post! It was an eventful week last week.  Students participated in many activities revolving around Halloween.  I hope you noticed their lovely artwork on the window: Frankensteins and Pumpkins.  They are now coming home in their mailboxes.

Students received spider rings and fang teeth as a treat from me :)

Students had Junior Achievement as well.  Students learned about voting and making decisions based on what is best for a community.  Students discussed the pros and cons in making certain decisions.  Students received a sticker showing that they voted.  We talked about the importance of voting only once on a ballot and also keeping their votes private.

Finally, students received a special snack from Kaden's Nana.  She shared a delicious mummy treat with us.  It was very yummy and students enjoyed it! Many have taken an interest in cooking and learning new recipes!