Hello!

 Hi Spring Road Parents!

I wanted to formally introduce myself! My name is Paige Gundlach and I have been working with your child this past week! Baby Kopitzke came early so I have been trying to acclimate to the classroom as smooth as possible these past few days. I have been enjoying my time there so far. I just wanted to let you know that if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me! My email is paige.gundlach@neenah.k12.wi.us

Have a great week,

Paige

Measurement.

We are currently doing a mini math unit on Measurement. Students are learning the difference between centimeters and inches.  They are learning how to measure as well as how to estimate.  Students are also learning about perimeter (the distance around a shape). Students are creating Shape Books to help them develop a firm understanding regarding the properties of the different 2-D and 3-D shapes.

------>  2D: Triangle, Square, Rectangle, Quadrilateral, Pentagon and Hexagon

------>  3D: Rectangular Prism and Cube


Last week, they measured the heights of their classmates (collected the data) and then used a line plot to look at the data. Students enjoyed making meter tapes to do this.

Inferring.

Students have been learning about another important reading strategy which involves using their schema and clues from the text.  Readers can infer about a character, what may happen or is happening in a story or infer what a word means. They have had some opportunities to do this throughout the week and will continue throughout the year.

At the beginning of last week, students had an interesting experience with inferring as I told them I collected some things from my neighbor's garbage. Inferring can be very much like being a detective.  Students were asked to examine the trash and tell me (infer) about my neighbors and who they were. They did such a great job! They are really enjoying this strategy.

Meet Ms. Gundlach!

Paige enjoyed visiting our classroom on Thursday this week.  The students enjoyed meeting her as well.

Dear Spring Road Families,

Hello! My name is Ms. Paige Gundlach. I am very excited to be taking over for Mrs. Kopitzke in the coming weeks. I recently finished my long-term substitute position teaching Kindergarten at Lakeview Elementary and have also been a 4K teacher in Madison. This is my second year teaching and I couldn’t be more excited to be in a 2nd grade classroom. Rest assured that your children are in good hands and they will be receiving the same instruction as if Mrs. Kopitzke were here. 

Thank you ahead of time for all of your support and cooperation in the next few months. Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns that you may have. My email is paige.gundlach@neenah.k12.wi.us

See you soon,

Ms. Gundlach 

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.