Science Fun!

Our mealworms have completed their life cycle.  They have turned into beetles. Students were amazed to see the changes take place.  They kept a record in their science journals and made notes of the population changes. Students made great observations.  They are wonderful scientists. Check them out now!! Keep exploring all summer long!

Life Cycle--- Complete Metamorphosis
Egg  --- > Mealworm (larva) ---> Pupa ----> Beetle (adult)

Y is for Yoga.

Students enjoyed some yoga this morning.  We learned how it wakes up our brains and our bodies. Students tried different stretches and exercise positions for yoga.  We will wrap up the day with yoga as well.  It is very good for you! Students are encouraged to try yoga in the summer!

Animals and Research.

Students are working so hard on their last writing project.  They are learning to research and write all about a selected animal. Students are learning how to organize, use headings, topic sentences, and apply nonfiction text features that they've learned throughout the year.

Keep an eye out for the date for our Writer's Celebration NEXT WEEK.

Today in the computer lab, students got to explore the San Diego Zoo website where they could search for and learn about different animals at the zoo.  Students also shared new learning they had.
SAN DIEGO ZOO SITE

Nightly Reading.

A final book log is coming home.  You will find it stapled in your child's planner.  Similar to signing it in their book bag, it will need to be signed.  Please encourage nightly reading as it helps your child maintain his or her level and grow on his own. Just because Summer is approaching, doesn't mean the  good reading habits and routines need to stop.

Remember 15 minutes a day is all it takes.  Good reading followed by good discussion or writing is very helpful.

Thanks for your continued support!

QR Code Fun!

Students learned how to use QR codes today.  As you may be familiar, QR codes have to be read with an app and are used for lots of things around us from magazines to flyers to coupons!

Students used their multiplication strategies to solve problems given after scanning a QR code.  It was similar to a scavenger hunt and had to solve one to get the next code. I was very proud of the students ability to use strategies and problem solve!

Summer Library Program.

The students learned about what to expect at the library this summer.  Remember it's important to encourage reading all summer long to prevent a slide. Our library will be open for check-out as well as the public library.  Students can take part in the reading program to earn up to 7 coupons for reading and tasks done each week.  All you have to do is go to the library after school is out to collect the booklet for recording reading.

A handout came home today with the programs and special events happening at the library.  Students can look forward to live animals, comedians, magicians, and more.  I hope to see the students at the library this summer!

Click HERE to read more about the fun happening at the library!

Robert Munch.

We are learning about Author's Craft.  We are looking at something an author does to make the writing look or sound different.  Here is a chart we made with examples we have found in books we are reading.

Students are reading many books by a famous children's author: Robert Munsch.

Students in the computer lab explored his website today.
Robert Munsch Website

Enjoying the weather.

Students enjoyed reading outside this afternoon! It was such a beautiful day.  Students have also started looking for author's craft in their books.  Author's craft is an art of writing... something the author does in his or her writing to make it sound or look a certain way.

Examples:

• colored words
• CAPITAL letters 
• speech bubbles
• punctuation
• ...
• dialogue
• dashes -----
• sound words 
• shape writing 

Notice and discuss this with your child as they read. 

This week.

We will learn about the last two animal groups: Fish and Amphibians. Students are getting more familiar with research and note taking. Students are enjoying learning new fun facts and sharing with others.  Our Science Notebooks are filling up!! 

Fish have: 

• backbones
• fins
• gills to breathe
• live in water
• Lay eggs

B- BEST DRESS Day.

Students are excited to get a calendar of fun things we'll do as a countdown for the end of the year.  It is coming home today.  Yesterday was Arts and Crafts and today is Best Dress. It was also perfect for the Opera Performance.  It was wonderful!

We took a class photo!

Birds!

Students are learning about Birds this week and what makes them part of this animal group. Students have opportunities to activate their schema, ask questions and record new learning about this topic. Students are focused on being more active scientists!

What makes a bird a bird?

• has feathers
• warm blooded
• has a backbone 
• lays eggs 
• breathes air with lungs

We learned about a live camera on a Bald Eagle's nest in Pennsylvania.  Students were excited to watch their every move.  We witnessed a mother feeding its babies a dead fish.  Students were amazed to see it live and observe how big and high up the eagles build their nest.  We plan to look at it periodically. 

See for yourself ---------> BALD EAGLES LIVE

 

Reading Strategies- Getting into the Book.

Students will be reviewing many reading strategies from now until the end of the year. Students will be learning how to use them together and how they deepen your understanding about a text.

Today in the computer lab, students practiced questioning to gain deeper understandings about different topics and stories. They practiced questioning along the way and determining if questions were answered as they read on.

Practice reading strategies here!

Math.

We are starting to explore some strategies for multiplication.  Students are creating strategy books to use as a resource when solving.  We only tap into multiplication a little bit at second grade but it will be great stepping stones for third grade.  

We will continue to dig deeper with problem solving involving addition, subtraction, comparison and two-step.  Students are learning to better determine what needs to be done to solve and explaining their processes.  

Please remember to work on math facts with your student each night.  Students need to be proficient in addition and subtraction facts to help with accuracy and success in math.  I am more than willing to send home flashcards.  Please let me know how I can help! 

This week.

We are continuing to explore the animal groups.  This week it's Reptiles! Students have learned that they have these characteristics and are enjoying learning more about them in independent reading.

• scaly skin
• lays eggs
• vertebrate (have a backbone)
• breathes air 
• cold blooded 

Students are learning how to take notes and research.  In Writer's Workshop we are working on taking our notes and turning them into a thoughtful piece of writing.  We are working on informational writing and teaching others about the various animal groups.  We are doing some together and then the responsibility is being released.  Students are being encouraged to add "extras" to their writing which makes it more interesting to look at and read.  Students are also expected to add text features in their writing such as bold words, labels and captions. 

 

Mammals.

This week students will explore Mammals.  We are learning how to do research and take notes as well as record our new learning and wondering more automatically.  Mammals have these characteristics or traits:  (See if your student can list them all!)

• hair or fur
• backbone (vertebrate)
• makes milk - mammary glands
• warm blooded
• Gives birth to live babies 
• one piece lower jaw

As we explore in the computer lab today, we will have a chance to research about mammals, many that are new for us! Here is the site they will use: 

Sandiego Zoo

Class Pet!

Students met their mealworms yesterday.  As we begin our Science Unit on Animal groups, they were introduced to an insect.  Students learned the six characteristics or traits that an insect has:

• 6 legs (or three pairs)
• a pair of antennae
• most have wings
• three body parts (head, thorax and abdomen)
• no backbone (invertebrate)
• lay eggs 

Check out our mealworms.  Ask your child about our observations.  They were excited to "adopt" the pet and are anxious to learn more about them! 

Science: The Six Animal Groups.

Throughout the quarter, we will be focusing on the six different animal groups: Insects, Fish, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles and Amphibians.  Students will have the opportunity to research animals of interest, ask questions, share new learning and understand their life cycles.

We are focusing on insects this week.  Students had the opportunity to learn about specific insects in the computer lab today.  They used the site below. Ask them about their new learning. 

Insect and Bug Facts

Students thoroughly enjoyed their mini research project today! They learned and shared a lot of interesting facts!

Career and Hobby Day.

Tomorrow is Career and Hobby Day.  Remind students how to be respectful for guest speakers and presenters. Students will enjoy three different sessions that they selected. 

Tomorrow is also an early dismissal at 11:30.  

SPRING BREAK CHALLENGE.

Students are encouraged to continue reading, spelling and math practice over break.  They will be bringing home additional books in their book bags to have a variety of reading material.  Students should be telling you about the books they read and be able to answer a variety of questions.  Their practice can be recorded on the SPRING BREAK CHALLENGE sheet that is coming home.  Do what you can. Total it up and send back to school on Monday, March 30.  Parents, please sign at then bottom.

Enjoy your break.  :)

Nonfiction and Wonder Files.

We will be revisiting nonfiction and addressing author's purpose, main ideas and determining importance in the text.  Questioning remains an important reading comprehension strategy to be done before, during and after reading.  Students were excited this morning to get their very own Wonder File where they will record all of their wonderings from daily life and questions inspired by reading or learning topics.  

Ask your child about their Wonder File. 

Today, students had the opportunity to search for answers to some of their wonderings.  

Kids Google Search

Kid Rex Search

National Geographic

Math.

Our new math unit will focus on 3-digit addition and subtraction. We will connect past learning with place value and extend it further.  Students will apply ungrouping and regrouping with larger numbers. We will continue to work on problem solving and dig more into 2-step problems.  Students will learn to persevere and work through problems more thoughtfully remembering to check their answers. We will also be applying this concept to money with buying, selling and making change. 

Comparing and Contrasting.

Encourage your child to compare characters from different books.  We have been working on this strategy to deepen our understanding of a text.  Think about the similarities and differences and expand on them.  We have these kinds of discussions weekly with different books that we read together.  I enjoy seeing their confidence grow and they enjoy sharing their ideas.  Students have also been comparing and contrasting different versions of folktales as well. For example, just last week we looked at the American and Chinese Versions of Cinderella. Students enjoyed learning about the Chinese culture a little bit.

Fables and Fairy Tales.

Click here to watch and listen to some different Folktales.  Think about the characters, setting, problem and solution.

See if you can retell the story in order.

Grasshopper and the Ants

The Lion and the Mouse

The Fox and the Stork

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

The Ugly Duckling

Hansel and Gretel

Rapunzel

Three Little Pigs

Retelling.

We are bringing back Folktales and will be spending time exploring other versions as well as retelling the stories using a variety of strategies.  Students will have the opportunity to practice, work together and build confidence to record their retellings.

Encourage your child to think about the story, to be able to report the 4 main elements (characters, setting, problem and solution) as well as the events that happen.  Continue to discuss character traits and reasons why they feel that way.

There was a 5 Finger Retell video posted under "Educational Videos."  We are using this as one of the strategies to retell a story.

Social Studies.

We are continuing to learn more about different types of maps.  We started with the world and looking at continents.  Now we are looking at countries, specifically ours, and learning about states.  Students enjoyed listening to a song about the 50 states.  I enjoyed it as a kid and we sang it at our concert when I was in Elementary School.  The song features all of the states in alphabetical order.  I challenged the students to try putting the states in alphabetical order.  There are two other videos featuring young kids singing the states song.  Enjoy!

50 States Song

10-year-old Singing in 35 seconds!
5-year-old sings the 50 states song!

Time.

Our new math unit focuses on telling time and graphing.  We will be working with clocks, differentiating between the hands, what they represent and telling time to the minute.  Students are doing a great job accessing their prior knowledge and taking on new challenges.

Some had a chance to try some games in the Computer Lab that focused on time.  They can be found on the side under "Wonderful Websites."

ABCya Time
Time Games
More Time Games

Book Clubs.

Students were able to select a mystery book they were interested in reading with a small group.  Each person in the group must read a required chapter, record their thinking and then meet with their group to discuss ideas and ask questions.  They are enhancing their comprehension of the text, learning and using new vocabulary and increasing their confidence in talking about books.  They all must contribute to the conversation and be good listeners to others.  I encourage families to partake in reading with your child(ren) and have some good conversations about any book. 

Valentine's Day Party.

Students enjoyed playing a game involving some friendly competition. They worked hard and were determined! They demonstrated perseverance. 

Introducing Maps.

In Social Studies, we are extending our learning on Communities from earlier this year and talking about the different communities we are a part of in our world including specific continents, countries, states and cities.  Students have been encouraged to keep an eye out for maps they encounter.  We are becoming more familiar with our world.