Friday, January 30th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• reviewed our weekly target vocabulary in language and spelling class
• continued to work with contractions in reading and phonics class
• used patterns to solve problems in math class
• practiced typing in computer class
• described the nutrients that plants need in science class

Tonight's homework:

• Write spelling words five times and choose six words to create sentences with (from Science Fusion pg. 106-121: reproduce, life cycle, metamorphosis, larva, pupa, tadpole, dinosaur, fossil, extinct, butterfly, mighty, kitten, monarch, Earth.) Prepare for the quiz on Monday.
• Complete Journeys Practice Book pg. 98-101.

*Special Note:

The students did a wonderful job presenting their song and poem at the language festival yesterday! Thank you for encouraging them to practice their part at home! Have a wonderful weekend.

Thursday, January 29th, 2015

Happy Language Festival! 

We will begin typing lessons in computer class starting this Friday. I have signed each student up with his or her own account, with which they may start using at home if they wish. I will show the students how to log on and practice using it in class tomorrow.

Your child can visit: http://www.typing.com/tutor/ to start practicing. His or her username is their last name followed by their first name, ex: easterlingmiriam . Their password is their book number. I will staple their username and password into their assignment books tomorrow.

Keyboard familiarity and increased typing speed and accuracy will greatly help the students with their current and future studies. I look forward to helping them become great typists!

Tonight's homework:

No homework due to the language festival! 

https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do?orgID=88636067

Wednesday, January 28th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• created positive and negative contractions in reading and phonics class
• used ordinal numbers to answer a series of questions, and extended, described and created repeating and growing patterns in math class
• practiced for tomorrow's language festival in independent learning
• played a review game with the current unit's vocabulary and key concepts in social studies class
• practiced capitalizing months of the year, the names of people and abbreviations in language and spelling class
• discussed the basic needs of plants in science class

The G2 students are hard at work preparing for both the 

language festival and the CNY celebration! 

 Tonight's homework:

In your science notebook, create 6-8 sentences comparing and contrasting plant and animal needs.
Ex: Both plants and animals need water to survive. 

*Special Note:

Tomorrow's schedule is as follows:

• 8:30-9:30: Mass
• 9:30-10: Break
• 10-12: Language Festival
• 12-3: Family Day Lunch/Gathering

The students will be dismissed at 3 p.m. tomorrow, but if you wish to take your child home earlier, just let me know so that I can keep track of where the students are. Thank you so much! I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow. Your children have been working hard on their song and poem and are ready to present to you!

The students need to wear their school uniforms tomorrow for Mass and the Language Festival, but they may change into their P.E. uniforms for lunch if they wish!

Tuesday, January 27th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• participated in the school-wide rehearsal for the language festival during language and spelling and reading and phonics and math classes
• checked out new books to read from the library during independent learning
• took our unit 3 quiz in science class
• identified ways that people affect their environment and how the environment affects people in social studies class

Tonight's homework:

• Complete Social Studies Activity Book pg. 30-31.  
• Complete worksheet: labeling continents and oceans. 

Monday, January 26th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• rehearsed for Thursday's mass during assembly
• took our weekly spelling quiz and took turns sharing in front of the class in language and spelling class
• practiced using ordinal numbers to order a series of events in math class
• previewed unit 4: contractions, plurals, and suffixes in reading and phonics class
• practiced reading a table in social studies class

Every Monday we'll be sharing information about our weekends, our future plans, an object that we want to share or even just an idea/thought that we have! 

  Tonight's homework:

• Complete the green two-sided reading and reading responses on natural resources.
• Prepare for tomorrow's science quiz (unit 3.)

Next week's spelling words (for Monday, February 2nd) will come from Science Fusion pg. 106-121:

1. reproduce
2. life cycle
3. metamorphosis
4. larva
5. pupa
6. tadpole
7. dinosaur
8. fossil
9. extinct
10. butterfly
11. mighty
12. kitten
13. monarch
14. Earth

Every month, starting in February, I will increase the students' weekly spelling words by two, so that they will reach 20 words by May.

February: 14 words
March: 16 words
April: 18 words
May: 20 words

*Special Note:

Congratulations to Yoko, for participating in and receiving a certificate of recognition at a recent violin contest! 

Friday, January 23rd, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• rehearsed our song and poem for the language festival for Sister Jackie in the gym during language and spelling class 
• took our unit 3 quiz in reading and phonics class
• reviewed this week's target vocabulary and discussed place value in math class
• reviewed unit 3 in preparation for the quiz next Tuesday in science class
• played phonics and math games during computer class

Tonight's homework:

• Write spelling words five times and choose six words to create sentences with (from Math pg. 123-145: tens, value, ones, digit, place, greater than, less than, equal to, patterns, odd numbers, even numbers, hundred chart.) Prepare for the quiz on Monday.
• Complete Journeys Practice Book pg. 94-97.

*Special Note:

I am proud of how hard the students are working at singing the song and reciting the poem loudly, clearly and with feeling! Sister Jackie recommended that the grade two students continue to practice reciting their part of the poem at home, s-l-o-w-l-y, LOUDLY, and clearly. 

Thursday, January 22nd, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• continued to review for our unit 3 quiz tomorrow in reading and phonics class
• ordered whole numbers using the vocabulary "just after," "just before," and "between" in math class
• practiced our song and poem for the language festival during independent learning
• learned about street painting and chalk art and created some adorable chalk monsters in art class

We also celebrated our two latest kindness stars, Yan-Xi and Reila! Yan-Xi is always ready and happy to help his classmates when they're having trouble. Even though Reila joined the class in the middle of last semester, she quickly became a very helpful and considerate member of the grade two class. Well done, you two!

Tonight's homework:

• Complete Math Practice 6.1-6.3
• Prepare for tomorrow's phonics quiz (unit 3.)

*Special Notes:

• There will be a science quiz (unit 3) next Tuesday, January 27th.

•  The students were interested in checking out these chalk drawings: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/absolutely-stunning-3d-street-art-paintings/

• I have stapled a note into your child's assignment book concerning the purchase of adult-sized T-shirts for Sports Day, which will be on February 26th. To order your correct size and in your child's team color, you can place your order at the front office. Place your order Monday-Thursday, January 26th-29th. The cost will be 350nt per adult t-shirt. Thank you! 

Wednesday, January 21st, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• reviewed r-controlled vowels, blends and digraphs in reading and phonics class in preparation for our unit 3 quiz this Friday
• practiced skip counting and discussed why it is faster to count in groups in math class
• capitalized proper nouns in language and spelling class
• practiced our poem and song for the language festival during independent learning
• learned about various natural resources and how we use them to meet our needs in social studies class
• discussed the four steps that take place as a fossil forms in science class

The reading corner can get a bit crowded some days! 

Tonight's homework:

Complete Science Fusion pg. 126-128.

Let it Go (Actions!)

Let it Go

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen. (hands fluttering down)

A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen. (hugging self)

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside. Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried. (touch chest)

Don't let them in, don't let them see. (X with hands)

Be the good girl you always have to be. (wag finger)

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. (fists to chest)

Well, now they know! (arms flung open)

Let it go, let it go! Can't hold it back anymore. Let it go, let it go! (push hands back and forth)

Turn away and slam the door. (turn slightly and "slam the door" with right hand)

I don't care what they're going to say. (X with hands)

Let the storm rage on. (storm hands)

The cold never bothered me anyway. (hands on hips)

It's funny how some distance, (spread hands)

makes everything seem small. (small with right thumb and finger)

And the fears that once controlled me (hands on face)

Can't get to me at all. (X with hands)

It's time to see what I can do, (tap wrist)

to test the limits and break through. (fists thrown down and then pushed to the right)

No right, no wrong, no rules for me. (shake head and touch chest)

I'm free! (arms flung open)

Let it go, let it go! (push hands back and forth)

I am one with the wind and sky. (hold one finger out)

Let it go, let it go! (push hands back and forth)

You'll never see me cry. (shake head and make crying sign)

Here I'll stand, (palms open and pointing to the ground)

and here I'll stay (point with two fingers to the ground)

Let the storm rage on. (storm hands)

My power flurries through the air into the ground. (storm hands-high and then low)

My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around. (storm hands at chest)

And one though crystallizes like an icy blast (fingers to temple and then cut hand)

I'm never going back; (shake head)

the past is in the past! (point backwards)

Let it go, let it go! (push hands back and forth)

And I'll rise like the break of dawn. (sun hands)

Let it go, let it go (push hands back and forth)

That perfect girl is gone (wave good-bye)

Here I stand, in the light of day. (arms flung open)

Let the storm rage on! (storm hands)

The cold never bothered me anyway. (hands on hips)

Tuesday, January 20th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• pair read and discussed "They Had an Idea!" in reading and phonics class
• continued to review topic sentences, as well as indefinite articles "a" and "an" in language and spelling class
• identified odd and even numbers in math class
• rehearsed our song and poem for the language festival and checked out new books from the library during independent learning
• identified some places in our classroom and school using cardinal directions in social studies class
• started learning about fossils in science class

Tonight's homework:

Complete Social Studies Activity Book pg. 29. 

*Special Note:

I have stapled the latest newsletter into your child's assignment book. The newsletter contains information about the language festival on January 29th and the Chinese Lunar New Year. Please fill out and return the bottom half of the newsletter stating if you and your family are or are not attending the lunch next Thursday. Thank you! 

Monday, January 19th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• learned more about fidelity during the weekly assembly
• took our weekly spelling quiz and took turns sharing in front of the class during language and spelling class
• learned about how math can be used in the arts in math class
• compared narrative paragraphs with research reports in reading and phonics class
• learned more about what natural resources are and why it is important to conserve them in social studies class

Tonight's homework:

Complete the green two-sided reading and reading responses on measurement. 

Next week's spelling words (for Monday, January 26th) will come from Math pg. 123-145:

1. tens
2. value
3. ones
4. digit
5. place
6. greater than
7. less than
8. equal to
9. patterns
10. odd numbers
11. even numbers
12. hundred chart

*Special Notes:

• We will have a phonics quiz this Friday (Unit 3.) 

• All of the students have brought home their five-pocket folders tonight for you to check their latest quizzes and worksheets. If you have any questions about any of the materials, just write me a note in your child's communication book. Thank you! The students have been instructed to return their five-pocket folders tomorrow.

Friday, January 16th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• reviewed our weekly target vocabulary and identified the number of syllables and r-controlled vowels in a series of words in reading and phonics class
• practiced writing strong descriptive topic sentences in language and spelling class
• previewed chapter 6 in math
• practiced our poem and song for the language festival during independent study
• played phonics games during computer class
• took our quiz on unit 3, lesson 4 in science class

Tonight's homework:

• Write spelling words five times and choose six words to create sentences with (from Horizons pg. 100-111: geography, American, homebodies, different, fairyland, castle, serene, breath, freedom, bark, ocean, desert.) Prepare for the quiz on Monday.
• Complete Journeys Practice Book 90-93.

*Special Note:

I have sent home the students' homework that will be due on Tuesday, a green two-sided paper that has a passage on measurement (which they learned about last semester in science class) and some comprehension questions on the back. The students are welcome to complete it this weekend if they have extra time!

Have a beautiful weekend! Stay warm! 

Thursday, January 15th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• explored some of the more challenging vocabulary words in "Let it Go" during reading and phonics class
• took our quiz on chapter 5 in math class
• practiced our song and poem for the language festival, and finished presenting our Christmas Diaries during independent learning
• learned about the famous "bird man," Salem Ali in science class
• spent some more time discovering the style of pointillism and creating some pieces in the same style in art class

 We also read a page from our Christmas Diaries to each other:

 We are going to start presenting more to each other, starting with every Monday morning when every student will have a minute or two to share something from their weekend, their lives, etc. to the class. I hope to improve the students' diction, poise and public speaking this coming semester!

Tonight's homework:

• Complete Math Practice 5.4-5.6.
• Prepare for tomorrow's science quiz (unit 3, lesson 4.)

*Special Notes:

• I have received everyone's lunch fees for the second semester. Thank you!

• I have really enjoyed meeting with various parents last week and this current week. Many of you have had very helpful suggestions! I love hearing them, and will implement any that are possible and maintain any that are successful. Nothing helps the students more than when the teachers and parents work together as a team, so I thank you greatly for your amazing cooperation and assistance. 

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• reviewed the weekly target vocabulary and worked on including sensory details in our writing in language and spelling class
• identified the number of syllables in a word in reading and phonics class
• discovered reasonable answers to problems in math class
• practiced our song and poem for the language festival during independent learning
• described the stages of a monarch butterfly's metamorphosis in science class
• practiced reading land and water maps in social studies class

Congratulations to the first semester honor roll students!

Beryl helps lead the class in a place value exercise.

 The G2 students are working hard to prepare for the Chinese New Year celebratory dance.

Tonight's homework:

• Complete Science Fusion pg. 114-116
• Review for tomorrow's math quiz (chapter 5)