Monday, May 25th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we spent the morning:

• attending the class awards ceremony
• corrected the mistakes on our social studies and language arts exams

Kaitlyn won the award for the best P.E./Health student in grade two!

Marianne (not present) won the award for the best Christian Living student in grade two!

Shannon, Wilsoni, and Marianne (not present) were awarded for their participation in this year's choir!

Grace won the award for the best music student in grade two!

Yan-Xi won the award for the best Chinese student in grade two!

 
We spent the afternoon:

• taking our cursive license test
• celebrating Eden and Kaitlyn's birthdays!
• receiving more class awards
• finishing our  Ton Schulton-inspired paintings

These two lovely girls have birthdays that are only two days apart!

Benson is my "Ray of Sunshine!"

Beryl won the most artistic award for her daring designs.

Nathan is always helping, always my "Right-Hand-Man."

Nobody else could be G2's "Daring Dancer" other than Andrew!

Eden's lengthy RRJ's won her best writer!

Grace: our big sister, our friendly neighbor!

The first guy I see most mornings, Ayrton-my morning person!

Shannon is the most deserving of the "Ravenous Reader" award!

Yan-Xi, the boy who does math for fun, is our star "Mathlete."

Always with a funny story to share, Katie is our most "Creative Kid."

Huan won't stop trying, winning him the "Stick-to-It" award!

Ever a leader, Wilsoni is our "Future President."

A friend to everyone, ever a problem-solver, Kaitlyn is the most cooperative.

Reila reminds us all how to be polite-winning her the "Ms. Manners" award.

Yoko blows me away with how much she has grown in terms of her speaking performance, 
winning her "American Idol!"

Tonight's Homework:

• Pack your health card! We will need it for tomorrow's field trip.
• Wear your P.E. shorts and your Sports Day shirt tomorrow.
• Be at school by 8:30 tomorrow at the very latest!

Special Notes:

Your child brought home a packet in their bag which includes:

• the quarter 4 exams (math, language/spelling, reading/phonics, science, and social studies)
• a piece of paper listing any books that your child has not returned to the library (if your child has any overdue books)
• a piece of paper listing any damage to textbook fees that need to be paid (if your child has returned any damaged books)
• any awards that your child won today
• your child's cursive license test

Friday, May 22nd, 2015

Today in the second grade, we spent the morning:

• attending our last mass for this school year 
• enjoying our class potluck!

We spent the afternoon:

• correcting the mistakes on our exams
• learning how to write new capital letters in cursive
• practicing our typing skills and playing computer games

Tonight's Homework:

Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 141-154. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished them.

We will have our cursive writing test on Monday, when the students will the opportunity to apply for their cursive license!

Special Notes:

• For our field trip on Tuesday, May 26th, the students will need to bring their health insurance card.

• Thanks again for your contributions to our potluck today! A delicious time was had by all!

On This Day...

My lovely students singing...

Thursday, May 21st, 2015

Today in the second grade, we spent the morning:

• attending our last mass rehearsal for the year-I am proud of my students for being well-behaved and patient during this extra-long rehearsal!
• correcting the mistakes on our science exam

We spent the afternoon:

• learning how to write new capital letters in cursive
• having a mid-afternoon tea break
• correcting the mistakes on our reading and phonics exam
• practicing our latest class poem and listening to our latest class story

Sweet student snap of the day!
 

 Tonight's Homework:

Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 136-140. The students have started these pages in class, and most have finished them.

Special Notes:

•  Tomorrow will be our last mass of the year.

• Tomorrow will be our potluck lunch from 11:45-12:45! You can either pack food with your child to bring or drop off food with Ms. Lee or Ms. Huang in the office. We have some freezer space for ice cream. The students will be with Mr. Tung from 11-11:45, when Ms. Zeng and I will be setting up down in the cafeteria. It should be a fun time! Thank you for your contributions!
  
  Friday's potluck sign-up:

1. Nathan: fruit
2. Katie: ice cream
3. Benson: sushi
4. Kaitlyn: pizza
5. Huan: pizza
6. Grace: chips
7. Beryl: dessert
8. Marianne: bread/scone
9. Wilsoni: tortilla chips
10. Reila: egg tarts
11. Andrew: sweet and sour pork
12. Yan-Xi: sushi
13. Shannon: cold salted cucumbers 
14. Yoko: yogurt ice bars
15. Eden: honey cake
16. Ms. Easterling: vegetable curry  

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we spent the morning:

• going through and returning our textbooks to the library
• practicing our typing 
• learning how to write new capital letters in cursive

We spent the afternoon:

• creating sidewalk chalk art 
• having a mid-afternoon pizza snack
• correcting the mistakes on our math exam
• practicing our latest class poem and listening to our latest class story

 

Tonight's Homework:

• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 133-135. The students have started these pages in class, and most have finished.
  
  A few students forgot their book at home, and are encouraged to finish their work at home tonight and bring their Handwriting Connections with them tomorrow, as we will be doing cursive everyday until we have our cursive practice test next Tuesday, when the students will have a chance to apply for their cursive license!

Special Notes:

• The students will correct their exams in class throughout this week. Your child will bring his or her exams home by next Tuesday, May 26th at the very latest.

• Friday's potluck sign-up:

1. Nathan: fruit
2. Katie: ice cream
3. Benson: sushi
4. Kaitlyn: pizza
5. Huan: pizza
6. Grace: chips
7. Beryl: dessert
8. Marianne: bread/scone
9. Wilsoni: tortilla chips
10. Reila: egg tarts
11. Andrew: sweet and sour pork
12. Yan-Xi: sushi
13. Shannon: cold salted cucumbers 
14. Yoko: yogurt ice bars
15. Eden: honey cake
16. Ms. Easterling: vegetable curry  

Tuesday, May 19th, 2015

The grade two students have officially completed their quarter four exams-hooray! It feels great to know that we still have a week together to relax, clean up, and enjoy some downtime before summer vacation begins. Thank you for encouraging your child to prepare for these exams!

Below is the schedule that I have for the upcoming activities:

Wednesday, May 20th:

• Return textbooks to the library

Thursday, May 21st: 

• Mass Rehearsal at 8:30 a.m.

Friday, May 22nd:

• Mass at 9 a.m.
• G1 & G2 potluck at 11:45 a.m.

Monday, May 25th:

• Awards Assembly
• Classroom cleaning/taking home art work

Tuesday, May 26th:

• Field trip to JUMP360 at 8:30 a.m. (please pack your child's health card with them)

Wednesday, May 27th:

• Graduation (half-day)

Apart from the above activities, our days will be filled with stories, songs, art, outdoor activities, and cursive writing practice (the G2 students will be proficient in cursive writing by graduation, even though it means practicing up until the last day!)

The Scholastic orders are in! The students are welcome to pick up their books from the library.

Congratulations to my lovely grade two students!

Monday, May 18th, 2015

The grade two students finished their science and social studies exams this morning.

Tomorrow will the be the last day of exams, with the students being tested on language/spelling and reading/phonics.

I have directed the students to bring home any personal possessions. We will return our textbooks to the library this Wednesday.

Tonight's Homework:

• Review for tomorrow's language/spelling and reading/phonics exams.
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 127-129. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

• Friday's potluck sign-up:

1. Nathan: fruit
2. Katie: pizza
3. Benson: sushi
4. Kaitlyn: pizza
5. Huan: pizza
6. Grace: chips
7. Beryl: dessert
8. Marianne: bread/scone
9. Wilsoni: tortilla chips
10. Reila: egg tarts
11. Andrew: sweet and sour pork
12. Yan-Xi: sushi
13. Shannon: cold salted cucumbers 
14. Yoko: yogurt ice bars
15. Eden: honey cake
16. Ms. Easterling: vegetable curry  

Friday, May 15th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• reviewed and reflected on phonics points (suffixes, prefixes, antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, alphabetical order, syllabification) during reading and phonics class
• reviewed grammar points for the the quarter 4 exam and practiced cursive writing in language and spelling class
• took the quarter 4 exam math class 
• reviewed for the quarter 4 social studies exam in independent learning
• practiced our typing skills during computer class 
• reviewed for the quarter 4 science exam in science class  

We also found some time to celebrate our summer birthdays: Kaitlyn, Eden, Huan, Reila, and Yan-Xi!

It took quite a few huffs and puffs to blow out these "magic candles!"

This lucky teacher sure loves these five sweethearts. Happy early birthdays!

This Weekend's Homework:

• Review for the remaining quarter 4 exams: social studies and science (on Monday, May 18th) and language/spelling and reading/phonics (on Tuesday, May 19th.)
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 124-126. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

• Monday and Tuesday will be half days, with the students being dismissed at 11:45 a.m. 

• Next Friday, May 22nd potluck sign-up:

1. Nathan: fruit
2. Katie: pizza
3. Benson: sushi
4. Kaitlyn: pizza
5. Huan: pizza
6. Grace: chips
7. Beryl: dessert
8. Marianne: bread/scone
9. Wilsoni: tortilla chips
10. Reila: egg tarts
11. Andrew: sweet and sour pork
12. Yan-Xi: sushi
13. Shannon: cold salted cucumbers
14. Ms. Easterling: vegetable curry  

Thursday, May 14th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• played our whiteboard team game to review target vocabulary from quarter 4 in reading and phonics class
• finished our unit on time and reviewed for tomorrow's quarter 4 exam in math class 
• practiced our latest class poem, listened to our latest class story, and continued to practice cursive writing in independent learning
• finished our speedy unit on space in science class
• explored the works of Dutch landscape artist, Ton Schulton, and started making landscapes of our own in his signature style of using bright blocks

Tonight's Homework:

• Study for tomorrow's quarterly exam in math class.
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 121-123. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

The Friday, May 22nd potluck sign-up:

• Nathan: fruit
• Katie: pizza
• Benson: sushi
• Kaitlyn: pizza
• Huan: pizza
• Grace: chips
• Beryl: bread
• Ms. Easterling: vegetable curry  

Wednesday, May 13th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• continued our unit on cursive in language and spelling class
• practiced telling time to the nearest five minutes in math class 
• practiced our latest class poem and listened to our latest class story during independent learning
• reviewed the quarter four target vocabulary during reading and phonics class
• continued to explore day and night in science class
• continued to discuss cause and effect in social studies class

Congratulations to the latest kindness star, Katie! I sure appreciate her funny, sweet attitude and the help that she gives myself and others.

 
Tonight's Homework:

• Complete astronomy worksheet.
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 118-120. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

• I have received every student's field trip permission slip and fee. Thank you, G2 parents! 

• I have stapled a request form into your child's assignment book for the potluck on Friday, May 22nd. I would greatly appreciate it if you could write down what your child would like to bring. I will be making a vegetable curry and Ms. Zeng will be making a pasta salad, but we welcome all kinds of food!
  
  If your child is coming on the morning bus, or if you are unable to drop off the food between 11-11:30, I would suggest that he or she bring something that does not require heating, like fruit, bread, etc. I will post the updated list of what everyone is bringing as soon as I hear back from you. Thank you, G2 parents!

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• reviewed vowel pairs and vowel digraphs in preparation for the major subject exam in reading and phonics class
• continued our unit on cursive in language and spelling class
• practiced telling time to the half-hour in math class 
• practiced our latest class poem, listened to our latest class story, and visited the library during independent learning
• defined and discussed "rotate" and discussed how Earth's daily rotation causes day and night in science class
• practiced identifying causes and effects in  social studies class

Tonight's Homework:

• Complete Social Studies Activity Book pg. 55-57.
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 112-117. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

I have received many permission slip forms and fees for our field trip to JUMP360-thank you! If I haven't received your child's slip and fee, please send it along with your child soon. I appreciate your help! 

Monday, May 11th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• talked about mothers during our weekly assembly 
• took our weekly spelling quiz and took turns sharing in front of the class in language and spelling class 
• practiced telling time to the nearest hour on digital and analog clocks in math class 
• continued to work with vowel pairs ("oo," "ei," "aw," "au," and "ea" specifically) and practiced our cursive writing in reading and phonics class 

Some snaps from today! 

Tonight's Homework:

• In your language and spelling notebook, write 12-15 sentences (3 or more paragraphs) about a story in Journeys or a story you have read. Please be sure to follow the directions on the accompanying rubric.
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 106-111. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

I have stapled a permission slip into your child's assignment book for the field trip on Tuesday, May 26th to JUMP360. The cost is 300 NT. 

Happy Mother's Day!

To the grade two mothers, Happy Mother's Day! 

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of spending this past year educating your children. 

 

Friday, May 8th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• reviewed the quarter four Journeys stories during reading and phonics class
• practiced cursive writing in language and spelling class
• took a quiz on chapter 9 in math class 
• practiced our latest class poem and listened to our latest class story during independent learning
• practiced our typing skills during computer class
  learned about various constellations in science class 

Some snaps from this week!

This Weekend's Homework:

• Complete Journeys Practice Book pg. 142-145.
• Complete three or more of the nine activities on the Think-Tac-Toe (in your child's language and spelling notebook.) The students were encouraged to choose 20 different words for each activity from their Q4 language and spelling study guide. Please sign any activity that your child completed. Thank you!
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 100-105. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

• I have stapled the quarter four study guides into your child's assignment book.

• Ms. Zeng (G1), Ms. Johnson (G4), and I are planning a field trip for our students to JUMP360 on Tuesday, May 26th. You can check out their Facebook page here. The cost will be 300 NT per student for the bus and admission to the activity center. I will attach a permission slip to your child's assignment book next Monday with more information about the field trip.

• Ms. Zeng and I are planning to have a pot-luck on Friday, May 22nd for the student's lunch. Potlucks are a great tradition in North American culture, and we think it would be a nice way to help celebrate the end of the year. Every student is encouraged to bring a dish to share with others. I will be making a vegetable curry. If you know what you would like your child to bring, just tell me or write to me in your child's assignment book, and I'll post the list to the blog. Thank you!

• Have a beautiful weekend! The G2 students worked hard for me this past week, and I'm proud of them.

4th Quarter Study Guide: Reading and Phonics

Fourth Quarter Study Guide for Reading and Phonics

*Please review the workbook Phonics Unit 4 (pg. 111-126) and Unit 5 (pg. 127-137) and Journeys (pg. 288-345.)

Phonics
Be able to:
-select the correct prefix for words to complete sentences (ex: Ayrton unzipped his jacket.)
-select the correct suffix for words to complete sentences (ex: The students like sitting in the bouncy chair because it is comfortable.)
-separate words according to their syllables (ex: sun / set)
-decide if a pair of words are antonyms, homonyms, or synonyms (ex: do, dew = homonyms, sick, ill = synonyms, unhappy, glad = antonyms)
-put a list of words in alphabetical (abc) order

Reading 
Be able to use:
-read a short story and answer questions about it
-read a chart and answer questions using information from that chart
-match vocabulary words from the short story to their correct meaning

 *Please review the textbook Journeys pg. 288-345:
-“Jellies: The Life of Jellyfish"
- "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type"

4th Quarter Study Guide: Language and Spelling

Fourth Quarter Study Guide for Language and Spelling

*Please review the following spelling words:

• understand
• gathered
• impatient
• impossible
• believe
• problem
• demand
• furious
• typewriter
• electric
• blankets
• sincerely
• strike
• heard
• cried
• background
• neutral
• ultimatum
• exchange
• emergency
• weather
• rainy
• cloudy
• snowy
• windy
• temperature
• precipitation
• morning
• afternoon
• evening
• water cycle
• condense
• evaporate
• spring
• summer
• winter
• autumn
• season
• face
• edge
• vertex
• rectangular prism
• sphere
• square
• pyramid
• cone
• cube
• cylinder
• circle
• solid
• plane
• shapes
• pattern
• slide
• flip 
• turn
• unique
• special
• person
• people
• culture
• point of view
• explorer
• pioneer
• immigrant
• country
• world
• route
• heritage
• religion
• tradition
• family
• ancestor
• holiday
• millions
• choices
• drift
• simple
• weaker
• wrapped
• disgusting
• decide
• dozen
• teeth
• visitor
• aquarium
• litter
• dolphin
• octopus
• starfish

*Please review the workbook Workbook Plus units 9 and 10 (pg. 103-129) and Handwriting Connections pg. 64-116.

Be able to:

-proofread sentences: correcting capital letters for proper nouns and book titles

-identifying the correct punctuation for a sentence, exclamation or question

-punctuate dates (ex: Monday, May 18^th, 2015) and states, cities/countries correctly (ex: Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

-rewrite part of poem that is provided in cursive (only lowercase letters)

-proofread a story looking for mistakes in capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks, small sentences that can be joined with other sentences, and book titles.

4th Quarter Study Guide: Social Studies

Fourth Quarter Study Guide for Social Studies

*Please review the textbook About My Communities Unit 4 "Learn About People (pg. 161-207) and Unit 5 "Past and Present" (pg. 209-235.)

Be able to:

-identify the meaning of key vocabulary words

-read and timeline and answer questions using information from a timeline

-read a bar graph and answer questions using information from a bar graph

-predict a likely outcome

Key Vocabulary:

• season
• ancient
• modern
• time line
• history
• source
• artifact
• predict
• museum
• settler
• cause
• effect
• unique
• culture
• point of view
• explorer
• pioneer
• immigrant
• route
• heritage
• religion
• tradition
• ancestor
• bar graph
• holiday
• custom
• language
• communication

4th Quarter Study Guide: Science

Fourth Quarter Study Guide for Science

*Please review the textbook Science Fusion and unit 7 “All About Weather” (pg. 263-308) and unit 8 "The Solar System" (pg. 315-338.)

Be able to:

-identify the four seasons and explain how clothing and activities are affected by the changing of the seasons

-describe the water cycle

-identify severe weather

-identify different objects in the sky

-identify cirrus, stratus, and cumulus clouds, and what they each mean

Key Vocabulary:

• weather
• temperature
• precipitation
• wind
• weather pattern
• water cycle
• evaporate
• condense
• season
• migrate
• hibernate
• tornado
• hurricane
• lightening
• thunderstorm
• planet
• solar system
• orbit
• constellation
• Earth
• rotate
• nighttime
• shadow
• daytime

4th Quarter Study Guide: Math

Fourth Quarter Study Guide for Math

*Please review the textbook Math Unit 3, Chapters 7, 8, and 9: Plane Shapes, Solid Shapes, and Fractions, and our week 36 unit on telling time (review handouts that will be given out.)

Be able to:

-tell the time to the nearest hour (4:00), half-hour (4:30), and quarter hour (4:15 or 4:45)

-draw lines of symmetry in numbers in letters.

-identify congruent (same size and shape) shapes

-identify fractions

-compare fractions as greater than, less than, or equal to

-extend repeating or growing patterns

-perform mental math

-solve word problems

Key Vocabulary:

• triangle
• rectangle
• square
• circle
• hexagon
• trapezoid
• sides
• vertex/vertices
• lines of symmetry
• slide
• flip
• turn
• solid shapes
• cube
• cylinder
• sphere
• pyramid
• cone
• rectangular prism
• face
• vertex
• vertices
• edges
• unit fraction
• whole
• greater than
• less than
• minute
• hour
• quarter
• half
• second

Thursday, May 27th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• created skits using our quarter 4 vocabulary words in reading and phonics class
• reviewed for tomorrow's chapter 9 quiz in math class 
• practiced our latest class poem, listened to our latest class story, and continued to practice cursive writing in independent learning
• created informational books about the planets and the sun in science class

Tonight's Homework:

• Complete Math Practice 9.4-9.6.
• Study for tomorrow's math quiz on chapter 9.
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 94-99. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• continued our unit on cursive in language and spelling class
• continued to review fractions in math class 
• spent independent learning practicing our latest class poem and finished our latest class story
• continued to work with vowel pairs in reading and phonics class
• reviewed the order of the planets and discussed the orbiting times of each planet in science class
• explored different kinds of museums in social studies class

Tonight's Homework:

• Complete planets worksheet.
• Complete Handwriting Connections pg. 88-93. The students have started these pages in class, and some have finished.

Special Notes:

The quarter four major subjects exam schedule is as follows:

Friday, May 15th:

• Math

Monday, May 18th (half day):

• Science
• Social Studies

Tuesday, May 19th (half day):

• Language and Spelling
• Reading and Phonics

I am putting the finishing touches on the quarter four exams and study guides, and am hoping to have them out by this Friday.

Tuesday, May 5th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• created a readers theater of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type in reading and phonics class
• continued our unit on cursive in language and spelling class
• practiced telling time to the half-hour in math class 
• practiced our latest class poem, listened to our latest class story, and visited the library during independent learning
• defined and discussed "planets" and the "solar system" in science class
• practiced our predicting skills in social studies class

Tonight's Homework:

Complete Social Studies Activity Book pg. 54-55.

Monday, May 4th, 2015

Today in the second grade, we:

• celebrated Beryl being one of the "Angels of the Week" during our weekly assembly 
• took our weekly spelling quiz and took turns sharing in front of the class in language and spelling class 
• continued to work with fractions in math class 
• continued to work with vowel pairs ("oo" and "ea" specifically) in reading and phonics class 
• discussed the meaning of "history" and where to find a variety of sources in social studies class 

Well done, Beryl! Thank you for your sweet help.

 Tonight's Homework:

In your language and spelling notebook, write 12-15 sentences (3 or more paragraphs) about a story in Journeys or a story you have read. Please be sure to follow the directions on the accompanying rubric.

The spelling words for our next spelling quiz (Monday, May 11th) will be a review of the students' last five spelling quizzes during quarter four:

1. understand
2. gathered
3. impatient
4. impossible
5. believe
6. problem
7. demand
8. furious
9. typewriter
10. electric
11. blankets
12. sincerely
13. strike
14. heard
15. cried
16. background
17. neutral
18. ultimatum
19. exchange
20. emergency
21. weather
22. rainy
23. cloudy
24. snowy
25. windy
26. temperature
27. precipitation
28. morning
29. afternoon
30. evening
31. water cycle
32. condense
33. evaporate
34. spring
35. summer
36. winter
37. autumn
38. season
39. face
40. edge
41. vertex
42. rectangular prism
43. sphere
44. square
45. pyramid
46. cone
47. cube
48. cylinder
49. circle
50. solid
51. plane
52. shapes
53. pattern
54. slide
55. flip 
56. turn
57. unique
58. special
59. person
60. people
61. culture
62. point of view
63. explorer
64. pioneer
65. immigrant
66. country
67. world
68. route
69. heritage
70. religion
71. tradition
72. family
73. ancestor
74. holiday
75. millions
76. choices
77. drift
78. simple
79. weaker
80. wrapped
81. disgusting
82. decide
83. dozen
84. teeth
85. visitor
86. aquarium
87. litter
88. dolphin
89. octopus
90. starfish

Special Notes:

There will be a math quiz on chapter 9 this Friday, May 8th.