Phew! What weird weather we had this weekend; not exactly the load of snow that we were hoping for. The kids have been eager to take the sleds out. Clearly, it was way toooo cold to go out today. Last week, in Wonders, we worked on long /i/ spelling patterns. We also read a lot about the night sky. Each story that we read had us thinking about/reflecting on what we can see in the night sky. What perfect timing for the beautiful lunar eclipse that occurred this weekend. We read both expository text, as well as fiction. Mr. Putter and Tabby was one of our favorites! Last week, we also worked on contractions. We practiced combinations with “is”, “are” and “not”. We will continue to practice more contractions this upcoming week. I also introduced the children to Spelling/Vocabulary City last week! They had a blast! The children should have brought home a letter, detailing how the children login, and their username/password. We will be using the program regularly in the classroom, but they are also welcome to use it for nightly spelling practice, or for fun to practice the week’s vocab or HFW (high frequency words). If you have any trouble accessing the program from home, let me know. The program can be used, either web based, or via an app. We use both versions at school.
Last week we started to practice telling time. We started to practice to the hour, then half hour, and finally to the 5-minute mark. The children did quite well, but we will continue to practice next week. Ask your children to help you tell time, anytime you see an analog clock! We’ve also continued to practice counting coins, for morning work. I am quite impressed with how well the children have done! The children have done a pretty nice job of returning homework to school. I have reminded them, that if there is math homework, it should be returned the next day. Homework should not be a battle, nor should it be a big challenge. I will only send home math homework when I am confident that the children should be fairly independent with completion. If your second grader is having difficulty, please send me a note, and I will work with them on it.
We rounded off our week with a second STEM on motion, force, friction and gravity. This time the children used gravity to create a marble maze. Many used a series of ramps, but others got quite creative with tubes, and other devices to create friction and slow their marbles down. It is always fun to watch the children think, and create!
Thank you again for all of the wonderful LEGO donations! Our basket looks great! The children can buy tickets for a chance to win one of these amazing baskets! We will be taking a tour in the next couple of days to preview the baskets, and deposit our tickets! Also, thank you for the donations of tissues and wipes!!! There is a lot of coughing, and runny noses, so we are doing our best to keep our surfaces clean!
Stay warm, and have a great rest of the week!