Week of September 17th

Happy Monday! We have been working so very hard here in Second Grade. Please take some time to read about what we have learned as well as some of the great learning opportunities coming up.

Last week in Science we started to talk about Matter and the different states of matter. The kids did a really fun experiment where they had to drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet into a cup of water and observe the changes. It was priceless. I wish I could have captured every look on their faces! I did take some pictures and uploaded them to the Shutterfly site. Here are some words you may want to talk about that we will be focusing on during this unit in science: states of matter, solid, liquid, gas, and properties (characteristics). Throughout our science units you will see the underlining pattern of "changes".

As we continue our journey through North America, the kids began their first projects today in Technology. Last week we took a virtual tour on Google Earth to 15 landmarks in North America. The students had to try and determine whether the landmark was manmade or natural as well as where they believed it to be located. Today they began researching by filling out a web. Your child will be bringing home this web today to share with you what they have learned so far about their landmark. Please also take the time to visit the research site (see letter attached to web) and help them to complete the web and return it to school on Friday. We will then use this research to complete our project here at school.

We are continuing to work on writing Small Moments! I love reading the stories your "authors" are writing.

Today your child will be bringing home their first Home Link. These Home Links directly correlate to what we are learning in math. Please take time to check over your child's Home Link each time they complete one. Instead of correcting it for them, I would encourage you to go back and circle ones that they may have missed and provide them the opportunity to try again. Then if they are still unsure you can sit with them and work with them through it. I will check over them, but find it even more valuable for them to work on it and correct it at home.

IMPORTANT: I know you received an email last week and I also sent a blog entry.  Friday is the International Day of Peace. We need your help with the rock garden. Please have your child find a rock that will fit in the palm of his/her hand. Have your child decorate the rock, keeping the purpose in mind. We suggest acrylic paints, permanent markers, colored pencils, or any combination of those. Mrs. Rowe has agreed to varnish the rocks if they are turned in by Tuesday, 9/18.  Even if your child does not have time to decorate it tonight, please at least send in a rock. Thank you!

Spelling:

This week you will notice that your child’s spelling words are a bit different. I mentioned this change in my blog post last week. Every child will have 5 words that are the same and follow a specific spelling rule.  In addition to these 5 words, your child will have 5 individual high frequency words that they will learn to spell. Learning to read and spell high frequency words are an important practice that will not only help your child’s writing, but reading as well. When your child is doing Spelling City, they will need to create a new list that includes their 5 individual words - it will look like the picture below. 

The students brainstormed some new spelling activities and added them to their August/September sheet.  They will get a new set of activities in October. Please make sure that your child is completing their homework neatly and that the words are spelled correctly!

Special Project:

Throughout the year kindergarten through fourth grade will engage in a number of service learning and community service activities. We try to find opportunities where students can problem solve and think about different ways of addressing a given problem. Our class is engaging in the 100pencil challenge (http://www.100cameras.org/100pencil-challenge). The students are hoping to collect as many new pencils as possible by October 1. The kids brainstormed ways that we could get pencils. They are even writing letters to a variety of sources (like Target, Walmart, etc), but some of the children also suggested that they ask children and families in our school community to donate. These pencils will be taken to Mandurai, India by an organization called 100cameras. This October, the 100camera's team is going to Maduari, India to teach photography to children so they can then fund medical aid for their hurting community. Not only will they be giving cameras to children to document their lives and tell their story, but they will also provide as many needed supplies as possible. We are so excited about this opportunity and I wanted to give you a heads up as I am sure that the kids will be talking about it. If you would like to help you are more than welcome to, but you do not have to. I love that the kids took great pride in this project and worked together to find ways to meet a goal. Their letters are priceless and their enthusiasm is contagious. If you have any questions, please let me know.

I know this was a lot of information! Thank you for taking the time to read about what is going on here in 2-4! Have a wonderful week!