Week 21

We have a full week this week!

Christian Studies:
We’re in the New Testament and we’ve already learned about John the Baptist being born and Jesus’ birth.  This week we’ll continue on chronologically, learning about Jesus being presented at the temple and meeting Anna and Simeon.  We’ll also talk about John preparing the way for Jesus and baptizing Jesus before He starts His ministry.

Math:
We’ll start our next module on grouping to help us add and subtract.  We’ll decompose ones to add and subtract this week, breaking apart the numbers to help us add and subtract more fluently.

Language Arts:
This week we’ll be exploring another Bossy R: or.  We’ll also have three new red words: these, those, and took.

Science:
We get to really get into our new science unit this week, starting off by discussing which factors could impact a plant’s population.  We’ll start off by asking questions.  Then we’ll talk about different parts of a plant, and we’ll watch a radish grow.

Art:
In art this week we’ll learn about a famous American artist-Andy Warhol.  It’ll be a fun experience, learning about pop art and creating our own!

Week 20: National Lutheran Schools Week

This is a fun week to celebrate the specialness of being part of a Lutheran school—it’s National Lutheran Schools Week!

We have some fun dress up days this week:

Monday, January 22:  Marvel Monday 
Wear your favorite Marvel or DC fandom (this should be a shirt, no costumes, and Standard of Dress pants).

Tuesday, January 23:  Travel Tuesday
Dress like a tourist or wear clothing that shows where you are traveling to.

Wednesday, January 24:  Winning Wednesday 
Celebrate your sports fandom and wear your favorite sports team gear.

Thursday, January 25:  Throwback Thursday 
Dress in clothing that represents your favorite decade.

Friday, January 26:  Indoor Olympics! 
Dress wacky with your team colors!  Remember, you have to be able to run and move in your outfit.

*If your daily dress involves a hat, it will have to be removed in the building at teacher discretion.  No hats on Wednesday.  Students who choose not to dress up in the daily theme should wear Standard of Dress clothing on those days.

Family Night:
Mark your calendars for Thursday, January 25 from 6-7 PM for our family night!  We have a fun steampunk night planned, with every class displaying steampunk activities.  Students can dress up in their best steampunk attire and get a picture at the photo booth, and there will be an activity to complete by visiting each classroom.  We hope to see you there!

Week 19

Who knows what lies ahead of us this week, especially as far as weather goes?!  Whatever happens, we’ll go with the flow, be flexible, and adjust as needed!

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish up our module on telling time.  We’ll take our test on Tuesday.  We’ll be reading clocks, adding hands to the clock to show the time, telling the time in words and numbers, and identifying whether certain events happen in the A.M. or the P.M.  We’ll then start our next module, revisiting adding and subtracting strategies.  This will prepare us to add and subtract double digits, with regrouping (aka “borrowing” and “carrying the one”). 

Language Arts:
This week we have a fun spelling concept called “Kind Old Words.”  This set of words are unique in that the vowel says its name (it’s long sound) while not following the rules usually associated with long vowel sounds.  The endings we’ll be looking at are: -ind, -ild, -ost, -old, and -olt.  We have no new red words this week, but we will be reviewing five red words this week: hour, buy, through, always, and sure.

We’ll also be looking at A Chair for My Mother in depth, focusing on some vocabulary words, as well as the structure of the story. We’ll also discuss the traits of the characters, and we’ll find evidence to back up our opinions.

Science:
We’ll be starting our unit on plants and how we can find the best place for a plant to grow.  We’ll discuss the word “habitat” and we’ll be asking questions about habitats to help us understand different components that impact a plant’s ability to grow and increase in population.

Christian Studies:
We’re finishing up our stories from the Old Testament and we’ll dive into the New Testament.  First, we’ll look at Old Testament prophesies and God’s promises to His people that He would send a Savior.  We’ll connect those promises to God’s promises to us.  Then we’ll look at the foretelling and then birth of John the Baptist.

Art:
This week in art we’ll be starting our project that will be displayed on the Steampunk Family Night (which will be next Thursday, January 25 from 6-7 PM).

Week 18

It's a new year and we started the week off with everyone at school!  I'm looking forward to watching the class take off--2nd graders tend to show major growth after winter break, and then again after spring break.  It's one of my favorite things about teaching this grade!

Christian Studies:
This week we'll be learning about Jonah and some of the minor prophets.  We'll discuss what a prophet is, as well as the messages God had these prophets share.  We'll also talk about Nehemiah rebuilding the wall and God returning His people from captivity.

Math:
This week in math we'll begin our module on telling time.  We'll review what they learned last year (telling time to the hour and half hour), and then we'll tell time in 5 minute increments.  We'll also talk about different ways to tell and write time (i.e., 2:30, half past 2, etc.), and we'll practice telling and writing time with A.M. and P.M. 

Language Arts:
We'll be spelling words with a consonant-le ending (i.e., buckle, crumble, bugle, etc.).  We'll discuss how the consonant-le is the last syllable type we'll be learning about, and the reason it has an e at the end is because every syllable needs a vowel.  We'll practice spelling these words throughout the week.

We'll also be exploring character traits as we re-read parts of A Chair for My Mother. The students will identify a character trait that describes the main character, and then they'll use details from the text to justify their answers.

Social Studies:
We'll continue learning about Communities and Resources in Social Studies, this week examining farms of the past and farms of today.  We'll also discuss how food gets from the farm to our tables.  We'll finish off the week with a test on communities and resources, using our magazines as a tool.

Kids Heart Challenge:
We had the chance last year to support the American Heart Association through fundraising for their Kids Heart Challenge.  We'll have that opportunity again this year, and our kick off assembly is on Friday at 2:30!