Week 29

Spring break is next week, and we have lots of fun things happening this week!

Publishing a Book!
We’ll be sending in our book to be published this week!  The kids worked hard on writing their page on what they would do if they had unlimited money, and they all put a lot of thought and effort into their picture to go with their writing.  We should be receiving them a few weeks after spring break.

Read In!
This Friday, March 28 is our Read In!  This is a fun day that Kindergarten through 2^nd grade does that focuses on reading activities.  The students will get to wear pajamas, and they’ll get to bring a blanket, a stuffed animal, and a pillow.  We’ll end with the movie Moana 2.  Please let me know if you do not want your child watching the movie in class so I can come up with an alternate activity for them to do.

Math:
This week in math we’ll be finishing up our module on subtracting three-digit numbers.  We’ll focus on regrouping in subtraction when we have zeros, and then we’ll relate addition to subtraction.

Language Arts:
This week’s spelling concept is other uses for silent e.  We’ll talk about some of the reasons we put a silent e at the end of words, including after an “s” when it says /s/ or /z/ at the end of a word.  It can also help distinguish between homophones (i.e., teas vs. tease).  Words in the English language also don’t end in “j” or “v,” so a silent e is used (i.e., have, dodge, page).

We’ll also start reading a new informational text.  We’ll discuss the features of informational text and we’ll pick apart a new text about gardening.

Social Studies:
We’ll start a new unit on America’s Beginnings.  We’ll learn about American Indians and some of the explorers who settled in America.  We’ll discuss the history of our country and some of the people who helped shape our country.

Week 28

We’re back with a full week of school and we’ll be spending a lot of the week finishing up our book!  If you haven’t returned the form, please do so by Tuesday so we can get a free copy of our book for the classroom.

Free Dress Day:
K-5 has a free dress day on Thursday!  This was earned through meeting their fundraising goal for Kids Heart Challenge.  Kids who earned a cape by finishing Finn’s Mission can also wear them that day.

Zaniac!
The Zaniac is coming back to BL!  On Thursday, March 20 at 1:45 PM the Zaniac will be here to entertain us with his science show.  You’re invited!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll be looking at Jesus as fully God.  First, we’ll discuss Mary anointing Jesus and we’ll discuss that way of honoring Jesus.  We’ll talk about some ways we honor Jesus and will compare Mary’s actions to Judas’s.  Then we’ll talk about the Transfiguration, when Jesus showed His glory.  We’ll discuss Jesus as true man and true God.

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish up our module on three-digit addition and we’ll move into three-digit subtraction.  The students are seeing all of the math fact practice they’ve been doing this year paying off as we add and subtract with more fluency and accuracy!

Language Arts:
Our spelling concept this week is contractions with, “have,” “would,” and “will.”  We’ll discuss the role of the apostrophe and we’ll make sure it’s placed in the correct spot.  We’ll also spend a lot of our time working on our book, writing our final copy and finishing it up with Sharpies and markers.

Week 27

We have set our clocks ahead an hour and we’ll be settling in to spring!

Early Dismissals Thursday and Friday:
Just a reminder that this Thursday and Friday (March 13 and 14) we have early dismissals at 11:15 AM.  This is for the 4^th-8^th graders’ student-led conferences.  If you’d like to meet with me about your 2^nd grader, please reach out to me and we’ll set something up!

Publishing a Book!
The 2^nd grade class is publishing a book!  We’ll go through the whole writing process to write our book, and each student will have a part!  They’ll also each illustrate a picture to go with their writing.  We’ll be working on this project over the next couple of weeks.  Check your email for more information, including how to order your own copy!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll be discussing a couple of Jesus’ parables.  Pastor Mark used to say that parables are “earthly stories with heavenly meanings,” and I love that view on them.  The first one is the parable of the rich fool.  We’ll be focusing on keeping God at the center of our hearts and keeping greed in check.  Then we’ll talk about the parable of the sower and we’ll talk about what it means to be “good dirt.”

Math:
This week in math we’ll be finishing off our module on fluency in addition and subtraction, using bar models and equations to solve addition and subtraction situations.  Then we’ll start three-digit addition this week, using drawing to represent three-digit addition, decomposing three-digit addends in order to add more fluently, and representing regrouping in three-digit addition.

Language Arts:
This week we’ll be reviewing some phonic concepts: Consonant-le endings, Kind Old Words, Bossy R: ar, Bossy R: or, and au/aw vowel teams.  We’ll be practicing these concepts throughout the week, as well as 5 review red words.

We’ll also spend quite a bit of time this week working on the rough drafts of our writing for our book and our pictures.  We’ll go through the whole writing process to make our writing as good as possible!

Social Studies:
This week in Social Studies we’ll look at farming and how it has changed over the years.  We’ll discuss tools that farmers use in order to produce resources that people use.

Week 26

This is a busy week!  Hopefully we get some great weather, like we did last week!

Thank you to those who contributed to our Spa Basket for the S3 auction!  Keep checking the event website—it’ll be posted before the event!

Grand-Friend's Day!
This Friday is Grand-Friend's Day!  It's also an early dismissal day.  If your child doesn't have a Grand-Friend to spend the day with them, please let me know as soon as possible so we can make arrangements with a substitute grand-friend!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll be looking at a couple of Jesus’ miracles.  First, we’ll discuss Jesus healing the ten lepers.  We’ll apply this story to our lives and discuss how we can be thankful and show that gratitude to God.  Then we’ll discuss Jesus healing a blind man and we’ll discuss things that can help us keep our eyes on Jesus.

Math:
This week in math we’ll utilize our fluency in addition and subtraction to work with word problems.  We’ll use drawings to represent addition and subtraction situations, both with one-digit addition and subtraction and two-digit addition and subtraction.

Language Arts:
Our phonics concept this week is /aw/ spelled “au” and “aw.”  We’ll discuss vowel teams and solidify the spelling rules for this sound.

Science:
Last week the second graders chose specific materials to make a hand pollinator.  This week we’ll not only test out our pollinators, but we’ll also compare how well they worked with other pollinators.  Then we’ll discuss different ways seeds move around.

Social Studies:
This week we’ll look at how food was produced and preserved in the past.  We’ll also talk about farmers and how they worked on their farms in the past.

Week 25

We're back for another full week of school!  We have some great learning to do this week!

CHAPEL!
2^nd grade is leading chapel this week!  We’ll be spending some time practicing for chapel Monday and Tuesday in the worship area!

We’ll be sharing the chapel message on Wednesday, February 26.  Chapel starts right after announcements (at about 8:35).  We hope to see you there!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll be learning about a couple of Jesus’ miracles.  While we discuss these miracles, we’ll also be discussing how they show that Jesus is God.  We’ll also discuss how they show Jesus’ compassion to those around Him.

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish up our module on fluently adding and subtracting.  We’ll add 3 two-digit numbers, then we’ll add 4 two-digit numbers.  We’ll be focusing on using strategies and properties to help us to do this quickly and fluently.

Language Arts:
This week we’ll jump back into our phonics work with Bossy R-or.  We’ll brainstorm words that are spelled with a Boss R-or combination, and we’ll practice spelling words with this concept.  We’ll also have some new red words to work on, and some to review.

Science:
This week in science we’ll be looking at the results of our experiment we set up last week—we’ll be comparing the radish seeds that were only given light to those only given water to those given both.  We’ll use this data to make a claim about the effects of light and water on plant growth.  We’ll also discuss pollination and what makes an animal a good pollinator.  This will lead us into designing and building our own pollinators.

Week 24

We’re back after a few days off.  I hope everyone got some good rest and spent the time enjoying the snow!

CHAPEL!
2^nd grade is leading chapel next Wednesday (February 26), so we’ll be spending lots of time preparing for that!  We hope you can join us!

Christian Studies:
This week we’re jumping into Jesus’ ministry, focusing on His love and compassion for individual people.  First, we’ll discuss Mary and Martha.  We’ll realize that we oftentimes relate to Martha, and we’ll discuss ways we can strive to be more like Mary (WITHOUT shirking all of our chores!) and keep our eyes on Jesus.  We’ll then discuss Zaccheus and talk about Jesus’ love for him.

Math:
This week in math we’ll start our new module on building addition and subtraction fluency.  We’ll start off by rewriting addition and subtraction problems, practicing lining up the tens and the ones and laying the equation out correctly.  Then we’ll relate addition to subtraction, and we’ll use strategies to add 3 two-digit numbers.

Science:
Since we’ve discussed some factors in a habitat that impacts the growth of plants and their reproduction, we’ll start an investigation on water and light and how radish seeds do with light and water, with light but no water, and with water but no light.  We’ll record our findings.

Social Studies:
We’ll start our new unit on Communities and Resources.  We’ll get a preview of what we’ll be learning by predicting whether some phrases are true or false.  We’ll find the answers as we read throughout our magazine.  Then we’ll discuss natural resources and where we get them.  Then we’ll discuss how we use our resources and ways we can take care of our resources.

 

Week 22

We have a fairly normal week this week, and we’re all looking forward to settling back in to our normal routine!

Next Week:
We have a very short week next week.  Monday and Tuesday are full days of school, and we have a half day on Wednesday (February 12), with dismissal at 11:15 AM.  No school next Thursday and Friday for LEST (February 13-14), or the following Monday for Presidents’ Day (February 1 7).

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’re delving in to the start of Jesus’ ministry.  We’ll discuss Jesus calling His 12 disciples, and we’ll talk about how we can be Jesus’ disciples.  We’ll also talk about Jesus healing a man at the pool.

Math:
We’ll finish off our module on adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers.  We’ll have lots of extra practice with our adding and subtracting steps, but I’ll put them below, in case they need to revisit them at home:

Addition:
1. Add the ones.
2. Regroup, if needed (10 or more)
3. Add the tens

Subtraction:
1. Look at the ones.
2. Regroup, if needed (if top number is less than the bottom number)
3. Subtract the ones.
4. Subtract the tens.

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics concept is another Bossy R combination: ar.  We’ll practice words with “ar” and will review prior red words.

Science:
We’ll be learning about plant parts, and we’ll discuss the importance of animals in the pollination process.