Week 37

This is our last “normal” week of the school year, and it’s kind of incredible how quickly it’s gone!  I have so enjoyed getting to know each 2^nd grader this year and to have been part of their journey getting ready for 3^rd grade!

Exciting News!
I have some exciting and unexpected news!  The book we wrote and published, If We Could Shapeshift, was chosen as a semi-finalist for the Studentreasures National Book Challenge!  In order to continue through the process of being considered for this award, every student’s guardian needs to sign and return a release form.  I’m sending them home on Tuesday and would like to have them all back by Thursday.

Movie Day!
We also will be watching The BFG this week, since we finished reading the book in class recently.  We’ll be watching it on Thursday, May 28!

Christian Studies:
We’ll finish off our Christian Studies book this week by talking about how we can show Jesus’ love to others.  We’ll finish off the week talking about Jesus’ promise to come again and make a new heaven and a new earth!

Math:
This week in math we’ll revisit some of the concepts we’ve learned this year and apply them in a more in-depth way.  We’ll specifically be looking at addition and subtraction words problems.

Language Arts:
This week we’ll be doing our last phonics concepts: homophones.  We’ll specifically be looking at: to, too, two, there, their, and they’re.  We’ll practice identifying the meaning of them each time we use them and how to spell them based on that meaning.  Our final spelling test will be on Friday.

Week 36

This is our last full week of the school year, and I can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by!  The 2^nd graders have shown amazing progress this year and I’m so proud of them!

Beyond Biographies:
This Thursday at 6 PM is Beyond Biographies!  Our 3-5 grade classes will be presenting a wax museum (with themselves as the wax figures).  Since the second graders will be doing this event for the first time next year, I encourage your family to come and check it out!

Field of Honor:
With Memorial Day coming up on Monday, it’s time for Field of Honor.  Flags will be set up on the front lawn with some signs explaining their significance.  There is also a community program at 2 PM.  You’re welcome to attend!

Move Up Day!
The second graders will have the opportunity to visit third grade for a short visit on Wednesday afternoon!  This will be a great chance for them to meet Mr. Blank and get acquainted with what to expect for third grade.  They’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions of Mr. Blank.

Christian Studies:
This week we’ll continue looking at the early church, as well as how we can share God’s love with others.  We’ll talk about Paul being shipwrecked while imprisoned and how God used that situation to share His message.  We’ll then talk about how our faith brings about good works and how our faith can shine through our actions.

Math:
This week we’ll finish off our fractions module!  We’ll then take the STAR reading and math tests again this week to see progress throughout the year.  We’ll then revisit some of our previous math, expanding on our learning and strengthening some of the tougher math concepts.

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics concept is silent letters, so we’ll be practicing words with various silent letters.  We’ll also practice our new red word: move.

We’ll also do a close read of our text this week, which is a collection of fables.  We’ll discuss the lessons learned in the fables, as well as ways we can apply those lessons to our lives.

Science:
This week we’ll look at the word “transparent” and will describe some materials’ transparency.  We’ll use what we’ve learned about solids and liquids and how they change to choose a material to use to make a replica gemstone.  Then we’ll make the gemstone and evaluate how well the material worked.

Week 35

Springtime is always such a fun time in 2^nd grade because we move through our learning!  The second graders have grown so much this year, and they are so capable of doing so much in-depth work!

Early Release on Friday:
This Friday, May 15, we have an early release for a teacher in-service day.  Dismissal is at 11:15 AM.

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll continue learning about the early church and its origins.  We’ll learn about Paul and his missionary journeys.  We’ll discuss how God provided for him and protected him, and how God used him in ways beyond what Paul could have imagined.  We’ll also learn about Paul at the Areopagus and how he used the knowledge of the people he was ministering to in order to relate Jesus to them.

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics concept is kind of tricky.  We’ll be learning about other Bossy R combinations.  This includes: /air/ spelled ear and er (bear), /ar/ spelled ear (heart), /er/ spelled or, ar, ear, our (earth), and /or/ spelled ar and our (reward).  The words on our spelling test will come from the words that we practice this week on days 1-3.  Our red word for this week is: different.

In reading we’ll look at a fable.  We’ll look at the characteristics of a fable and analyze what makes this week’s selection a fable.

Science:
This week in science we’ll move from solids and liquids into identifying the best material for a cold pack, which will include analyzing data in two different categories: coldness and which material can take the shape of your arm.  We’ll then discuss heating wax and we’ll discuss the vocabulary words “melting” and “freezing.”  We’ll then learn about the process of creating a silver necklace.  This will give us the base knowledge we need for creating a replica of a gemstone.

Week 34

The sun is shining and we are hydrating!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’re learning about the early church.  We read about the Jerusalem council and how the believers solved their differences in their understandings of how people are saved.  Then we discussed ways in which we can show God’s love for others.  Then we’ll read about Barnabas and Paul in Antioch and how that was the first time followers of Jesus were called “Christians.”  We’ll also discuss names that WE have and how our ultimate identity is in Christ.

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish up our module on 2- and 3-dimensional shapes.  We’ll identify and describe shapes with mathematical vocabulary, such as faces, edges, vertices, sides, and angles.  Then we’ll start our module on fractions by partitioning rectangles into equal parts. 

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics concept is spelling the /oo/ sound (like in “shook” and “put”) with oo and u.  We’ll practice the concept, as well as our new red word: together.

We’ll also do a close read of our text about migration, using text evidence to support our answers.

Science:
We’ll also continue on with our unit on solids and liquids by observing solids and liquids and how they behave.  We’ll use that information to make a claim about sand—whether we think it’s a solid or a liquid.  Then we’ll discover the answer and broaden our minds a little bit about how solids and liquids behave.  We’ll also test three different materials for a “boo-boo pack” and determine which one is better suited for that purpose.

Week 33

It looks like we have some nice weather ahead of us!  I’m looking forward to some sunshine!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll start to learn about the early Church.  We’ll talk about Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent.  We’ll also discuss Tabitha and her service, as well as the restoration that she received.

Math:
This week in math we’ll start a new module on two- and three-dimensional shapes.  We’ll discuss their traits and identify shapes based on those shapes.  Some key vocabulary will be sides, vertices, edges, and angles.

Language Arts:
Our spelling concept this week is /oo/ spelled with the vowel teams “oo” and “ew.”  We’ll practice spelling words with that concept, and we’ll practice our new red words for the week: heard, thought.

We’ll start another text this week, as well.  We’ll focus on another informational text, Amazing Migrations: Butterflies, Bats, and Birds.  We’ll spend the week focusing on text features and how they can give us more information about a text.

Science:
Now that we’ve done some deep dives on solids and their traits, we’ll continue looking at ways in which solids can be used to create sculptures.  We’ll do this through building “trash sculptures” and trading them with partners.  We’ll also test out some materials to see if they behave like liquids.  We’ll use that information to analyze how sand behaves and whether sand is a solid or a liquid.

Week 32

We have another full week ahead of us, and hopefully we can knock out those germs that are going around!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll be looking at some of the things that happened after Jesus rose from the dead.  We’ll discuss Jesus appearing to Mary, then His disciples.  We’ll talk about being Jesus’ sheep, with Him as our shepherd, and we’ll end the week talking about Jesus’ ascension and the Great Commission.

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish up our module on measuring in inches, feet, and yards.  We’ll also look at finding an appropriate tool with which to measure, depending on the thing we’re measuring.

Language Arts:
This week we’ll be reviewing the following concepts in phonics:
~Contractions
~Silent e
~Y as a vowel
~/f/ spelled “ph”
~”ch” saying /k/ and /sh/

We’ll also be starting our next selection in our reading book.  We’ll be looking at the fiction genre and identifying ways in which we can identify fiction writing.  We’ll also be focusing on the characters in a text.

Science:
This week we’ll start our new science unit on solids and liquids and how they change.  We’ll be sorting some solids using different categories.  We’ll also test the hardness of some objects by using a scratch test.  We’ll then discuss the difference between carving and building up materials to create sculptures.

Week 30

We’re back at school after more than a week off, and we’re all (hopefully) refreshed and reenergized!

Christian Studies:
This week we’ll talk about Jesus’ final week.  We’ll talk about His farewell words to His disciples and we’ll apply them to our lives.  Then we’ll discuss Peter denying Jesus.  We’ll talk about the word “confess” and how it can mean to confess our sins or it can mean that we confess our faith. 

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish our module on three-digit subtraction.  We’ll focus on subtracting when the top number is zero, and we’ll put it all together by adding and subtracting three-digit numbers.

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics concept is using “ph” to make the /f/ sound.  Our red words also have “-gh” endings to make the /f/ sound.

We’ll also start a new reading text selection.  We’ll focus on realistic fiction as we read The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree.  We’ll focus on new vocabulary and we’ll discuss the setting and the plot of the story.