Week 33

We’re back to a normal week of school!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll begin to look at the early church.  We’ll talk about Pentecost and God sending the Holy Spirit.  Then we’ll discuss Tabitha and how God restored her to life.  We’ll talk about ways to serve Jesus in our own lives.

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish up on module on 2D and 3D figures, sorting them by sides and angles.  Then we’ll start our module on partitioning rectangles into equal shares.  This will get us ready to start talking about fractions.

Language Arts:
This week our phonics concept is the /oo/ sound, spelled “oo” and “ew.”  We’ll combine this concept with previous concepts we’ve learned to spell some more complex words.

We’ll also use context clues and text features to better understand a text.

Social Studies:
We’ll finish our unit on America’s beginnings this week, talking about memorials and symbols and how they connect to our history.  We’ll also talk about American holidays and connect them to the history of our country.  We’ll finish off by using our magazine to show what we know on our test.

Science:
This week we’ll dive into our science, testing solids for hardness by using a scratch test.  Then we’ll discuss the difference between carving solids and building them up, and we’ll connect that to hard and soft solids.  We’ll create “trash sculptures” using unlikely art materials.

Week 32

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll be following Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection.  We’ll discuss Jesus appearing to the disciples, as well as Him forgiving Peter for his denials.  We’ll then talk about Jesus’ ascension and His promise to send the Holy Spirit.  We’ll finish off the school year learning about the early church and discussing how we can share the Gospel with others, too.

Math:
This week, we’re starting our module on two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.  We’ll identify and draw 2D and 3D shapes, identifying their features.

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics concept is /k/ and /sh/ spelled with “ch.”  We’ll practice lots of these words, and the spelling test words will be pulled from our word study practices this week.

We’ll also do another close read of our informational text and will answer questions about the text.

Social Studies:
We’ll continue learning about the American Revolution, comparing and contrasting American Revolution freedom fighters. We’ll discuss important people from America’s history who fought for freedom.

Science:
We’ll start off our science unit by sorting gemstones, identifying some features of them and discussing the features of solids.  Then we’ll look at the hardness of some solids using a scratch test.

Week 31

This week is Holy Week, which is the week from Palm Sunday to Easter.  This week is a roller coaster of emotions as we approach Jesus’ death and burial, and then celebrate His resurrection.  This year our Christian Studies lessons line up with Easter, so I’m excited to dive in deeply with the 2^nd graders this Holy Week!

Early Dismissal and No School:
This Friday (April 18) is an early release day.  Classes will be dismissed at 11:15 AM.
We also have no school on the Monday after Easter (April 21).

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll be discussing Jesus’ death and burial.  Then we get to read about Jesus rising from the dead.  We’ll end our Christian Studies time this week talking about Jesus appearing to Mary in the garden.

Math:
We’ll keep measuring in inches, feet, and yards this week.  We’ll practice measuring in inches and feet, comparing our measurements between the two.  Then we’ll measure to the nearest yard.  We’ll choose appropriate tools to measure things, and then we’ll have a practice test.  We’ll finish this module by the end of the week.

Language Arts:
This week we’ll be spelling the /f/ sound using “ph” and “-gh.”  We’ll practice some tricky red words: enough, laugh, read (“red”).

We’ll also look closely at our test, reading it carefully, looking at text features, and pointing out details that we see and clues that help us better understand the text.

Social Studies:
We’ll continue talking about the beginning of our country, discussing the reasons for the revolution and the role of soldiers in the American Revolution.  We’ll also explain why George Washington is an important figure in American history.

Science:
We finished our science unit on plants last week after taking a hiatus from it while we wrote our book.  This week we’ll start our new unit on solids and liquids and how they change.  We’ll start off by looking at some plastic gemstones, using them to discuss various features of solids.

Week 30

I hope everyone had a great spring break and that you were able to relax and recharge!  We’re back to a normal, fun week of school!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’re preparing for Jesus’ crucifixion.  We’ll discuss Jesus’ farewell words to His disciples, and we’ll talk about Peter denying Jesus.  In all of these discussions, we’ll apply it to our lives and talk about grace and God’s salvation.

Math:
This week in math we’ll start our module on measuring in inches.  We’ll estimate lengths in inches, we’ll use nonstandard units to measure, and we’ll measure to the nearest inch.  We’ll then make line plots using measurement data, and we’ll estimate lengths using feet.

Language Arts:
This week we’ll look at the spelling concept of using y as a vowel.  We’ll break apart syllables and discuss where to put the y and how it’s being used as a vowel.

Science:
This week we’ll be hitting science pretty hard, since we put it on pause to work on writing our book.  This week we’ll look at pollination, how seeds move from place to place, different factors that make a good habitat, and we’ll use all of that information to find the best place for a plant to grow.

Social Studies:
We’ll keep working on our unit on America’s beginnings, this week looking at the colonies under British rule and discussing reasons they wanted their freedom.