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.