Newsletter April 1st, 2011
Math – Unit 9 has proven to be quite easy for most of the kids or at least that is what they tell me. They have finally gotten to use calculators in math as well; what a treat! The unit test so far is scheduled for April 13th.
Social Studies – Heritage fair is this coming Tuesday and starts at 1:30 pm. You are all invited to see the hard work that families have put into these posters, presentations and culture crafts. We did a mini-lesson on immigrant children and the concept of child labor was rather interesting for the kids. The students had also asked for a check-in to see how well they were doing. The first time they did it relying only on memory and then they were able to fix mistakes using the textbook. I have also sent home a break-down of which units we have covered under which district ELO’s, thanks for that great idea parent survey taker!
Science – We finished all of the investigations for Earth Materials and the students are in the process of creating their own science investigations. They have thought of either hypotheses’ or statements explaining the purpose of their research. Many of the students are choosing to do their experiments at home, so today we will discuss time line with them. The final product will be a verbal presentation of their research. This means there is NO NEED for science volunteers until further notice.
Reading – Wow have we been reading fairytales. We start with the original Brothers Grimm to give the students a glimpse at how these well-known stories started. They have also started picking up on the elements of a fairy tale such as talking animals, magic, element of evil, and even repeated numbers. We have also added 3 new comprehension strategies to our tool box of what great readers do: listen to your inner voice, know when to listen, and read/write/talk.
Writing –The next writing project will be to write a fairytale, however, we continue to write a lot in social studies and science, as well as our blogging challenges.
Special Notes –
* I run the West Middleton talent show along with Ms. Bodell and auditions will be coming up sooner than you think. Audition dates have been set for May 3rd and 5th with more information to come.
*Global connections: We are busy working on our community video for the class in New York City, as well as folding cranes for ReBuild Japan. We have left comments for new 2nd grade bloggers in Pennsylvania and have started discussing a mentor relationship with 6th grade students in Merton, Wisconsin.
* We go to Annie Jr. this coming Friday from 8:30 to 10.
* This week’s blogging challenge was finishing the sentences: “Being a good teacher means… and Being a good student means…” The responses were very fascinating to read, check them out.
* Our community video project is explained on our website, however, some students are bringing video cameras home to film their homes. If your child has volunteered your home and you would rather not, please just let them know, no offense will be taken. We are trying to highlight the differences between our community and the community the students in New York City live in.
* The Lumberjack Breakfast will take place May 25th 8:30 – 10:00 AM roughly. Mindy Sabol has graciously agreed to be my point person and will be helping me plan it. Please contact me or her if you are interested in helping prior to the event or during it.
* You are all invited to the heritage fair. This great event gives the students a chance to show off all of their newfound knowledge regarding their heritage. The event will start at 1:30 PM and run until 2:30 PM in the multipurpose room.
* I have some dates for you to put on your calendars: Heritage Fair is April 5th at 1:30 PM in multipurpose room, Annie Jr. performance is April 8th at 8:30 AM, and Engineering Expo is April 14th all day.
