Ms. Rachel’s Class Weekly Update                       June 4, 2012

Can you believe just one month of 2^nd grade? We’ve got a TON to do to finish up the school year strong!

Math-In Math, this week students will be designing surveys according to their interests. They will be surveying other second grade students, then choosing the appropriate display for their data (bar graph, pie chart, line graph). We are also reviewing various 2^nd grade math concepts in preparation for end of the year assessments (fractions, time, money, addition and subtraction).

Language and Inquiry- Our genre focus last week was folktales, students were able to identify characteristics of folktales by reading many examples of folktales. This week we’re engaging in a whole class novel study, The Chalkbox Kid by Robert Bulla. We will be asking questions, making predictions and drawing conclusions. In writing, we’re on the sloppy copy (first draft) of our story and moving into editing with peers and teachers using a checklist and rubric. We will be focusing on WORD CHOICE and SENTENCE FLUENCY.

Garden Update- Last week in our garden, we did a garden scavenger hunt. This week we are making “pollution soup”-a hands on activity that shows students the importance of water conservation.

Some Important Upcoming Dates:

Last PYP VIP Assembly-June 19

Step-Up Day-June 21

Field Day-June 22

2^nd Grade Picnic-June 28

Last Day-Half Day June 29

Ms. Rachel’s Class Weekly Update                       May 28, 2012

Math-In Math, this week, we are wrapping up our series of lessons using story problems in a fictional toy store. We will be rotating through so each child has a chance to solve 11 different story problems. Then we will be conducting surveys and graphing the results using appropriate data displays (bar graphs and pie charts). IXL this week is fractions.

Language and Inquiry- Our genre focus this week is folktales. We will be identifying the characteristics of folktales and read many examples of folktales from around the world. Then students will be writing their own version of a folktale. In writing, we’re beginning the pre-writing and sloppy copy (first draft) of our story. We will be focusing on WORD CHOICE and SENTENCE FLUENCY.

Garden Update-Last week, fresh from our garden, we made swiss chard and garlic pasta with the swiss chard from our garden. I was so proud of the students who followed the recipe each step, and tried the green veggies. They loved it! (Soon, we’ll be compiling our own class recipe book as part of our variety of book genres study). We also had a demonstration of how much land is available for planting by using an apple to represent the earth. This sparked great conversation about the importance of earth conservation. This week in our garden, we’ll be doing a garden scavenger hunt. Be sure to ask your child about this on Thursday evening!

Ms. Rachel’s Class Weekly Update                       May 21, 2012

Just a quick update to let you know what’s going on in our class this week. Remember, Friday, May 25 is a holiday-no school.

Math-In Math, this week, we are continuing with our series of lessons using story problems in a fictional toy store. The students will be adding and subtracting money amounts based on the story problem. They are in the midst of creating their own story problems, designing the pictures and using great math words. We will be rotating through so each child has a chance to solve 11 different story problems. IXL this week is fractions.

Language and Inquiry- Our genre focus this week is poetry. We will be reading many, many poems with examples of personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia and repetition. Then the kids will be writing their own poetry. We’ve already  had some of the students write some beautiful nature poems, getting inspired by our garden. Great job with poetry!

Tree planting field trip-The field trip was a great success! The children enjoyed being out in nature and planting trees in order to see that they are local contributors. They also were very reflective in their journal entries about the ways that they helped the earth by planting native species trees in a deforested area.

Got Books Newsletter

Ms. Rachel’s Class Newsletter #6:

HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES Unit of Inquiry!

                                   

Can you believe it? It’s our last unit of inquiry of the 2011-12 school year. Wow! Your children have shown such growth throughout 2^nd grade. It’s exciting and rewarding to see.

PYP Unit of Inquiry  and Language Arts– We have just begun our unit on How We Express Ourselves and, as such, we are focusing on expression in written books. The central idea states that, “Authors and Illustrators express themselves in a variety of ways”, and it involves an inquiry into:

·         The ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values.

·         The ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity.

·         Our appreciation of the aesthetic.

The PYP attitudes that we will focus on during this unit are appreciation and enthusiasm.

Our Got Books unit of inquiry will begin with students gaining exposure to books of a wide variety of genres. Students will sort them and then we will define the characteristics of each genre.

We will invite local authors to come into the classroom. Students will interview them to determine how the authors got their ideas for the stories.

As a culminating project, Students will be working towards creating a book of their choice (fiction/non-fiction) using a graphic organizer. The book will also have illustrations in a medium chosen by the students. They will then present their books in an author’s chair presentation.

           

MATHEMATICS – We are in our last unit of math this school year, Unit 6: Computation, Graphing and Probability. Our Bridges math curriculum is based around work stations. The students learn mathematics by hands-on experiments and team work. I also supplement with paper/pencil tasks and small group instruction to extend or support students learning. Please continue to have your child log onto IXL daily and practice math flashcards for addition/subtraction basic facts.

OTHER:

• Thank you for the great attendance during our recent Global Contributors-Wax Museum Presentation . I was very proud of the great job that all the kids did, and your presence made it all the more special.
• Also, student led conferences were a great way for your children to practice the skills of following a checklist, putting things in order and expanding on ideas in an oral presentation. They worked hard putting together their portfolios. Thank you for your support!

V. Important Dates:

·         May 15-Tree Planting Field Trip

·         May 25-No School

·         Many more to come!

Thanks for all your home support! It truly makes a difference!

Ms. Rachel

Ms. Rachel’s Class Weekly Update                       May 14, 2012

Student led conferences last Thursday were great! Your children were prepared, I was impressed on how well they went through the checklist, showing you their favorite work samples from the past few weeks of school. Great job!

Math-In Math, this week, we have a series of lessons using story problems in a fictional toy store. The students will be adding and subtracting money amounts based on the story problem. They will also be creating their own story problems in a toy store. I’m also supplementing the lessons with Fraction Sundaes. The kids designed giant ice cream sundaes, then worked to describe them in terms of fractions.

Language and Inquiry- Our final PYP unit of inquiry is “How We Express Ourselves” and is titled “Got Books!” The focus is on how authors and illustrators expressed themselves through books. We’ll be examining a variety of book genres (poetry, picture books, fables, fairy tales, non-fiction, etc). Students will be able to identify which books belong in which genre. The unit will culminate when students write and illustrate their own book and present the book in an author’s chair event.

Tree planning field trip-We have decided to use our bake sale funds to buy seedlings. THIS Tuesday, May 15 we will travel to Yaruquis to Kathy Capello’s farm. She has a project of reforesting Yaruquis with native species. The children will take part in planting, watering, then visiting her gardens. We’ll end our day with reflective journaling of how we are local and global contributors and a picnic lunch.

Class Garden Update-This week, we’re going to harvest the last of our Swiss Chard and make Swiss Chard pasta with garlic. Yum! We’ve also been classifying all our garden veggies into the parts of the plant (root, stems, leaves, etc.) The folktale Stone Soup is a book that we will read, showing the important lesson that it’s possible to stretch just a few ingredients into a delicious meal. Eventually, the children will be creating a class recipe book of all the foods we’ve cooked this year.

Important Upcoming Dates:

May 15, 2012-(8:15-2:15) Field Trip to Capello Farm to plant native species trees

May 25, 2012-No School

Ms. Rachel’s Class Weekly Update                       May 7, 2012

Math- Math this week is focused on graphing, probability and triple digit addition, all taught through hands-on learning in our 6 new math workstations. I’m also supplementing the lessons with Fraction Sundaes. The kids design a giant ice cream sundae, then work to describe it in terms of fractions.

Language and Inquiry-This is a wrap-up week for our Global and Local Contributors PYP unit of Inquiry. Thank you all for coming to our Wax Museum. I was so proud of the students for giving such elaborate speeches and really getting into character! This week, the kids are making posters that show them NOW and in the FUTURE. We’re talking about GOALS and how to meet them.

Student Led Conferences-No school on May 10 due to these conferences. All have returned the form, thank you! This is a time for your child to showcase his/her work, to get feedback from you and to set goals for the rest of the school year and next year.

Tree planning field trip-We have decided to use our bake sale funds to buy seedlings. Then on Tuesday, May 15 we will travel to Yaruquis to Kathy Capello’s farm. She has a project of reforesting Yaruquis with native species. The children will take part in planting, watering, then visiting her gardens. We’ll end our day with reflective journaling of how we are local and global contributors and a picnic lunch. Field Trip permission form is coming home Monday.

Class Garden Update-This week, we’re going to harvest the last of our Swiss Chard and make Swiss Chard pasta with garlic. Yum! We’ve also been classifying all our garden veggies into the parts of the plant (root, stems, leaves, etc.) The folktale Stone Soup is a book that we will read, showing the important lesson that it’s possible to stretch just a few ingredients into a delicious meal. Eventually, the children will be creating a class recipe book of all the foods we’ve cooked this year.

Important Upcoming Dates:

May 10, 2012-No School-Student Led Conferences

May 15, 2012-(8:15-2:15) Field Trip to Capello Farm to plant native species trees

Ms. Rachel’s Class Weekly Update                       May 2, 2012

Math-This week we will get hands on practice with probability and fractions. We’ve been using the vocabulary of “out of” for example, 3 out of 11 kids have pets. For probability the vocabulary is “more likely” “less likely” and “equally likely.” Then, we graph the results of our experiments to notice trends and patterns.

Language Arts-This week’s focus is on reading for information, more specifically, how to interpret timelines, in biographies. The students will then create a timeline of their own lives (extending into the future as we speak about goals and what to do to achieve them). In Writing, our focus is on VOICE as we perfect our global contributors speech, written from the first person.

Inquiry- In our Unit of Inquiry last week, we raised $133 per 2^nd grade class. We had a great brainstorming session about what’s the best way to use the funds. Many suggested we should give it to poor children on the streets. We spoke about how that would feed them for maybe 1 week. But then what? Then I suggested something more sustainable. Planting trees in a place that has been deforested, Yaruquis. That way, the trees will last years and years, all people will benefit from more trees. The kids agreed and we will be local contributors by reforesting trees.

Remember too, that you are invited to our Global Contributor’s Report Wax Museum this Friday, May 4 from 10:50-11:50AM.

Student Led Conferences-No school on May 10 due to these conferences. Look out for a form coming home within the next couple of days to sign up for a preferred time slot, most likely in the morning. This is a time for your child to show off his/her work, to get feedback from you and to set goals for the rest of the school year and next year.

Tree planning field trip-We have decided to use our bake sale funds to buy seedlings. Then on Tuesday, May 8 we will travel to Yaruquis to Kathy Capello’s farm. She has a project of reforesting Yaruquis with native species. The children will take part in planting, watering, then visiting her gardens. We’ll end our day with reflective journaling of how we are local and global contributors and a picnic lunch. Field Trip permission form and more details to come soon!

Class Garden Update-We are at the point in our garden of harvesting and getting ready for next year’s crops. We’re tilling the soil, returning the old plants to the soil and planting new seeds. The garden is also a place for inspiration for writing. The kids have written creative stories about what happens at night in the garden. Some are quite spooky! Way to go using your VOICE and WORD CHOICE J

Important Upcoming Dates:

May 4, 2012-(10:50-11:50)-Wax Museum Presentations for parents and other students

May 10, 2012-No School-Student Led Conferences

May 15, 2012-(8:15-2:15) Field Trip to Capello Farm to plant native species trees