Week of October 31-November 4

Please remember to return your child's report card envelope signed as well as the conference information sheet by Friday, November 4.

It has been a busy week in 2W! We finished up our government unit in social studies-ask your child what important symbols represent the U.S. We also finished Unit 3 in math and took our assessment. We've continued practicing identifying the story elements in reading, and we started our friendly letter unit in writing.

Important reminders and upcoming events:
-Scarecrow Day is Friday, November 4
-Students will be able to purchase books from the book fair on Wednesday, November 9. They will also be available for purchase during conferences.
-Book Talks are November 14-18
-2nd Grade Music Event is December 1

Here are the highlights from the week:
Monday: We played a math game to practice making change.
Tuesday: We learned about U.S. symbols.
Wednesday: We continued learning U.S. symbols.
Thursday: We made turkeys. We solved addition change problems.

Friday: We celebrated Scarecrow Day!

I've really enjoyed teaching 2W and thank you everyone for your help and support. I'm going to miss teaching second grade every day!

-Ms. Gluskin

Week of October 24-October 28

Don't forget our field trip is this Friday, October 28. Please send your child with a sack lunch to eat at Naper Settlement. They may also bring a snack to have when we get back from the field trip; I am not sure what time lunch is.

It's been another busy week in 2W. We learned about bats in reading, and we finished writing our scarecrow paragraphs in writing. The students have worked hard in math making change, and they have been interested learning how our government works.

Here are the highlights for the week:
Monday: We learned about bar graphs.
Tuesday: We learned about the 3 branches of government. We solved frames and arrows problems in math.
Wednesday: We read a book about voting.
Thursday: We learned about Washington D.C.
Friday: We had a fun day outside at Naper Settlement!!

A couple reminders about upcoming events:
Next Friday, November 4, is Scarecrow Day. Your child may dress like a scarecrow and bring a scarecrow snack!

Book Fair preview days start next Friday. Books will be available to purchase during class time on November 8 and 9 as well as during conferences.

Week of October 17-October 21

It's hard to believe how fast the school year is moving, and that it is already the end of the First Quarter! 2W is working extremely hard and learning a lot! We focused on making predictions and retelling a story this week. We also discussed word choice in our writing and made a class thesaurus! In math, we started Unit 3 and have been talking about place value, coins, and money. We also started our government unit in social studies and have learned who is in charge of our community, state, and country!

Here are the highlights from each day:
Monday: We started our government unit.
Tuesday: We used a thesaurus to find good words to use in writing.
Wednesday: We learned state facts.
Thursday: We learned about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Friday: We talked about scarecrows.

As a reminder, our field trip to Naper Settlement is next Friday. I know the kids are very excited!

Also, if anyone has extra toys or little things lying around the house, our prize bin is running low! Feel free to donate them to 2W :-)

Week of October 11-October 14

Even though it was a short week of school, 2W was still very busy! We wrapped up our science unit about the water cycle, and the students are able to explain what evaporation, condensation, and precipation are. We also wrapped up our Unit 2 in math. We discussed making text-to-self connections in a story and continued practicing choosing good-fit books and retelling a story. We also began our unit on paragraphs; we will be doing a lot of writing over the next few weeks!

Here are this week's highlights:
Tuesday: We talked about conserving water. We learned about -9 and -8 fact strategies.
Wednesday: We brainstormed topics for paragraphs.
Thursday: We made a diagram of the water cycle.
Friday: We wrote a paragraph.

A few upcoming announcements:
-Students received information about book talks in their mailboxes along with a schedule when they present. Although book talks will not occur for another month, this gives the students plenty of time to choose a book and complete a project. Please help your child choose a "just right" book, so they can continue practicing their reading strategies and comprehension.
-Students will take their Quarter 1 math assessment on Monday.
-The first quarter ends next Friday!!

Happy weekend :-)

Week of October 3-October 7

Happy October!

A couple friendly reminders:
Please send your child to school with a healthy snack-no potato chips and no cookies. If they bring that, I will ask them to put it away and choose something else from their lunch box.

Also, make sure your child has enough sharpened pencils. Many of the students are "running out" of pencils. The class pencil sharpener doesn't work that well, so if they have a little one in their desk, that may be easier.

We have had a very busy week, especially with the CogAT test taking up some time! The students love the experiments we're doing in science related to the water cycle; ask them to sing the water cycle song! We have also solved frames and arrow problems and What's My Rule? problems in math.

Here are this week's highlights:
Monday: We did a science experiment and learned what condensation is.
Tuesday: We took the CogAT test. We solved frames and arrows problems.
Wednesday: We learned the 3 parts of the water cycle.
Thursday: We completed a story map.
Friday: We learned what a paragraph is. We had extra recess outside!

Enjoy the beautiful weather and extra long weekend!

Week of September 26-September 30

A few announcements:
1. Please have your child bring a pair of headphones, if possible, to leave in his/her bookbin. These will be used to listen to reading during the Daily 5/Reader's Workshop.
2. While the weather is still dry, outdoor recess will occur each day. Please make sure your child comes to school with the proper clothing and footwear to stay warm!

This was a busy week in 2W! We read our first story in reading and worked on retelling it and remembering the sequence of events. We continued our math unit and focused on fact families and subtraction number stories. We also started our science unit about the water cycle and did our first experiments of the year!

Here are the highlights from the week:
Monday: We started learning about the water cycle.
Tuesday: We read a book about the water cycle.
Wednesday: We set up an experiment about evaporation.
Thursday: We fanned chalkboards in an evaporation experiment.
Friday: We wrote a paragraph about the fall.

As a reminder, CogAT testing will occur Tuesday-Thursday next week. Enjoy your weekend!

Week of September 19-September 23

A couple important reminders for the week:
Field Trip Permission Slips for the Naper Settlement trip in October are due Monday, September 26.
If you would like to place a book order, they are also due Monday, September 26.
Progress Reports need to be signed for Monday, September 26.

It was another busy week in 2W as we finished our unit learning about our community and how we can be good, helpful citizens. We continued learning about the writing process and have written our own stories to edit and publish next week. We also started Unit 2 in math, which looks at addition and subtraction number stories and facts.

Here were the highlights of the week:
Monday: Zeon shared his All About Me. We listened to books on Tumble Books.
Tuesday: We played a math game. We shared about traveling around the world.
Wednesday: We talked about how to be a good citizen.
Thursday: We played the sticker game to review social studies.
Friday: We played Beat the Calculator again. We had fun playing freeze dance.

Have a great weekend!

Week of September 12-September 16

It was great meeting everyone at Curriculum Night! 2W had another busy week filled with new things! We took our second spelling test and our first math test. Also, we've continued learning the Reader's Workshop routine and have spent more time reading by ourself or with a partner. We've begun our first writing piece to take through the writing process. The students also have a better understanding of what a community is and how they fit into their own.

Here are the highlights of the week:
Monday: We posted on Kidblog.
Tuesday: We have math homework! We read to someone.
Wednesday: We played spelling games. We learned about our community.
Thursday: We reviewed for our math test. We watched a movie about communities.
Friday: We watched a movie about the Constitution. We took our Unit 1 math test.

Please contact me if you have any questions. Don't forget to sign up for conferences!
Have a great weekend!

Week of September 7-9

Even though it was a short week at school, we were still very busy! We continued learning the Reader's Workshop routine and read to ourselves and with a partner. We also did writing, spelling, math, and began our new social studies unit.

Here are the highlights of the week:
Wednesday: We heard Ms. Gluskin's All About Me. We wrote number scrolls.
Thursday: We wrote super sentences. We took our first spelling test.
Friday: We played a calculator game. Today was picture day.

Don't forget, next Thursday, September 15 is Curriculum Night from 6:30-8. It's parents only!

Also, we are going to adjust our routine and move snack time earlier in the day. Hopefully this will help the children stay more focused and less hungry before lunch.

Week of August 29-September 2

We have had a busy second week of school continuing to learn our daily routines, especially in Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop as well as wrapping up our Map Unit in Social Studies. Be sure to ask your child about some of their favorite activities!

Here are the highlights of the week:
Monday: We played Simon Says with directions.
Tuesday: We found a treasure. We also took a math test.
Wednesday: We played the money game.
Thursday: We made a map.
Friday: Mrs. Ward had a baby girl! We played math games.

Just as a reminder, there is no school Monday, September 5 and Tuesday, September 6. Enjoy the long weekend!

Also, math reference books are available. If you would like a copy that your child will keep in his/her backpack, please ask!