Wednesday, February 27, 2013

March 1, 2013



Reading and Language Arts   Next week we will be reading a photo essay called Brothers and Sisters. It is about younger and older brothers and sisters. As we read, we will share information about our families, and make generalizations.

Comprehension Strategies: Evaluate; Making generalizations; Understanding and Using Timelines
Vocabulary Words: newborn, twins, teenage, distract, pest, great grandchildren, email, offices
High Frequency Words:  trouble, middle, uncle
Grammar Skills:  Verbs
Phonics:  Vowel pairs oa, ow; er endings in 2 syllable words; word families

Reading Logs  March reading logs went home today. Please continue to read with your children and log their minutes. Today we had our reading celebration. Students who read for 21 days during the month of February watched the movie The Incredibles while eating lunch in the classroom. Great job readers!

Math  On Monday we will have a chapter test on Plane Figures and Spatial Sense. Please help your child review the Extra math page with them. The next chapter we will be on is Length, Perimeter, and Area. Students will be measuring lengths with nonstandard units, as well as with inches, feet and yards.

Flash Cards  Students should be working hard to memorize their addition and subtraction facts. KEEP PRACTICING MATH FACTS WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME!

Social Studies This week we are learning about people and places in our history. Students are learning about immigrants, how they entered through Ellis Island and Angel Island,and how they contribute to the United States. Next week we will begin to understand how holidays, landmarks, and artifacts tell about the past.

Star Student of the Week  Danny was our star student of the week.  When he is at school he enjoys math. When he is at home he likes to play video games. When Danny grows up he would like to be a NBA basketball player.  He is a star because he is a good student and a good basketball player. Thanks for sharing Danny!

Important Dates & Announcement

Tues, Mar 19 - Early Dismissal - 12pm - School Improvement Day
Mon, Mar 25 - Mon, Apr 1 - SPRING BREAK
Tues, Apr 9 - No School - Teacher Institute
Fri, Apr 12 - No School - P/T Conferences

Friday, February 22, 2013

February 22, 2013



Reading and Language Arts   Next week we will be reading 2 selections. The first one is Little Grunt and the Big Egg, and is fantasy.  It is about a boy who finds the biggest egg he has ever seen. The second one is Mighty Dinosaurs, and is nonfiction. Students will discover facts about dinosaurs that lived on earth millions of years ago.

Comprehension Strategies: Predict and Infer; Summarize; Monitor and Clarify; Question; Cause and Effect
Vocabulary Words: disaster, earthquake, erupting, lava, pitch, volcano, allergic, fossils, packs, prey, remains, reptiles
Grammar Skills:  Pronouns, Possessive Pronouns
Phonics:  Vowel pairs oa, ow; word endings nd, nt, mp, ng, nk; r-Controlled Vowels, ar, or, ore

Reading Logs  Keep logging those minutes for February. February Logs are due March 1st.

Math  We are working with Plane Figures and Spatial Sense. We will be separating plane figures to make new figures, using the strategy of logical reasoning to solve problems about plane figures, transforming figures by translation, reflection and rotation and using attributes to describe figures as congruent.

Flash Cards  Students should be working hard to memorize their addition and subtraction facts. KEEP PRACTICING MATH FACTS WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME!

Social Studies This week we talked about George Washington and how important he was to our country. We are also learning about important people and events in African-American History.

Star Student of the Week  Lexi was our star student of the week.  When she is at school she enjoys recess. When she is at home she likes to read and eat. When Lexi grows up she would like to be a dentist.  She is a star because she is creative. Thanks for sharing Lexi!

Important Dates & Announcement

Tues, Feb 26 - Early Dismissal-12pm - School Improvement Day
Fri, Mar 1 - February Reading Logs due
Tues, Mar 19 - Early Dismissal-12pm - School Improvement Day
Mon, Mar 25 - Mon, Apr 1 - Spring Break
Tues, Apr 9 - No School - Teacher Institute
Fri, Apr 12 - No School - P/T Conferences



Monday, February 18, 2013

February 15, 201s



Reading and Language Arts   Next week we will be reading The Great Ball Game:  A Muskogee Story. It is a fable about how the birds and the animals play ball to decide who is better. The birds don't allow the bat on their team, but he ends up winning the game for the animals. 

Comprehension Strategies: Summarize; Cause/Effect; Problem Solving; Compare/Contrast
Vocabulary Words: accept, advantage, argument, penalty, quarrel
High Frequency Words:  ago, field, war, half
Grammar Skills:  Plural Possessive Nouns 
Phonics:  Vowel pairs oa, ow, and word endings nd, nt, mp, ng, nk

Reading Logs  Keep logging those minutes for FebruaryDon't forget to log your child's reading in the Six Flags Read to Succeed log too! To participate, your child needs to read for a total of 6 hours or 360 minutes. This log must be returned to school by February 22, 2013 in order to receive a free ticket to Six Flags theme park. 

Math  We will finish the unit Geometry, Patterns, and Measurement, next Tuesday with a review and Chapter Test. Our next chapter is Plane Figures and Spatial Sense. We will identify, sort, and compare and contrast plane figures.

Please review and point out the faces, edges and vertices of objects in your home with your child.  

Flash Cards  Students should be working hard to memorize their addition and subtraction facts. KEEP PRACTICING MATH FACTS WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME!

Science  We are learning how to analyze, describe and sequence the events of animal life cycles. We will have a chapter test on Animals next week. Check your child's planner next week for the date.

Star Student of the Week  Dominic was our star student of the week.  When he is at school he enjoys math and recess. When he is at home he likes to play video games. When Dominic grows up he would like to be a policeman and a hockey player.  He is a star because he is good at sports. Thanks for sharing Dominic!

Important Dates & Announcement

I wanted to send out a special thank you to all our parents that helped in some way with the Valentine Party:  Mrs. Bende, Mrs. Prpa, Mrs. O'Connell, Mrs. Dematteo, Mrs. Mastny, Mrs. Adams, and Mrs. Malatia. The kids had a lot of  fun. Thanks again for volunteering your time!

Mon, Feb 18 - No School- President's Day
Wed, Feb 20 - Bear Down on Bullies Assembly
Fri, Feb 22 - Six Flags Reading Log due
Fri, Feb 22 - Fuzzy Friend Day-Bring a stuffed animal (that fits in your                                                 backpack) and a book to read to school
Tues, Feb 26 - Early Dismissal-12pm - School Improvement Day
Tues, Mar 19 - Early Dismissal-12pm - School Improvement Day
Mon, Mar 25 - Mon, Apr 1 - Spring Break
Tues, Apr 9 - No School - Teacher Institute
Fri, Apr 12 - No School - P/T Conferences




Friday, February 8, 2013

February 8, 2013




Reading and Language Arts   Next week we will be reading Ants. It is a photo essay about the different kinds of ants that are found throughout the world. We will talk about how ants work together to get food, and about the kinds of things ants eat. 

Comprehension Strategies: Question; Text Organization
Vocabulary Words:  antennae, cocoons, colonies, fungus, larvae, tunnels
High Frequency Words: between, care, weight
Grammar Skills:  Singular possessive nouns  
Phonics:  Words with nd, nt, mp, ng, nk; Base Words and Endings in Nouns -s, -es, ies 

Reading Logs   Congrats to those students who read for 21 days, and turned in their reading logs for January. We celebrated with lunch and the movie, The Incredibles, in the classroom on Monday. Way to go readers!

Keep logging those minutes for FebruaryDon't forget to log your child's reading in the Six Flags Read to Succeed log too! To participate, your child needs to read for a total of 6 hours or 360 minutes. This log must be returned to school by February 22, 2013 in order to receive a free ticket to Six Flags theme park. 

Math  We began a new unit, Geometry, Patterns, and Measurement. Students are identifying, sorting, and comparing and contrasting solid figures.

PLEASE PRACTICE TELLING TIME WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME!

Flash Cards  Students should be working hard to memorize their addition and subtraction facts.  

Science  We are learning about different animals. We are observing and comparing body coverings, and learning some of the characteristics of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. 

Star Student of the Week  Kaiden was our star student of the week.  When he is at school he enjoys math. When he is at home he likes to build with Legos. When Kaiden grows up he would like to be a dad.  He is a star because he drives cars. Thanks for sharing Kaiden!



Important Dates & Announcement

Congratulations to Mrs. Zurales' 2nd Graders:  Our class earned 10 paws for being responsible, respectful and safe around the school. For their reward, they voted and chose a movie and freeze pops. We celebrated their achievement during lunch today. Congrats!

Valentine's Day - We will be celebrating Valentine's Day on Thursday, Feb. 14th. Class parties begin at 2pm. If your child would like to send in valentines, please make sure you have one for each student in our class. Please send them to school in a plastic (Ziploc bag). Look for our class list in their green folder.

Thurs, Feb 14 - Classroom Valentine Party
Mon, Feb 18 - No School- President's Day
Wed, Feb 20 - Bear Down on Bullies Assembly
Fri, Feb 22 - Six Flags Reading Log due
Fri, Feb 22 - Fuzzy Friend Day-Bring a stuffed animal (that fits in your                                                 backpack) and a book to read to school
Tues, Feb 26 - Early Dismissal-12pm- School Improvement Day

Friday, February 1, 2013

February 1, 2013



Reading and Language Arts   Next week we will be focusing on Biographies. The students will be reading a couple of biographies. They will choose a famous person, read their biography, and learn how to write a time line of the most important events in this famous person's life.


Comprehension Strategies: Understanding Biography; Evaluate
Vocabulary Words:  biography, champion, event, fact, information, president
High Frequency Words: friend, about, beautiful, near, write, believe, watch, surprised, afraid, years
Grammar Skills:  Nouns and Pronouns 
Phonics:  r-Controlled Vowels, Word endings -tion, -ture

Reading Logs   February logs went home todayDon't forget to log your child's reading in the Six Flags Read to Succeed log too! To participate, your child needs to read for a total of 6 hours or 360 minutes. This log must be returned to school by February 22, 2013 in order to receive a free ticket to Six Flags theme park. 

Math  We will finish Ch. 13, Time with a test on Wednesday. We will move on to a new unit, Geometry, Patterns, and Measurement. We will begin with solid figures. Students will identify, sort, and compare and contrast solid figures.

PLEASE PRACTICE TELLING TIME WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME!

Flash Cards  Students should be working hard to memorize their addition and subtraction facts.  

Science  Next week we will begin our next Chapter, Animals. We will observe and compare body coverings, and learn some of the characteristics of mammals and birds.

Star Student of the Week  Timmy was our star student of the week.   When he is at school he enjoys gym, recess and math. When he is at home he likes to play video games and sports. When Timmy grows up he would like to be a baseball player.  He is a star because he works hard at school. Thanks for sharing Timmy!

Important Dates & Announcements


Thurs, Feb 7 - Hundredth Day of School
Thurs, Feb 14 - Classroom Valentine Party
Mon, Feb 18 - No School- President's Day
Fri, Feb 22 - Six Flags Reading Log due
Tues, Feb 26 - Early Dismissal-12pm- School Improvement Day

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