Weekly Nes 3-19-21

 Weekly News 3-19-21

Important Notes:

*Next week students can choose new library books on Tuesday!

*Conferences are next Thursday from 12-6 pm.  Plenty of slots available!  Students will have remote learning half days on March 25th and 26th. I will send a packet that I will do online with them on Google Meet from 9:00-10:00 am.  Then they will just have Lexia, IXL and some reading to do.  

Our Work this Week:

*In spelling we worked on common long o spelling patterns (oa, ow and o-consonant-e). We sorted these words, did dictation with them, worked on synonyms, proofreading and using them in context.   Next week we will work on long c, k and ck words. Our grammar work reviewed past skills and added identifying words with the same vowel sounds, teasing out words with multiple meanings and alphabetizing words.

*During math we kicked off Unit 5 with solving subtraction number stories and then moved into a lot of work with money.  We drew coin combinations as we “shopped” for different items.  We learned to make change and practiced a strategy to help us do this efficiently.  At the end of the week we had an exploration lesson where we worked with shapes, multiplication concepts and telling time. Students are moving up through the addition facts sequence after they master doubles plus one facts.  

*In reading workshop we switched gears back to fiction and worked on characterization.  Our goal was to tell how a character’s actions, words and thoughts tell us what they are like “on the inside.”  We read books like Hooway for Wodney Wat, Jamie O’Rourke and The Big Potato, Nana Akua Goes to School and Clever Tom and the Leprechaun. Students are growing in their ability to name a character trait and provide evidence from the story that supports the trait.

*Writing workshop.  This week each child worked on a final project for informational writing.  They chose a topic that involved movement and wrote an All About Book on this topic.  Each book had to include a special page dedicated to how force and motion relates to their subject.  For instance, if they wrote about swimming, they would explain how push and pull works as you swim.  Second graders showed us they knew exactly how to transition back to an “All About Book” after doing so many lab reports.  They are working hard to elaborate with details on every page and are getting lots of practice with editing and revising their work.

*PE was our special this week.  We were able to spend some of it outdoors!  Mr. Hutchings taught us a new charm challenge, “The Leprechaun Challenge.”  We have added it to our daily repertoire of movement breaks so we can get really good at it.  We also did some fun games outside, including noodle tag!

We used a vending machine to pay exact change and also pay extra, and then make change!

Sample page from our final informational writing project!

A good introduction should grab you!

We did really well showing coins for the exact cost.

We used a special chant to help us remember how to make change.

Sample writing project page

Details in words and illustrations!

The kids were so much more independent with their final book!

We practiced naming what a character is like on the "inside."

Students found evidence to back up their thinking. 

On Friday we had an "exploration" math lesson and the geoboards were a big hit!

Proud athletes with all their charms from PE challenges!

We are rocking expanded notation!

We also explored shapes with our pattern block templates.

Reader and thinker at work!

Wind chill kept us in for recess one day.  Playdough and special paper to design with!