Week of September 2

If I had to sum up last week in a word, it would be LIFE!  We touched, examined, heard, smelled and observed the beginning of three types of lifecycles:  Chicks, frogs, and plants.  What an incredible experience!  The chicks that were in our classroom really bonded with students.  They were quiet when students were in class, but would loudly cheep as soon as students were away.  I have some of the chicks at home this weekend - they are starting to get feathers and still enjoy human company.  If they behave, I will bring them back to school on Tuesday for a few more days.  My brother brought tadpoles found locally for us to observe too.  Finally, Many of the seeds we planted in cd cases have leaves and roots now.  In addition, we examined the parts of a seed and dissected flowers as part of our science lessons.  What an exciting week!

About 2 days old

Ms. Nan brought one of her full grown chickens to share Wednesday afternoon.



A popcorn seed grows on the left and a black-eyed pea grows on the right.

Our friends on Friday afternoon - 4 days old.

You can see feathers are beginning to grow in on their wings.

 

Here is an overview of our upcoming week:

Language Arts:  This week we will begin our first novel, Sarah, Plain and Tall.   As we read we will focus on different story elements.  This week we will learn about the characters and setting of the story.  Just as a reminder, reading with your child each night is the best way to improve reading skills.  In second grade, students transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”  As students become better at reading, they will be able to focus more on the ideas within texts. 

In grammar this week we will review the concepts we have already introduced (capitalization, end marks, and commas).  In Riggs, we will continue to practice phonograms.  In addition, we will introduce our first Riggs spelling words this week.

History/Geography:  This week we travel to a new part of the world, Asia, and more specifically modern Japan!  Students will begin the week by looking at major landforms in Asia as well as identifying the countries we will study in more depth.  With a beautiful connection to science this week, we will think about why Japan is called the “Land of the Rising Sun.”  Finally, we will look at Mount Fuji and think about its significance to the Japanese people.

Science:  This week we will recap by writing about one of the four lifecycles we have studied.  As homework this week, students will bring home their Science Field Notebooks to share with you!  I hope you enjoy seeing what your child has been working on in science.  We will continue to add to our notebooks for the rest of the school year, so please make sure these notebooks are returned to school.  Our next few units in science will focus on cycles of non-living things in nature.  We will begin by discussing the movement of the Earth.   

Reminders:

·        Please sign up for reading groups.  Smaller groups will give each student more valuable practice reading and discussing what has been read.

·        Our day begins at 8:05.  Students who arrive before 8:00 have time to unpack at a more leisurely pace and begin morning work.

Warmly,
Ms. Norris