Hello, Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Thank you to the kids who came out to cheer for me, Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Cooke in the half marathon yesterday! It was a great race and the weather was perfect.
We are having another exciting week in 2nd grade! Our study of weather continues and we are learning a lot! We are reading both 'fun' fiction and non-fiction to learn about weather. We are finishing up our work with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and we will work on Pickles to Pittsburgh at the end of the week.
Our study of fractions continues! I am so happy to see the students diving right in to this challenging concept! Please continue to make sure you child completes the nightly Home Links. These will be a great help in reinforcing concepts. We use manipulatives such as pattern blocks, money and of course, pictures of pizzas and pies to help us learn fractions. Hands-on work is truly helping the students visualize and understand fractions. We even have a fraction museum in class!
Homework Packet 20 is posted on the right side of this blog and it is due on Friday. A couple notes about the homework:
*The math problems are becoming more challenging. We are just beginning to work on three digit addition in class. Please do not be discouraged if these are difficult for your child. We will have lots of practice in class and practicing at home will help as well.
*Some people are having difficulty printing the homework (the right side gets cut off and it prints out twice as many pages). When you click on the link to the homework, there is a blue tool bar above the first page of the homework (with the words File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Table, Tools, Help). Click on the word file and a drop down menu will open. From the menu, click print. A new window will open up. In this window, click on File in the tool bar and it will print the correct number of pages. The trick is to click on the blue Google tool bar instead of the regular tool bar. Sorry for any confusion!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Johnston
March 29, 2010
March 26, 2010
Friday Is Our Favorite Day!
What a fun, busy and productive week we had in 2nd grade! Everyone came back from Spring Break excited to learn! We had fun learning about wonderful weather, fun fractions, cool contractions, awesome acrostics and amazing alliteration!
We did a lot of hard work in math. I am very proud of the students for tackling the new and challenging concepts! We finished our work in Chapter 7 and we began Chapter 8 on Thursday. I sent home a Family Letter today discussing what we will study in Chapter 8. You will receive a family letter at the start of each new chapter. Starting with Chapter 8, your child will bring home a "Home Links" paper each night. The paper will contain practice problems over what we covered in school that day. Your child should be able to complete these independently. We are studying increasingly challenging math concepts and these Home Links will help your child to practice and secure the new concepts.
This week we learned about poetry, and specifically
A
C
R
O
S
T
I
C
poems. We worked together as a class to write several acrostic poems. We brainstormed great descriptive weather words and then the class each wrote their own weather acrostic poems. Parents - be sure to ask your child what he/she can do with poetry!
Report Cards went home today and I am so proud of the students for all of their hard work! Keep working hard in the 4th quarter!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
We did a lot of hard work in math. I am very proud of the students for tackling the new and challenging concepts! We finished our work in Chapter 7 and we began Chapter 8 on Thursday. I sent home a Family Letter today discussing what we will study in Chapter 8. You will receive a family letter at the start of each new chapter. Starting with Chapter 8, your child will bring home a "Home Links" paper each night. The paper will contain practice problems over what we covered in school that day. Your child should be able to complete these independently. We are studying increasingly challenging math concepts and these Home Links will help your child to practice and secure the new concepts.
This week we learned about poetry, and specifically
A
C
R
O
S
T
I
C
poems. We worked together as a class to write several acrostic poems. We brainstormed great descriptive weather words and then the class each wrote their own weather acrostic poems. Parents - be sure to ask your child what he/she can do with poetry!
Report Cards went home today and I am so proud of the students for all of their hard work! Keep working hard in the 4th quarter!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
March 25, 2010
Computers, March 26!
Cool Clouds!
Read about clouds on this website:
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloudhome.html
* Clouds Impact Our Lives
* Clouds Can Cause Chaos
* How in the World do Clouds Form?
* Cloud Types
When you're done reading about clouds, click on Games at the top of the page, then choose:
Cloud Matching Game.
After you're done if you still have time you may play the Cloud Concentration Game.
Read about clouds on this website:
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloudhome.html
* Clouds Impact Our Lives
* Clouds Can Cause Chaos
* How in the World do Clouds Form?
* Cloud Types
When you're done reading about clouds, click on Games at the top of the page, then choose:
Cloud Matching Game.
After you're done if you still have time you may play the Cloud Concentration Game.
March 22, 2010
Welcome Back!
Happy Monday, Everyone!
I hope everyone had a wonderful break! The weather is beautiful and spring is here to stay! Speaking of weather...this week we begin our study on Wonderful Weather! Today we learned about elements of weather. Parents - be sure to ask your child about what he/she learned today!
We have our Chapter 7 Math test this Wednesday, March 24. We will have a review day tomorrow and we will also review on Wednesday morning. Extra practice pages are going home tonight to help your child. These do not need to be turned in and your child should be able to complete these independently.
Homework Packet 19 is posted on this blog under the calendar. It is due on Friday.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Johnston
I hope everyone had a wonderful break! The weather is beautiful and spring is here to stay! Speaking of weather...this week we begin our study on Wonderful Weather! Today we learned about elements of weather. Parents - be sure to ask your child about what he/she learned today!
We have our Chapter 7 Math test this Wednesday, March 24. We will have a review day tomorrow and we will also review on Wednesday morning. Extra practice pages are going home tonight to help your child. These do not need to be turned in and your child should be able to complete these independently.
Homework Packet 19 is posted on this blog under the calendar. It is due on Friday.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Johnston
March 12, 2010
Friday Is Our Favorite Day!
It was a great week in second grade! We had fun learning about gathering and sorting numerical data, creating Asia Travel Brochures, words with silent letters and writing thank you notes! Parents - be sure to ask your kids what they can do!
We did a lot of awesome collaborative work! The students worked in groups of 3 and 4 to create their travel brochures for Asia. Students researched to find out about the weather, language, money, food and exciting travel spots in their specific countries. I am so impressed with the travel brochures! The students worked so hard and they should be proud of their great work!
We had a great time in math and we tried math centers for the first time! Students learned how to read weight on a scale, measure their arm span and sort data to find the median. We did a lot of tough stuff this week and the busy bees worked so hard to learn and practice the new concepts. Well done, everyone!
The week ended with a Fun Friday afternoon! We had computers, recess, Bee Bucks, Rainbow Club and even a human hot dog assembly!
Have a wonderful Spring Break!
See you in a week!
Mrs. Johnston
We did a lot of awesome collaborative work! The students worked in groups of 3 and 4 to create their travel brochures for Asia. Students researched to find out about the weather, language, money, food and exciting travel spots in their specific countries. I am so impressed with the travel brochures! The students worked so hard and they should be proud of their great work!
We had a great time in math and we tried math centers for the first time! Students learned how to read weight on a scale, measure their arm span and sort data to find the median. We did a lot of tough stuff this week and the busy bees worked so hard to learn and practice the new concepts. Well done, everyone!
The week ended with a Fun Friday afternoon! We had computers, recess, Bee Bucks, Rainbow Club and even a human hot dog assembly!
Have a wonderful Spring Break!
See you in a week!
Mrs. Johnston
March 11, 2010
Computers, March 12!
St. Patrick's Day is coming!
Let's travel to Ireland:
http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Ireland/ireland.htm
Read all about Ireland: Dublin, County Kerry, Food and Shopping.
Now pack your bags and get ready for a trip! After you're done reading, come back to this post and tell me about your trip! Please comment on what you would like to bring and what you would like to do.
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
Let's travel to Ireland:
http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Ireland/ireland.htm
Read all about Ireland: Dublin, County Kerry, Food and Shopping.
Now pack your bags and get ready for a trip! After you're done reading, come back to this post and tell me about your trip! Please comment on what you would like to bring and what you would like to do.
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
March 8, 2010
It's Authors' Day and Night!!!
Hello Everyone!
I hope you are all enjoying this rainy Monday! I have a few reminders to share:
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 9 is the LAST day to donate to the Ken Olson Foundation! We have a jar in our class and we are off to a great start! Let's try to bring in some more change and really make a difference!
The Book Fair is this week! We had a visit from an author today in our class and tonight is authors' night! Conrad Storad came to our class today and read his wonderful "fun non-fiction" book, Rattlesnake Rules! Conrad will be at the authors' night tonight. Come to the MPR and meet him! You can check out the awesome rattlesnake website: http://www.fivestarpublications.com/rattlesnake/index.html
The Book Fair is open today - Thursday. The students are all so excited about the Book Fair and I am so happy to see that they are excited about reading!
Homework Packet 18 is posted on my blog and it is due Friday.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Johnston
I hope you are all enjoying this rainy Monday! I have a few reminders to share:
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 9 is the LAST day to donate to the Ken Olson Foundation! We have a jar in our class and we are off to a great start! Let's try to bring in some more change and really make a difference!
The Book Fair is this week! We had a visit from an author today in our class and tonight is authors' night! Conrad Storad came to our class today and read his wonderful "fun non-fiction" book, Rattlesnake Rules! Conrad will be at the authors' night tonight. Come to the MPR and meet him! You can check out the awesome rattlesnake website: http://www.fivestarpublications.com/rattlesnake/index.html
The Book Fair is open today - Thursday. The students are all so excited about the Book Fair and I am so happy to see that they are excited about reading!
Homework Packet 18 is posted on my blog and it is due Friday.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Johnston
March 5, 2010
Friday Is Our Favorite Day!
It was a great week in second grade! We had fun learning all about prefixes and suffixes, adding with partial sums, Awesome Asia and arrow-path puzzles. Kids - be sure to share your new knowledge with your parents!
We spent a lot of time working on Everyday Math and we have a class full of mathematicians! We have a few special chants we say to help us solve problems. For subtraction: "Bottom bigger, better borrow - trade first!" For addition: "Add the 10s, add the 1s, add the partial sums!" Kids - here are some problems for you to try at home. Show your parents how our special math cheers help you! Remember, it's not about guessing, it's about thinking!
36
-17
24
+29
This was a great week for reading and we are so excited for the Book Fair! Today we visited the library to get a sneak peak of all the great books. The Book Fair will be open next Monday - Thursday from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm. The book fair kicks off with Authors' day and night on Monday. We have an author coming to our class on Monday at 2:00pm. Authors' Night is Monday evening. It will be an exciting week!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
We spent a lot of time working on Everyday Math and we have a class full of mathematicians! We have a few special chants we say to help us solve problems. For subtraction: "Bottom bigger, better borrow - trade first!" For addition: "Add the 10s, add the 1s, add the partial sums!" Kids - here are some problems for you to try at home. Show your parents how our special math cheers help you! Remember, it's not about guessing, it's about thinking!
36
-17
24
+29
This was a great week for reading and we are so excited for the Book Fair! Today we visited the library to get a sneak peak of all the great books. The Book Fair will be open next Monday - Thursday from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm. The book fair kicks off with Authors' day and night on Monday. We have an author coming to our class on Monday at 2:00pm. Authors' Night is Monday evening. It will be an exciting week!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
March 4, 2010
Computers, March 5!
Visit China!
http://enchantedlearning.com/school/China/
Click on the different pictures in the Zoom School to learn all about China.
When you are finished reading about China, please come back to the blog and comment on this post:
Please use complete sentences to answer the following questions:
What is special about the population of China?
China's climate has something similar to our climate here in Tucson. What is it?
Please use complete sentences to write:
3 things you learned about China.
2 things you would like to learn about China.
If you still have time...
Go here: http://enchantedlearning.com/classroom/quiz/china.shtml and take the China Quiz!
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
http://enchantedlearning.com/school/China/
Click on the different pictures in the Zoom School to learn all about China.
When you are finished reading about China, please come back to the blog and comment on this post:
Please use complete sentences to answer the following questions:
What is special about the population of China?
China's climate has something similar to our climate here in Tucson. What is it?
Please use complete sentences to write:
3 things you learned about China.
2 things you would like to learn about China.
If you still have time...
Go here: http://enchantedlearning.com/classroom/quiz/china.shtml and take the China Quiz!
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
March 1, 2010
Welcome Back, Friends!
Welcome back, second graders! I hope everyone enjoyed the break!
We enjoyed a great first day back! Today we began our study on Awesome Asia! Kids - be sure to tell you parents what you learned about this exciting continent! We will be reading and writing about Asia over the next few weeks. We will even make a travel brochure!
The second graders worked hard today during Writers' Workshop. There are 25 great stories about Rodeo Break adventures. I can't wait to read them all!
Homework Packet 17 is posted today and it will be due on Friday. Spelling words went home today and the test is on Friday. The homework packet is my Painted Sky website and it is also on the blog ("Homework Packets," right side of the page directly under the calendar). The packet includes two digit addition and we will work this week on these types of problems. Parents - please encourage your children to work through these problems and to show their work!
Today we began work in Math Journal 2! The students did a great job adjusting to the new format of working with dry erase markers in the binders. Kids - I posted some new math links so make sure you check them out and show them to your parents!
The students of Painted Sky are working together to collect change for the Ken Olson Foundation. The Ken Olson Foundation is committed to granting wishes to adults with a life threatening illness. Let's bring in some change and make a difference! For more information about the Ken Olson Foundation, please visit their website: http://www.kenolsonfoundation.org/
Parents - our open house is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 2, immediately following our early out dismissal. I hope you will be able to buzz on over to our busy beehive and say hello!
Have a great afternoon!
Mrs. Johnston
We enjoyed a great first day back! Today we began our study on Awesome Asia! Kids - be sure to tell you parents what you learned about this exciting continent! We will be reading and writing about Asia over the next few weeks. We will even make a travel brochure!
The second graders worked hard today during Writers' Workshop. There are 25 great stories about Rodeo Break adventures. I can't wait to read them all!
Homework Packet 17 is posted today and it will be due on Friday. Spelling words went home today and the test is on Friday. The homework packet is my Painted Sky website and it is also on the blog ("Homework Packets," right side of the page directly under the calendar). The packet includes two digit addition and we will work this week on these types of problems. Parents - please encourage your children to work through these problems and to show their work!
Today we began work in Math Journal 2! The students did a great job adjusting to the new format of working with dry erase markers in the binders. Kids - I posted some new math links so make sure you check them out and show them to your parents!
The students of Painted Sky are working together to collect change for the Ken Olson Foundation. The Ken Olson Foundation is committed to granting wishes to adults with a life threatening illness. Let's bring in some change and make a difference! For more information about the Ken Olson Foundation, please visit their website: http://www.kenolsonfoundation.org/
Parents - our open house is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 2, immediately following our early out dismissal. I hope you will be able to buzz on over to our busy beehive and say hello!
Have a great afternoon!
Mrs. Johnston
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