Today we read Tacky the Penguin. Tacky the Penguin is a total nonconformist who lives with a group of formal, proper penguins. But it is Tacky who foils the plans of three critters with”get-rich-quick plans” that threaten the penguins’ existence. With his un-penguin-like antics, Tacky puzzles the hunters to such an extent that they’re firmly convinced they cannot be in the “land of the pretty penguins.”
Please click below to listen to the story.
SPELLING-Unit 17 spelling words are: right, around, think, also, look. Please continue to study words nightly. Please concentrate on homophones. 2nd graders often have trouble with them.
MATH-We will be reviewing for Unit 5 Monday and Tuesday of this week. Test is planned for Wednesday. Look for review sheets to come home.
VIDEO CONFERENCES-Last week we had a video conference with Pennsylvania. The children made a picture of what they thought snowmen really do at night. The children also wrote 3 clues about their picture and the partner school children tried to guess the answer.
At the end of February we have Read Across the Planet scheduled with an elementary school in Pittsburgh PA. We will be putting on a small skit for our partner school retelling the classic Where the Wild Things Are.
SOCIAL STUDIES-We will be beginning a unit on American Symbols this week.
REPORT CARDS-Report cards are bring sent home on Friday February 3rd.
VALENTINE PARTY-We will be having a small Valentine Celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 14th. Look for a sign up sheet to come home this week. I will also be sending home a class list of all the children’s names for their Valentine’s cards.
This week we read the story Snowmen at Night. Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you’ve wondered . . . what do snowmen do at night? This delightful wintertime tale reveals all! Caralyn Buehner’s witty, imaginative verse offers many amusing details about the secret life of snowmen and where they go at night,
Take a peek at this great story:
SPELLING-Unit 15 spelling words are: good, new, write, our, me. Please practice words nightly. Our tests are now up to 14 words. Five words are new every week and nine will be previous words from past tests. Review old words when you study. You can go to Spelling City and work with past units.
READING-we have been reading a wonderful story by Roald Dahl. The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me is a cute story
Today we read the story The Mitten by Jan Brett. A Ukrainian boy named Nicki wants his grandmother Baba to knit snow-white mittens for him. She warns her grandson that a white mitten will be hard to find if he loses it in the snow, but of course he promptly does just that! What happens next is the surprising part, as a mole takes refuge in the lost mitten, then a rabbit, then a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, and a fox. If you think the mitten might be a wee bit stretched out at this point, just wait: “Then a big bear sniffed at themitten. The animals were packed in tight, but the bear didn’t care. He crawled in anyway.” When a tiny mouse squeezes in, her whiskers tickle the bear’s nose. He sneezes, and “Aaaaa-aaaaa-ca-chew!” all the animals fly out of their crocheted cave. As the mitten sails through the air, Nicki spots it, reclaims it, and takes it home to show his smiling Baba.
SPELLING-This week we are working on Unit 14. This weeks words are:get, through, back, much, go. Please practice words nightly and work on old words.
GRAMMAR-This month we are learning about synonyms, antanyms and contractions. When you are doing your nightly reading discuss what they are learning and noticing. Noticing and understanding language used properly helps students with their own reading and writing.
READING-As a whole class we are working on a themetic unit-Doing the right thing. We will be discussing the heart of the story, and learing different comprehension skills to help us with our own reading.
MATH-This week we are starting unit 5-geometry. We are going to teach the unit out of order. The 2nd quarter assessment for report cards is going to be taken before we are done studying the unit. Parts of Unit 5 are on the assessment and need to be taught prior to the assessment. Look for review sheets to come home for the 2nd quarter assessment the week of Jan. 23rd. The 2nd quarter assessment is scheduled on Wed. Jan. 25th.
SCIENCE-We are finishing up the science unit-Earth’s Land and Water. We will be learning about water and how it affects our lives.
FIELD TRIP-On Wednesday we are going to the Troy Museum. It is one of my favorite trips of the year. The children will learn about a one room school, dip candless and make a old-fashioned toy. Make sure you send in a sack lunch that can be thrown away since we will not be about to carry a lunch box through out the village.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR JANUARY
Troy Museum Wed., Jan 11th
NO SCHOOL Mon., Jan. 16th
Early Release Day Wed., Jan. 18th
NO SCHOOL Fri., Jan. 27th
Today we read the story The Wild Tobaggan Ride by: Suzan Reid
Aw… you know the feeling of sledding. You always want to go back for ONE LAST RIDE, right? Pity grown-ups forget that sort of thing. They really need reminding…
Like… maybe… the sort of reminding that happens when your grandpa accidentally falls onto your toboggan and you go sliding all the way through town, picking up bakers and cops and mailmen on the way? Each new person causes the rest of them to squabble about sitting still in their own spots, which of course is wildly amusing given that they’re going at three times top speed down that hill. It actually reminds me a lot of No Jumping on the Bed!
And of course, Grandpa is the one who runs back up at the end… for just that one last ride.
Take a listen to this hilarious story!!
This holiday the 2nd graders did a great job writing about their families holiday traditions.
Take a peek at the family traditions of our 2nd graders!
