Winter Weather Safety

Hello 2-3 Families,

What a week of weather we've had!  I just want to send a friendly reminder about why it's important to send your children with layers of clothes/winter gear during this season.  It is so much easier for the kids to leave off a layer before going outside for recess than have to be outside in the cold without enough layers.  As we are all aware, the weather here can change in a matter of hours.  We go outside unless the temperature is 0 degrees or below.  Depending on wind changes, the temperature might even dip while the kids are out at recess.  Please make sure your kids have hats, gloves, appropriate footwear, and scarves if necessary.  I would even suggest sending them with an extra pair of socks in their bags too.  I know it takes a few extra minutes when getting ready, but it is worth it to know that our little eskimos will be warm when outside.  Thank you so much for all that you do for your kids!

Stay warm,

Danielle

Brrrrrr!! Weekly Recap

Hello 2-3 Families!

I hope you have stayed warm this week during our cold weather.  Here is a recap of the past 2 weeks in our classroom.

CRAZY HAIR DAY!
What a fun way to wrap-up our shortened week!  2-3 has some serious school spirit and I LOVE IT!!  Check us out....

MAP TEST WRAP-UP
Last week the kids took their winter MAP tests in reading and math.  We will go over these scores during spring conferences in March.  That will be here before you know it!

2-3 ROCKS!
Last week we were so excited to have Miss Tabitha from the program High Touch, High Tech come in and teach the kids about rocks.  It was an amazing exploration time for the kids and they were thrilled to get to take their own bag of gems home.  The kids learned about different rocks and minerals and how to test the hardness of a rock.  Check out our photo gallery below to see the fun we had.



TREASURES UNIT 3
Today the kids are taking the Unit 3 Treasures test.  This week we reviewed the topics of alliteration, cause/effect, prefix/suffix, and synonym/antonym to prepare for the test.  Now that the class is taking the test independently I am continuing to remind them to take their time and double check their work.

MATH CHAPTER 6
We are cruising right along with chapter 6 in math.  This week we spent time learning the basics of multiplication (which the kids have loved!). Next week I will introduce them to the basic concepts of division and then we will take our chapter 6 test.

CURSIVE
As you have heard and seen, we have started cursive in 2-3.  I am so proud of the class for putting their best effort into their cursive work.  I want to explain the "grading" system for the cursive homework the kids are receiving.  I base the evaluation on a stoplight....green, yellow, red.  If you see a green smiley face on your child's cursive practice page, that means they did a GREAT job!  If you see a yellow smiley face, that means I want them to slow down and take more time when forming the letters I have circled.  If your child receives a red smiley face, that means I would like them to redo the entire page for additional practice.  The only time I permit the students to write in cursive in the classroom is during cursive time since they are just learning the alphabet.  As they learn more letters, they will have additional times to practice writing.  



That is all from 2-3 this week! Have a safe and warm weekend!

- Danielle Porte

CRAZY HAIR DAY FRIDAY!!

JUST A REMINDER.....

TOMORROW, January 25th, is CRAZY HAIR DAY!  Have your kids roll out of bed or come with their funkiest hair-do!  What a fun way to end a short week!!


- Danielle

First Week of 2013 Wrap-Up

Hello 2-3 Families!

Happy Friday!  It has been a great week back school.  This is our third class post this week, so if you haven't checked our blog yet this week, please make sure to check out our posts from Monday and Wednesday too.  Here is a look at what we have been up to this week and some helpful info for upcoming weeks...

MAP TESTING

Next Thursday (1/17) our class will take the winter MAP test in Math and on Friday (1/18) the class will take the MAP Reading test.  Our tests are both in the afternoon so please make sure your child has a good lunch to eat!

ODYSSEY FOOD DRIVE

Our Odyssey are leading another food drive to help the Wheeling Food Pantry. The 2nd graders are collecting peanut butter and jelly jars for the drive.  Thank you for helping stock the shelves for the Wheeling Food Pantry!

MATH

We've had a very busy week math-wise in 2-3.  We've work on partial sums, finding the difference, and completing Part/Part/Total diagrams.  If you have not checked out the video I posted on how to do partial sums earlier this week, please do so.  As the math problems and concepts are increasing in difficulty, I am expecting the kids to SHOW THEIR WORK so I can see how they solved the problem.

TREASURES

This week in Treasures, our theme was PERFORMING!  We continues working on the comprehension skill of SUMMARIZING and also worked on the digraphs (consonant blends) -sh, -ch, -tch, and th.  I also introduced alliteration to the kids this week.  When identifying alliteration in stories and poems, the kids know to look for words that have the same BEGINNING sounds in the same sentence.  It is normal for the kids to confuse rhyming and alliteration when it is first introduced. I keep reiterating to the kids that alliteration is found with the BEGINNING letter sounds and rhyming is found with the ENDING letter sounds.  As you read with your kids at home, keep an eye out for alliteration patterns in the stories and see if the kids can identify them.  PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS!

2nd GRADE ROCKS!

This week we launched our ROCKS AND MINERALS unit in 2nd grade.  The kids have learned the basics this week about what a rock is and the 3 categories of rocks.  On Tuesday, January 15th, the staff of High Touch -High Tech will be visiting our classroom to present their rock and mineral presentation called DIG IT.  Other schools in the district have participated in this and gave it rave reviews.  I will take lots of photos to share of the kids' experience.  This weekend, you children should be looking for 4 rocks to bring to class with them.  While I usually do not give homework on Fridays, I wanted to give them plenty of time (and daylight) to go on their rock hunt.


Have a safe and fun weekend!

Danielle

Math and Technology

Hello 2-3 Families!

I hope you are enjoying this gorgeous winter day!  There are two quick things I wanted to update you on....

1.  TECH CLUB
Tech Club will be starting this week.  Mrs. Crandall and Miss Bandur will be hosting Tech Club on Fridays and it will be meeting during the kids' lunch recess time about twice a month (on Fridays) through May 17th.  I will randomly draw names on those Fridays so that students who are interested have a chance to participate in Tech Club.  What a great opportunity for the kids!  Thank you Miss Bandur and Mrs. Crandall for hosting Tech Club again this year.  

2. PARTIAL SUMS
Who knew as a parent you would have to learn math in a whole new way?!?!  I know the partial sums addition method is quite different from the "carry the one" method we grew up with so I put together a video that actually shows how this method works.  I know the Everyday Math Home Links do a great job of explaining it, but in case you are more of a visual learner and want to practice what I am doing, here is a quick video.  If you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Have a great day!

- Danielle

The Funnest Dancing Day by Ava

Hello all!

Please welcome our 2-3 blogger of the week, AVA!

Today we learned about how to dance as a team.  We read the story The Alvin Ailey Kids.  We learned  that when you dance as a group it is a lot of fun.  It takes courage and responsibility.  You have to practice, try your best, and never give up.  Mrs. Porte taught a dance that we practiced as a group.  We loved it.  It takes a lot of work and courage to dance as a group.  Here's the cutest video of us dancing.  I hope you love it!

Sincerely,

Ava

PS: Bye, see you soon!