Our Week in 2-3

Hello 2-3 families,

It was really nice to have a 5 day week this past week!  We accomplished so much in our classroom. Take a look at what we've been up to.

AMAZING AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL PRESENTATIONS
All I can say is "JOB WELL DONE!" This week, the students in 2-3 presented their Australian animal research projects and  they were fantastic!  This research has helped to build the foundation for the classroom research projects the kids will begin completing after spring break.  They will complete multiple group research projects based on a topic of their choice.  We will use the website FlipSnack to house the appropriate research sites for these projects.  I can't wait to see what the kids come up with. In the meantime, have a look at their Australian animal research projects. MATH
We wrapped up chapter 6 this past week and the kids did a very nice job on their math assessments!  We are going to continue working on our subtraction skills with our Mad Math facts and regrouping practice.  In the Unit 7 letter that went home this past week, it gave you a sneak peek on what to expect during this unit.  We will be continuing to explore number patterns that help reinforce numeration skills.  We will also practice skills and strategies for adding multiple 1-digit numbers together.  We will also have some time to practice collecting data and graphing it in various ways.  Over the past few weeks the kids and I have been talking about how my expectations of them are continuing to grow both academically and personally.  In addition to solving various math problems, they will be working on creating written responses to explain how they solved the problem.  Being able to explain how you arrived at an answer is an important part of math communication and development.

WE ROCK
This week we will launch our ROCKS AND MINERALS Unit.  Your children are about to become geologists!  They will explore, discover, and investigate the incredible world of rocks and minerals.  Last week I sent home the permission slip for the High Touch, High Tech event that the 2nd graders will be participating in.  We are really fortunate to have these scientists come and spend the morning with the kids on Thursday February 20th.  It will be an incredible event filled with hands-on learning.  Please return the permission slip and money as soon as possible.

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK
The students in 2-3 are working using SIGNPOSTS to expand on their understanding of written texts.  We are moving beyond just being able to identify the "who, what, where, and when" of a story.  We are now taking a closer look at the "why and how."  Why is a character behaving in a certain way?  Why does he/she feel a certain way? How will this development in the plot change the story?  A few weeks ago, I introduced the kids to 2 signposts, AHA MOMENTS and CONTRASTS/CONTRADICTIONS.  We used the story, The Happy Lion, to practice with these two Signposts.  This week, the kids will continue practicing being able to identify the AHA Moment(s) in a story.

THEY'RE GRRRREAT!
As we wrap-up our persuasive writing unit, the kids will be creating their own cereal boxes and writing persuasive letters to General Mills.  This week we will look at the components that make up a cereal box....the design, the nutritional information, the ingredients, the games/toys.  Students will share possible reasons why people choose to purchase certain cereals.  Using that information, they will go to work creating their own cereal that will be a MUST HAVE on any shoppers list.  Stay tuned for the final products.

VALENTINE'S DAY
We are going to have a fabulous celebration on Friday afternoon thanks to our wonderful volunteers Mrs. Svoboda and Mrs. Nam.  Big Shout-out to Mrs. Nelson for helping to organize our upcoming festivities.  Thank you also to Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Brandenburg, Mrs. Brambarov, and Mrs. Armstrong for providing the treats and supplies for our party.

Don't forget, TUESDAY is the 100th day of SCHOOL!  There is no school on Monday February 17th!  Don't forget to checkout our photos galleries! I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend.

-Danielle