Our Week in 2-3

Hello 2-3 families and friends,

I hope you are enjoying this long weekend.  While the forecast calls for more snow, I just want to point out that there is only 1 weekend left in February and then it is MARCH!!  March brings SPRING!!!  We can do this.  Here's a look at what we've been up to in 2-3.

100th Day Celebration
Your kids are 100 days smarter!  To celebrate, the kids brought in 100 of something from home.  We had legos, pasta, pennies, Pokemon cards, and even dog treats!!  The kids practiced their multiplication and division skills by building arrays with their items and also using them to solve division problems.  During writing, the kids completed a fun activity where they put their creativity to good use.  They wrote about what they would be like when they are 100-years-old.  I have quite the ambitious class because many of them will have people working for them when they are 100!  I can't wait for you to read them.



Math
This week in math we learned about a variety of ways to measure things.  You can measure weight with a spring scale or bath scale.  You can measure length in centimeters or inches.  The kids had a blast completing the standing long jump activity with their classmates.  They also practiced measuring the length of each other's arm length from fingertip to fingertip.  Next week we will use those measurements to learn about the terms MEDIAN and MODE.

Aha Moments
This week the kids continued practicing being able to identify the "aha moment" in a text.  An "aha moment" is when a character realizes, understands, or figures something out.  The students are learning that when they read an "aha moment," they need to STOP and ask, "how might this change things?"  This week we read The Great Kapok Tree.  Ask your kids what the "aha moment" for the man with an ax was and how that changed things in the story.  

SKYPING WITH AUSTRALIA
This week the kids had the wonderful opportunity to Skype with Jacob's uncle, Will.  Uncle Will is the executive director of the Australian National University (ANU) Climate Change Institute. He lives and Canberra and took time out of his busy schedule to speak with 2-3.  When we spoke with him on Thursday afternoon, it was Friday morning in Australia.  We had a chance to talk about the crazy weather we're having and life in Oz.  The kids were very excited to learn that Uncle Will has hugged a koala!!  Thank you Uncle Will for giving the kids this great opportunity.  

High Touch, High Tech
This Thursday, the kids have the incredible opportunity to explore the wonderful world of rocks and minerals with the scientists from High Touch, High Tech.  We launched our rocks unit at the end of this past week and I am amazed at how much the kids already know about rocks.  They also came up with some very interesting things they want to learn about rocks when we created our KWL chart.  We have a lot of fun and exploration ahead of us!

Valentine's Day
We had so much fun celebrating Valentine's Day (and Lauren's birthday) on Friday.  Thank you Mrs. Svoboda and Mrs. Nam for throwing such a great party.  The kids enjoyed playing "HEART, " AKA, "BINGO," decorating their cups for the Variety Show, enjoying some treats, and passing out valentines.



  
Variety Show
You will be receiving a detailed email from me with everything you need to know about the Variety Show this week.  The kids are doing an awesome job and I can't wait to see them on stage.  


Enjoy this long weekend!!

- Danielle