Where In the World Are We?, Dinosaurs and Fossils, Doubles Game, and One Awesome Mathematician!

Before we get to the photos, I would like to first try to clear up some confusion about the Fundations packet that still exists. Last week, the students should have just completed Tuesday’s 4 dictated words, Wednesday’s 5 dictated words and Thursday’s sentence on the Week 1 writing grid that is in the back of the packet. If your child did not do them last week, please catch up on them this week. The Week 1 words and sentence are located on the back of the parent letter page on the front of the packet. This week, the children will be doing the Week 2 words and sentence on Tuesday through Thursday. The children should write them on the Week 2 writing grid.

The students were told not to do the remaining worksheets last week because they had not had the in-class lessons they needed to properly understand and complete these worksheets yet. They have now learned about marking the digraphs and open and closed syllables. Tonight’s homework is to complete page 8. Tomorrow, they will be asked to complete page 9 in addition to the 4 dictated words. Wednesday, they will complete page 10 in addition to the 5 dictated words. If your child started these worksheets last week, please have your child go over them and fix any mistakes. The entire completed packet should be ready to pass in on Friday morning.

I hope our C-8 families have a better understanding about the expectations for the at-home packet. Now for some fun photos!

IMG_2761 - Version 2

Where in the world are we? Sharing our flipbooks!

The C-8 students completed a Social Studies unit about communities recently.  After reading the book, Me on the Map, we created flipbooks that started with our school, Brookside, and went from its street to Dracut, to Massachusetts, to the United States of America, to North America and finally to our planet Earth. Hopefully this hands-on activity helped the children to have a better concept of their place in the world.

IMG_2762

Here’s a closeup of one of our flipbooks.

After finishing our Social Studies unit, we moved into our Science unit on . . . DINOSAURS and FOSSILS!

IMG_2758

Our friendly dinosaur!!

 

IMG_2760 - Version 2

We are enjoying learning so much about these interesting extinct creatures by reading these fiction books and non-fiction books.

Check out our new doubles math game!

IMG_2768

We are learning our doubles math facts with this doubles math game. The students pair up and chant the doubles while holding up fingers representing the partners.

IMG_2767

When they reach 5+5, they “high five” and when they finish with 10 +10, they do a “high ten!” Lots of smiles and giggles disguised the fact that they were learning their facts!

Speaking of math facts, I am proud to announce that we have our first student to complete the Addition level of  Xtramath. This means that he was able to complete each of his 100 addition facts in under 3 seconds! He also managed to do this in just 14 days of practice. I think this is a new record! Congratulations Nicholas! I hope he is the first of many C-8 students this year!

IMG_2800

Nicholas, Addition Mathematician Extraordinaire!!

P.S. In case you didn’t know, clicking on the photo makes it larger! Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Thank You and a Request!

Thank you to all the parents who attended last night’s Orientation Night.  It was nice to meet you all and share with you our curriculum and how our classroom operates. Each year I try to remember everything I want to say and I usually end up forgetting something.  If you were in the first session,  I forgot to talk to you about the Highlights forms that I put on each desk.  If enough parents send back the signed form, we can get FREE materials for our classroom. It doesn’t matter if you check yes or no.  I just need the form with your signature. (You don’t even need to fill out the rest!) Last year, our class had enough forms to get a huge container of foam dice to use in math that usually costs over $30.00. So my request is that you fill out the form and return it and help C-8 get some more FREE materials. If you need a replacement form, let me know and I’ll send one home.

If you were unable to attend last night’s Orientation, I am sending home a packet of papers with your child which includes the entire Powerpoint I showed. Please look at these materials and contact me if there is anything you need me to clarify for you.

Thank you to Madison and her family for placing an Scholastic Book Club online order! It’s the only order I have so far.  So I am extending the Scholastic Book Club order to Tuesday,  September 23rd to avoid any confusion with the Book Fair.

Thank you again for attending and if you have any questions that I did not answer last night, feel free to contact me with them!

Welcoming a New Group of Second Grade Friends!

IMG_2726 - Version 2

 

I can’t believe that our first full week of school is over! We are getting to know each other and are learning how to work together. In addition to seeing our specialists we met last year (Mrs. Turnbow for music, Mrs. Sorbello for computers and Mrs. Costello for library), we’ve met our new art teacher, Ms. Mullins and our new physical education teacher, Mr. Rivers.  We also met other educators (Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Marvin, Mrs. Charette, Mrs. Smolko, Mrs. Wagner, and Ms. Jacobs) who will be working with some of our C-8 students this school year. We did a lot of assessment this week so I can better know the students’ skill levels. We even had a fire drill!  I think my favorite activity was when they played a “Getting to Know You” game to help them learn more about each other! Here are some photos of the students enjoying this activity.

IMG_2698

T.J. and Shiwaum discussing their summer activities.

IMG_2697

Discovering how our friends spent their summers!

IMG_2696

Madison and Elizabeth sharing information.

IMG_2694

Look at all these second graders actively engaged in the task of getting to know each other.

IMG_2693

Mary and Brooklynn make new friends.

I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know my new C-8 parents at our Orientation Night on Tuesday night at 6 – 8 p.m.  Hope to see you then!