Weekly Newsletter 2017-2018

Week of 4/9-4/13

4/15/2018

Happy April Vacation! We had another amazing week of learning together in 2G. We were so excited to bring home our Adinkra cloths we made in Social Studies to share with you. 2Gers learned about this meaningful Ghanaian cloth that is composed of patterns of special stamps. We got to choose symbols that were most important to us and use them to create our own versions! Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Literacy: I am absolutely blown away by the research that students are doing in their biography unit. We are all learning to paraphrase and to think about the "main idea" of each page in our non-fiction texts. Our next step in our project is putting all of the facts we found together to write our own biographies! We look forward to sharing these with you at our end of the year celebration.
Fundations: 2G learned all about synonyms this week. We played a synonym matching game and discovered that sometimes there are several synonyms for one word. Can you think of more than one synonym for, "small"? "cold"?
Math: Mathematicians worked on story problems that require us to use a picture, list, or pattern to solve them. In addition, we learned about polygons! We hunted for polygons and discovered that polygons are shapes that are closed, have straight edges, do not have any crossovers. Ask your mathematician to hunt for polygons at home.
Writing Workshop: Writers wrote wonderful acrostic poems this week. We used the letters in our names to begin each line of our poems, and described things about ourselves. We got to practice with Mrs. Gomes's name and for the letter, "s" we came up with, "She loves 2G". They know me so well!
Scholastic News: Our Scholastic Newspaper was all about "Wacky Foods". Students learned about fruits and veggies that are often discarded/wasted because they do not look like the "regular" versions we see in stores. We had a powerful discussion about how these fruits and veggies taste the same and in some cases are even more flavorful! We learned about many of the factors that can give a fruit or vegetable a different shape: growing against a fence, or having a root or rock in it's way, thus needing to grow around it. Ask your 2Ger to tell you more about why we concluded that these foods are not so "wacky" after all.
Science: Scientists conducted an experiment to answer the question, "Does Height Affect Friction?". We used two wooden tracks set at two different heights and marbles. Scientists discovered that height DOES affect speed. The higher, the faster and the lower, the slower!
Enjoy your week.

Week of 4/2-4/6

4/7/2018

Happy April! We had an amazing week in 2G. On Monday we celebrated filling up our community cube jar with a Sports Party. We had the whole big gym to ourselves and we got to do lots of different activities. Some of our sports stations were: soccer, blob tag, scooters, gymnastics, hula hoops, basketball, and bowling. Mrs. Gomes is so impressed with all of our hard work. We are filling up our jar so quickly again! Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Literacy: Researchers are doing a wonderful job reading their biographies and hunting for facts. We are all learning to paraphrase, putting true information into our own words. In our "Math center" we worked cooperatively to create posters highlighting our four problem solving strategies: expanded notation, base 10 blocks, decomposing, and open number line.
Read Aloud: In connection with our biography study, Mrs. Gomes read three inspirational stories to us during snack time: Of Thee I Sing, A Letter To My Daughters, by Barack Obama, Listen to the Wind, by Greg Mortenson, and Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa, by Veronica Chambers.
Fundations: We studied compound words this week. 2Gers were very proud to see how well they spelled and identified larger words. We know so much about what they are made up of. Some of our favorites are: "into", "without", "classroom", "eyeball", "workshop", and "cupcake".
Math: Mathematicians worked on using pictures and organized lists to solve story problems this week. Mrs. Gomes is so proud of the many ways students are showing flexibility in our thinking. We love starting the day with our morning math problems that require us to use mental math and teamwork.
Science: We had a "ball" in science! After exploring the characteristics of given balls last week we got to create our own. We used clay, tin foil, and masking tape to try to create our own solid and hollow balls. It was tricky to make them smooth enough to roll. After experimenting with our own creations we discovered that...characteristics matter! It is so important to learn about the ways that our materials are similar and different, as well as what affects their movement.
Social Studies: 2Gers learned to play, "Oware" from Ghana. This game is very similar to Mancala. We loved hearing about the origin of the game and the meaning behind its name.
Exciting News: We have a new student joining our 2G family! We can't wait to welcome our new friend on Monday. :)
Enjoy your weekend.

Week of 3/26-3/29

3/30/2018

I am so proud of 2G! Every day this week we engaged in "Number Talk" sessions for morning work. Mrs. Gomes displayed a math problem/scenario on the projection screen for students to think about. 2Gers worked in pairs to not only solve the problems, but to talk about their problem solving strategies, as well. A few of our favorites were:
"15 + 19 + 23 + 11 + 17 + 26 = ____ " and "There are 4 heads in this group. There are 8 eyes in this group. There are 10 fingers in this group. There are 3 tails in this group. There are 14 feet in this group. Who could be in this group?". Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Science: Scientists studied the characteristics of different kinds of ball this week. We learned that the characteristics of given materials can affect the way that they move when they are pushed or pulled. We worked with: whiffle balls, golf balls, steel balls, tennis balls, ping pong balls, and rubber balls. Students were encouraged to stretch their brains and think about many different descriptions for each ball. We had so much fun experimenting with them and weighing them on scales. Many scientists predicted the rubber ball would be the heaviest and we were so surprised to find out that the tennis ball weighed the most!
Writing Workshop: Writers completed their beautiful spring poetry this week. 2Gers used our five senses to bring our poems to life. We can't wait to share these with you.
Literacy: Go, Biographers! Students got to choose a special person whom they would like to study for their biography projects. Then the research began! 2Gers learned how to identify an "important fact" about their person and put given information into their own words. We are using Post-its to take notes and then we place them on our graphic organizer posters. Students are so excited to learn more each day and we can't wait to write our own versions of biographies in a few weeks!
Fundations: 2Gers worked on the r-controlled vowels, "ir", "er", and "ur" this week. These can be so tricky because they all sound the same. Some of our favorite words we learned are: "nurse", "brother", "first", and "thirsty".
Read Aloud: Mrs. Gomes read us the book entitled, Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum. In relation to our biography unit we learned about Walter Diemer - the founder of bubble gum! Ask your 2Ger to tell you why bubble gum is pink.
Math: Mathematicians began learning about regrouping. We are using expanded notation to focus on place value with subtraction problems. Second grade emphasizes the use of the term, "regrouping" as opposed to "carrying and borrowing" to help students identify the change that occurs with the ones, tens, and hundreds. We can't wait to build on our skills next week.
Enjoy your weekend!

Week of 3/19-3/23

3/23/2018

Way to go, 2G! Students did an amazing job working together and filled up our Community Cube Jar! The class voted on have a Sports party to celebrate their teamwork. More details to come! Please enjoy these additional highlights of our week.
Literacy: Readers began a biography unit. 2Gers learned about the elements of a biography and we are all fascinated to learn so much from our non-fiction texts. A favorite part thus far has been learning about Abraham Lincoln and Amelia Earhart as babies and children. Students are exploring biographies in Guided Reading Groups with Mrs. Gomes and we look forward to choosing our own special person to research next week!
Writing Workshop: Writers began spring poetry. To help organize our thoughts and add more depth to our expression, we focused on using our five senses. Wait until you see what 2G writers wrote about things we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell in spring!
Math: Mathematicians learned to solve subtraction problems using expanded notation this week. Here is an example of our new strategy:

568 = 500 + 60 + 8
- 235 = 200 + 30 + 5
333 300 + 30 + 3 = 333

We are also working on connecting story problems to our 3-digit addition and subtraction problems. Ask your mathematician to create one for you! Another wonderful element of our math studies is promoting our conceptual understanding through more open ended problems. Students are provided with small pieces of information and they are given the opportunity to stretch their brains and think, rethink, and think some more! I am so impressed with the mathematical reasoning 2Gers are using each day.
Science: Scientists had a ball exploring gravity this week. Students dropped objects of different weights from the same height. They discovered that the force of gravity pulls all objects toward the earth at the same rate. We dropped Mrs. Gomes's snow boot and a marble and it was quite a surprise that they landed at the same time! As we experiment in our motion unit we continue to work on our lab reports where we record our materials, hypothesis, procedures, and conclusions.
Social Studies: Students learned about the exquisite Kente Cloth made in Ghana. After being introduced the meanings of all colors and designs, 2Gers chose their own patterns to color.
Fundations: This week we learned about the r-controlled vowels, "ar" and "or". We discovered that these can be found in the beginning, middle, and endings of words. Some of our favorites are: "important", "storm"( related to our recent weather!), "shark", and "March".
Enjoy your weekend!

Week of 3/5-3/9

3/10/2018

What a wonderful week! 2Gers had so much fun learning together. On Tuesday, we had some special visitors come in to teach us about Japanese Calligraphy. We had a ball using calligraphy brushes and ink to write our names in Japanese Characters! We got to practice our writing in Katakana and Hiragana. Students were so proud of their work. Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Math: Mathematicians were such busy bees this week. Students have been practicing problem solving using place value in our Zearn laptop station. 2Gers learned a new game called, "Catch the monkeys/dinosaurs". In addition, mathematicians are learning to solve story problems that ask us to use logic, deductive reasoning, patterns, skip counting, and estimation.
Literacy: Readers are continuing to build their fluency in guided reading groups. We are working on determining the meanings of new words in both non-fiction and fiction texts. In Social Studies center, 2Gers have been doing Ghana research. Students are reading given passages about Ghanaian food, sports, clothing, land, and weather. We use the information in our reading to answer questions. Ask your reader to tell you about what they've learned!
Writing Workshop: We are poets and now...we know it! Writers have absolutely blown me away with their incredible language in their first poems. 2G is learning how to write color poetry, inspired by our surroundings. Students are learning to, "show, not tell". Please take a moment to read their beautiful poems that are handing on the bulletin board outside of our classroom door. Fun activity: Tell your poet your favorite color and create a poem together!
Social Studies: 2Gers learned about the daily routines of a 9 year old girl in Ghana in a video entitled, "Georgina Williams - A Day in the Life of a Ghanaian Child". We loved learning about her activities she does before, during, and after school. In addition, Mrs. Gomes read us a legend about the origin of Kente Cloth (we have a Kente Cloth from Ghana in our room!). This legend highlighted the importance of spiders in Ghanaian folklore.
Science: We love studying motion! This week, scientists continued our experiment with pushes and pulls. Mrs. Gomes gave us a challenge using sandpaper, tape, and tin foil with our tracks and balls. We had to find a way to make balls slow down and stop. On Friday, we discovered that we were working with the force called, "friction"! Scientists are writing a detailed lab report where they record their findings to help them with future experiments.
Fundations: Our class is learning about homophones. Students learned that these are words that sound the same, but are spelling differently and have different meanings. Some of our favorites are: "two, to, too, dear, deer, knew, new, hi, high, choose, chews, and aunt, ant".
I am so proud of our amazing second graders!
Enjoy your weekend.

Week of 2/26-3/2

3/2/2018

2G ended an amazing week with a celebration of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Day. Students learned many facts about Dr. Seuss, including how he got his pen name! We explored several different books and hunted for, wacky machines, rhyming, made up words, and zany characters. I read one of my favorite Dr. Suess books entitled, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day to the class. We all loved the story's message: We should be all be proud of being unique and we can do anything if we try our best. Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Math: Mathematicians have been learning how to use Expanded Notation to solve addition problems where numbers are stacked on top of one another. We teach this strategy to help students focus on place value and they will learn the traditional algorithm in third grade. Here is an example of one of our Expanded Notation problems:

325 = 300 + 20 + 5
+ 247 = 200 + 40 + 7
572 500 + 60 + 12

Literacy: Readers began a new study of poetry! We love reading poems by Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. We listened to several poems about colors by Mary O'Neil in, Hailstones and Halibut Bones. 2Gers talked about the power of words in poetry and the fact that they can make us feel different ways. Students did an incredible job as they began to write their own color poems - we can't wait to share them with you!
Science: 2G is in Motion! Scientists began our study of how objects move. We had so much fun experimenting with cars, different types of balls, marbles, feathers, and magnetic balls and wands. 2Gers worked in groups to explore how these objects move. An additional focus of our unit is learning how to write a lab report where we record: 1. Our question 2. Our hypothesis 3. First experiment 4. Second experiment and 5. Our conclusion. Thus far we've come to two conclusions: 1. Motion is when an object moves after you push or pull it, and 2. All objects need a force (a push or pull) to make them move. We can't wait to explore friction next week!
Social Studies: 2Gers learned more about Ghanaian schools and food. Students found it very interesting that in some more rural areas of Ghana, children may carry their own desk or chair to school. In addition, we read about more traditional foods and methods of preparation. Ask your 2Ger to tell you about how Fufu is made.
Fundations: This week we focused on the suffixes, "er" and "est". We practiced creating words that compare two or more things. Some of our favorites were, "louder", "bigger", "heavier", "colder", "smallest", "funniest", and "happiest".
Enjoy your weekend.

Feb.5th-Feb.9th

2/11/2018

Hooray for the Winter Olympics! 2G began learning about the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. We were so excited to hear about the two Mascots: Soohorang, the White Tiger representing strength and protection, and Bandabi, the Black Bear representing strong will and courage. 2Gers worked with partners to research some of the incredible events athletes take part in. We learned about: Curling, Ice Hockey, Ski Jump, Luge, Bobsleigh, Snowboarding, and Alpine Skiing. We can't wait to learn more next week! Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Literacy: Readers have absolutely knocked my socks off. All readers began working on new books in guided reading this week that incorporate new vocabulary, dialogue, and punctuation. Our new texts provide us with more opportunities to think about the main idea and author's purpose in writing each story. In addition, students are having a ball in "Making Sentences" center, creating sentences with pieces they created themselves!
Fundations: We learned about the suffix, "ed" and the two sounds it can make: "d", and "t". Students studied their spelling words and used them in super sentences. We discovered that a suffix can completely change the meaning of the word. In this case, 2Gers learned that "ed" changes the base word from present to past tense. Here are some of our favorites:
"laughed", "camped", "walked", jumped", and "talked".
Math: Mathematicians continued our study of money. This week we focused on comparing amounts using "greater than", "less than", and "equal to". We are learning what the most efficient strategies are for counting a large group of coins (Hint: starting with the larger values). Ask your mathematician to help you count some coins for you! On Friday, we worked on finding multiple ways to make 50 cents. We had to stretch our brains to find several different combinations.
Word Work: We are mad for Mad Libs! Students worked with partners to complete two different Mad Libs this week. We continue to learn how to identify nouns, adjectives, and verbs in our reading and writing. Mad Libs help to highlight the importance of choosing language that relates to a given topic/situation.
Read Aloud: Students are enthralled by the book, The Magic Faraway Tree. In a special Literacy Center, 2Gers used their imaginations to write about a magical land of their own. If you could create a magical land to visit, what would it be called?
Monday Jokes: Each Monday we end the day with jokes and laughter. We are learning how jokes play with words as they often highlight multiple meanings. You are welcome to brainstorm a joke with your comedian and send it in for all to enjoy.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Jan. 29th - Feb. 2nd

2/3/2018

What a fantastic week! I am so grateful for all of the incredible support 2Gers received at our share from our classroom families and school staff - Thank you! Detectives were so proud (as they should be) as they shared all of the components of their Mystery Unit. They can't wait to refill their mystery boxes at home. The incredible effort students put into writing their own mysteries blew me away. Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Math: Mathematicians worked on solving subtraction problems using the open number line this week. We continue to focus on landing on "friendly numbers" to help make our problem solving more efficient. In addition, we learned a new math station game entitled, "Close to Zero in Six Rolls". This game challenges our brains as it requires a great deal of strategic thinking. Ask your mathematician to describe it to you!
Science: Scientists explored nutrition labels and ingredients on many food/beverage items. We learned about the importance of many components such as, protein, iron, and calcium. 2Gers also learned to look for sodium and sugar content as we talked about making healthy choices. Scientists did a wonderful job creating their own balanced meals.
Literacy: One of our new literacy centers focuses on idioms. Readers were introduced to the concept of an idiom having a, "literal", and a "figurative" meaning. There were lots of giggles as we explored the literal meanings of, "It is raining cats and dogs", and "I have butterflies in my stomach".
Computers: Students used, "PebbleGo" to explore non-fiction information about: animals, biographies, science, and social studies. This site is an amazing resource where students can read information, listen to the words and sounds, watch video clips, and do related activies. The link can be found on our "favorite websites" page.
Writing Workshop: Publishing! Writers published their mysteries for our share. This is our third publishing session and 2Gers did such a great job using their resources (spelling dictionary and word wall) to help them edit. Their dedications were heartwarming.
Have a wonderful weekend!

January 27th, 2018

1/27/2018

Grains, Proteins, and Dairy, oh my! 2G Scientists learned about the last of our 5 food groups this week: The Grain Group. The Grain Group is led by a member of the "Royal Food Family", Prince Waffle. He taught us all about how grains give us, "get up and go" each day. Ask your 2Ger to tell you about, King Henry the Egg, Sir Milkford the Scholar, Queen Anna Banana, and Princess Peapod. At the end of the week we created a balanced meal. Students got to choose breakfast, lunch, or dinner and design a nutritious meal with some of their favorite foods. This activity made us all hungry! Please enjoy these additional highlights of our week:
Math: Mathematicians solved addition problems using an open number line. Students are learning to add on or count on using "friendly numbers" as landing spots. For example:
24 + 35 = ___. 2Gers learn to decompose 35 into 30 + 5. They then add in two steps (two jumps on the number line), 24 + 30 = 54, then 54 + 5 = 59. In addition, we are working on cooperative problem solving in small groups. On Friday, mathematicians solved mystery number problems by working together with given clues. These activities require students to use learned math vocabulary to look at numbers in a variety of ways.
Writing Workshop: Writers have truly blown me away! Students have been writing their own mysteries - which is no easy feat! We learned how to slowly develop a mystery, talking about one clue at a time and building suspense. We can't wait to share these with you next Friday morning!
Literacy: Readers are learning to describe the solutions to their mystery books in their own words. These lessons ask students to think about and identify the main idea of their texts. I am so proud of all readers for their hard work in developing fluency skills and comprehension of new words in context.
Read Aloud: During snack time, Mrs. Gomes started reading a wonderful chapter book entitled, The Magic Faraway Tree. This book asks us to use our imaginations as we travel to new lands that arrive at the top of the Faraway Tree! Ask your 2Ger about the Land of Topsy Turvy and the Land of Spells.
Computers: This week we explored, "Fizzy's Lunch Lab". The link to this site is on our website. We had a ball learning about different foods and nutrients with many unique characters.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Week of 1/15-1/19

1/19/2018

2G students kicked off an incredible week with an amazing Winter Concert. Second graders warmed my heart as they showed off their skills on stage led by the famous, Mr. Carter. Way to go! On Thursday, we had a blast learning in our pajamas with our favorite stuffed animal friends. I am so proud of everyone for working together to fill up our community cube jar. Please enjoy these additional highlights of our studies:
Literacy: 2Gers helped create a new center entitled, "Making Sentences". Each student created a detailed sentence on a sentence strip. These strips will be cut up into pieces for others to put together like a sentence puzzle. We had creative sentences about everything from sports to favorite foods. A goal for all readers in guided reading groups is focusing on context. When we come to new words, we remind students to read the whole sentence around the word to help think about what would make the most sense.
Writing Workshop: Detectives planned and began writing their own mysteries! This is our first piece of fiction writing and 2Gers are absolutely thrilled. We are learning how to explain the setting and introduce main characters in our first pages. You'll get to read these suspenseful stories at our share on February 2nd!
Math: Mathematicians explored the feeling of time passing this week. We focused on activities that last one minute vs. those that take about an hour to complete. In addition, we learned a new game called, "I have...Who has...". Ask your child how this game works!
Science: Scientists explored the Meat Group, Vegetable Group, and Fruit Group in our nutrition study. We are learning the benefits of eating foods from different groups. Students have also begun looking at the nutrition table on the wrappers/containers of our foods. Thus far, we searched for Protein and Calcium. Soon we'll check for vitamin and sugar content. During our discussions of our favorite healthy foods, we also talk about new foods we'd like to try.
Word Wall Words: These are the new words we added to our Word Wall this week. I've put an asterisk next to those we call, "trick words", because they are not spelled the way they sound.
"use"*, "school"*, "knew"*, "new", "with", "was"*
Have a wonderful weekend!

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