Second Grade Newsletter 2.25.22

 Field Trip

Our field trip to the Pioneer Living History Museum is Friday, March 4th! Please login into Parent Payment Portal to submit a permission slip for your child to attend. Here are some important details for the field trip:

We will be leaving school at 8:30am, spending most of the school day at the museum, and arriving back at school around 2:30pm. 

Items to label with name in black marker: 

• Lunch will be eaten on the museum grounds, and we ask that you pack an easy-to-eat lunch for your child (lunches will be in a cooler).  Please, put your child’s lunch in a brown paper bag with his/her name written on it in black marker. 

• Large disposable water bottles are ideal, as it is a long day. His or her water bottle for the day should also be disposable with his/her name written on the top. 

• We would like each child to bring a snack that is wheat-free, orange-free, and nut-free (such as popcorn, carrot sticks, fruit, potato or rice-based snacks) with his/her name written on it as well.

• Please make sure all food/drink items are disposable, as we do not want the students to lose any of their belongings at the museum.

 

Please do not send money with your child. Children will not be able to buy their lunches or snacks. 

 You may send a hat and sunglasses with your child since it is an outdoor museum, and please apply sunscreen before dropping your child off at school. The students are still expected to wear their uniform, as they are representing our school. 

The students and teachers will ride buses to the museum, while we ask parent chaperones to drive themselves.  Carpooling is encouraged!  We ask that you do not drive your own child to the museum with you, because the bus ride there is part of the experience! 

If you are willing to bring a cooler and ice, please let your teacher know!

Please contact us if you have any questions! 

 

Athletic Field Day

Athletic Field Day will be Thursday, March 10th! Please make sure your child comes to school well rested, wearing proper athletic clothing (no pop culture, please), and with plenty of water. You may apply sunscreen as well as send a hat and/or sunglasses. This will be a fun morning of sportsmanship with academics in the afternoon.

 

Important Dates

March 1: Science Test-Human Body

March 3: Westward Expansion history test

March 4: Field Trip to The Living Pioneer History Museum 

March 7: "The Land of Counterpane" Recitations

Stanzas 1-3 due Thursday 3/3, entire poem recited week of 3/7

March 10: Athletic Field Day

March 11: Half Day

March 12 – 20 Spring Break

 

Conversation Prompts:

What do the words “quit”, “quite”, and “quiet” mean?

What does a topic sentence do in a paragraph?

What is 100 ÷ 10? When we divide, are we trying to find the whole or a part?

Name an example of a food from each of the food groups: Fruit, vegetable, grain, dairy, and protein.

Why did Laura and Mary like helping Ma make cheese? What did Pa collect from the hollow tree in the woods?

What were some things that were important for people to carry with them on the Oregon Trail?

 

Academics

History

Students will learn about Sequoyah, who invented the Cherokee tribe’s written language. Then, they will learn about settlers on the prairies, and cowboy life on ranches. Our Westward Expansion unit will conclude with a test on Thursday. Students have a study guide to use for preparation.

Science

Monday will be a review day in preparation for our Human Body unit test on Tuesday. Students have a study guide for this assessment. On Thursday, we will perform an interesting experiment to observe how acids affect bones.

Literature

We will learn about harvest time in the Big Woods, and about a wonderful machine that helped the Ingalls with their harvest work. We will finish the book on Friday.

Grammar

Students are working to complete their Oregon Trail paragraphs, and will begin learning about adverbs and their usage through excerpts from Moominland Midwinter. 

Math

We will begin our unit on money. Students will practice counting and writing money amounts, become familiar with decimal notation, and convert between denominations. 

Spalding

Students will learn and practice a mix of spelling words, cursive phonograms, and cursive uppercase letters next week. Wednesday will be the review day, and the phonogram quiz and spelling test will be Thursday (due to the field trip on Friday). For the cursive practice homework, please have your child write each phonogram or letter in cursive three times.

 

Thank you for all your support!

Second Grade Newsletter 2.18.22

 Field Trip

Dear Second Grade Families,

Our field trip to the Pioneer Living History Museum is Friday, March 4th! Please login into Configio/Parent Portal to submit a permission slip for your child to attend. Here are some important details for the field trip:

We will be leaving school at 8:30am, spending most of the school day at the museum, and arriving back at school around 2:30pm. 

Items to label with name in black marker: 

• Lunch will be eaten on the museum grounds, and we ask that you pack an easy-to-eat lunch for your child (lunches will be in a cooler).  Please, put your child’s lunch in a brown paper bag with his/her name written on it in black marker. 

• Large disposable water bottles are ideal, as it is a long day. His or her water bottle for the day should also be disposable with his/her name written on the top. 

• We would like each child to bring a snack that is wheat-free, orange-free, and nut-free (such as popcorn, carrot sticks, fruit, potato or rice-based snacks) with his/her name written on it as well.

• Please make sure all food/drink items are disposable, as we do not want the students to lose any of their belongings at the museum.

Please do not send money with your child. Children will not be able to buy their lunches or snacks. 

You may send a hat and sunglasses with your child since it is an outdoor museum, and please apply sunscreen before dropping your child off at school. The students are still expected to wear their uniform, as they are representing our school. 

The students and teachers will ride buses to the museum, while we ask parent chaperones to drive themselves.  Carpooling is encouraged!  We ask that you do not drive your own child to the museum with you, because the bus ride there is part of the experience! 

We are very excited for our field trip and we know it will be a wonderful experience for everyone.

If you are willing to bring a cooler and ice, please let your teacher know!

Please contact us if you have any questions! 

Athletic Field Day

Athletic Field Day will be Thursday, March 9th! Please make sure your child comes to school well rested, wearing proper athletic clothing (no pop culture, please), and with plenty of water. You may apply sunscreen as well as send a hat and/or sunglasses. This will be a fun day of sportsmanship with academics in the afternoon.

Important Dates:

February 21: No School, President's Day

February 25: Multiplication & Division Assessment

March 1: Science Test-Human Body

March 4: Field Trip to The Living Pioneer History Museum 

March 7: "The Land of Counterpane" Recitations

 Stanza 1-2 due Friday 2/25, Stanza 1-3 due Thursday 3/3, entire poem recited week of 3/7

March 9: Athletic Field Day

March 11: Half Day

March 12 – 20 Spring Break

Conversation Prompts:

What is 17 divided by 4? What is left over?

What is important to include in a letter? What must you write on the envelope?

What is the name of the trail settlers traveled on to the Pacific Coast? Why did people move west?

How does the digestive system work?

What is the weather like in the Big Woods now? (It is warmer, it is now springtime.) What do the Ingalls do now that the weather is warmer? (They go to the general store and buy goods.)

Academics

History

The students are loving the Unit on Westward Expansion! So far, they have learned that the Erie Canal helped carry people West, and we read about the invention of the steamboat. They got to re-enact the Pony Express for our Great Hearts celebration, which was a lovely way to incorporate movement with history. We will continue our Westward Expansion unit as we discuss the Goldrush, daily life in a covered wagon, the Oregon Trail, the building of a transcontinental railroad, and the Trail of Tears.

Science
Students reviewed the digestive system and are working on identifying the parts of the system and their role in digestion. We discussed ways we can stay healthy and the five food groups. Next week, we will examine some food labels and learn about making healthy choices. We will also learn about the importance of exercise before reviewing for the unit test. A study guide on white paper was sent home Thursday for students to prepare for the test on February 29th. 

Literature
Next week, students will read about summertime in the Big Woods. The Ingalls welcome many visitors now that the weather is nice. Pa finds a tree loaded with honey and retells how he was able to collect it.  Ma sets about making cheese and the girls help her. 

Grammar

The students will begin work on an informative paragraph about the Oregon Trail. They will learn that good writing undergoes the process of brainstorming, rough draft, edits and revisions, and a final draft. 

Math

This week, students worked on multiplication facts of 4s and 5s. Next week, they will continue work with multiplication of 4s and 5s, and they will also study multiplication and division of 10s.  If you find your scholar is struggling, here are a few helpful suggestions: 

• Use items from around the house to create groups and demonstrate multiplication problems.  
• Similarly, use items to create equal groups when dividing. Remind students that division is sharing equally.  
• Remember to PECS (Picture, Equation, Complete Sentence) on Word Problems. Often, beginning with a picture is best practice. 
• Create and study multiplication flash cards.   

Spalding​​​​​​​
Scholars will continue to practice new spelling words and cursive letter formation by learning to connect letters through writing the phonograms. Please continue to dictate the spelling words and have your child rewrite any missed words. For the cursive practice, please have your child write each phonogram in cursive three times.

Thank you for all your support. Best-Your Second Grade Team

Second Grade Newsletter 2.11.22

Hello Parents and Guardians! 

Important Dates: 

· Great Hearts Day: February 14th, 2022 

· No School (President’s Day): February 21st, 2022 

· Field Trip to the Pioneer Museum: Friday, March 4th, 2022 

 

Conversation Starters: 

Name two ways Americans moved west (by carriage, walking, flatboats, keel boats) 

Skip count by 4 up to 48 (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48) 

What happens to our food after it reaches the stomach? (Food moves into the small intestine where it passes through villi walls into the bloodstream) 

In Little House in the Big Woods, what is sugar snow? (Melted snow that helps tree produce for sap) 

 

Academics: 

Grammar: Scholars will receive their next poem for recitations, "The Land of Counterpane" by Robert Louis Stevenson. We will use excerpts from "The Plant that Ate Dirty Socks" for our writing exercises. Students will also practice addressing envelopes and writing letters on a postcard.

Math: In math, students will learn to relate division by 4 to multiplication by 4 as well as count and multiply by 5. 

 History: We will continue our unit on the Westward Expansion with learning about the invention of the steamboat, identifying important land features American used on their journey west, and explaining what the California Gold Rush was. 

Literature: Our reading of Little House in the Big Woods continues with emphasis on citing textual evidence and reviewing alphabetical order with vocabulary from the text. Please consider signing up to volunteer for reading groups at the links on the sidebar

Science: In Science, we will finish our unit on the digestive system and begin our unit on healthy eating with learning the different food groups and how to make a healthy plate. 

Spalding: Next week, we will begin writing the alphabet in cursive. For homework, scholars will practice cursive letters along with spelling words for the week. Please have your child write each cursive letter three times.

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Warm Regards, 

The 2nd Grade Team

Second Grade Newsletter 2.4.22

 

Hello parents and guardians!

 

Great Hearts Day:

Great Hearts Day is just around the corner! On February 14th, we will be celebrating each other’s virtues. Our 2nd Grade Great Hearts Celebration will be from 12:00pm – 1:10pm. Please do not send store bought cards or candy. All store-bought cards and candy will be returned home with your child that day. It would really dampen our spirits to have to disappoint a child in this way. We have other fun and thoughtful ways to celebrate the day.

The students will write a friendly letter and deliver their Great-Hearted cards via a reenactment of the Pony Express. Students will learn to work together as we learn to Square Dance after reading about the dance at Grandpa's in the book, Little House in the Big Woods. We will also celebrate Arizona's birthday with a fun craft. We are still looking for a few more stick horses, such as this (see this link). If you have one that you would like to lend for our Pony Express reenactment, please email your homeroom teacher. Thank you!

Important Dates:

Monday, Feb. 7: The Preamble recitation due

Tuesday, Feb. 8: Math subtraction assessment and History War of 1812 assessment

Thursday, Feb. 10: Galileo testing (Make sure your student gets plenty of sleep and a full breakfast so they’ll feel their best. Please arrive at school on time -- or early!)

Friday, Feb. 11: Half Day

Monday, Feb. 21: No School; President’s Day

 

Dress Code Reminder:

Just a reminder that per the Family Handbooks, "Boys and girls are permitted to wear one watch. This may not be a smart watch. Bracelets, rings, and necklaces are not permitted unless for religious reasons." Thank you for your help with ensuring that special accessory items are left at home and students are in dress code. The purpose for the dress code is to help students focus on their academic pursuits; certain smart watches have become distractions for students and those around them. Thank you!

 

Conversation Prompts:

What did Dolley Madison save from the fire in Washington DC?

What does your epiglottis do?

What punctuation do we use after the Greeting and the Closing in a letter?

Why was a sugar snow helpful for Grandpa?

What is the difference between steal and steel?

How can we rearrange 42 + ______ = 68 to make it easier to solve?

 

Academics:

Math

Monday will be a review day, leading to the subtraction assessment on Tuesday. Then, we will move on to counting and multiplying by 4.

Literature

We will continue learning about sugar snow and how Grandpa made maple syrup. Then, we will focus on the main characters in the book and the dance at Grandpa’s.

Grammar

Preamble recitations are due Monday, 2/7. Narration and Dictation Exercises will continue with excerpts from Little Women. Students will continue to practice letter writing with another letter activity.

History

Monday, students will learn about the ending of the War of 1812, as well as review for the assessment on Tuesday. Then we will begin our unit on Westward Expansion.

Science

We will continue our study of the digestive system, identifying major organs and their functions.

Spalding

Next week we will begin learning Spalding cursive handwriting. Please note that Spalding cursive may be different from any cursive your student has already been trying. It will be important for them to make a habit of Spalding cursive strokes instead. Please be aware that homework and other assignments should not be written using cursive until we instruct the students to do so. We will have a regular week of Spalding spelling words, as well.

Hoping you enjoy a wonderful weekend. Your Second Grade Team