Wow, your medieval homes are really starting to come along. Now that you have a floor plan for your house, are you excited to start adding some walls? This week we discuss right angles and continue to work with perimeter to measure and cut the sides of our buildings. You can also look forward to making a special gift for this holiday season, as well as sewing your own handmade book cover.
Inquiry
Medieval Life:
Congratulations, you have successfully created a floor plan for your medieval home. This week we will repeat this process to create the second floor of your home. We will use our understanding of right angles and perimeter to add walls to our buildings. Our medieval town will definitely begin to take form this coming week.
Geography:
"Get your kicks on route 66"- yes our USA road trip has begun. You will receive your departure and arrival cities. The object of our road trip is to study and journal each state we travel through- Capitals, regions, point of interests, state bird, state flower, motto, population, etc. Look out for route planning homework (use mapquest, AAA, yahoo or google maps... try to visit as many states as possible- we are making this a leisurely trip).
Math
Measurement and Time:
We are into it (inches and feet) deep- yes the Magical Mines are measuring by inches, centimeters and feet, applying our knowledge measuring classroom objects, our bedrooms (the perfect excuse to get that room clean!!), and initial building plans (perimeter) for the Medieval town of Altavistoria.
"A watched pot never boils"- not in 2nd grade!! We are focused on time, days, and months- analyzing and constructing a 2013 calendar (shhhhh, this gift may be for someone special....). FYI- only 2 weeks until Winter Break.
Reading
Visualizing (Making Mental Images):
We continue our work with visualizing, taking time to make notes and share our mental pictures. We will also compare our mental pictures with each other, (re)discovering how each of us imagine scenes differently because we all have different prior knowledge.
Writing
Publishing:
It’s crunch time as we prepare for our Writing Celebration on Friday afternoon. Our minds and bodies will be focused on publishing our stories in our best handwriting with quality illustrations. Toward the end of the week I will share with you a beautiful design for binding your books. By Friday you will be ready and excited to share your masterpiece with others.
HOMEWORK
Monday
Special Dates in Your Life:
Use your family and friends as resources to create a list of important dates in your life. Make a list of birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and more.
Tuesday
Mapping Your Road Trip:
Using the internet map out how you will get from your point A to point B. There are a variety of resources available to you. We recommend MapQuest, AAA, Google or Yahoo maps. Draw your route on the US map given to you at school.
Wednesday
Math Game:
Use your carrying skills to add large numbers in this fun game. Keep track of your thinking on the guide sheet.
Thursday
No Water Day Reflection:
Keep track of how much water you use at home with the guide sheet. Take a moment to appreciate the gift of easy access to clean water. It truly is a magical thing.
CURRENT EVENTS (in reversed alphabetical order)
Second grade current events will resume in January of 2013.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday is “No Water Day” at Alta Vista School
An annual tradition at AVS, No Water Day is our way of honoring water as a precious resource. During “No Water Day” we will participate in the following activities designed to increase awareness of the value of water as well as the privilege of having easy access to clean, drinkable water.
1) Water fountains will be shut down for the day.
2) Students wishing to have a drink of water will get a bucket from one end of the hallway and carry the bucket to a table at the other end. A water cooler and small Dixie cups will be available for them to use for drinking water. Once they finish, they will return their bucket to the end of the hall and return to class.
3) There will be a tally sheet in the bathroom. Students should make a tally mark every time the toilet is flushed.
While we investigate what it is like to not have easy access to water, we are also raising funds for our Charity Water Campaign. Last year Yasmeen, inspired AVS to help fund a well project in Ethiopia, and this year we strive to meet our goal of $5,000 before the New Year.
Star of the Week – Benjamin
This week begins our "Star of the Week" program. Each week we will be celebrating a member of our class. Students are encouraged to decorate, color, add pictures and embellish their poster.
When you are the “Star,” you will be given an undecorated poster on Friday. Please return it and be ready to share with the class on Monday.
On Friday at 3:15 the Star of the Week is invited to share a TREAT with the class. TREATS may include edibles (MUST BE DAIRY and GLUTEN FREE), a Read-Aloud from a favorite story/poem, a song, or other creative ideas.
Inquiry
Medieval Life:
Congratulations, you have successfully created a floor plan for your medieval home. This week we will repeat this process to create the second floor of your home. We will use our understanding of right angles and perimeter to add walls to our buildings. Our medieval town will definitely begin to take form this coming week.
Geography:
"Get your kicks on route 66"- yes our USA road trip has begun. You will receive your departure and arrival cities. The object of our road trip is to study and journal each state we travel through- Capitals, regions, point of interests, state bird, state flower, motto, population, etc. Look out for route planning homework (use mapquest, AAA, yahoo or google maps... try to visit as many states as possible- we are making this a leisurely trip).
Math
Measurement and Time:
We are into it (inches and feet) deep- yes the Magical Mines are measuring by inches, centimeters and feet, applying our knowledge measuring classroom objects, our bedrooms (the perfect excuse to get that room clean!!), and initial building plans (perimeter) for the Medieval town of Altavistoria.
"A watched pot never boils"- not in 2nd grade!! We are focused on time, days, and months- analyzing and constructing a 2013 calendar (shhhhh, this gift may be for someone special....). FYI- only 2 weeks until Winter Break.
Reading
Visualizing (Making Mental Images):
We continue our work with visualizing, taking time to make notes and share our mental pictures. We will also compare our mental pictures with each other, (re)discovering how each of us imagine scenes differently because we all have different prior knowledge.
Writing
Publishing:
It’s crunch time as we prepare for our Writing Celebration on Friday afternoon. Our minds and bodies will be focused on publishing our stories in our best handwriting with quality illustrations. Toward the end of the week I will share with you a beautiful design for binding your books. By Friday you will be ready and excited to share your masterpiece with others.
HOMEWORK
Monday
Special Dates in Your Life:
Use your family and friends as resources to create a list of important dates in your life. Make a list of birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and more.
Tuesday
Mapping Your Road Trip:
Using the internet map out how you will get from your point A to point B. There are a variety of resources available to you. We recommend MapQuest, AAA, Google or Yahoo maps. Draw your route on the US map given to you at school.
Wednesday
Math Game:
Use your carrying skills to add large numbers in this fun game. Keep track of your thinking on the guide sheet.
Thursday
No Water Day Reflection:
Keep track of how much water you use at home with the guide sheet. Take a moment to appreciate the gift of easy access to clean water. It truly is a magical thing.
CURRENT EVENTS (in reversed alphabetical order)
Second grade current events will resume in January of 2013.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday is “No Water Day” at Alta Vista School
An annual tradition at AVS, No Water Day is our way of honoring water as a precious resource. During “No Water Day” we will participate in the following activities designed to increase awareness of the value of water as well as the privilege of having easy access to clean, drinkable water.
1) Water fountains will be shut down for the day.
2) Students wishing to have a drink of water will get a bucket from one end of the hallway and carry the bucket to a table at the other end. A water cooler and small Dixie cups will be available for them to use for drinking water. Once they finish, they will return their bucket to the end of the hall and return to class.
3) There will be a tally sheet in the bathroom. Students should make a tally mark every time the toilet is flushed.
While we investigate what it is like to not have easy access to water, we are also raising funds for our Charity Water Campaign. Last year Yasmeen, inspired AVS to help fund a well project in Ethiopia, and this year we strive to meet our goal of $5,000 before the New Year.
Star of the Week – Benjamin
This week begins our "Star of the Week" program. Each week we will be celebrating a member of our class. Students are encouraged to decorate, color, add pictures and embellish their poster.
When you are the “Star,” you will be given an undecorated poster on Friday. Please return it and be ready to share with the class on Monday.
On Friday at 3:15 the Star of the Week is invited to share a TREAT with the class. TREATS may include edibles (MUST BE DAIRY and GLUTEN FREE), a Read-Aloud from a favorite story/poem, a song, or other creative ideas.