Peek At The Week

We had a great week together after having a nice long break! The students were all ready to get back to work!

In Math, we learned a new game called Spend a $1.00 to help us subtract coins and trade coins to record. The goal is to have no money left at the end. We also worked on skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. We did some partner activities using the 100 chart too. The students all worked hard even if some of the questions were challenging at first.

In Science, we have started our unit on insects. We discussed what we knew first. We made a special folder and watched a short movie called All About Bugs.  We also read a lot about bugs. I assigned a special insect report for each student today that you will find in the backpack folder. The reports are due on Monday, May 6th.

In Writing, we wrote diamante poems for a special retirement book for Mrs. R. We wrote one as a class and the students wrote their own individual poems too. They came up with some sweet things to say about her!

The whole second grade had a special assembly on Thursday afternoon. We learned from 3 “differently abled” adults. The adults told the kids to use this term instead of handicapped. One man Joe had a brain injury which affected the use of his arm, one woman Maura was blind and had a cute guide dog named Jolly and another woman MJ had multiple sclerosis. The students were very good listeners and learned about all the things they could still do, even if they had different abilities.  It was a great learning opportunity for all of them.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!

                                                                         

-Mrs. Farrand J

Peek At The Week

We had a great week before our spring vacation! We did a lot!

In Math, we learned Collect $1.00 to help us count and trade coins to record. We also played Get to 100 on the hundred chart to help add number strings that add up to 100. We filled in missing numbers on the hundred chart too and learned Unroll A Square which helps with subtraction.

In Social Studies, reviewed rupees and learned about the Taj Mahal. We made our own sketches of this famous building and they came out beautifully. We also heard from Mrs. Jones who visited India one summer. It was very interesting! We also watched some video clips from India and saw some of the schools in different parts of the countries. We wrapped our unit by learning about India’s flag and we brainstormed all the things we had learned! They learned a lot and then made a peacock with 5 facts.

*See Fun Photos

                                                                         

The students presented their sports biographies to the class. They were very creative and had nice facts.

On a personal note, I shared with the students today that my husband Chris and I are expecting a baby October 1st. They were all very excited by this news and even predicted what we would be having and gave me some name advice. J

I hope you have a safe and restful vacation week! 

School starts again on Monday, April 22nd.

-Mrs. Farrand J

Peek At The Week

What a nice weather week to start April! I am waiting for even warmer spring days!

In Math, we started Unit 6 by reviewing sticker problem strategies for subtraction and addition. The students are feeling more confident with continued practice, which is awesome! We also learned a new game called Guess My Number on the 100 chart.

In Science, we wrapped up our weather unit and learned about Earth Day and how we can take care of the environment and save energy.

We also learned about tapping trees from Miss P and we got to tap a sugar maple at Memorial and collect it. They were very excited to do this!

*See Fun Photos

In Writing, we did some creative narrative pieces based on the story Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The students were very imaginative in thinking of weather words, favorite foods, and using quotations. They got to share them with the class too, which is always great! Look for them in the backpack folders!

In Social Studies, we have started learning about India. We discussed what we knew first. It is nice that 3 students have been there before! We read India in Colors to learn some new facts. Then, the students colored a cool map of India and the surrounding countries and bodies of water. We also looked at Indian Rupees with a partner and a magnifying glass to see what we noticed. We’ll look at them again as a class on Monday.

                                                                         

The students were excited to begin working on their sports biographies. The project is due on Thursday, April 11^th. If they finish early, they can bring them in.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your family!

-Mrs. Farrand J

Peek At The Week

A snowy week and the first day of spring! Only in New England! J

In Math, we continued learning about data by discussing how many teeth we lost in our class.  Then we asked other classrooms how many teeth they had lost. The students collected the data with a partner and then created line plots and picture graphs to display the data. They did a great job. We finished our Unit 4 by taking an assessment and started Unit 6, which will review story problems and place value. We learned a new game called Roll-A-Square to help with adding and subtracting within one hundred.

In Science, we learned about temperature. We discussed the definition and what tool we use to measure temperature. We watched a short Brainpop Jr. video and learned about how to count by 2s for the small lines on a thermometer. We practiced filling in thermometers together and what temperatures display hot and cold. We also presented our weather reports. They did a nice job!

***The weather test will be on Wednesday, March 27^th.

Please help your child study!

In Writing, we finished our persuasive piece about the best season. They came up with a topic sentence, four reasons why it was the best using leader/follower, and a closing sentence. They came out very well!

This week we had some high school students from LCA visit our classroom to see if they would be interested in a future teaching career. The students enjoyed getting to know them and were very sad to see them go!

*See fun photos

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand J

Peek At The Week

Where does the time go? Each week seems to go by so quickly!

In Math, we continued learning about data and graphs. We shared our results with our classmates based on our favorite things.  We also took an assessment where the students had to sort foods into categories and create a graph. They did very well! We also reviewed telling time. We watched a Brain Pop Jr. video and practiced writing in time to the half as well as quarter of and quarter past. We also collected pocket data and learned how to make line plots. We discussed the mode (the most popular) and what an outlier is.

In Science, we learned about the 4 types of precipitation which are rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We made a little booklet and watched a brief film about the types. We also learned about 4 severe storms. They were blizzard, thunderstorm, hurricane, and tornado. We mixed the storm ingredients in a big pot and made a weather wizard cookbook. It was fun! We also read more about weather and answered questions together. We also did a cool cloud watch each morning.

****A reminder that the students weather reports and posters are due this Wednesday, March 20^th.

In Writing, we began planning a persuasive piece about the best season. We brainstormed things we like to do in the different seasons. We started planning our writing for which season we thought was the best. The students began their planning and we’ll continue to work on it next week.

Thank you so much for all of your snack contributions. We will have a very nice basket and whoever wins it will be very happy!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

-Mrs. Farrand J

Peek At The Week

No school today, but we had another great week of learning together!

In Math, we continued learning about data and graphs. We sorted favorite pet data and made a tally chart and bar graph. We also sorted our own survey data into categories with a partner. After that, we created our own bar graphs and picture graphs.  They came out very well and they had a lot of fun!  On Monday we’ll share our results with our classmates.

In Science, we began we reviewed the water cycle and began learning about the 3 main types of clouds which are cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. We made a cloud book with information and learned a fun cloud song sung to BINGO.

We also watched a short film about wind and clouds.

On Monday, I will send home a special weather project for each student.  The project will be due on Wednesday, March 20^th.

*The Memorial Wine Tasting Fundraiser is coming up and we have a “Snack Attack” basket for our class. We are still in need of snacks! If one student sends in one snack, we will have a full basket. So far we have some goldfish crackers and chocolate covered pretzels.

Thank you for all of your contributions.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand J

Peek At The Week

What a great winter break! It was relaxing, but we got right back to working hard this week!

In Math, we started Unit 4 about data collecting and graphing. We played Guess My Rule in our class using features and attributes of our classmates such as striped shirts vs. no stripes or boots vs. no boots. Then they learned about strange creatures called “Yekkis.” They look like aliens from another planet. The students used a Venn Diagram to play Guess My Rule with a partner. They really liked it!

         We also took some quick math fact tests. The students did well with addition, but many need more practice with subtraction facts, so please help them practice these at home and have them continue to use XTRA math.

         We also learned about tally charts and bar graphs. We compared who writes with their left and right hands in our class. We also made a tally chart and bar graph showing our favorite season. We’ll do more fun data collecting and graphing next week.

In Science, we began our unit on wonderful weather. We discussed what we knew about weather and read some great books. We learned about the 3 parts of the water cycle which are evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.  We made a water cycle wheel, learned a great song about the water cycle sung to the tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”, and we watched a video called All About the Water Cycle.   

In Writing, we started writing persuasive pieces about a pet we really want. I read a story called I Wanna Iguana to start.  The boy in the story writes letters to his mom to try and convince her to get him a pet iguana. Next, we chose a pet we want to have and brainstormed ideas. The students have begun writing friendly letters to their parents to try and convince them to give them the pet they want. Be on the lookout for these letters soon! J

Our field trip to The Discovery Museum was awesome! We had so much fun and there was so much to see! Check out the Fun Photos!

Also, the Memorial Wine Tasting Fundraiser is coming up and we have a “Snack Attack” basket for our class. If you could send in a snack item that would be great! I have four snacks so far, so we’re on our way!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand J