Items Needed

Our classroom is in need of two iPad covers. We would greatly appreciate new covers so we can continue to safely use our classroom iPads. Click here for an example of the iPad covers we are looking for. Both iPads are the 2nd version.

We are also in need of peanut butter. Students have been enjoying apple slices each day for breakfast and we have run out of peanut butter to go with the apple slices.

Wonder of the Week - Why Does Hair Turn Gray?

Wonder of the Week

Our wonder of the week this week is -- Why does hair turn gray?  The students have a lot of very creative answers for this one!  If you have a moment read your student’s blog and leave a comment.

Warren KidBlog

LaRose KidBlog

Informational Text Features

Last week in Reading Workshop students learned how to compare informational texts to realistic fictional stories. This week we are focusing on text features which help us better understanding the information in the text. This week we have learned about: diagram and labels, cutaways and captions.  

We have learned that a diagram is a photograph or drawing that gives information. A label is used to help the reader identify a picture or a photograph and/or its parts. A cutaway is used to help the reader understand something by looking at it from the inside. A caption is used to help the reader better understand a picture or a photograph.

 Below are some examples of the work we have completed in our Informational Text Feature Books!

Our Week in Review. 3.23

What We Know About Informational Texts

Yesterday we began our new unit of study on Informational Texts.  To begin the unit of study we brainstormed everything we knew (our schema) about Information Texts.  Below is what we know.

What We Know About Informational Texts:

• Tells you true information (help you learn something)
• Tells you about a specific thing (topic)
• Tells you about things that have happened in the past
• Shows you real photographs of things in the past and things that are happening right now
• Teach you about something, which is different from other books which tell you a story
• Can give you information about history
• Have a table of contents
• Don’t always have to have photographs they can have paintings or drawings
• shows you the timeline of things in the past
• Tells you about how things live
• Usually labels with the photographs

Math Word Problems

To get our math brains warmed up and ready students begin math by solving math word problems.  Students are presented with two problems, they need to select one problem to solve.  To solve the problem they need to draw a picture, write an equation and explain their thinking and how they solved the problem.  After students have completed one problem they can then move on to the second problem.  Before the math lesson each day 2 students are chosen at random to share how they solved one of the math problems.  Below is our thinking from yesterday’s share.

Are Leprechauns Real?

Subject / Title:

• Leprechauns
• Are Leprechauns Real?
• Do You Think Leprechauns Are Real?

Are leprechauns real?

• I think leprechauns are real because once on St.Patrick’s Day at my house I saw leprechaun tracks and gold. (Amani)
• I think leprechauns are real because once on St. Patrick’s Day I walked outside my door and there was a trail of plastic gold coins. (Devin)
• I think leprechauns are real because on St. Patrick’s Day I looked in my kitchen and I found a basket full of candy and toys and it said it was from a leprechaun.  (Sam)
• I think leprechauns are real because a lot of people do believe in them, and I do to. (Madelyn)

What do leprechauns do for a living?

• I think leprechauns search for gold during the day. (Nick)
• I think leprechauns protect the gold at the end of the rainbow during the day. (Rylee)
• I think leprechauns protect the coins during the day.  (Holden)
• I think after St. Patrick’s day leprechauns get tired from collecting all that gold so they are lazy at home.  Then, the next St. Patrick’s day they get more gold.  (Charlie)

How do you make a leprechaun trap?

• I think you make a leprechaun trap by putting a very high barrel in a corner so it only has one entrance like a ramp, and on the other side of the ramp you put a gold coin, and a leprechaun will try to get it, but it really will fall in the barrel.  (Julien)
• I think you make a leprechaun trap by putting a gold coin attached to a string.  You put the string on a table and when the leprechaun tries to pull the string the leprechaun will get trapped.  (Leah)
• I think you make a leprechaun trap by making a bottle with a string and putting something shiny in the bottle. When the leprechaun comes you drop the string and you might catch the leprechaun. (Danielle)

Vocabulary Words:

leprechaun gold        trap / trapped

barrel string 4 - leaf clovers

gold coins vines / twigs

Extending Questions:

What do leprechauns eat?

How big are leprechauns?

Pinky and Rex and the Mean Old Witch

Last week we finished our unit of study on Characters.  All last week during Reading Workshop we read the book Pinky and Rex and the Mean Old Witch.  In this book the characters Pinky and Mrs. Morgan go through a character change.  As a class we created a graphic organizer that showed both Mrs. Morgan and Pinky at the beginning of the book, the turning point (the event that caused change) and Mrs. Morgan and Pinky at the end of the book.  Students used pictures and information from the text to write a constructed response.  Our graphic organizers and students' are hanging inside the classroom, please come take a peek! Today we will be having our culminating activity, students will enjoy a healthy treat while I read aloud Pinky and Rex Get Married.

Call For Socks and Pants

Dear Families,

Today we had many friends come in from recess with soaking wet socks and pants.  I am encouraging students to bring an extra pair of socks and pants to change into after recess just in case they are cold and wet!

Thanks,

Natalie 

New Math Game: Up To 20 Dice!

In math we have been playing new games as part of our math workshop. One new game called "Up To 20 Dice" has partnerships roll up to 20 dice (that's a lot of dice!).  Once the dice have been rolled partnerships need to find the sum off all the dice.  The videos below shows some of our strategies for adding up all the dice!

Help Needed -- Alaska Resources

Dear Parents,

Each year we have been very fortunate to have a volunteer musher and sled dogs come to our school during our study of Alaska.  This year the musher will not be able to fit us into his schedule.

We are hoping that perhaps one of you may have knowledge of someone who would be willing to come to our school to teach our classes about dog sledding and provide the hands on experience that we have had in the past.

If you have someone for us to contact please let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you

Second Grade Teachers

Opinion Piece: Best Part of Vacation

This morning in Writing Workshop we wrote an opinion piece on the best part of our vacations. Students wrote a complete paragraph on this topic. Students worked on making sure they used transition words, wrote in complete sentences and backed up their thinking. Click here to read some of our opinion pieces.