Winter Break and 2014

Winter Concert / Winter Break
I hope everyone is having a nice break.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone in 2014!  We received a few more photos of our winter concert.  Thank you, Allie (Abby's mom).

IXL.com and Studyisland.com
I can tell we are using IXL.com and studyisland.com  I cannot wait to celebrate our success when we return.  Keep up the good work.

Homework over break
I have added pdfs to our 'forms' page on the right for The Chocolate Touch homework and the dollar words homework in case they went missing over break.  Feel free to download and use paper to answer them if you happen to be missing the packet. Chapters 3 & 4 are due January 6th (I will accept them on the 7th for full credit, however.)

2014
When we return, we will be working on telling time in math, researching an animal (non-fiction) in writing, and identifying non-fiction text features in reading.  In language arts we will review subject-verb agreement and in social studies, we will begin a unit on economics.

Please check out the Upcoming Events on the right for dates for 80s day, 100th day, popcorn Tuesday, etc.

Winter Concert, CERs, Winter Break

Winter Concert
We seriously rocked our winter concert.  It was a lot of fun.  Thank you for attending!  Thanks, LaToya (Maddison's mom), for sharing pictures.

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning
We recently began using part of a process called DEICER to help us strengthen our foundational understanding of core concepts.  DEICER is an acronym for a process that is meant to help students consider and question concepts more thoroughly.  To begin, we have taken the last three steps (Claim/Evidence/Reasoning) to better understand essential questions and concepts in our learning.  We use CERs in math, writing, and science, but the terminology often comes up in all of our subjects.  For example, I typically give a headline story to begin math.  Students read the story, generate a question and then make a claim, provide evidence to support the claim, and apply reasoning.  Ask your students about it; they are getting pretty good!

Winter Break
Thank you so much for the gifts and well wishes for a relaxing break.  I was overwhelmed with your generosity.  I am seriously the luckiest teacher ever.

I hope you all have a great break as well.  The following note was sent via email regarding the winter break holiday.

Hi 2nd grade families!  Students were given a note about their homework over break today.  

Many of them chose to bring their copy of The Chocolate Touch home today as well.  I will make sure the rest of them have it tomorrow so that they have what they need tomorrow before they leave for break. 

The half-sheet note (that was stapled on top) explains the tasks that are being sent by all 3rd grade teachers.  Tasks 1 and Tasks 2 are not required.  They are just suggestions so that your student is prepared in January when we start our in-class animal research and we start telling time and discussing elapsed time. Students can choose any animal to research.  The animal project will last all of January. 

The requirements for break are: 1. read chapter 3 & 4 of The Chocolate Touch , 2. complete the pages for chapter 3 & 4 of the packet, 3. try some dollar words, 4. log onto ixl.com / studyisland.com as much as possible. 

Hint: the word 'discipline' is exactly $1.00 in the dollar word challenge. 

Let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks! 

Indoor Recess, Novel Study, Math, and Science

Indoor Recess

It was incredibly cold during the first part of last week.  To keep ourselves busy, engaged and entertained during recess, we participate in games such as: marble run, ball toss, dress up, computer games, origami, Apples to Apples, free art and more.  Indoor recess is not ideal, but students enjoy the chance to create and have some fun.  Please have your child bring boots, hats, gloves, and snow-pants every day.  The snow-pants can stay in the classroom through the week, but you will likely want them for weekends and breaks.

Novel Study

We recently began reading The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling.  The students have enjoyed reading the first chapter with their workshop partner.  They will be assigned two chapters over the winter break.  Please do not worry; it is something they enjoy reading.

Math

We have enjoyed the beginning of our math unit on charts and graphs.  The 3D graphs were fun to create as we used our own information to answer questions.  This unit is interactive and fun yet challenging.  We will continue our study of other graphs and charts (line, pie, and planes) this week.

Science

We ended our States of Matter Unit this week by making pancakes to show the difference between mixtures and solutions.  The materials in our science kit helped us determine how to sort liquids by viscosity, transparency, and color.  Ask your child about the new vocabulary (viscosity is particularly difficult) as well as the difference between a mixture and a solution. Also, ask them about changing states of matter by adding or withholding heat, pressure and time. 

What's the Matter?

Last week was a treat. Not only did we get to test two more ice cream recipes, we also had a neat opportunity to do an impromptu reader's theater on the states of matter. The students are really engaged in this science unit. Shruti Balla brought in a book and taught us about the fourth state of matter ~ plasma.  In addition, other students like Vedant, Cameron, Kriti, and Nandini are finding non-fiction texts that support these concepts to share with the class. It is like 'matter is everywhere!' Way to go 2nd grade!

Thank you Dominick and Akalbir for sharing your ice cream dishes. They both are worthy of mass production!

Thank you also to Mrs. Rolls who created an amazing reader's theater script for us to follow a water molecule from the artic to the tropic. This kinesthetic and fun activity helped us 'solidify' our understanding of the states of matter.

Thank You, Ice Cream & Affirmations

Thank you very much for attending Parent-Teacher Conferences.  Our class had 100% participation!  It was nice talking with you about your child's progress.  I sincerely appreciate your feedback and your open, honest communication.  I take your ideas about how to support your child's effort to reach their academic and social goals seriously.  If you ever have questions or concerns please let me know.  

Thank you also for working over the break on the properties of matter homework.  We were lucky enough to sample some today thanks to Cameron Kouba!  Students do not have to make the ice cream, however.  We will vote on the advertisements and make the winning recipe together in class.  

As we return to a five-day week schedule, we will spend some time reviewing procedures such as lining up and transitioning from subject to subject.  While a reminder is sometimes needed, our class does a wonderful job with this, in fact, we received the note below from Mrs. Kouba last week. 



The note reads:
Mrs. Mueller,
Your class did an amazing job coming
in from recess and in the lunch line!
Mrs. Kouba

Updates, Tuesday Harvest Festival and Counting/Adding Money

It was so nice to be back in school on Thursday.  Due to the power outage and the short week, the homework packet that went home Thursday is not due until Tuesday, November 26th.  We will have a spelling test and a Wordly Wise test on Tuesday.  Also in the Monday Mailers was a confirmation time and date for your Parent-Teacher Conference.  Please checkout the blog sidebar "Upcoming Events" for more calendar items such as giving tree, hygiene kit donations and 2nd grade music concert dates.

Social Studies - History of Thanksgiving & notable Native Americans
In reading and in Social Studies, we have been learning about the history of Thanksgiving and notable Native Americans.  As a way to end our unit study, we will have a harvest festival complete with popcorn and juice as we compare the Charlie Brown video version of the Mayflower's voyage to the Scholastic video's version.  We will look specifically on the influence of Samoset and Squanto.  If you want to donate a snack for the "festival" please feel free.  I will make sure we have the popcorn and juice for the event ~ which is enough, so there is no pressure to donate.

Scholastic Book Fair
Last Thursday, we visited the book fair to list items for a wish list.  Students can bring money in on Monday or Tuesday to make purchases during the day.  You can also stop by to shop during your Monday evening parent-teacher conference.  The book fair will close for the season at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 26th, so you will want to plan ahead if your conference is Tuesday evening.

Math and Money
As we finish Chapter 4 in Think Math we will review the money portion by adding mixed value coins. Students should understand the value of a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half dollar.  They should also be able to add a variety of coins together.  We have been playing games such as Race to a Dollar and Scoot as a way to practice adding coins quickly.  Please practice this at home by having your child add the change in their pocket, piggy bank, coin jar, car console or where ever it is that you keep change.  You can also give them a total (such as 97 cents) and ask them to draw it for you using the fewest amount of coins.

Reading Buddies, Skatin Station, Timeline Video & Challenge Homework

Reading Buddies
We spend time reading with our 5th grade buddies for 20 minutes every other week.  It is not a lot of time, but they are already building strong relationships.  When we see 5th grade in the hallway, we are all smiles and I get to hear whispers like, "That's my buddy!"  "She knows me."

Skatin' Station 
It was nice seeing so many friendly faces at the Skating Party on Friday.  It was a fun way to end the week.  I know I missed getting pictures of some 2nd graders...sorry, you were too fast for my camera!

Timeline Video
Our students worked really hard to create a video for our Ypsilanti Timeline.  It is pretty cool.  Check it out.

Challenge Homework
Three of our 2nd graders shared the extra homework they did by researching and creating representations of landforms. We learned about Lake Vostok in Antarctica and Giant's Causeway from Katie.  Cameron taught us about Devil's Tower and Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota and Saahil taught us about what types of animals live on Mount Everest as well as the vegetation and habitants of most desserts.  The students learned about legends and made connections to last year's content about Lewis and Clark's expeditions.  How neat is that?  More students will have opportunities to share their challenge homework on Monday.

I will do my best to offer challenge homework most weeks.  It is meant as an opportunity to extend your learning.  It is not required.  Students can also use this idea in class as part of their May-Dos.

50s Day

We had a great 50th day of school.  We began the day with a fun assembly filled with hula hooping and music from the 1950s.  During the day we wrote about what life will be like when we are 50, counted 50 shoes in different ways, toured the school to find 50 ways to conserve energy, limboed, and enjoyed root-beer floats.  What a great way to celebrate our first 50 days of 2nd grade!

Living History, Guests, Brain Breaks & My Thoughts

History
Our Ypsilanti timeline is just about complete.  We have practiced reading our event and we have also discussed changes to Ypsilanti over time.  The grades for this assignment have been posted as well.  I will share our "talking timeline" presentation as soon as we collect the baby pictures from all who want to share.

On Monday, I will share the homework that the students completed about other communities in the area: Canton, Plymouth, Belleville, and Westland, etc.

Did you know...

• The name Peking and LeRoy were also considered as names for Plymouth?  
• Canton is named in part because of trade with China in the 1800s?
• Westland was once part of one of the largest townships in the world?

Thank you for helping them inform, persuade, and entertain one another as we all learn history of the surrounding areas.

Special Guest
We had a special guest on Friday. The grandfather of one of our students visited. We had a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about him. Thank you Mr. Pahal!

Brain Breaks
Students and teachers take part in at least one, often two or three brain breaks a day.  We mix it up by using Brain Gym, Adventure to Fitness, and kid-friendly dance videos.  Adventure to Fitness (shown in the picture below) uses historical backdrops to get us moving.  Sometimes we pretend to toss tea into the Boston Harbor, other times we run from buffalo in the wild west.  We have also ran away from polar bears in the Arctic.  It's a pretty neat way to learn while we move.  When we return to our seats, our work is much more focused.  It is amazing what two minutes of movement can do for our minds. You can join Adventure to Fitness or you can find some of the videos online on youtube.com by searching for "Adventure to Fitness."  Brain breaks work for homework too!

My thoughts exactly

Recess, Math Tricks, Guest Speakers & Library

Recess
I had a chance to snap a few photos of the kids playing on Wednesday.  It was a beautiful day for soccer, swings, playground, tug-a-war, basketball, and more.

Math Tricks
As a fun way to reinforce quick addition, we learned a math "trick" that required addition to 15.  After we mastered the trick, we tried it with Mrs. Wintersteller's 2nd grade class.  The next day, we tried it with our reading buddies.  Ask your child if they have the "math strips" to see if you can figure out the trick.

Guest Speakers

On Thursday, Molly and Kristin from Ypsilanti Public Library came and gave a presentation on Ypsilanti history.  We learned about the naming of the Huron River as well as how ice was used from it for "ice boxes."  In addition, we learned that Ypsilanti once had an underwear factory.  We also learned more about famous people from Ypsilanti such as Rosie the Riveter, Elijah McCoy, and Iggy Pop.  

Library

We ended our busy Thursday of math tricks, guest speakers and 5th grade reading buddies in the library.  After each student turned in their book from last week and checked out a new one, I was immediately taken by the scene below.  Everyone was reading silently and we did this for more than ten minutes.  It reminded me of two things: (1) our class loves books, (2) I am the luckiest teacher ever! 

IMAX, Math Games, and Writing Rubrics

IMAX

Our class watched Science Rocks in the gym on Monday, thanks to IMAX and Dean Williams for coordinating the event.

Math Games

To extend our unit on place value, rounding, and regrouping, we have added some math games to our math workshop time.  Students played Race to 100 using pennies and dimes on Wednesday.  This helps to reinforce the concepts in a fun way.  

Working through the Writing Process

We have been working a lot on our writing.  We have learned to brainstorm, draft, revise, and edit, as well as share our reading with a peer before we consider publishing.  On Tuesday, we used a 6-Traits Writing Rubric to peer edit.  On Wednesday, we took our journal / drafts to the computer lab to begin typing our final, publishable draft.

Science Investigations, Reading Buddies & a head start on homework

Science
We continued working through the scientific method by asking questions about our math materials. Student groups used linking cubes and counters (plastic bears) to ask a question, make a hypothesis, experiment, observe, and then draw a conclusion.  Most groups decided to build a structure to hold the bears.

Reading Buddies

On Friday we spent time interviewing our 5th grade reading buddies.  After the interview, we read nonfiction books together.  We will get together with our reading buddies twice a month.

Homework
I was so happy to hear about all of the interesting science experiments.  It will be a fun way to learn about the scientific method when the students share their at-home pumpkin investigations with their classmates.

This week we will have social studies homework.  This will support our new unit on "Communities Over Time."  As homework, students are being asked to create a collage/scrapbook page (approximately the size of a standard piece of construction paper) about their local community.  It will be due on Friday, October 25th. Students are encouraged to use drawings, magazines, newspaper clippings, etc to represent things around their community or neighborhood.  For example, they can draw/cut out a building to represent a nearby library or firehouse.  They can also draw/cutout a logo from a nearby store or gas station or a flower to represent gardens or parks.  When they have their clippings, they will need to paste them to a piece of construction or scrapbook paper.  I will provide paper on Monday, but if you want to get started this weekend, feel free.  Please do not buy anything new for this.

Also, if you happen to know a lot about Ypsilanti's history or another nearby city and want to come in to talk with the class about it, please let me know.  The objectives cover communities over time including economic changes and traditions.  I am not from this area and would love for the students hear first-hand accounts.

Spellingcity.com has been updated with the new spelling words for the week.  We are still working on the same wordly wise words this week.  The test will be Thursday or Friday.

Reading Buddies, Fire Safety, and the Scientific Method

This past week was amazing!  We started off reading Corduroy and invited our reading buddies to join us for two days at school.  On Tuesday, we took our reading buddies to listen to the middle school choir.  They invited us to sing as well.

Wednesday was a busy day.  In the morning each student found a "lost" button on their desk.  They created narratives about their lost button.  Their writing was extremely creative.  I cannot wait to share their stories with you at conferences.  Later that morning,  we took part in a Fire Safety Assembly. The firemen talked with us about safe and smart decisions and we took a close look at the fire truck.  

Also on Wednesday, we took our reading buddies with us when we experimented with button tossing in the stairwell.

On Friday, we used the steps of the scientific method in two different experiments.  Ask your child about the reaction of raisins in soda and what happens when you add soap to milk and food coloring.

Golden Volleyball Award & Math Vocabulary

Golden Volleyball

Our class won the Golden Volleyball Award!  This award is given by Mr. Bolling to the class who earns the most points in P.E.  To earn points, students have work together to follow directions, show good sportsmanship, line up appropriately (without pushing, with our shirts tucked in, and in a straight, quiet line) and listen to one another when we consider game rules and safe, healthy behaviors. Congratulations.  I am so proud of our students!

Our "being silly" photo purposefully cropped.  Drop into the classroom to see the whole version :)

Math Vocabulary

As a hands-on way to learn and understand our math vocabulary, we draw and write what we know on whiteboards and then share it with a partner or the class.  This instantly clarifies which students need extra support and which topics to cover more quickly or more thoroughly.  I love this paperless way to informally assess and support.  If you have a whiteboard at home, try it.  Our vocabulary in math can be found on spellingcity.com.  Just search for 2nd grade math vocabulary and it lists the words by topic such as "algebraic thinking," "measurement", "geometry" etc. This week we are covering place value which gets into "numbers and operations."

Defining: number pairs and other terms

Using examples and phrases to share our understanding

Showing what you know in words, tables, organizers and numbers

Homework, Chester, Wordly Wise and "R" on class work

Homework
So I sent home the wrong version of the WW spelling homework.  It has an extra sorting column and last week's crossword puzzle.  The students with this top page know that they do not need to complete the extra column or the crossword.  I am sorry, I copied the wrong page.  On another note, thank you for supporting their efforts in homework.  We are doing wonderful work.

Chester
We are so lucky to have Chester, a registered therapy dog, visit us from time to time.  He tends to stop in on Fridays to wish us luck on our spelling tests. We love Chester!

Wordly Wise 3000

We began Wordly Wise on Monday.  This is our vocabulary program.  We will study each set of words for two weeks before we are assessed on them.  This vocabulary program is definitely rigorous.  I'm in the process of adding a vocabulary board in my room to help us learn the new words and add them to our every day language. I've also added the link to the WordlyWise3000 website to the front page of the blog.  The students know that they are in book 3 and can use this website to learn the words.

'R' on papers/assessments

From time to time, your student might come home with classwork or assessments with a 'R' circled or written at the top instead of a score.  The 'R' is my way of noting that the student needed a reteach opportunity. For example, we discussed the compass rose last week in Social Studies.  We did several chants and movement activities to memorize the cardinal directions.  We also looked at maps and shared various mnemonics to remember the four (and then eight) directions most commonly used on a compass rose. Most, if not all, of our students had prior knowledge of the compass rose and all appeared ready to be assessed after the initial lesson or two.  I provided a blank compass rose matching page to assess them independently.  Approximately 85% of our students could complete the assessment perfectly without assistance; the other 15% needed a "reteach."  I placed a R on the top of the pages that needed to be retaught.  Later that week, I met with those students to reteach the concept or have them come up with ways to fix their misunderstandings.  They were then reassessed and an actual score was given.  The new score was noted on the new assessment and stapled on the top of the original assessment.    Rs never go into the gradebook; however, there is a delay in scoring because I need to meet with students and determine a new way to present the material and then reassess.  This keeps students from getting a low score in the gradebook just because they didn't "get it" the way it was taught or assessed the first time. It also allows the class to continue with new content and not sit through stuff that they already know.  

As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.  

Hands-on Learning, Health & Johnny Appleseed Day

Thank you to all of the families who were able to make Open House.  I hope you found it worthwhile. If you were not able to make it, please feel free to contact me about any questions you have about ThinkMath! or how our classroom runs each day.

On Monday, Allie Tomason, Abby's mother, visited to teach us about the "Scrub Club."  She taught us how to appropriately clean our hands.  She also provided information about how appropriate hygiene helps to keep us healthy and 'in school.'  Each student received a poster with healthy steps to washing hands. Thank you Ms. Tomason! 

On Thursday, we celebrated Johnny Appleseed Day by connecting his legacy to each content area:

• In Reading, we compared the fairy tale we read in our Imagine It! book to the folk tales told about Johnny (Chapman) Appleseed. 
• In Math, we created rulers and discussed standard and non-standard units for measuring the necessary depth to plant seeds.
• In Social Studies, we looked at the map of Johnny Appleseed's route and noted where Michigan is located relative to it.
• In Science, we planted tulips and discussed plant life cycles and the importance of planting.
• In writing, we wrote about the life of our tulip bulb. 

We also tasted some apples and watched a Johnny Appleseed video during snack.  It's been a great week to learn!