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Safety Week

9/22/2019

Here is a summary of what happened in class

Our Safety Week was a huge success! All students participated in various drills that will help us know what to do in the event of an emergency. We safely walked over to our evacuation site (KHS). We stayed calm and walked together quickly, especially when crossing the street. During our lockdown drill, students remained calm and quiet. Students learned the best thing to do during an earthquake is to find cover under sturdy furniture using one hand to hold onto something sturdy and the other covering their head, stay away from shelves or areas where things can fall on you and as a last resort stand besides a wall.
During I Wonder students watched a very moving video called 'Don't Laugh at Me' based on a story written by Allen Shamblin. This video inspired us to show compassion to others. Students made connections to the story. Then we made a circle of compassion to share how we can show kindness to others.

In Language Arts...

As an extension from last week's Wonders lesson, students revisited the following essential question: How do we care for pets? Using the two stories they read last week, they practiced writing a constructed response that included text evidence. After writing our responses, we used a highlighter to see if we included all the components of Q.A.D.

In math...

Students were introduced to three-digit numbers with internal 0 and teens. They first represented these numbers using the most concrete method with base-10 blocks. In this way students could physically touch and manipulate the number. Next, they represented these numbers using more abstract methods like base-ten pictures, then finally using symbols like numbers, digits, and representing the number in various ways such as expanded form, number name, and place value.
Students problem solved when figuring out how to count a whole bunch of coffee stirrers. Since there were so many, we struggled to count them. At first students counted random amounts 56, 23, 68, etc... But that didn't work because we had a hard time adding those amounts! Then we figured out it was easier to group them in bundles of tens. We did that! Soon someone suggested why not bundle 10 tens into 100. We were able to count the total so quickly and more accurately. We counted 847!

In Social Studies...

In triads, students shared their family trees and questionnaires. They talked about where their families came from, holidays or traditions their families celebrate, and special foods their families eat. Students had lots of fun, not only sharing about themselves, but also learning about their classmates.

REMINDERS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Youngest and only children received a blue Parent Teacher conference form. If you have not turned it in, please do so on Monday. Thank you!
Culture Day is coming up on 10/1. If you would like your child to participate in the mandoo making and tasting, please be sure to sign and return the permission form.
Picture Taking is this Thursday 9/26. Students do not need to wear their uniform shirt on this day. Please bring payment if you're interested in purchasing a package.
Field trip to Hawaii's Plantation Village is on Tuesday 9/24. Disposable lunch, drink, and shoes are needed. Please have your child arrive to school on time.

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Short but busy week

9/14/2019

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Here is a summary of what happened in our classroom:

In Langauge Arts...

Response to Intervention (RTI) started this week. This is class time devoted to small-group instruction and also for differentiated and targeted instruction for students' various needs. During RTI, students learn how to participate in small-group instruction. Using leveled readers, 4 to 6 students work together in a group at a time. During this time students are engaged in phonics instruction, vocabulary, comprehension, pre-reading activities, this may involve activating prior knowledge, setting the learning objectives, going on a picture walk before reading, predicting, asking questions, etc... with a text that is at their level.
They read a non-fiction text written like a story and had a narrator about a boy who takes care of his pet horse. Our essential question this week was How do we care for animals? Students learned how to look for key details in the text to ask and answer questions in nonfiction. The standard covered was 2.RI.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

We read a autobiography called Author by Helen Lester. We learned that writing doesn't always start out easy. A lot of times writing is something you have to work at. We learned from Helen Lester (author of Tacky Penguin and many other great children books) that it takes practice and a growth mindset. After reading this story, all students jotted down what they feel makes good writing. Then we sorted all our ideas into a tree map.

In writing, students are worked a lot on their categorical narratives. They began with a circle map to brainstorm ideas. Students chose a topic of their choice. Something that they did this summer with family or friends. After brainstorming with a circle map, they categorized their ideas into a tree map with three big ideas.

In Math...

Reviewing the doubling strategy, students were introduced to near-doubles like 4+5, 9+8, and 7+5. Applying their knowledge of double facts, students practiced to fluently add near-double facts when solving word problems.

Teaching the use-doubles strategy for addition from ORIGO Education on Vimeo.

Teaching the count-on strategy for addition from ORIGO Education on Vimeo.

Reminders and Announcements:

Please turn in the Federal Survey Card if you have not turned it in yet
2nd grade Jamba Juice Fundraiser is on Friday. Please support 2nd grade. Your purchases are greatly appreciated
Safety week from 9/16-9/19
- Evacuation is scheduled for Monday. Please have your child wearing shoes

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A month already!

9/7/2019

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With the advice from his friends, will Peter used Gorilla Warfare on his own Grandpa? Peter makes his first "attack." In the middle of the night Peter sneaks down into Grandpa's room to sets the alarm for 3:00 a.m. and leaves this note: People who steal other people's room, should not sleep well at night! Will Grandpa ever surrender? The children are enjoying this humorous, witty, and very suspenseful story!!!

In Language Arts...

Students continue learning about AVID levels of questioning as we addressed the following two reading standard: RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text and RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. Students read different fiction texts, including The Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland, and The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi and identified story elements and learned to describe how characters respond to major events and challenges.

In math...

Students reviewed time on-the-hour and were introduced to time half-past the hour. They learned the various ways to say and write a given time. For example, 7:30, thirty minutes after 7, half-past seven, or seven thirty. And of course students practiced with drawing the hour hand and the minute hand properly on the analog clock.
Using our Stepping Stones curriculum, students learned about number lines and number tracks and can distinguish between the two. They used number lines to help them determine nearby multiples of 10. Using a number line, students could see whether a number like 37 was closer to 30 or 40.

In Social Studies...

Students learned that a family tree is a record that helps us see how we are connected to our various family members. It also shows us the different generations and where we came from. I hope you and your child enjoyed learning more about your family history together. Students were asked to review their information with you so that they can share out some interesting things they learned in small groups.
In addition students continue to become experts on stranger danger. They brainstormed various ways to share their information with others to teach them how to stay safe in harmful stranger danger situations. Here's the choice board students came up with... make a song, poster, video, comic book illustration, and flyer. Students will be working in small groups to showcase their learning by choosing their final project that answers our essential question: How can we keep ourselves and others safe from strangers in our community?

Reminders and Announcements

No school for children on Tuesday 9/10 due to a teacher training
Family trees are due on Monday. Please have your child familiar with the information, as they will be sharing out.
We have library on Friday 9/13. If you haven't done so yet, please start bringing in borrowed library books.
Every Friday 1 Good Reading Habits worksheet will be due. If this assignment was not complete, please work on it this weekend and have it completed by Monday.
Field trip form to Hawaii's Plantation Village is due 9/13.

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Safety Week

Short but busy week

A month already!

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