Our Classroom week of October 6, 2008

Second grade families,

I am going to try to keep a blog rather than updating my site with a newsletter each Monday. Newsletters take so much time and quite frankly, a blog is SO much more 21st century! I will try to update by Monday afternoon at the latest. Please try to subscribe so you can be alerted each time I post (click on Follow this blog). Eventually, I hope to have students posting their thoughts and writing to a blog that will link to our class blog!

First announcement, I have a meeting at the District Office Thursday, October 9th. I will have a sub all day.

This week we will be reading the story Exploring Parks with Ranger Dockett. It is a non-fiction piece about a park ranger and his many jobs. Students will be identifying fact and opinion as well as evaluating how well the author stated facts and helped us understand Ranger Dockett's job. In Phonics, we are reading and writing words with consonant clusters such as spr, tr, sl, sc, br and st. Spelling words: glad, step, storm, club, frog, lost, trip, stone, nest, swim, space, slip, brave, next. Students who passed their spelling pretest have received Challenge words that also have consonant clusters in them!

In Math we continue to recognize and use doubles facts and fact families to help us with addition and subtraction.

Our student of the week last week was Azul Reyes. She is such a great shining personality to have in our room! This week's star student is Tanner Smith. I am so proud of Tanner because he uses his brain all day long and doesn't try to do the easy thing all the time! Way to go star students!

This week, both Megan and Nicholas are celebrating birthdays! Happy Birthday!

Be sure to ask your child about their parent/teacher conference sign up form! They went home on Monday and need to come back with your preferences ASAP. I will sign up your family for a time as soon as I get the form back! Conferences are student-led this year. You will need to bring your child with you so they can "conference" with you and show you all of their learning!

Lastly, in Science we have been studying Solids and Liquids and their properties. Have your child show you the "Change It!" game here: http://fossweb.com/modulesK-2/SolidsandLiquids/activities/changeit.html

It really is so cool (even for adults!) I guarantee a giggle or two!

Have a great week!

Mrs. LaDue :)