We have been so busy finishing up units in many subjects, testing, and having some fun end of the year activities as well. Here is a glimpse of what we've been up to:
In Reader's Workshop, students spent a couple of weeks doing nonfiction reading clubs. They chose a topic they were interested in and spent time reading a variety of books about that topic. Some of the club topics were: plants, mammals, space, famous people, America, reptiles, etc. Students read their nonfiction materials through different lenses each day and for a different purpose. We worked on finding the central message, revising and confirming our thinking about a topic, asking meaningful questions and reading to find the answer, and synthesizing reading by discussing and writing about their topic. This past week, we began working on some reader's theaters of some of our favorite read aloud stories. We'll be performing them in class next week.
Students have been working hard on their state reports during Writer's Workshop. After finishing up our research portion of the state reports, we took a couple weeks to explore writing fiction stories! This was lots of fun. This week, we began publishing our state reports in the form of a book! Students are working hard on their writing and illustrations in their book. They are very anxious to share these books with you in addition to some other writing projects at our Author Celebration Lunch of Tuesday, June 4th!
In Science, we spent time learning about plants. We mostly focused on the five parts of a plant and their functions. We also had our first Environmental Education Festival at WestWood this past Monday! Students participated in lessons about plants, insects, birds and clouds! The kids had a great day!
The last couple of weeks in math have been spent learning about multiplication, fractions and probability. We took our Unit 13 test today. We will be spending the last couple weeks doing some additional lessons from the math curriculum, however, I will not be sending home homework and we will not be testing on the next unit.
Just a reminder that May Reading Calendars are due on JUNE 3rd! If your child returns their signed May reading calendar and has read at least 620 minutes, they will get to join in for a pizza lunch on Wednesday, June 5th! The May reading calendar can be found on my website if your child has misplaced theirs.
Friday, May 24, 2013
End of the School Year- Important Dates!
The end of the schoolyear is such a busy time with many special events and activities. Here are some important dates to know as the last couple of weeks begin:
Monday, May 27- No School (Memorial Day)
Wednesday, May 29- Track and Field Day
Tuesday, June 4- Author Celebration (Special Lunch with Parents) 12:30-1:30 or 2:00
Wednesday, June 5- Classroom Cleaning Day (bring a grocery bag or reusable bag to school to bring supplies home)
Thursday, June 6- Last day of school for students! Students are dismissed at 12:50
Please let me know if you have any questions about the last couple weeks of school!
Monday, May 27- No School (Memorial Day)
Wednesday, May 29- Track and Field Day
Tuesday, June 4- Author Celebration (Special Lunch with Parents) 12:30-1:30 or 2:00
Wednesday, June 5- Classroom Cleaning Day (bring a grocery bag or reusable bag to school to bring supplies home)
Thursday, June 6- Last day of school for students! Students are dismissed at 12:50
Please let me know if you have any questions about the last couple weeks of school!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Author Celebration!
Mark your calendar!!!
We are having an Author Celebration in Room 103 on Tuesday, June 4th! Please plan to join your child for lunch on that day if you are able. We will be eating outside (unless the weather is bad and then we will eat in our classroom). The kids will go to recess and then you can join them as they come in from recess, which is at 12:30. After lunch, you will be spending some time listening to your child read and share some of their writing pieces from this school year. We should be done by about 1:30. You may bring a special lunch from home or just get school lunch that day. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Hope to see you on June 4th!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
WestWood EE Day Monday!
We are planning a very special event at our school next Monday, May 20th. The entire day will be devoted to celebrating environmental education! All grade levels are planning lessons with an environmental theme. We will also have naturalists from the Richardson Nature Center here teaching our students. Thanks to the WestWood PTC for providing the funding for the Richardson Naturalists and to our WestWood teachers for planning outdoor lessons for our first springtime Environmental Education Festival.
Your children will be spending the majority of their day OUTSIDE! Please watch the weather forecast and have them dress appropriately. We ask that all students wear athletic shoes for safety reasons. Students should also come to school with sunscreen on and may wear hats. WestWood cannot provide sunscreen, but a student can re-apply it themselves if they bring it to school. Students should not share sunscreen with others due to allergies to certain ingredients. You will also want to send a water bottle to school with your child(ren) that day.
We hope it will be a fun educational experience for all students and staff at WestWood and we look forward to our Environmental Education Festival on May 20th!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Nature Poetry Contest
In celebration of Earth Month, WestWood students are invited to write nature poetry. Poems can be any type...free verse, form poetry (cinquain, pattern poems, etc.), or rhyming. Students who are interested in participating should turn in poems to Mrs. Manders by Friday, April 26th. There will be one winner chosen per grade level. The winnning poets will share their poems at next month's All School Meeting. All poems will be on display in the main hallway at the end of the month. Happy writing!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Classroom Update
It is time for another update to give you a glimpse of what we've been up to in second grade!
In Math, we finished Unit 9, which was all about two and three digit subtraction with regrouping. Students learned various methods to solve these types of subtraction problems including: making a proof drawing (typically by drawing ten sticks and circles), the expanded method and ungrouping. Ungrouping is the method the most students now use. Even though it is called "ungrouping" in our new math curriculum, it is really the same thing as traditional borrowing. Students also learned about solving story problems in which they had to find the unknown partner. They learned how to subtract to find the unknown partner as well as add up to find the unknown partner. This week we began Unit 10. Students have learned about congruent and similar figures, and also had fun exploring with pattern blocks this week.
The second graders did four different reading responses this week all to the same story. They are working on expanding their thoughts to a story and writing them down. We read the story Happy Birthday, Grampie, and they rated the book and justified the grade they gave it, wrote about the main character and what their actions say about them, identified a favorite quote from the book and explained why they chose that quote and also drwe a sketch or symbol from the book and wrote about why it was so meaningful or memorable to the story. We will be doing more resonses this week before beginning our study of nonfiction after Spring Break.
We have concluded our study of poetry in Writer's Workshop. The students edited and published two of their free verse poems. They will be on display in our hallway. Last week, students also got to try a few different types of form poetry.
In Social Studies, students learned about landforms and made landform books. They also learned about producers and consumers, natural resources an also the importance of conservation. Also, they learned a little bit about national parks. We even took a pretend trip to Yellowstone! After Spring Break we will be returning to Science with a unit about Solids, Liquids and Gasses!
Just a reminder that students have a short week this week. Thursday is an early release day and Friday students do not have school.
In Math, we finished Unit 9, which was all about two and three digit subtraction with regrouping. Students learned various methods to solve these types of subtraction problems including: making a proof drawing (typically by drawing ten sticks and circles), the expanded method and ungrouping. Ungrouping is the method the most students now use. Even though it is called "ungrouping" in our new math curriculum, it is really the same thing as traditional borrowing. Students also learned about solving story problems in which they had to find the unknown partner. They learned how to subtract to find the unknown partner as well as add up to find the unknown partner. This week we began Unit 10. Students have learned about congruent and similar figures, and also had fun exploring with pattern blocks this week.
The second graders did four different reading responses this week all to the same story. They are working on expanding their thoughts to a story and writing them down. We read the story Happy Birthday, Grampie, and they rated the book and justified the grade they gave it, wrote about the main character and what their actions say about them, identified a favorite quote from the book and explained why they chose that quote and also drwe a sketch or symbol from the book and wrote about why it was so meaningful or memorable to the story. We will be doing more resonses this week before beginning our study of nonfiction after Spring Break.
We have concluded our study of poetry in Writer's Workshop. The students edited and published two of their free verse poems. They will be on display in our hallway. Last week, students also got to try a few different types of form poetry.
In Social Studies, students learned about landforms and made landform books. They also learned about producers and consumers, natural resources an also the importance of conservation. Also, they learned a little bit about national parks. We even took a pretend trip to Yellowstone! After Spring Break we will be returning to Science with a unit about Solids, Liquids and Gasses!
Just a reminder that students have a short week this week. Thursday is an early release day and Friday students do not have school.
Free Concert!
Mrs. Garrity, our Bravo volunteer, shared this neat opportunity...
The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies is holding a free concert geared toward children and families on April 27. Since the kids are currently talking about classical music in Bravo, they might be interested in going to a concert.
Here is the website for more information:
http://www.gtcys.org/
The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies is holding a free concert geared toward children and families on April 27. Since the kids are currently talking about classical music in Bravo, they might be interested in going to a concert.
Here is the website for more information:
http://www.gtcys.org/
PTC Carnival
PTC Carnival New in 2013!
Please join us at the 32nd annual PTC Carnival on Sat, April 20th at the Prior Lake High School from 11-4:30 (silent auction until 5pm)! For those of you new to the district or that have never attended, it is one of the largest school carnivals in Minnesota and you have to see it in person!
All of the favorite Games are back this year including Freaky First Aid, Money Machine, Pop and Snack Walks, Birthday Party, Plinko and a ton of others! New this year, look for the Human Slot Machine, Lucky Key game, and Gymnastic Challenges from Elite Gymnastics!
Some new Feature Attractions coming this year - - The GameTruck will be there, where you can play video games against your friends. Mini-Golf is coming for the first time - - play 5 holes including Goldy Gopher and MN Wild designed holes! Also, look for Candy Bar Bingo near the cafeteria, where a Bingo = a full-size candy bar. Returning is Crazy Hair by Fantastic Sam’s, which was one of the most popular booths last year!
All New in the Craft area – Make your own bandanas! And the return of Sand Art with many different bottle shapes and sand colors.
All New Gold Coin Prizes – This year we are giving away a Kindle Fire, Xbox, Ipod Touch, Nook Simple Touch and a Season Pass to Valleyfair!
We hope to see you, your friends and your family at the community carnival! For more information on everything carnival, please visit www.PTCCarnival.com.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Classroom Update
February flew by and now it is hard to believe that March is upon us and Spring will be arriving soon!
We have been so busy in our classroom with special activities and learning new things. Here is a look at what we've been up to over the past couple of weeks:
In Reader's Workshop, we have been studying folktales. We've read a number of different folktales and learned about the characteristics of a folktale. We've also talked some about fables and fairy tales and done some comparing of the three different types of traditional literature. I was very pleased with some of the conversations students were having as they worked on deciding whether a story was a folktale, fairy tale or fable based on it's characteristics.
In Writer's Workshop, students have been writing poems and more poems! It has been a lot of fun and it seems like most students really enjoy writing within this genre. Each day, we read a poem, discuss it and point out things we notice or observe in that particular poem. Reading poetry is the best way to learn to write poetry. Students have learned about using sound words, similes, strong endings and using more specific nouns. Now, we are working on revising our poems and making them even better than they already are. At the end of this week, students will be typing two of their poems!
As I am sure you know, we've been working really hard in math lately! Students have been learning to do two and three digit subtraction. It has been challenging for some students, but they are getting better each day. Please let me know if you need more help or support with this. Please remember that in this math curriculum, we call the traditional strategy of borrowing, "ungrouping." It really is the same thing and likely the same way that you learned.
We finished up our last Social Studies unit on community workers, goods and services, making decisions about money, and trade and transportation. Now, we've begun another unity which begins with learning about landforms. Students have learned about islands, peninsulas, lakes, rivers, oceans, mountians, plains and valleys. They are completing their very own landform book to show what they have learned.
During our Grammar time, we've been pracitcing with adjectives and now will be learning about plural nouns.
In addition to all of this, we have also had four Junior Achievement lessons taught by a volunteer from a law office in Prior Lake. The students really enjoy this and have been learning a lot about how a community works. They've experimented with unit production and assembly line production, learned about taxes, different workers in our community as well as decision making with pros and cons.
Have a great week!
We have been so busy in our classroom with special activities and learning new things. Here is a look at what we've been up to over the past couple of weeks:
In Reader's Workshop, we have been studying folktales. We've read a number of different folktales and learned about the characteristics of a folktale. We've also talked some about fables and fairy tales and done some comparing of the three different types of traditional literature. I was very pleased with some of the conversations students were having as they worked on deciding whether a story was a folktale, fairy tale or fable based on it's characteristics.
In Writer's Workshop, students have been writing poems and more poems! It has been a lot of fun and it seems like most students really enjoy writing within this genre. Each day, we read a poem, discuss it and point out things we notice or observe in that particular poem. Reading poetry is the best way to learn to write poetry. Students have learned about using sound words, similes, strong endings and using more specific nouns. Now, we are working on revising our poems and making them even better than they already are. At the end of this week, students will be typing two of their poems!
As I am sure you know, we've been working really hard in math lately! Students have been learning to do two and three digit subtraction. It has been challenging for some students, but they are getting better each day. Please let me know if you need more help or support with this. Please remember that in this math curriculum, we call the traditional strategy of borrowing, "ungrouping." It really is the same thing and likely the same way that you learned.
We finished up our last Social Studies unit on community workers, goods and services, making decisions about money, and trade and transportation. Now, we've begun another unity which begins with learning about landforms. Students have learned about islands, peninsulas, lakes, rivers, oceans, mountians, plains and valleys. They are completing their very own landform book to show what they have learned.
During our Grammar time, we've been pracitcing with adjectives and now will be learning about plural nouns.
In addition to all of this, we have also had four Junior Achievement lessons taught by a volunteer from a law office in Prior Lake. The students really enjoy this and have been learning a lot about how a community works. They've experimented with unit production and assembly line production, learned about taxes, different workers in our community as well as decision making with pros and cons.
Have a great week!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Classroom Update
Here's what we've been up to over the past couple of weeks:
In math, we have been working on graphing. Students have learned about picture graphs, bar graphs, circle graphs and also about coordinate grids and ordered pairs. We've also spent a lot of time analyzing and comparing data from different kinds of graphs.
The students had lots of fun doing an Author Study project during Reader's Workshop! Each group had a different author and spent time reading their books and taking notes about similarities, observations, characters and illustrations. They made some fabulous posters that are on display in the hallway outside of our classroom. This week, we began a unit on visualizing. Students are learning to pay attention to the mental pictures they are making in their heads as they read.
We finished up our "Telling More" unit in Writer's Workshop and students chose one piece to edit and publish. Now, we've begun our poetry unit, which the kids are having a lot of fun with. They are learning what poems can be about and how to narrow down a topic for a poem. We have also read many poems as a class. Reading poetry is the best way to learn how to write poetry. Next week, students will begin writing their very own poems!
In science, we've been exploring and experimenting with magnets. Students have learned about how magnets work, about their poles and how to make magnets attract and repel.
During Power 1/2 Hour time, students have been in a reader's theater group! There are three different groups and each is a different version of The Three Little Pigs. Reader's theater helps build fluency and students do a lot of rereading and also learn to read clearly, smoothly and with a lot of expression. They'll be performing their reader's theater next week for the rest of the Power 1/2 Hour students.
In math, we have been working on graphing. Students have learned about picture graphs, bar graphs, circle graphs and also about coordinate grids and ordered pairs. We've also spent a lot of time analyzing and comparing data from different kinds of graphs.
The students had lots of fun doing an Author Study project during Reader's Workshop! Each group had a different author and spent time reading their books and taking notes about similarities, observations, characters and illustrations. They made some fabulous posters that are on display in the hallway outside of our classroom. This week, we began a unit on visualizing. Students are learning to pay attention to the mental pictures they are making in their heads as they read.
We finished up our "Telling More" unit in Writer's Workshop and students chose one piece to edit and publish. Now, we've begun our poetry unit, which the kids are having a lot of fun with. They are learning what poems can be about and how to narrow down a topic for a poem. We have also read many poems as a class. Reading poetry is the best way to learn how to write poetry. Next week, students will begin writing their very own poems!
In science, we've been exploring and experimenting with magnets. Students have learned about how magnets work, about their poles and how to make magnets attract and repel.
During Power 1/2 Hour time, students have been in a reader's theater group! There are three different groups and each is a different version of The Three Little Pigs. Reader's theater helps build fluency and students do a lot of rereading and also learn to read clearly, smoothly and with a lot of expression. They'll be performing their reader's theater next week for the rest of the Power 1/2 Hour students.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is coming soon! On Thursday, February 14th we will be having our Valentine celebration in our classroom. We will be opening valentines, having ice cream sundaes, and playing a game or two. This is typically a more low-key party than the previous two parties. We don’t need any parent volunteers, but if you would like to come join us for the party on the 14th, you are welcome to do that. The party time will be 2:00-3:00. I am asking students to make some kind of valentine box or bag at home. Cereal boxes, oatmeal containers and shoe boxes make really good valentine boxes. Students can decorate their box however they would like. Please make sure their name is on their box nice and big so that students can easily pass out valentines. Below you will find a list of all the students in our classroom if your child would like to make valentines for the class.
Thank you! Y
Mrs. Manders
Adriana
|
Parker
|
Makenzie
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Payton
|
Lily
|
Emma
|
Griffin
|
Abby
|
Victoria
|
Steven
|
Abdi
|
Gabbie
|
Lucas
|
Neva
|
Lillian
|
Luka
|
Anahi
|
James
|
Paris
|
Maddie
|
Bruce
|
Renee
|
Leah
|
Rachel
|
LaKynzee
|
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Math Facts
All year, students have been taking weekly timed math fact tests. The focus has been addition. Some students passed on to subtraction already by completing 95 or more of the 100 addition facts in five minutes or less. Now, as third quarter begins, all students will be tested on subtraction only. Students took their first subtraction timed test this week. It will be coming home next week. The expectation for third quarter is that students are able to complete 95 or more of the 100 subtraction problems in ten minutes or less. Subtraction is often more difficult for students than addition, so please help your child by practicing at home. We do practice at school some, but it is crucial that students are spending time at home pracitcing their math facts. You can support your child by practicing flashcards with them each night and by using websites or apps to help. Here are a few good websites:
Printable flashcards: http://www.helpingwithmath.com/resources/oth_flashcards.htm
Printable fact sheets: http://www.mathfactcafe.com/
More great math sites:
http://www.coolmath-games.com/
http://www.thatquiz.org/
Printable flashcards: http://www.helpingwithmath.com/resources/oth_flashcards.htm
Printable fact sheets: http://www.mathfactcafe.com/
More great math sites:
http://www.coolmath-games.com/
http://www.thatquiz.org/
Friday, February 1, 2013
I Love to Read Month
Today marks the beginning of February and the beginning of I Love to Read Month! Yesterday, your child should have brought home a yellow note explaining the events of the month and reading expectations. Stapled to the yellow sheet was a blue sheet, where they can record their minutes. The expectation is for each second grader to read 100 minutes each week. The theme for I Love to Read Month this year is "Kick it Up and Read!" The students will be earning wristbands (to signify different belts like in karate) each week when they turn in their blue reading slip. The kids seem very excited about this!
Because it is I Love to Read Month and there are a number of extra reading activities taking place, I will not be sending home a February reading calendar. The blue reading slips will act as your reading calendar for the month. Your child will receive a reading calendar, as usual, in March.
Please let me know if you have any questions and HAPPY READING!
Because it is I Love to Read Month and there are a number of extra reading activities taking place, I will not be sending home a February reading calendar. The blue reading slips will act as your reading calendar for the month. Your child will receive a reading calendar, as usual, in March.
Please let me know if you have any questions and HAPPY READING!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Classroom Update
We've been very busy the last couple of weeks! Here are some highlights:
- In Reader's Workshop, we have been studying characters and inferring character traits. Students have also been working on being word solvers! This means that students are learning what to do when they get to a word they don't know. Instead of mumbling over the word or making up a word, students can break words into parts, think about what the word could say and think about what's happening in the story. Sometimes looking at the picture can also help a reader decide what a word is.
- In Writer's Workshop, students have been writing about lots of topics, including pets, funny characters and something they either like or dislike. They have a lot of enthusiasm for the stories they are writing!
- In Science, we are now studying gravity! Students have had fun doing experiments and reading about gravity and how gravity affects falling objects through air, water and solids.
- We finished up Unit 5 in math and our now studying time. They are learning to tell time to five minute intervals. This can be a very difficult skill for some students, so practicing at home is very beneficial. We also continue to take weekly timed math fact tests. We will be taking one more test before the end of second quarter. In order to receive a "3" on the report card, students should be able to do 95 or more addition problems in 8 minutes. Please help your child practice their math facts at home whenever you can.
2nd/3rd Grade Music Program
The second and third grade combined music program is coming up on Thursday, January 31st. It is at 6:30 pm in the WestWood gym. Students should be ready to line up in the classroom by 6:20 pm. The theme of the program is Careers (When I grow Up I want to Be), so students are asked to dress up as their favorite career. If they choose not to, they should just wear nice clothes for the performance. There will also be a dress rehearsal on January 31st during the day at 1:30 for the school if you are unable to make it to the evening performance.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Happy New Year!
Wednesday was my first day back with the students. Mrs. Quinn was also at school on Wednesday to provide a smooth transition for all of us. Mrs. Quinn did a fabulous job while I was out on maternity leave. I am very grateful to have had such a competent, creative, organized and fun long-term substitute. I am sure the kids will miss her, but she will be back from time to time to sub for me, which will be fun for her and the kids.
This past week we were all getting back into the school routine. In math, the focus has been money, specifically counting pennies, nickels and dimes. Students also practiced skip counting and forward and backward number sequences. In Writer's Workshop, we began a new unit, which will teach students how to take a story to the next level. They will continue to write many different stories and learn to tell more and add many more details to a story. The began the unit by writing a story about a fun outdoor experience. We also began a new unit in Science! Students will spend the next few weeks learning about Forces and Motion. We began the unit by using a ramp and experimenting with pushes and pulls and how the amount of force placed on an object affects the speed and distance. We also spent some time each day practicing for the upcoming CoGAT test. Students will take the CoGAT this coming week. It will take about an hour on each of three days (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday). We will be testing right away in the morning, so please make sure your child eats a good breakfast.
On Friday, I enjoyed lunch with the students who completed 18 or more reading challenges during the month of December. The January reading calendar went home on Friday. This month, students will need to complete 22 or more challenges in order to participate in the special lunch in the classroom.
I hope the new year brings happiness and health for you and your family. I am so glad to be back at school with your children!
This past week we were all getting back into the school routine. In math, the focus has been money, specifically counting pennies, nickels and dimes. Students also practiced skip counting and forward and backward number sequences. In Writer's Workshop, we began a new unit, which will teach students how to take a story to the next level. They will continue to write many different stories and learn to tell more and add many more details to a story. The began the unit by writing a story about a fun outdoor experience. We also began a new unit in Science! Students will spend the next few weeks learning about Forces and Motion. We began the unit by using a ramp and experimenting with pushes and pulls and how the amount of force placed on an object affects the speed and distance. We also spent some time each day practicing for the upcoming CoGAT test. Students will take the CoGAT this coming week. It will take about an hour on each of three days (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday). We will be testing right away in the morning, so please make sure your child eats a good breakfast.
On Friday, I enjoyed lunch with the students who completed 18 or more reading challenges during the month of December. The January reading calendar went home on Friday. This month, students will need to complete 22 or more challenges in order to participate in the special lunch in the classroom.
I hope the new year brings happiness and health for you and your family. I am so glad to be back at school with your children!
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