Tuesday 10/25

We worked on patterns in hundreds charts today.  Students are to complete #3-7 for their homework.  They do not have to do #8-10.

We have also had a lot of trouble with self-control this week.  Students should try to get outside and get some of their energy out tonight before getting to bed at a good time to be ready for tomorrow.

Monday 10/24

We have #6, 7, and 8 on the Math lesson sheet (10-4) for homework tonight.

Also, Mrs. Wright has asked me to remind you that tomorrow is the last day to turn in the pie push order forms from Market Day.

News for the Week of 10/24

Here's the link to our newsletter for this week.

Reminders-
**No school Thursday or Friday.
**Halloween Party on Monday afternoon
**Bring, don't wear your costume!
*Treats- Austin and Aidan
*Drinks/Cups- Addie
*Plates/Napkins Lydia
*Come help with costumes (noon-ish)- Dylan's mom
*Come help set up party (1ish)- Grace's mom

It's a great week...to be a Blackhawk!

We're Still Here! and Authors Write for a Reason

I apologize for the lack of posts this week.  It's been a busy week for me -- my family is moving this week.  I will try to be back to daily posting next week.  When I get a chance, I'm going to post some pictures of the charts and work we did this week on Author's Purpose.  We talked all about the reasons that authors write different books.  Today, we read our own books and did a think sheet about what we were thinking about the author's purpose.  Some of us are really getting the hang of thinking about this!  It helps us to know how to read a book by understanding WHY the author is writing it.  We read books differently if they're just for fun or if we're reading to learn something.  As you read at home with your child, see if you can figure out what you think the author's purpose might be.

Report Cards are Coming!

Report cards are coming home tonight.  Please look for the gold colored paper in your child's folder, sign the bottom, and send it back tomorrow.

The other homework is math practice 10-2.  Have a great night!

Week of 10/17

Here's this week's newsletter.

We did it!

We read them, funny and serious, happy and sad,
fiction and non-fiction, and boy, we are glad!
We set a goal for one hundred books that aloud we'd read
and in 9 weeks, we did!  It feels great to succeed!

Fire Safety 2

Now we know a lot about fire safety!

Fire Safety Week

We made a wordle of all of the things that we knew about fire safety.

Homework for tonight is to talk about and practice your fire safety plan.

Goal: 100 books

Have you noticed our book shelf on the left?  It's quite full!  We have been adding all of our read alouds to it since the first day of school.  We're trying for 100 books by the end of the week (the end of the first 9 weeks).  We're currently at 85.  Think we can make it?

Publishing Celebration #2

We are authors!

First, we read our favorite page into the writers' circle.  After that, we met in small groups and shared our whole stories with our friends.

Addie, Alec, and Dylan enjoy listening to each other read.

Caleb, Austin, and Noah share their books.

Aidan, Caleb, and Chase read together at the coffee table.

Grace and Sami share their books at the couch.

Emma and Ayden listen as Jamie reads "The Haunted Room of Scar

Next, all of our authors laid their work out on their desks for the museum share part of our celebration.  Don't you like how Aidan labeled his Author's pencil?

During the museum share, all of the students got to walk around and see everyone else's work.  Even Mr. Brown stopped in to see all of our hard work.

We love to end our celebrations with a treat.  Look at these chocolate chip cookies that Mrs. Leitze made!

We loved our fancy napkins, too!

 After our treats were done, we sent our books to Mrs. Beaty's room for her students to read.  They went in a tub just like our classroom library tubs.  We labeled the tub "Second Grade Authors".  We hope they'll send us some books they publish to read, too!

Fancying Up Writing

Our chart about how we can "Fancy Up" our writing.

Jamie worked more on her words by learning ways to use dialogue in a story.

Jamie also added a back cover to her story.

Tyler's book had an unfortunate meeting with some water, so he worked on a new, neater copy.

Noah added to his words and his pictures.

Alec added to his words.

Addie added a back cover to her book, too.

Dylan added a cover with "Mac Pro" to his computer book.

Morning Word Work

Most mornings, we start our day with Word Work.  When we do Word Work, we use different materials to practice our phonics and spelling skills.  Take a look at some of the choices Leitze Learners like to make for Word Work.

Austin likes to use the dry erase boards and markers for his practice.  He loves to work under a desk.

Lydia and Tyler use Play-Doh and mechanical pencils on desks.  Alec prefers to use markers.

Sami and Grace are comfy on the couch with markers.

Writers Pick Work to Publish

 From our first writing unit, we know that writers pick pieces to work on more to make them great when they are getting ready to publish.  At the end of writer's workshop last week, we gathered and checked out all of the illustration study pieces we'd written.  It was hard work, but we each chose a piece to work on for publishing.

 

These writers are thinking hard about which pieces they are going to fix and fancy up for publishing.

Austin's How to Get Fired book

Austin worked hard during our illustration study on this book.  I love how he explained that he didn't include background in the pictures because he really wanted his reader to notice what the people were doing.

How to Get Fired (the original cover)

1. Be Mean.  Paint Chairs.  2. Be annoying.

3. Be nosy.  Step 4. Be a wierdo.

Austin revised his original cover and added some color and some detail.

Great job, Austin!

News for the Week of 10/10

There's a lot going on in 2nd grade!  Take a look at our newsletter to see!

Writing Wednesday 10/5

As we are approaching our publishing deadline of Friday, many students are needing more time to get their books finished.  I am not giving other homework tonight, just giving students time for this writing work.  PLEASE do not feel like you need to help your child correct spelling or grammar mistakes.  We'll get to that, but right now, they should be finishing and fixing what they see in their work.  I am NOT expecting perfection in spelling and written English in these books, but I am looking for a story that makes sense and thoughtful illustrations (in light of the HUGE amount of time we have spent on studying illustrations this month).

Comparing numbers

Our homework tonight is from #7-16 on the math lesson sheet.  After you've finished your homework, Leitze Learners, you can use this link to play this game with comparing numbers.

Homework 10/3

Today we worked on reading and writing numbers to 100.  Students learned that we can put together any tens number with any ones number to make a two-digit number and that we connect them with a hyphen(-).  For example that 64 is sixty-four.

The homework for tonight is to do the inside of the lesson paper (5-2) #1-18.  Students do not have to do the back for homework.

Magnificent Monday 10/3

How time flies!  I can't believe we're already in the 8th week of school!  Here's our newsletter for this week.

We're still looking for volunteers for family fun night.  Please let me know if you can help.