Last week we read The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace and discussed ways that we can show kindness both at school and at home through words and actions. The students shared their ideas of how they could show kindness to friends, siblings, parents, classmates, etc. We then created our own Kindness Quilt with paper. The students are very proud of the quilt we made which is displayed on one of the bulletin boards in our classroom.
By now you all should have received your son/daughter's login information for IXL and RAZ. Hopefully everyone has had a chance to explore these wonderful learning tools. I recommend your child use the programs 2-3 times per week for 15 minutes each time. Please make sure you are monitoring your child while they are working on IXL. I am noticing that some children have not been attempting the Grade Two Units rather they have been working on the Grade One or Kindergarten Units. If left alone many children will choose the easy route. Please make sure they are using this resource to review what we are working on in the classroom.
During the next two weeks your child should work on the follow units on IXL:
- Counting and Number Patterns - A1-A12
- Comparing and Ordering - B1, B3, B5
We are now well into our spelling program. Once the words have gone home, your child will be accountable for spelling these words correctly in their daily writing. Quite often children do very well on the weekly spelling test however the words may still be spelled incorrectly in their daily writing. Your child will be encouraged to use our Word Wall, Word Wiz Dictionaries and Word Cards to ensure these words are spelled correctly in their daily work.
In Reading we are focusing on the reading strategies of making connections and predictions to assist with comprehension. Students are encouraged to make text to self, text to text and/or text to world connections as they are reading. The class will begin Guided Reading groups next month.
The students have begin working on reading short stories in class and answering a variety of comprehension and grammar questions in complete sentences, using words from the questions to begin the answer and including greater detail. We are working on remembering to begin sentences with a capital letter and to end sentences with appropriate punctuation.
In Writing we will be working on a variety of short writing assignments based on Thanksgiving and Halloween. The students will learning to write recounts of various experiences, such as the Terry Fox walk and Thanksgiving. They will also be learning to write fictional narratives with a "Spooky" focus around Halloween, among other short Halloween writing activities.
In Math, we have been counting by 2's, 5', 10's and 25's starting from different numbers up to 200.
We have also been counting backwards beginning at 50 by these numbers as well. In addition, we have been working on representing and ordering numbers to 100. Next week we will be introducing place value (hundreds, tens and ones).
In Social Studies we began discussing Traditions and Celebrations. This will be an on-going theme throughout the year.
In Science, we will be starting our Simple Machines unit this week. The students will assess the impact on society and the environment of simple machines and mechanisms. They will investigate mechanisms that include simple machines and enable movement. The students will also demonstrate an understanding of movement and ways in which simple machines help to
move objects and to make life easier.
Mystery Reader will begin next month. The children love discovering who our weekly Mystery Reader is. I strongly encourage everyone to sign up for this! Watch for information regarding this from our grade parents. I am happy to accommodate your schedule to ensure each child is surprised by their parent, sibling or grandparent at least one time during the school year.
We are looking forward to our Terry Fox Walk this Thursday afternoon. Just a reminder, everyone is welcome to join our walk.
Reminders:
- If your child is participating in the cross country practices on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, please remember to send an extra pair of socks and running shoes as the field is often quite wet in the morning.
- Please remember to sign and return the trip form by October 3rd. Please remember to write down the confirmation of payment number on the form as well.
- The students are being asked to wear orange on Friday. This day acknowledges the residential school system in Canada, honours those that survived, remembers those who did not, and recognizes the ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma. It is a day to demonstrate that all students matter!
That's all for now! I will let you know when this blog has been updated again through your child's
agenda.
