Week of March 9th-13th

 

Curriculum News & Information

During our Reading/Literacy block, we will continue our work with folk tales.  This week, however, we will be taking a look at several from different places around the world, which will allow us to compare differences among cultures.  In Math, we will be continuing our work with shapes and start to look at fractions.  This will include real life examples using basic fraction practice.  With every lesson, we do try to tie it in to real life situations so that students can see how important these skills are and will continue to be used throughout their lives!  Math is used in some capacity every single day!

With science, we will be continuing to look at the weather and how it affects us in our daily lives.  We will be looking at some key parts of our country’s history during our social studies time, to help students better appreciate what our country represents and why we should truly appreciate all of the freedoms that we have.

 

Spelling:    drink    think    sink      stink     wink     thank     bank     chunk     honk

blank    shrink   blink

 

Announcements & Reminders

March 16th-20th– Book Fair at Emden Elementary (Recently Changed)

March 19th– Family Reading Night @ 6:00 PM

March 24th–  11:30 Dismissal

 

Thank you!

Mrs. Amy Johnson

 

 

 

Week of March 2nd-6th

Curriculum News & Information

Because of our “snow day” this past week, we are a little behind schedule and will be wrapping up our units on “Telling Time” and “A Long Journey to Freedom” before moving on to newer concepts.  During our Reading/Literacy block after we complete this unit, we will be taking a look at some classic folktales and compare them with some alternate versions from around the world.  There are so many wonderful folktales that originate from other places that it will be fun to compare and contrast these stories in class!  Students will also get the opportunity to come up with their own version during our “Work on Writing” time in the morning and afternoon.  In Math, we are taking a closer look at many different types of shapes, 3D, polygons, parallelograms, trapezoids and some of the features of these shapes as we delve into the area of Geometry!  In Social Studies we will be talking about choosing goods and services as well as services that are available in certain communities.  All of this ties in with our discussion of the importance of working together in both our country and our communities!  This is always a good lesson to learn and very worthwhile!

 

Spelling:    graph      laugh     tough       rough    enough     trough     cough    triumph

photo      dolphin    sigh       high

 

Announcements & Reminders

March 2nd– No School/ Pulaski Day

March 9th-13th– Book Fair at Emden Building

March 12th– Family Reading Night

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Amy Johnson

Week of February 24th-28th

Curriculum News & Information

As we wrap up our unit on “A Long Journey to Freedom”, we will be taking a look at a few other important people such as Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks and will wrap things up by taking a look at a timeline which will tie all of our studies together nicely.  Students have also been spending a lot of time writing about some of these important people and some of the valuable lessons which can be learned when studying this difficult time in our country’s history.

During our math time, we will be doing some review of skills while also wrapping up our unit on Telling Time….something that will be revisited before the end of the school year!  In Science, we will continue to take a look at the study of the various types of weather found all around our amazing planet!  Students are coming right along with their work on cursive letters.  Any extra opportunities for them to practice this skill at home would be fantastic.  By the end of the school year, students should be able to write some sentences in cursive so keep practicing 2nd grade!!

 

Spelling:    bath      math     month     sloth     breath    mouth     path     cloth

tooth       oath     north      south

 

Announcements & Reminders

Please remember that students are not allowed to bring toys to school unless it is for their show and tell.  Most students are very good about following this rule but for others it has become a bit of a problem.  Thank you so much for your help with this matter!

 

*March 9th-13th–  Book Fair at Elementary Building

*March 12th-Family Reading Night

 

Thank you!

Mrs. Amy Johnson

Week of February 10th-14th

Curriculum News & Information

During our first week of discussing The Long Journey to Freedom, we have learned quite a bit about our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.  Students have enjoyed learning a bit more about his life and have just begun to take a look at the many struggles which we faced as a nation during the Civil War while taking a look at several books from the library.  This next week we will continue with this topic a bit more as we look at Harriet Tubman’s role in the Underground Railroad which was an important part of the journey to freedom.  Our writing/English lessons will cover a variety of writing skills including the topic of contractions and using adverbs to help enhance our writing.

In Math we will continue our work with telling time.  This can be a challenging concept to master.  Please take some extra time at home to practice this important skill that will be needed throughout their lives!

*If your child already has a box that they would like to use for the Valentine’s Day Party, you can send them on either Thursday or Friday of next week.  If not, we plan on decorating some bags next week for the card exchange and party next Friday!  Thank you!!!

 

Spelling Words     

thing       string       sing       bring      ring      king      sting       wing      cling      sling       icing      making

 

Announcements & Reminders

Feb. 14th– Classroom Valentine’s Day Party 10:15-11:15

Feb. 14th–  11:30 Dismissal

Feb. 17th– No School/ President’s Day

 

Thank you!

Mrs. Amy Johnson

Week of February 3rd-7th

Curriculum News

  As we continue with our unit of “A Long Journey to Freedom”, we will be taking a look at several stories that will help students better understand the struggles that our country was facing during the Civil War.  Most of these books will be focusing on the conflict between the north and the south and how difficult life would have been if you were a slave back in the 1860’s.  During our Social Studies time we will also be taking a closer look at this time period as we learn a bit about some of the great leaders in our country’s history!

During our Science time we will continue to work a bit more with the water cycle and will then move on to the study of weather.  In Math, we will still be spending our time working on telling time.  This is a skill that will be used throughout their lives and so we will be utilizing this time to help ensure understanding of this very necessary skill!

Students have continued to do very well with their reading logs!  This is a group that loves to share their enthusiasm for reading and it is so wonderful to see!  Keep it up second grade!!!!!

 

Spelling Words

boxes     foxes     churches     dishes     couches     brushes    peaches    itches     wishes   crashes    dashes      flashes

 

Reminders/Announcements: 

*February 14th– 11:30 Dismissal & Parties in the AM

*February 17th– President’s Day/ No School!

 

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Johnson

 

 

Week of January 27th-31st

Curriculum News

    This week we will finally get a chance to begin our new Literacy unit titled, A Long Journey to Freedom.  With testing this past week we are a bit behind but will be able to take a closer look at the life of our very famous 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.  This will give us the opportunity to take a closer look at his amazing life and some of the numerous accomplishments of this great leader who has some history quite close to us here in Hartsburg-Emden!

During our Science time we will continue to take a look at changes in our environment and how they affect all living things.  In Math, we will continue to get some very necessary practice with telling time and look at some real world experiences that go along with this important skill!

As of now our 100th day of school will be on Thursday, January 30th…..assuming there are no snow days between now and then.  With that in mind we are asking students to dress as though they were “100 Years Old” on this day.  This should be a fun experience as we celebrate 100 days of learning and fun times together!  There will be some other festivities taking place on that particular day as well!  100 days have flown by!!! I look forward to another fantastic week!

 

Spelling Words

much  such  church   search   march  starch   couch   lunch  each  speech   bench    ouch

 

Reminders/Announcements: 

*The 100th Day  of school is on Thursday, January 30th!

 

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Johnson

 

 

 

Week of January 20th-24th

Curriculum News

    This week we will be wrapping up our unit on The Blizzard of the Blue Moon.  We will be doing a bit more writing with this and exploring the process of writing a fictional story and all of the elements that must be included when an author is writing this particular genre.  Then we will be starting a brand new unit titled- The Long Journey to Freedom.  This will begin with reading and discussing a variety of books about our 16th president, Mr. Abraham Lincoln.  During Math we will be switching our focus to Telling Time.  This very important skill will be covered for several weeks to help ensure understanding.  There will be several fun, interactive activities to help students get a bit more comfortable using this necessary skill!

During our Science time we will be taking a look at our changing habitats and how our weather changes the land around us.  This will help students see the need for animals to be able to adapt to their surroundings to help ensure survival.  We all need to do our part to help ensure that all living things thrive for many years to come!

 

Spelling Words

hush   dish   slush    dash    wash    wish    trash     blush    squish   marsh   crush    splash

 

Reminders/Announcements: 

*Monday, January 20th- There is no school in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

* We are still collecting things for people from Logan County who are in need!  Things needed are: hats, gloves, baby wipes, ink pens, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks…..etc.!  Any donations would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!!

 

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Johnson

Week of January 13th-17th

Curriculum News & Information

This past week we spent some time during our Reading/Literacy block taking a look at some fun stories about winter.  This also gave us the opportunity to look at the changing seasons which we get the chance to enjoy right here in central Illinois.  During this upcoming week, we will be taking a closer look at a specific Magic Tree House book titled, Blizzard of the Blue Moon.  As we explore this book, we will be working on some more challenging vocabulary words and also taking a look at the meanings and usage of idioms.  This is always a fun part of our English language that children like to explore!

In Math, we will be continuing to review some of the more important skills covered during our first semester before moving on to some of the very important skills yet to cover!   During our Science time we will be learning a bit more about the water cycle as we study the science behind snow…..and how exactly it is formed!

There are several other skills and topics to be covered this week, but we will also be working on our benchmark tests this first full week back.  Please remind students to come to school well-rested and ready to do their best, as they always do!

 

Spelling:    desk    mask   task    ask     tusk    disk    brisk    whisk   risk    husk    dusk    frisk

 

Homecoming Dress Up Days January 13th-17th

Monday- Mathlete Day (Wear anything with numbers on it!)

Tuesday- Favorite Sport Day

Wednesday- Hawaiian Day

Thursday- Favorite College Day

Friday- Orange and Black Day

 

Announcements & Reminders

January 20th–  No School/ Dr. Martin Luther King Day

 

Thank you!

Mrs. Amy Johnson

Week of January 7th-10th

Curriculum News

    This newsletter will be abbreviated, somewhat, because of the lack of time available to prepare it.  I did want to get a few bits of information out, however, to help everyone prepare for our first full week of school for this brand new year!  Hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday with family and friends and return ready for the second half of our school year!  The first half certainly flew by and I am certain that the second half will also go very quickly!

During our Reading/Literacy block we will be taking a closer look at a Magic Tree House adventure titled, Blizzard of the Blue Moon.  This will allow us to work on some writing and comprehension skills as we also enjoy the many joys (and sometimes headaches) of winter.  We will be reviewing 2-digit subtraction for a few days before we move on to working with 3-D shapes.  Please continue to work on memorizing those addition facts as we need to move on with subtraction facts very soon!

There are several other skills and topics to be covered this week, but we will also be working on our benchmark tests this first full week back.  Please remind students to come to school well-rested and ready to do their best, as they always do!

 

Spelling Words

bend   send   mind   offend   sand    land    bland   stand   island   mend   depend   attend

 

Reminders/Announcements: 

*Reading Logs will be starting up once again this next week!  Keep reading everyone!  I look forward to a fantastic second half of the school year!

 

Happy New Year!!!

Mrs. Johnson

Week of December 16th-20th

Curriculum News & Information

This next week we will be spending most of our Reading/Literacy time focusing on some fun Christmas stories.  This will give us a chance to discuss things such as special holiday traditions and memories.  We will also be taking a look How the Grinch Stole Christmas along with several fun, educational activities that go along with it!  Next week will also give us some time to have our own little “Countdown to Christmas”, including some little surprises each day of the week!

For math, we will be reviewing some of the concepts covered previously throughout the first semester as well as working on some math Christmas activities.  During the afternoons, we will be working on things such as cursive, habitats, and more maps.  There will also be several special activities scheduled as we get closer to the end of the week!

 

* There will be no Spelling Test in second grade until the week of January 7th-10th!  Instead we will be practicing some words that go along with the special holidays which we are celebrating at this time of year!  I am also giving students a break from their Reading Logs over Christmas Break.  Show & Tells will resume in the month of February!

 

Announcements & Reminders

December 19th & 20th– Early dismissal @ 2:00

December 20th (Friday) Dance party 12:45-1:45 in the gym

December 19th (Friday)- 9:00-10:00- Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (K,1, & 2)

December 21st-January 6th – Christmas Break

January 7th– 2nd Semester Begins

 

 

Thank you!  Hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Mrs. Amy Johnson