Week of May 2nd-6th

Curriculum News

This week, during our literacy block, we will be taking a closer look at several examples of some non-fiction books written by author Gail Gibbons.  She is an author who was born in Illinois and has written over 170 children’s books.  She has always loved to do research as well as write, so it was a natural move to teach our young readers about the many fascinating topics which she has spent the time exploring herself! Our Math time will be spent wrapping up our unit on money and work with using, comparing, and even adding 3 and 4 digit numbers.  Students have done very well with money but can always use any extra opportunity to count loose change!  Their change should be coming home very soon!  Also, as we are wrapping up the school year we will also be wrapping up our instruction of writing in cursive but it will be up to you to help ensure that they are ready to present some of their daily work in cursive by giving them extra opportunities to write things in cursive over the summer!  During our afternoon Social Studies time we will be briefly going over some important people in the history of our country.  Hopefully this will help them feel an even stronger sense of pride towards this wonderful country that we call home!  As these 2nd graders prepare for the next step in their education, we will also work on writing out detailed reasoning for how they are coming up with their answers.  It is always challenging to get them to the point of being able to thoroughly explain their thought process but I am confident that this group is ready!

 

Spelling Words

This week’s words are below:

painter    washer    dryer    flyer    server   worker    singer    teacher   speaker    thinker

dreamer    reason    sketch    problem    justify    check

 

Announcements/Reminders

There are no early dismissals this next week but there are still some fun activities that will be taking place at Emden Elementary.  For starters our “Muffins With Mom” will take place the morning of Friday, May 6th.  Also on that day will be our  “Jump Rope For Heart” fundraising activity.  Our wonderful and thoughtful students always work so hard to help out those who are struggling with heart disease!  Our students and volunteers who help out with this even deserve a huge “Thank You!” for all that you do!  Way to go!

Quote for the Week: “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader!”- Margaret Fuller  (Keep reading!!!)

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Johnson

Week of April 25th-29th

Curriculum News

It never fails….as the end of the school year approaches, there are always more and more extra activities that sneak up on us.  This week is no exception.  We will be celebrating Lei Day on Thursday, April 28th.  While this is not the official holiday, it does fall on a Sunday this year and with several last-minute additions to our Friday schedule, we will just celebrate a little earlier.  There will be a note going home on Monday which explains it a bit more, but all I ask is that your child come to school on Thursday in some Hawaiian or tropical attire and ready to learn about our 50th state!  This will be a fun day but will still be packed with learning as we explore the islands of aloha!  Some of the other announcements about special events will be made in the section below.  In curriculum news, during our reading/literacy block time we will be taking a look at several children’s books from Hawaii that I have accumulated over the past several years.  We will talk a bit more about non-fiction books as well and give them the opportunity to work on writing their own travel brochures for one of the Hawaiian Islands.  In Math, we will be wrapping up our unit on money and then move on with adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers.  This will definitely be a very busy week filled with many fun but worthwhile activities.

 

Spelling Words

This week’s words are all words that tie in with our unit on Hawaii.

aloha    turtles    islands     lei     mountains     beach   coconut     surfboard     waves     volcano      lava      luau     Hawaii     mango      beautiful      dolphins

 

Announcements/Reminders

Besides the festivities that surround Lei Day, this week has many other special activities scheduled as well.  Tuesday evening will be a special Family Reading Night with the opportunity to also take a look at our very “groovy” Book Fair!  Wednesday we will be enjoying the opportunity to bury out noses in some excellent books in the am as we take half of a day to celebrate “Reading Day” at school. (There is also a 11:30 dismissal on Wednesday.) Thursday is Lei Day!  And if that wasn’t already enough, on Friday we will be visited by some of the Normal Cornbelters Baseball Team who will also share their love of reading with the kids.  That afternoon we will be heading over to the high school to enjoy the FFA’s Petting Zoo and get a sneak peak of the Hartem Jr./Sr. High’s musical production.  I am exhausted just thinking about everything that will be taking place!

 

Quote for the Week: “Wherever you go becomes of part of you somehow!”- Anita DeSai

(Definitely explains my passion for Hawaii!)

Aloha- Mrs. Johnson

Weekly News & Information- April 18th-22nd

Curriculum News

As the end of the school year approaches, it always seems to get busier and busier!  Thank you for helping us get started with our “Counting Money” unit in math by sending some coins for your child to use in class.  We are just getting started so our study of this very important topic will continue this next whole week.  During our Reading/Literacy Block we will take a look at another Magic School Bus Book, but this time it will help us better understand how we can take good care of our bodies.  Students are also working very hard on their concept books, which will be shared with some of the younger grades at a later date!  Because Earth Day is just around the corner, we are continuing our unit about the environment and the importance of using some conservation tips in our everyday lives.

 

Spelling Words

This week’s words are below:

badly     madly     quickly      weekly     daily     sadly      gladly      proudly     softly      loudly    bravely    pattern   describe   extend    simple     determine

 

Announcements/Reminders

There was a note that went home this past Thursday which informed you of an upcoming field trip to Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.  We will be going on Thursday, April 21st.  Second grade will be eating lunch early and leaving the grade school at approximately 11:50.  We should be returning around 3:00 in the afternoon.  This is such a wonderful experience for second graders in Logan County which is put on by the hospital and run by some amazing volunteers at this facility.  Students get a “Behind the Scenes” tour which helps them feel a bit more comfortable with the idea of hospitals.  It also teaches them a lot about making healthy choices so that they might avoid future visits as well!  Students enjoy this trip immensely!  We would like to thank our local hospital for running this amazing program year after year!

Also, Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd!  We are asking that everyone wear green that day to show our support for helping take care of our home planet-Earth!

Quote for the Week: “UNLESS someone like YOU cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not!”- Dr. Suess/ The Lorax (A message about taking care of the Earth)

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Mrs. Johnson

 

Week of April 11th-15th

Curriculum News

This next week will give us the opportunity to wrap up work with our concept books and hopefully allow us time to share our work with some of the younger grades.  While concept books are stories typically written for much younger students, we have been studying different types and styles of writing which has allowed for students to work on becoming authors of their very own books.  These books might then be something that can be shared with younger siblings or cousins to help teach them about a new concept.  Following that, we will be taking a look at a Magic School Bus story more closely and give us the opportunity to learn a bit about our solar system.  This will tie in nicely with our upcoming unit with seasons and the study of the planets.  While we will be wrapping up the study of the various systems of our body, we will also be getting into the study of the seasons and the planets very soon!  During our Math time, we will be wrapping up our graph and calendar unit and moving on to another very necessary skill…..counting money.  With that in mind, I am asking for a little help from our parents.  There was a note that went home on Wednesday requesting that you  send coins to school with your child to help with our study and practice of counting money.  Please send them in Ziploc bags with their names on them.  This will make it much easier for students to get the feel of real, authentic coins versus the plastic play money available here at school.  This will probably not be needed until about Wednesday, April 13th and then they will return home withing a few weeks.  Thank you so much for your help with this!

 

Spelling Words

This week’s words are below:

whale     when     where    what     why     which     whistle     whip     whiff     while     whirl    represent    show    display    know     count

 

Announcements/Reminders

There are no early dismissals this next week!  Spring picture orders are due on Monday, April 11th.  Also, the coins for classroom use should be here no later than Wednesday, April 13th.

 

Quote for the Week: “No one is perfect-That’s why pencils have erasers!”- Wolfgang Riebe

Love yourself….your whole self. You are not here to be perfect, you are here to be you! 

 

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Johnson