Curriculum News

This next week we will be starting a brand new unit about “The Wild West”.  This will last several weeks but the first week we will be focusing on tall tales from the “Wild West”.  We will be taking a look at several versions of some tall tales about Paul Bunyan and John Henry.  This will give us the opportunity to get a feel for this particular time in our country’s history as well as allow us to become better acquainted with this entertaining genre that has been enjoyed by many throughout history.

During our Social Studies time we will continue our work with maps as we explore several different types of landforms found around our country as well as the world.  We will also be talking a bit about “Go, Slow, & Whoa” foods as we refresh our memory of why it is important to try to avoid those very tasty and tempting “Whoa” foods as much as possible.  This will take place as we begin our kick-off for out CATCH program which highlights the importance of doing our best to stay healthy.  There is so much to cover this week in spite of our shortened time together!

Students’ Ocean Animal Assignments are due on Monday, October 1st!  I know that students have been working very hard on these and they will be shared with others to help teach their classmates about some of the fascinating creatures found in the deep blue sea!  Also, don’t forget that Show & Tell begins this Monday as well.  Calendars were sent out on Monday to show who presents each day this month.

 

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gold      colt       jolt      revolt     folk      scold     bold      fold      mold      sold      told      color

 

Reminders/Announcements: 

*Parent/Teacher Conferences are Wednesday (Oct. 3rd) and Thursday (Oct. 4^th) from 3:30-7:00.  I look forward to meeting with everyone!!!

*No school on Friday, October 5^th and Monday, October 8^th because of conferences and Columbus Day!

*Halloween Parade & Parties- October 31^st @ 10:00 AM

 

Mrs. Johnson

Curriculum News

We will continue to take a closer look at the changing seasons during our reading/literacy block time.  This week, however, this topic will be mixed in with a bit of music appreciation ….perhaps a different type of music than what these students are used to enjoying.  Our studies will involve reading about Antonio Vivaldi and listening to one of his greatest pieces of work- his concerto the Four Seasons.  Students will also become more familiar with some of the instruments that are used in classical music which help create some beautiful classical works as well as bands enjoyed today!  We will also continue with many other skills that have recently been introduced, such as addition and subtraction strategies, map skills, and the numerous habitats of the world as this next week progresses.

Second grade show & tell will also be starting up the first week of October.  Please watch for a monthly calendar which will be sent next week to let students and parents know when their show & tell day is for that particular month.  Each student will get one day per month to bring in no more than 2 things to share and discuss with the class.  Students will also be asked a few questions by students about these special things and it will usually take place after lunch recess (at about 12:20).  If a parent needs to bring something in or needs to set up a different time, that is fine too.  All I ask is that you reach out to me the day before or the morning of to set up a different time!

Spelling  

sigh      light     right       might      high      tight      flight      bright      sight     fight    night     fright

 

Reminders/Announcements: 

*This is our Volleyball Homecoming Week.  We encourage students to get into the spirit by taking part in dress-up days.

-Monday- Pajama Day

-Tuesday-Decade Day (60’s, 70’s, 80’s…..)

-Wednesday-Rainbow/Neon Color Day

-Thursday- Orange/Black Day

-Friday-Sports Day

*Family Reading Night will be Tuesday, September 25^th at 6:00 PM.  The Fall Book Fair will also be open for students and families to browse and enjoy!

*There is an early dismissal on Wednesday, September 26^th at 11:30!               

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Johnson

Curriculum News

We will be continuing to take a closer look at the changing seasons during our reading/literacy block time.  This week we will be looking at poetry which uses descriptive language to help readers experience all four of our seasons.  We will be taking a look at some poems by some very famous authors such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Lee Frost as we learn a bit more about the composition of poems and look at a variety of styles.  Some of our writing activities this week will tie in with this as we work on a basic acrostic poem about Autumn.

 

This week in Math we will be working on a variety of other skills that will hopefully continue to develop their retention of both addition and subtraction facts.  Please continue to work with your child on the addition facts, as we have recently begun timed tests using the Rocket Math program.  The only way to retain these facts is with practice, practice, practice…..you can do this 2^nd grade!   Our study of the ocean will continue in Science as we discuss the job of oceanographers and marine biologists as well as the different zones found in the ocean.  Students will also get the opportunity to learn a bit more about a fascinating ocean creature as they will be given an assignment to do a bit of research very soon!

 

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girl       dirt      shirt      first       fern      serve      nerve      term      herd       bird       swirl       perk

 

Reminders/Upcoming Dates

September 25^th– Family Reading Night 6:00 PM @ Emden Gym

September 26^th– 11:30 Dismissal

October 3^rd & 4^th– Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-7:00PM

October 5^th & 8^th– No School

October 31^st– 11:30 Dismissal- Halloween Parade & Party will be in the AM

                       (10:00 Parade & Party to follow)

 

Have a great weekend!!!

 

Mrs. Johnson

 

 

 

Curriculum News

During our Reading/Literacy Block time, we will be taking a look at some informational texts to learn as much as we can about trees!  With this in mind, I am asking that students bring in 3 different types of leaves for us to study next week.  They can be brought in a Ziploc bag and will probably not be needed until Wednesday (9/12) of next week.  During our reading time we will be discussing ways to read and understand non-fiction books and will take the opportunity to introduce the topic of the changing seasons which will be explored more closely for some time to come.  Thank you for your help with this project!  This will allow us to do a bit more exploring of our own surroundings as we get more familiar with some of the beautiful trees that are found right here in central Illinois!

 

This week in Math we will be looking at several more examples of addition strategies and putting them to use on our timed tests.  We will start out by taking them twice a week but will soon increase that to three times per week.  Students must have this basic math skill mastered before tackling more challenging math work so I encourage everyone to be practicing those addition facts!

 

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saw      law       raw      straw      draw      hawk       lawn      claw      thaw       yawn       dawn        fawn

 

Requests &Reminders:

*At this time, 2^nd grade does not have anyone signed up as head room parent.  If anyone is interested please contact me here at the grade school to let me know.  It is very necessary because without this, students will not be having a Halloween or Valentine’s Day party!  Thank you!  *My email is ajohnson@hartem.org.

*Students will be visiting the Illini Central School District for a special performance by the Jesse White Tumblers.  Busses will leave at 9:20 and we will be returning at around 11:50-12:00.

 

Mrs. Johnson