Sound and Harmonica
We wrapped up the sound unit with the written assessment this week. Last week, the children made musical instruments that could make sound, change pitch and change volume. This was lots of fun and the students learned a great deal through this hands-on experience!
Don't forget, the harmonica share is next Wednesday, February 27 at 12:45! The children are very excited to share their musical talents after just five hours of instruction. We hope you can all make it!
Parent-Teacher Conferences are NEXT WEEK!
I have been conducting many assessments to prepare for parent-teacher conferences. I look forward to meeting with you to share your student's progress very soon!
Social Studies - Economics begins next week!
We will begin a new social studies theme next week which focuses on Economics. We will travel to the DuPage County forest preserve to see how Sugar Maple trees are tapped for their sap and turned into maple syrup. There is no charge for the trip since it is funded by the wonderful Lincoln PTO! We will leave at 10:30 and return at 1:00. The students will eat their lunches in the classroom when we return. Please remember there can be NO NUTS in your child's lunch that day! The permission slip was sent home on Wednesday of this week. If you haven't already done so, please sign the permission slip and send it to school with your child by Thursday, February 28!
Reading Workshop
Last week the students chose individual goals and worked in groups with other students who had chosen the same goal. They planned their work and met daily to discuss their progress and share their books. They told me they really enjoyed sharing with classmates this way. We also finished reading Gooseberry Park, by Cynthia Rylant, and the children completed a paper bag character study about a character from the story. These are on display in the hallway.
This week, we began reading January's Sparrow, by Patricia Polacco. This amazing story is set during the time of slavery in our country, and the protagonists are slaves who run away from their master. The children are writing their thinking as we read, and they are striving to support their thinking with evidence from the text when they write. The story has initiated lots of wonderful discussion about US history.
We also began a research study for Black History month. Each student chose a famous black American to study using books, videos, ebooks, and other digital research tools. They began the study by listing what they thought they knew about their topic in a schema packet. Next, they started researching. The children have learned to take notes from a book, video, or ebook they have to stop and think and write their ideas. They are recording their ideas in their schema packet. When they finish their research, they will create a project about their topic. They will choose their project next week! Ask your child to tell you about his/her topic!
Writing Workshop
We continued working on opinion writing the past two weeks. The children have learned the most convincing letters state a clear opinion (Pinky and Rex is a fantastic book!), giving a specific reason (The character, Pinky and Rex, really care about one another.), then support it with examples from the text (For example, when Pinky was sad Rex tried many things to cheer him up.) They have really enjoyed this, and I'm learning about lots of new great books from them! You'll see their work on display in the hall soon.
Math
We began working on Unit 4 in Investigations Math which involves the collection and representation of data. In this first investigation of this unit, students identify and sort data by common attributes, including overlapping attributes, as they play Guess My Rule with the class and with Yekttis, a fictional set of creatures with a defined set of attributes. They organize and represent data, and they learn the conventions of picture graphs, bar graphs, and Venn diagrams. In the second investigation, students work with numerical data as they collect information about the number of pockets worn by their classmates and the number of teeth lost by second graders and other elementary-age students. They organize and represent numerical data, and they learn the conventions of line plots. The children are having a lot of fun with these concepts!
Valentine’s Day Party Was Wonderful
Thanks to our fabulous room parents for a fun, memorable Valentine's Day party! We loved every minute of the activities! The children enjoyed playing games and making Valentines for Veterans. Thanks to Dee Dee Carr for delivering them to Hines VA Hospital. What a great day!
We wrapped up the sound unit with the written assessment this week. Last week, the children made musical instruments that could make sound, change pitch and change volume. This was lots of fun and the students learned a great deal through this hands-on experience!
Don't forget, the harmonica share is next Wednesday, February 27 at 12:45! The children are very excited to share their musical talents after just five hours of instruction. We hope you can all make it!
Parent-Teacher Conferences are NEXT WEEK!
I have been conducting many assessments to prepare for parent-teacher conferences. I look forward to meeting with you to share your student's progress very soon!
Social Studies - Economics begins next week!
We will begin a new social studies theme next week which focuses on Economics. We will travel to the DuPage County forest preserve to see how Sugar Maple trees are tapped for their sap and turned into maple syrup. There is no charge for the trip since it is funded by the wonderful Lincoln PTO! We will leave at 10:30 and return at 1:00. The students will eat their lunches in the classroom when we return. Please remember there can be NO NUTS in your child's lunch that day! The permission slip was sent home on Wednesday of this week. If you haven't already done so, please sign the permission slip and send it to school with your child by Thursday, February 28!
Reading Workshop
Last week the students chose individual goals and worked in groups with other students who had chosen the same goal. They planned their work and met daily to discuss their progress and share their books. They told me they really enjoyed sharing with classmates this way. We also finished reading Gooseberry Park, by Cynthia Rylant, and the children completed a paper bag character study about a character from the story. These are on display in the hallway.
This week, we began reading January's Sparrow, by Patricia Polacco. This amazing story is set during the time of slavery in our country, and the protagonists are slaves who run away from their master. The children are writing their thinking as we read, and they are striving to support their thinking with evidence from the text when they write. The story has initiated lots of wonderful discussion about US history.
We also began a research study for Black History month. Each student chose a famous black American to study using books, videos, ebooks, and other digital research tools. They began the study by listing what they thought they knew about their topic in a schema packet. Next, they started researching. The children have learned to take notes from a book, video, or ebook they have to stop and think and write their ideas. They are recording their ideas in their schema packet. When they finish their research, they will create a project about their topic. They will choose their project next week! Ask your child to tell you about his/her topic!
Writing Workshop
We continued working on opinion writing the past two weeks. The children have learned the most convincing letters state a clear opinion (Pinky and Rex is a fantastic book!), giving a specific reason (The character, Pinky and Rex, really care about one another.), then support it with examples from the text (For example, when Pinky was sad Rex tried many things to cheer him up.) They have really enjoyed this, and I'm learning about lots of new great books from them! You'll see their work on display in the hall soon.
Math
We began working on Unit 4 in Investigations Math which involves the collection and representation of data. In this first investigation of this unit, students identify and sort data by common attributes, including overlapping attributes, as they play Guess My Rule with the class and with Yekttis, a fictional set of creatures with a defined set of attributes. They organize and represent data, and they learn the conventions of picture graphs, bar graphs, and Venn diagrams. In the second investigation, students work with numerical data as they collect information about the number of pockets worn by their classmates and the number of teeth lost by second graders and other elementary-age students. They organize and represent numerical data, and they learn the conventions of line plots. The children are having a lot of fun with these concepts!
Valentine’s Day Party Was Wonderful
Thanks to our fabulous room parents for a fun, memorable Valentine's Day party! We loved every minute of the activities! The children enjoyed playing games and making Valentines for Veterans. Thanks to Dee Dee Carr for delivering them to Hines VA Hospital. What a great day!