Sneak Peek

Happy March! I hope everyone had a great break! Vacations always seem to fly by, but I am excited to get back into our learning routine and build some momentum-- I hope! Here is a sneak peek into what we will be learning when we return! 

As you can see, we have a lot going on! 
As always, thank you for your support at home!

            Literacy

Reading

Exploring series through the Mystery Genre- Detective Book Clubs!

-We just finished our first 2 Cam Jansen series! Ask us about the cases we solved! Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones & Stolen Jewels 

-Identify the main pieces of a mystery-characters & plot structure.

-Using evidence from the text to make sense of the case.

-Organize facts and analyze characters and events.

-Define common vocabulary that appears in mysteries.

-Working with a partner to collaborate and discuss.

Non-Fiction- Revisit components of non-fiction through our rocks & minerals study. 

-Learn how to navigate these types of texts and identify the main idea. 

-Engage in informational book clubs about dinosaurs- an always popular topic! 

Writing

Putting what we know about non-fiction into practice! 

-Creating our own informational texts based on an independent research topic. 

-Utilizing a variety of sources to collect information and create a cohesive, informative text.  

Math

Graphing

-Use information presented in a graph and analyze data (Bar graph, picture graph and line plot)

- Carry out our own question and collect data. Represent data in the form of a graph.

2 Digit Addition & Subtraction

-Continue to work on fact fluency! Practice on xtramath.com at home!

-Understand multiple ways to solve a problem.

Word Problems

-Understand language in problems and decipher between add/subtract problems.

Altogether, total, sum vs. difference, how many more, minus

-Show thinking in pictures, words & with a number model. Be able to explain the answer!

Spelling

1st graders have almost been introduced to all 110 sight words or key words as we like to call them! These words are the key to reading fluently! Thank you for helping us practice reading and spelling them at home. We will begin to review the list soon and work on applying them more independently in our writing. 

2nd graders have been working on our word sorts based around a weekly pattern. We continue to work on weekly sight words as well. We have become more independent in our sort and are learning new ways to engage with our words through partner & speed sorts. We enjoy sorting by word chunk, syllables & ABC order as well. We will be trying some new things with spelling in the next few weeks- I will share as we go! 

Science

Inquiry unit based on Balance and Motion

-Before vacation we explored our prior knowledge and defined what we think balance is. 

We have a good grasp on the concept already-I was impressed!

-Documenting our findings in our scientist notebook through labels, words and pictures.

-Carrying out explorations based around the concept of balance and building perseverance through difficult texts.  

-Engage in discussions about our findings through accountable talk. Using language like I agree/disagree, making connections and using our evidence to back up our claims.

Rocks and Minerals

-This will be integrated throughout our curriculum in science & literacy. 

We will explore rocks & minerals through research and hands on experiences and understand how the earth has changed over time. 

Scientist of the week is underway! Each week a new student scientist will prepare an experiment at home and share it with our class!  More to follow!

Social Studies

Learning about the world around us through Flat Stanley.

-We will be reading Jeff Brown's popular book Flat Stanley as a class read-aloud. 

-Students will create their own Stanley to send to a friend or family member around the United States. 

-We will track Stanley's journey and learn about new places. This is a great way to connect with others outside of our classroom. Click here to see where Stanley has visited in the past!

Character Building

Ms. Decoteau has been working on her colloquium (culminating project) around building grit and resiliency in learners! We have worked a lot on positive self talk and getting to know ourselves as learners. We are working on developing a "can do" attitude to help us take on new challenges. Encourage this at home too! More to come!