Themes, Topics, and Objectives for December 10-14

Cougar Reading- The students will participate in a parts of speech review this week as we create Christmas Mad Libs.

Reading-  The remainder of December will be devoted to benchmarking and Diblels testing, so we will not  have small group reading for the rest of 2012.   In whole group reading, the students will participate in a literature study of the Junie B. Jones novel Jingle Bells Batman Smells by Barbara Park. We will apply the comprehension strategies of making connections, creating images, inferencing, and synthesizing as we read.  We will conclude this study by analyzing the character traits of Junie B. and her arch nemesis May!

Math- In math we are working on the skill of regrouping when adding two digit numbers. We love to carry the one to the tens side of the equation! So exciting!

Writing- We will continue to learn about the Writing Trait of Voice this week as we read various picture books and identify first and third person point of view in texts. We will also write a story from the point of view of a reindeer this week.

Social Studies- This week we will identify types of landforms and label a map of the United States. We will also identify the countries in North America, and the name the seven continents and five oceans.

Themes, Topics and Objectives for December 3-7

Cougar Reading- This week we will combine the literary feature of point of view (determining who is telling a story) with our former science unit on life cycles as we read various texts about the life of ants.

Reading-  This week we will re-read the story Robot Cat and enjoy a few picture books as we explore the genre of science fiction.

Math- We will conclude topic 7 Mental Subtraction Strategies and take a test on Tuesday, December 4th.  Topic 8 begins on Wednesday and we will learn to regroup during this Topic.

Writing- So far in writing we have focused on Ideas and how to stick to your topic. We will now move on teaching Voice in writing as we identify who is telling a story, and how they sound as they write. We will get in to "character" this week as we pretend to be shoe, baseball bat and a toothbrush this week in writing. It's going to be a humorous yet educational week in writing!

Social Studies- We will spend the next two weeks learning about maps. We will review cardinal directions, as well as learning about landforms, continents, and oceans.

Themes, Topics and Objectives for November 26-30th

Cougar Reading- This week we will practice the reading strategy of synthesizing using award winning picture books such as Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting and  Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger. Synthesis is the process of taking pieces of information and combining them create an oveall meaning. Students will think about how their ideas and understanding of a story changes as characters, details and plot twists are revealed!

Reading- This week we will read literature about the famous scientest Benjamin Franklin and learn about his many inventions and break throughs in the field of science. We will also take a walk on the wild side as we read a humorous science fiction story Robot Cat.

Math- In math we will practice mental subtraction strategies as we use a hundred chart and counting by tens to solve math problems.

Writing-   We will begin the week by learning about possessive nouns and then we learn about, sing about and read about friendly letters!

Science- The students will learn about life cycles of given animals

Themes, Topics, and Objectives for November 12-16

Cougar Reading-  This week we will read Thanksgiving Before Thursday a Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne. We will apply learned reading strategies such as creating images, comparing and contrasting and making connections as we read.

Reading-  We will continue the theme Many States, One Country as we re-read the book Route 66 and conduct a mini research report on a given state in our country. As a culminating activity students will create a jumbo post from the state they research.

Math- We will begin Topic 6 Mental Addition Strategies this week in math. Through this topic we will work on establishing a strong foundation as we prepare to begin two-digit addtion with regrouping in Topic 7. In Topic 6 students will use a 100 chart and practice adding multiples of 10 mentally.

Social Studies- On Monday, November 12th the second graders will present American Symbol posters in class. We have been working hard on creating an informative poster and are looking forward to showing what we know to our classmates.

Science-  Animal life cycles and food webs will be studied this week in science.

Writing- The second graders will talk turkey this week as they write an exciting adventure story called "If I Was A Thanksgiving Turkey".

Themes, Topics and Objectives for November 5-9,2012

Cougar Reading-  We will partake in a literature study on the book Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen.  The novel will be read aloud as we make personal, text to text, and real world connections to the story.

Reading- We are kicking off out 6th theme in reading Many State, One Country by reading literature such as The Armadillo From Amarillo,    Route 66, and The Scrambled States of America, defining the words "reside" "route" and "state"as well as learning about famous landmarks accross the country and selecting a state in which to do a research project.

Math- In math we will review the objectives on our place value topic and take a test on Tuesday, October 6th. We will also introduce clocks this week as we practice telling time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour and five minutes.

Writing- This week we will use the writing process as we write a narrative about a scarecrow. Our stories will contain story elements such as characters, setting,  a problem, and solution.  Our stories will be on display outside of our classroom during the month of November!

Social Studies- We will practice the traits of  patriotism this week as we learn about famous American symbols such as the Statue of Liberty,  American flag, Liberty Bell,  White House, Star Spangled Banner, and Plymouth Rock.

Themes, Topics and Objectives for October 23-26th

Cougar Reading-  This week we will learn about proper nouns and capitalization as we practice capitalizing book titles, products, stores, days of the week, months, etc.

Reading- Second quarter reading groups begin tomorrow! Many students have moved to new levels and will bejoining new reading groups. Be sure to ask your child about small group reading. In whole group reading we will learn to make inferences (the strategy of using what you know along with information given in the text) to enhance our comprehension. Our new theme will focus on types of communities such as rural, urban and suburban.

Math- In math, we will continue to learning about place value. We will practice making numbers to 1000 by using expanded form, models and number words.

Science-  This week we will complete our unit on Animals and their adaptations by playing a Jeopardy game, and reviewing vocabulary words. We will take our second science test on Friday, October 26th.

Writing- Uh-oh! Your child caught a monster. This week we will write a descriptive narrative about our monsters and create a manual for caring this beast!

Themes, Topics, and Objectives for October 15-19

Cougar Reading- We will review types of sentences as we write statements, questions, commands and exclamations about a witch. Wait until you see the bewitching display we create this week! We will also review common nouns.

Reading- In whole group reading we will continue our theme Circling the Sun as we conduct a science experiment using sun beads and learn about ultraviolet rays. We will also compare two legends about the sun and discuss fictional characteristics of the sun.   OurTheme test is scheduled for Thursday, October 18th.

Spelling- We will learn about "r" controlled vowels as we spell "or" and "ar" words this week. Spelling test will be Thusday, October 18th.

Math- In math, we will complete our Place Value to 99 Topic and take a math test on Wednesday, October 16th. 

Cougar Math-  We will enhance our understanding of place value by participating in small group lessons that reteach or enrich concepts as needed. We will also play Place Value Bingo as wells as Place Value Go Fish!

Science-   This week we will  practice the art of notetaking as we learn about animals and how they adapt to survive in various environments.  An  informative animal brochure will come home on Thursday.  You'll be amazed by all the we learn.

Writing-  Students will create a pet monster and compete an instruction manual on how to care for their creature!! Look out!  These creatures will be coming home at the end of the week.

Themes, Topics and Objectives for October 8-12

Cougar Reading- We will  go a little batty this week  as we practice writing questions, statements and exclamations about these furry, winged  mammals. We will also identify some bewitching commands as we review types of sentences.  We will be decking the pod with bats and witches  this week in preperation for Halloween!

Reading- This week in Whole Group Reading we will begin a new theme in which we learn to determine important vs. non-important information in a text. We will read two stories about the sun this week titled Maui and the Sun and Super Sun Science  as we define the words: solar, orbit, and daily.  In Small Group Reading we will continue to work in our existing reading groups developing word attack skills, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Math- In math we will learn about place value to 100 as we identify the "ones" and "tens" of given numbers, compare numbers as being "greater than" or "less than" and learn to "round" numbers to the nearest 10.

Cougar Math-  Small math groups will begin this week! Math skills will be retaught or expanded upon as needed. While not in small group students will  by playing coopertive learning  math games, and work on the xtra math website.

Writing-  Your second grader will learn about adjectives this week and write a persuasive advertisement for a haunted house.

Science- We conclude our study of plants this week by learning about plants that grow in the marsh, observing carnivorus plants in action and taking our first science test!

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for October 1-5

Cougar Reading- This week we will enjoy stories by the hilarious author Margie Palantini as we read Zoom Broom, Piggie Pie, Broom Mates and Tub-boo-boo together in class. We will practice asking and asnwering literal and inferential questions as we read and LAUGH at these wonderful stories this week.

Reading- Last week we read The Phases of the Moon by Isaac Asimov and learned all about lunar phases of the moon. This week we will read the fantasy story The Marvelous  Moon Mystery and participate in two hands-on activties where we analyze the impact of craters falling into moon sand and create a moon phase diagram with oreo cookies. We wil conclude our theme on Friday, October 5th when we take our third theme test.

Math-  This week we will conclude our topic on Fact Families and will take a test on Thursday, October 4th and then begin our new Topic on place value on Friday.

Cougar Math- We will practice, practice, practice math fact this week as we play various games and get ready for our topic test.

Science- This week we will begin learning about plants and the habitats of various plants.

Writing- We are continuing to work on the trait of writing. This week we will write sentences about an object that is special to us and create an informative paragraph.

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for September 17-21

Cougar Reading- This week we will practice the strategy of creating images by imagining a purple dog and drawing and sharing it with classmates. We will also reinforce what we've learned about writing good sentences by reviewing subjects and predicates and punctuation as we create an alphabet sentence book.

Reading-  In whole group reading we will analyze the text feature of maps as we locate given areas in California and Mexico using our reading selection Hello, I'm Paty. We will also compare and contrast ourselves with "Paty" the main character in our story. We will conclude our Theme this week when we take the Theme 2 test on Friday the 21st.

Math- We will review and practice the subtraction strategies we have been learning in Topic 2 and take a math test on Wednesday, September 19th. We will than move to a new Topic where we will learn about fact familes. Every student should be practicing math facts using the xtra math website. It is important for students to memorize their math facts! It's the foundation they need to successfully proceed on to new and challenging concepts.

Cougar Math- We will participate in math games and projects that enable us to drill and practice math facts, such as creating  fact family trees and using virtual dice to create and solve math facts.

Science- The week we will conclude out Nutrition Unit by planning healthy meals, smart snacks, reading a hilarious story by Dav Pilkey called Dragon Gets By and participating in our Royal Banquet Feast!

Writing- In Writing we are learning to stick to given topics in our writing. We will practice this concept as we read The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown and write our "important" story.

Themes, Topics and Objectives for September 10-14

Cougar Reading- This week we will read three very powerful stories Mariette on The High Wire ,The Man Who Walked Between The Towers and Heroes of 911.  We will practice the reading strategy of making connections as we discuss this literature in class.

Reading- Autobiographies will be introduced this week as we read Hello Paty  and the words "rely", "role" and "member" will be defined.  Small group reading will begin this week. Be sure to ask you second grader about their new reading groups.

Math- Subtraction strategies and fact practice will take place this week.

Science- We will continue to have a royal good time learning about healthy eating and basic nutrition with the help of Little D the dragon and Queen Anna Banana. Watch for information to come regarding our culminating theme project The Royal Banquet.

Writing- We will continue to practice modeling good sentence structure with subjects, predicates and end punctuation. We will also write a mini report about a special family member.

Themes, Topics and Objectives for September 4-7

Cougar Reading- We will  participate in a short grammar unit this week as we  identify subjects  and preciates in given sentences.

Reading- We will continue making personal and text to text connections this week as we reread the selection Asha In The Attic and enjoy a poem about an old fashioned soda shop. Our first theme test will be given this week. Benchmarking has begun! Every child will be given an individual reading test to determine their placement in small reading groups. Also, DIBELS testing will be done on Tuesday the 4th.

Spelling- Short vowels words will be studied and assessed this week. Your child took a pre-test on Friday and  has been placed in one of three spelling groups next week. Look for your child's list to come home on Tuesday. Our first spelling test will be given on Friday, September 7th. (It will be a practice test and will not count)

Math- The students are practicing addition facts and will focus on the strategy of making 10s to add this week. Our first math test will take place on Friday, September 7th.

Science-  We will continue learning about the five food groups in class. This week we will write a vegetable riddle with the help of Princess Peapod and learn about fruits with Queen Anna Banana. We are learning so much from these royal characters and having a blast! Students can color in extra bubbles on their bubble chart everyday this week for bringing in healthy snacks.

Writing-  The Writing Process will be introduced this week and we will spend time learning about the first step in the process: Prewriting.

Concepts, Themes and Objectives for the week of August 27th-31st

Cougar Reading- This week we will review and practice reading center activites known as the Daily5. We will spend time learning how to pick independent books that are appropriate and interesting as well as working on reading stamina (reading independently for increasing amounts of time). We will also practice partner reading.

Reading-  On Monday we will launch our first theme Stories from our Past and read a variety of historical and realistic fiction stories. Content words such as "memory", "tradition" and "generation" will be defined and used in journal writing this week.  Benchmarking and Dibels testing will also take place this week in preperation for small reading groups which I hope to begin the week of September 3rd.

Math- Addition will be our first math topic this school year. We will practice math facts, doubles facts, doubles +1 facts as well as learn the strategy of making tens to solve additon problems. Math homework begins Monday evening! Please make sure to complete both sides of the worksheet that is sent home.

Science-  I will be teaching about nutrition for the next few weeks with the help of some royal "food" characters such as Princess Peapod and King Henry the Egg! I'm sure your second grader will fill you in on the delicious details!!

Writing- In writing this week we will review  the basics of how to properly hold a pencil and how to form straight lines, slants, and the circles we use to print alphabet letters.

Camp Learned A Lot Begins!

On Friday afternoon while the students were at Music and Gym our classroom was transformed into a campground. We have four very roomy tents and all the bulletins boards were taken down and replaced with a woodsy background.

During camp this week, each day will begin with roll call, a grade level sing-a-long and we will  hand out letters from home. Please be sure to write your child a letter congratulating them on a great school year and wishing them well while they are "away" at camp! So far,  I only have a few letters. Camp stationary was sent home in Monday folders on May 6th.  However, you can any paper or you can e-mail me a letter to your child and I will print it out and put it in an envelope for you.

I am also looking forward to the Camp-Learned-A-Lot tradition of having mystery readers come into the classroom. Thanks to the parents and one babysitter who have volunteered to read. Readers will spend approximately a half hour in the classroom reading to the students and helping with a brief educational activity. It's going to be a blast and the campers will LOVE guessing  the identities of our mystery readers!!

Don't forget to send your second grader to school on Monday with their sleeping bag. We have no desks or chairs, so your child will want something soft to sit on this week.

This week we will be making s'mores, creating bubble gum sculptures, earning camp cash to spend at the camp store and telling ghost stories each day  ( my personal favorite activity) around the "campfire".

My hope is to create long lasting elementary school memories for your child.  It's going to be fabulous.

Concepts, Themes and Objectives for May 7-11

Reading- We have been learning about  Economics in our theme Earning and Saving. We've read two selections Round and Round The Money Goes as well as Seeds of Fortune.   Literary features such as metaphors, dialogue, and character traits have been discussed this week.  It's hard to believe that we are in our final week of reading groups. We will spend  this last week working on fluency skills, story retellings, literal and inferential story questions.

Cougar Reading- In class we've been working on story elements as we learn terminology such as exposition, conflict, climax and resolution. We will continue to use this terminology this week by reading interesting literature and participating in various vocabulary activities.

Math- This week we will learn to tell time to the minute and participate in activities in which we create, compare and contrast graphs.

Writing- A review of adjectives will take place this week and we will use these descriptive words to write about the beautiful, dynamic and amazing women in our lives.......our MOMS!!

Social Studies-  We will end the school year with a unit on Economics. So far we have defined and learned about "needs" and "wants" as well as "goods" and "services". This week we will compare and contrast "consumers" and "producers" and learn about "supply" and "demand" and participate in an activity where we get to "barter" and "trade" for fun erasers.

Concepts, Themes and Instructional Objectives for April 23-27

Reading-  We will complete our Theme Every Drop Counts and take a Theme Test on Wednesday, April 25th.  There will be no reading groups next week so that I can benchmark for the last time this school year. Only students reading on or below grade level will be benchmarked this week.

Spelling- There will be NO spelling this week due to ETC Day Thursday and no school on Friday, April 27th.

Cougar Reading-  This week we will anayleze character traits as we  identify what characters look like, how they act and how others view them. We will compare and contrast ourselves to some of our favorite characters in literature.

Math- In math we will measure in inches, feet , yards, centimeters and meters. We will end our week by adding and subtracting in mesuremnt.

Writing-   A hodge podge of learning objectives will be covered as we  complete a persuasive paragraph on Earth Day, practice writing compound and simple sentences, as well as practicing uppercase letters in cursive.

Science-   We will continue to define and apply words from the scientific methods such as "hypothesis", "procedures" and "conclusion" as we conduct simple science experiments in the classroom.  So far we have learned about surface tension and static electricity. Next week we conduct experiments such as Too Full To Spill, The Rising Egg, and Milk Rainbow. This unit will culminate on Thursday, April 26th with our Science ETC on Science Experiments. It's going to be awesome!

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for April 16-19

Reading-  Our new theme Every Drop Counts partners nicely with Earth Day which will be celebrated on Sunday, April 22nd. Our non-fiction story Gugu's House and fiction story Splash touch on the need to conserve water in order to care for planet earth. The students will also practice the comprehension skill of pausing and reflecting on given portions of a text as a means for analyzing what we have learned.

Spelling-   This week we will spell verbs with the -ing ending.  For long vowel words remember to drop the "e" and add -ing. Example: bake + ing= baking
For short vowel words remember to double the final consonant. Example: mop+ing=mopping

Cougar Reading- Homophones and homonyms will be explored this week as we define them, compare them, and create a Homophone and Homonym Joke Book full of humorous word play.

Math- On Monday April 16th we will take our Topic 14 math test and than begin our Topic 15 unit on Measurement as we learn to measure in inches and centimeters this week.

Writing- We will be writing informative and persuasive paragraphs about the issues of animal endangerment, water conservation and air pollution as we learn about Earth Day.

Science- This week we will define the words "hypothesis", "materials", "procedure", "observations" and "conclusion" as we learn about the Scientific Method and conduct some simple experiments in the classroom.

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for April 2-6

Reading- In whole group reading we will discover the wonders of the water cycle in our selections  A Water Cycle Story and Grandma's Ring. We will focus on the skill of summarizing as we continue to look for the main idea  and supporting details in a story.

Spelling- Word study patterns this week will be -ier and -iest. We will be learn the rule of "drop the y and add the i" this week in spelling. Test will be on Friday, April 6th.


Cougar Reading- We will use critical thinking skills this week as we identify "cause" and "effect" this week by playing a card game and creating a flip book.

Math-  The students will continue to identify and count coins this week. Topic 13 test will be given on Wednesday, April 4th and then we will begin Topic 14 in which we will add and subtract money.

Writing-  In writing this week we will write a humorous story about a class trip to Hawaii and work on recognizing and writing lowercase cursive letters.

Science- Your child will become a cloud expert this week as we learn identify types of clouds, create and diagram cloud models and conduct an experiment where we make a cotton ball rain!

Themes, Concepts, and Objectives for March 26- March 30

Reading- This week we will reread the selection A Breakfast Story as we focus on the comprehension strategy of main idea and details. We will conclude this theme on Friday the 30th when we take our theme test. In reading groups are continuing to work at our instructional levels on various comprhension, fluency and vocabulary skills. Your child's book as well as a written assignment will be continue to be sent home as weekend homework.

Spelling- This week we will study adjectives with -er and -est suffix. Test will be Friday, March 30th.

Cougar Reading-  We will read various non-fiction articles this week as we practice the critical thinking skill of comparing and contrasting. We will compare and contrast various topics such as bats and rats and type so bikes.

Math-  In class we will introduce coins half-dollar, quarter, dime, nickel and penny and practice sorting and counting out change. Continue to practice on xtra math as part of homework.

Writing& Science- This week we participate in a cross-curricular unit on severe types of weather. We will define  the weather words: tornado, hurricane, blizzard and flood. We will learn about what causes these types of weather as well as developing safety plans in the event the we should encounter severe weather. In Writing we will create safety posters as well a writing a report on an assigned weather related topic.

Concepts, Themes and Objectives for March 19-23

Reading-  This week in reading we will enjoy two selections Emma and The Silk Train and  A Breakfast Story. The comprehension skill is determining importance by differentiating between interesting and important details in a story. There are some details in a story that are interesting but not vital to the overall meaning of the text. We will practice picking out which details are vital and which are extraneous.

Cougar Reading-  This week we will read various passages and work on picking out the main ideas and supporting details. We will create a picture book about ants to showcase our knowledge.

Math-  We will conclude our topic on geometry this week as we divide rectangles into square and anaylze shapes as we divide them into equal parts. Our Topic test will take place on Thursday, March 22nd.

Writing- This week we will sharpen our writing skills as we critique paragraphs that have been poorly constructed. Some lack adjectives and interesting details, others are too wordy! We will rewrite givens selections so that they are JUST RIGHT:)

Social Studies- We will conclude our unit on the Plains Indians this weeks as we read legends, review facts and learn about some local tribes in the KC area. We are looking forward to our field trip on Friday, March 23rd.

March 5-8,2012

Reading-  This week we will read the novel Flat Stanley as we participate in a variety of literary and geography activites. We will also read two Irish stories by Tomie DePaulo featuring the famous and hilarious character Jamie O'Rourke and practice writing story retellings. Reading groups will not meet this week so that students can be benchmarked.

Cougar Reading-     Prefixes and Suffixes will be studied and practiced this week. We will begin by learning about prefix and suffix meanings and  than apply them to basewords and analyze their meanings.

Math- The students are enjoying their geometry topic. We have learned the difference between plane shapes and solid figures and have been counting faces, edges and vertices on shapes. We will continue to explore geometric figures this week.

Writing- We will appreciate the life and works of Dr. Seuss this week as we learn about his life create out own Seussian characters.

Social Studies- This week we will participate in a Native American naming ceremony and learn about how Native Americans educated their children through storytelling.  We will watch two legends on video and discuss the life lessons portrayed in each story and how they can be applied to every day life.

February 27-March2

Reading- We will complete our On The Farm theme this week as we reread The Watermelon Contest and define the words "bounty" and "produce".  The comprehension strategy of identifying the author's purpose will also be applied in whole and small group reading this week. You can practice this strategy at home by asking your child what the author's purpose is of a book that you are reading. Was the book written to persuade, inform or entertain?

Spelling- Your child will be working with  "wr" , "kn", and  "gn" words this week.

Cougar Reading-   Last week we read various passages and practiced finding, higlighting and answering  comprehension questions through guided practice. This week we will practice these skills by reading different passages and applying our new test taking strategies to answer comprhension questions independently.

Math- In math we will complete Topic 11 and take a test on Wednesday, February 29th on Three Digit Addition and Subtraction.  Topic 12 is Geometry and that will begin  on Thursday, March 1st.

Writing-  We will learn about similies this week, a literary device that compares unlike things by using "like" or "as" , possessive pronouns and cursive letters.

Social Studies-  Your child is becoming an expert on the Plains Indians tribes. If you ask them what they've learned you will be sure to hear about the importance of the buffalo. This week we will create a tipi, compare the and contrast the eastern and western plains as well as learning about the people, customs and culture of the Plains Indians.

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for February 20-24th

Reading-   This week in reading we will read the selections Rice Is Life and The Watermelon Contest as we focus on the comprehension strategy of determining an author's purpose. The acronym P.I.E. (perusade, inform and entertain) will be introduced as we determine the purpose for our stories this week.

Cougar Reading- For the next two weeks we will spend our mascot time learning the art of test taking. We will read grade level passages and learn how to answer multiple choice questions. We will practice the skills of looking back to find answers and highlighting important information. We will also learn helpful strategies such as eliminating answers that don't make sense and practice answering questions in full sentences.

Spelling-  We will learn to spell contractions this week. Test Friday, February 24th.

Math- We will continue to work on three digit addition and subtraction mentally, using models, and using paper pencil techniques.

Writing-   In writing this week we will learn about irregular verbs and practice cursive writing

Social Studies-  This week we will begin our unit on the Plains Indians. We will identify various tribes and where they lived, learn about the types of homes thay built, understand how they communicated and appreciate how the buffalo was vital to their existence.

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for the week of Feb 6-10

Reading- This week in reading we will reread  the informational story Pass It On as we analyze visual text features such as timelines, illustrations, photographs, etc. We will discuss how these text features enhance meaning and give us a deeper understanding of what we are studying.  In small group reading we will continue to read literature that is on your child's instructional level and work on skills such as vocabulary, phonics and grammar.

Spelling- "ou" and "ow" will be our pattern next week. Test Friday, February 10th.

Cougar Reading- We will continue our unit on biographies as we read about American Presidents this week. We will learn about the lives of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy this week.

Math- We will wrap up Topic 10 Place Value this week and have a math test on Wednesday, February 8 and then on Thursday will launch Topic 11 Three Digit Addition!

Writing & Social Studies- We will combine two subjects this week as we write an adventure story about traveling west in a covered wagon in the year 1842. We will also collaborate, research, write, and illustrate a big book on Pioneers.

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for January 29-Feb 3

Reading-  We will begin our tenth reading theme Work That Matters by reading the selections City Green and Pass It On in class. We will practice the strategy of visualizing as we proceed through this theme. A good reader visualizes what is happening as they read. We will practice and discuss this strategy in both whole group and small group reading.

Spelling-   This week our pattern is -oi and -oy. Test Friday, February 3rd

Cougar Reading-   This week we will read about famous Black Americans  such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and George Washington Carver and discuss the character traits that make these people heroic.

Math- We will continue to learn about place value of numbers, compare and contrast given numbers and skip count by 5, 10, 100 and 100! In addition to completing math homework each night, please take time to reinforce basic addition and subtraction facts with your child to insure speed and accuracy when doing computation problems.

Writing- In writing we will create a Black American Scrapbook and continue learning lower case cursive letters.

Social Studies- Beginning this week we will embark on a journey back to the Pioneer days as we learn about covered wagon travel on the Oregon Trail.

Concepts, Themes and Objectives for January 23-27

Reading- We will continue practicing the strategy of making text to self, text and world connections as we read the selections Grace For President and Our Class Pet this week. We will define and practice using the vocabulary words: government, duty and election. Theme 9 test will be administered on Friday, January 27th.

Spelling- In word study we will analyze, define and spell words with the -age and -arge spelling pattern. Test on Friday, January 27th

Cougar Reading- This week we will build on our Rigby Reads theme by having a classroom election. Spiderman and Batman are our candidates and they are running for the title of Worlds Greatest Superohero. We will compare and contrast these heroes as well as make text to world connections! May the best hero win!

Students will also study and practice linking, helping and action verbs during Cougar Reading this week.

Math- We will complete Topic 9 with a test on Monday the 23rd.  We will then begin Topic 10 on Tuesday the 24th. We will learning about place value to 1000.

Writing- We are working on poety in class. Last week we wrote Cynquain. This week we will write a Persona Poem and and Acrostic Poem in class.

Social Studies- We will continue our study of Inventors and Innovations this week by learning about the invention of  items such as bubble gum, mayonnaise, balloons and soup in a can!

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for Jan 17-Jan 21

Reading-  We will be reading Grace for President this week and practicing the strategy of making connections. In class we will use our story to make connections to ourselves, other stories and the world.

Spelling-  The spelling pattern -ice will be studied next week. Test will be on Friday January 21st.

Cougar Reading- We will begin the week by reading The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss and A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr. by David Adler. We will discuss the meaning of the word "equality" with the sneetches and learn about the life and works of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Helping verbs will also be learned and practiced during Cougar Reading this week.

Math- We will complete our topic on subtraction this week and take a math test on Monday, January 23rd.

Writing-  Our focus for this week is poetry. We choose a topic and learn how to write a cinquain.

Social Studies-  Our study on Inventors and Innovations will conclude on Friday, January 21st after learning about airplanes with Mrs. Dolan and The Pony Express with Miss Davis.

Themes, Concepts &Objectives for January 9-13

Reading- We are kicking off the new year with the theme Magnets Are Amazing. In class we read a procedural text Amazing Magnets depicting how to create your own puppet theatre using paper clips and magnets. On Friday we had a blast following these procedures and creating our very own puppets.  Our current reading strategy is called Monitoring for Understanding and we are using it to maximize our level of understanding by rereading and asking questions when we are unsure of meaning in a text.

Small reading groups will resume next week. Be sure to ask your child about their reading groups. Many students are switching groups and or teachers.  Look for reading homework to come next Friday the 13th.

Spelling- Our word study will feature the "ood" and "ook" pattern this week.

Cougar Reading- We have begun a genre study on mysteries in second grade. So far we have identifed necessary "ingredients" for a mystery such as : detectives, witnesses, victims, red herrings, and clues. Next week we will read several mysteries in class as we pick out the above mentioned elements and use our knowledge to solve cases!

Math- In math we are learning how to subtract with regrouping.  In class we are using manipulatives to model the concept of regrouping as well as teaching the paper/ pencil method of "borrowing and "carrying" in class. Your child will  receive small group instruction to reteach or extend upon these objectives as necessary in class.

Writing- Word Choice is our topic for this week. We are going to use a thesaurus to find alternatives for over used words such as: nice, good, bad and funny. We will then practice using these new words in sentences and stories. As a  culminating activity we will  have a retirement party for our "tired" and pledge to use our new "interesting" words from now on.

Social Studies- Our current theme is Inventors and Innovations. So far we have defined these words and learned about amazing inventions such as earmuffs, popsicles and sticky notes!  Over the next two weeks your child will rotate through the second grade classrooms learning about  inventions and innovations in communication with Mrs. Smith, aviation with Mrs. Dolan, Henry Ford's Assembly Line with Miss Davis and steamboats and trains with Mrs. Kremer.