The Week in Review! :)

We had a very productive but short week!  On Tuesday we started our week by talking about the difference between fact and opinion.  I think that seeing the difference between facts and opinions can be pretty hard for kids in grade one and two. (That's my opinion!)  We worked on the idea for a short period and really need to spend more time on it so that everyone in class can see the difference. (fact!)

That same day we did some work on designing boats made out of plasticine.  Last week we learned about why things float or sink and this week we tried to put that information to good use.  Ask your son or daughter how they did!

All week long we've been talking about how to make our writing more interesting.  We practiced writing sentences that use the word "and" in them.  We also learned about writing an appositive.  Appositives, a type of comma sentence, put extra information into sentences without using the word "and" to link ideas.  Another complex idea that we have just begun to work with!

Perhaps the biggest project that we took on this week was our preparation for the school-wide Math Fair.  Parents are invited next Friday from 9 - 10 AM to come see what everyone in class will have completed.  We have tried a whole bunch of different problems and now we are preparing to become the teacher of one problem to any and all who come to visit the Math Fair.  It's an opportunity for students to explore strategic thinking, express creativity, and investigate problem solving.  Next week we will be very busy getting prepared but if you want to review the project that your son or daughter is involved with, go to www.galileo.org and look for the button "Math Fair Problems" on the right hand side.

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you at the Math Fair!

Happy Easter!

Just a quick posting to say we had a terrific week.  We started our science unit on Boats and Buoyancy, we wrote cinquain poems, practiced stacked addition and subtraction, and worked really hard on preparing for Thursday's dance showcase.  I hope you were able to join us but if not, please enjoy the video from the performance posted here.  Finally, we also got to do a lot of sorting, pattern work, estimation, and observation, as we worked as a class on a really fun egg hunt Thursday morning.  Be sure to ask your child what they thought of it all!

Finally, a reminder that there is no school for students on Friday or Monday.  See you next Tuesday!

Welcome Back Week!

I hope everyone had a terrific break from school and all are ready for a fun and interesting April!  We have started a short unit on hip hop dance this week.  We are very lucky to have Miss Claudia come back again this year and students are now working on new dance moves!  We are planning to showcase all the new dance moves that all the different classes are working on this week and next.  Parents are invited to enjoy their hand work on Thursday, April 13 from 2:15 - 3:15.  Hope to see you there!

We are back working with word families in our spelling.  This week we are using the "ook" Word Family: look, brook, cook, shook, and book.  There is a spelling test Friday.  :)

We are wrapping up our Science unit on Hot and Cold Temperature and will be beginning a new unit on Boats and Buoyancy next week.  If you have a chance, please talk at home a little bit about how humans and animals both use insulation for comfort, survival, and safety!

Here are a few pictures and a short video that show the kids working on their new dance moves.  If you have a chance, please write a very brief comment either here or in the agenda to let me know that you were able to see the pictures.  (eg. saw the dance pics!)