Chalotte's Web

We are reading Charlotte's Web during our read aloud time this month. We are also going to do several activities based on this exemplary piece of literature. There may even be a special surprise, too! Check out these games!

Character Hangman play Hangman to name characters from the story
Say What? who said that quote?

Have fun!

Skimboarding by Nicholas

Yesterday I went to the beach with my cousin. When I was there I found a bone. It was stinky. It was a walrus tooth.

Then I went skim boarding. When I was skim boarding my
uncle went surfing on some really big waves. Then I almost got
caught in the current. Then I landed a trick. I twisted my legs a little bit. Then my skim board swayed back and forth. Then
I learned that skim boards do not work in deep water. When I
did it once again it turned on me. Then I fell off. Then when I
tried again I made it and I told my cousin.

My Birthday by Cassidy

On September 17 it was my birthday. I had a great time. It was fun. After my birthday when I had two people at my party there was a
waterslide. I had lots of friends after my party with my mom and K.T. and Grandma and Grandpa and my sister and I had one friend. Her name was Kylee. She was in my little pool. We climbed up my
waterslide. We had a great time.

The Beach by Jahfar

I went to the beach with my dad. The waves were huge. I got barreled. I had fun. Little John got there. Levi was excited.

Levi had to go to the store. He got sad. We stayed. A lot of other people left too. We had fun. After the beach Ayden came over. We rode scooters and caught air.

We had a slumber party. We woke up again. Then we went back to the beach. We surfed again. Levi kept on falling. We had fun. He didn’t go all the way out.

We got back from the beach. We went skateboarding.

My Pool by Ethan

I got a new pool. I like to dive off the diving board. Sometimes I do flips off the diving board. I really like to hold on to the diving board and hang so half of my body is in the water.

My mom ordered it. I like it a lot. It is ten feet deep. It is the most fun ten foot pool ever. One time I did five summersaults in a row.

It was really awesome. Anthony and Hannah had a
competition. It was so cool. Anthony started to win but then Hannah won and Anthony said, “I want a rematch.” Hannah said, “OK.” I was going say the same thing. I had a plan! I'm going to put so much soap inside the pool and then I'm going to mix it up with the wheel pumper. It was a really good idea.
Anthony won! At last it’s a tie I said.

My Birthday by Jasmine

This is my birthday party. They are my friends. All the people are my
best friends. I have many more friends though. My birthday was the 23 of August. The party was at my home. My party was in butterflies. My mom’s friend let us use one of their tents. We had one, too. Ours is blue. Theirs was green and white.

When I got there I played with one toy I got for my birthday. It was two of my Barbies. There was a little one and a big one. It was a school set. I like it. It is fun.

I like all my other presents. I had a lot of presents. I like my outfit that I wore yesterday. My Uncle Dale and his girlfriend got me that. The top was blue the bottom was brown. I had a bet it was brown. It had flowers. The flowers were all different colors like purple and pink. It was very beautiful. There were squiggles. The squiggles were a light brown.

There were a lot of people. Some were in my family. Four of them came except the two that live with me and my sisters, Julie and Jackie. My cake was chocolate. The icing was vanilla. The cake was good. I had ice cream. The ice cream was chocolate and vanilla and strawberry. The ice cream was good. Very good. I think everyone liked it. All the chocolate ice cream was all gone. The strawberry was almost gone. The vanilla was not gone but it was almost gone. I liked all the ice cream, but I just had chocolate.


I had three kinds of drink. One was green and one was orange and one was red. The drink was very good. I only had the green one. My mom and I went to Dollar Tree and when you walked in the drink was right there. The cake was from Food Lion up in Avon. I like the drink. I think that everyone liked the drink. All of the green was gone.

My cousin came. She did not play with us that much because none of my friends would pass my big beach ball.

Bad Dog by Olivia

My dog dropped the lamp then he got in his bed. When he got out of his bed he got water and he got food too. Then we took him outside to play ball. Then we took him inside.

Then I took him outside and we jumped on my trampoline together. Then we took turns. Then we went to get a drink. Then I went back outside to play in the water hose.

My Cousins by Jordan

My cousins are coming on October 11. My cousins are staying for one week. We are going to have fun. We are skateboarding and my cousins are going to skateboard too. One is 11. One is eight. One is seven.

Last time they were here we went to skateboard. When we went I went first down the half pipe. Then all of them went down the half pipe. It was the first time they had ever done it before. We went down the half pipe.

Then we went back home and we played my new game on my Game Cube. It is called Need For Speed Underground 2. It was a fun game. My cousins and I played my Game Cube. I let my cousins play it.

Then we went to ride my bike. I did a wheelie. It was cool. Then they all did it.

Going Batty!

This week we will concentrate on bats. We are going to complete a bat webquest to help Stellaluna! I know it will be fun!

Fishing by Caitlyn

Yesterday I went on the Miss Hatteras. I caught a big yellow fin tuna. The rest of the people caught Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Everybody was jealous because I caught the biggest fish and they didn’t. I reeled it in all by myself. My mom caught the biggest Spanish mackerel. I fished with Tommy and my friend. She caught the biggest bluefish. It flopped in her hands. Then I picked it up and it flopped in my hands too. But I didn’t drop it like she did. Jasmine was jealous because I didn’t drop it like she did. Jasmine is fourteen and that wasn’t her first time catching a fish. She touches fish all the time. She drops them and they land on her feet. Then I dropped it on my feet. Good thing I was wearing tennis shoes. But, she was wearing flip flops. Her feet were all slimy. She thought that was hideous. I thought that was cool. She got mad at me. She chased me around the boat. After she chased me I got a sip of root beer. Jasmine had Sprite and my mom had water. Tommy had Diet Coke.

Possum Possum Go Away by Sierra

Almost every night a possum comes to my house and my grand mom's house. The dogs start to bark. It gets annoying and I can’t go to sleep.

Over at my grand mom’s house. The possum eats Intruder’s food
and drinks his water. One time I heard something shaking. It was the possum eating Intruder’s food.

Horses by Savannah

My uncle is going to buy horses. Mine is going to be
Lightning. His is going to be Shiloh. We will give them hay. I will give them apples and carrots. I might have a pink saddle. I will go horseback riding on Lightning with my uncle. I will give them a blanket so that they will sleep good.

My Birthday by Rhiannon

I was having my birthday at Toppers on September 21. I had a flower cake and me and my brothers stuck their fingers in it. I had some friends over. My friend Hannah came over and she played with me. Then we went home and I got new clothes and my friend Hannah slept over. It was the best birthday ever. I will remember it.

Turtle Madness by Jack

I caught a snapping turtle yesterday. And I used a piece of hotdog. But he got away. This time I will use a hook. And this time I will use a piece of beef jerky. But this time I caught a tadpole. Just a big tadpole! Then I caught a Russian rat. Then I went home. Then I went back and I caught another snapping turtle and the line did not break. And I saw a snake and a lizard. The snake ate the lizard. I wonder why. Maybe it was hungry.

My Dad Goes to Work by Hunter

My dad goes to New York City. He goes to Alabama, South Carolina, and Long Island, New York. He did one house in Ocracoke and a lot in Hatteras and two in Frisco. He goes to do trim on houses so people have homes to live in.

Family by Carmen

I’m going to be picked up after lunch today because my
family is here. I want to be with them so I get to be with them. I only get to see them once a month.

That is a long time and I only get to see them for three days usually. But this time I get to see them until Monday. I get to see them from Friday to Saturday.

But this time it is longer. It is going to be fun because I will get to see my family. I can’t wait.

Snake Sighting by Brandon

I saw a snake. I stopped. I did not move. Then I went home. Then I came back. It was gone. Then I went back home. I did not want to get bit. I told my grandpa and then I watched TV.

Slumber Party by Belen

Saturday I am having a slumber party at 7:00. I am going to invite all my friends and my cousins too. Jeimy is going to help me make the cupcakes and some snacks and we are going to play games and have pillow fights and watch TV all night. We will watch a movie and we will eat popcorn too. My mom is going to put a movie on at 8:00 at night. We will watch the movie all night long. My mom will put another one on. In the morning we won’t be able to get up.

Fishing by Alastar

Yesterday at the harbor there was a fishing tournament. I
decided that I would fish in it. And I won with a perch with blue stripes. And I won my dad a new t-shirt. And it fit him perfect.

Then we fished at Jon’s. It was exciting when we got there. Straight when I got there I fished. First we fished in day. My brother caught two drums and one speckled trout. Then we fished at night. Jon hooked a big ray that weighed 100 pounds. We had to cut the line because we did not want it to sting us with his big stinger on his tail. And then we had to go to do homework to go to school in the morning.

Camping by Aaron

I went camping. I brought marshmallows. Then I ate one. So did my dad.
Then I played with my toy that I brought. Then I went home. I wanted to camp out one more night.

Publishing!!

We are presently wrapping up our first session in Writer's Workshop. We have been busily writing personal narratives based on our life experiences. The students have produced many wonderful pieces and I have learned quite a bit about everyone's interests. From the many pieces each has developed, only one can be published since authors do not publish every piece they create. After carefully rereading every piece s/he created, each student selected one to "fancy" up and publish. Not only did the selected piece have to be what the student thought was his/her best, it also had to be one the audience would (in this case fellow classmates) like. For this publication, the children are "typing" their texts into the Microsoft Publisher program. The text will be printed out and illustrated by hand. The students must decide how many pages to use to tell the story with both illustrations and words. As the students finish, I will publish the text of each on the blog. I will only use each child's first name and will let the child's family know when it has been published. Please help by leaving positive comments about the piece. Everyone has worked incredibly hard and a tremendous amount of writing has taken place. I am extremely proud of all the children! Way to go!

Weekly Update 9/11/06-9/15/06

Each week I will try to update the blog with news and sites that pertain to what we are learning in class. I will try to provide links to games and nifty information to accompany the topics we are focusing on during the day. :0)

Monday night is the first PTA program of the year. According to the flier, it begins at 6pm. The fifth grade is performing. As the parent of a fifth grader, I'll believe they will be performing patriotic tunes as a tribute to the catastrophe of 9/11. Hope to see you there.

I am also sending home a Scholastic Book Order on Monday. It will be due on Tuesday, Sept. 19th. Please make your checks payable to Scholastic.

Tuesday evening at 6pm is Second Grade Parent Night. Please come to our classroom to see what we do each day. I will be explaining many of the daily procedures and highlighting tips for helping your child succeed in second grade.

Wednesday is an early dismissal day for Staff Development. Students will be released at 12:45. The teachers will remain at school for educational training.

In math we will continue to work on patterns. I have been checking out the web to find some simple activities to provide some additional practice with this skill. The first one is a game called Pattern Mania. It is a simple game that requires students to select which shape should come next in a pattern. The second site provides a video lesson of patterns. The practice sections are decent, but the vocabulary is different than what we use. For instance, the video refers to the pattern unit (as we call it) as the "core of the pattern". Overall, however, it is a good resource. If you stumble across any others, let me know. We will also begin ordering numbers. Basically, we will explore two digit numbers (for now) and put them in order from least to greatest. A good way to practice this skill can be found at AAAmath.com. In the section entitled Ordering Numbers, students can play a game where they must decide whether one number comes before, between, or after two other numbers. Next week we will begin testing how well the students know their addition facts with sums up to 10. AAAmath.com provides practice for this skill as well. You may want to begin refreshing your children's memories by having them visit this site.

In Science we will continue to observe life cycles of living creatures. We presently have tobacco hornworms, ladybugs, and painted lady butterflies in our classroom. We are on the lookout for tadpoles. If you can help us out by bringing some in, let me know. :0) The ants will arrive within the next few weeks.

In Social Studies we are going to begin learning how our families are alike and different. More to come on this later.

In language arts we are learning how to expand our writing using the program established by Lucy Calkins. This year the entire school has a Writers Block where everyone writes. The students love this time of day. We refer to every student as an author and show them what authors do and then provide them with opportunities to put the skills shown during the minilesson to work. This is my first year implementing this program and I am very pleased with the excitement and skill demonstrated by the students so far. Additionally, we are reading a variety of stories and discussing story elements: characters (the who), the setting (where/when), the problem, and the solution. During our read aloud time we have already completed Horrible Harry and the Ant Invasion. The students loved hearing about Harry's escapades so much that they selected another book from the series for me to read during our read aloud.

Thanks for all you are doing to help your child adjust to second grade. Remember to check the homework folder daily. Once a book has been assigned as homework, it will come home every night to be read (except for the weekends). Have a super week!

Welcome!

Welcome to second grade! I am so glad to start the new year with such a wonderful group of students! We are going to have a fabulous year full of fun and learning. I hope you visit the blog often to find out neat sites to visit and information about our class. Please feel free to leave comments. Miss Kristin

** To leave a comment without joining E-Blogger, just use the "anonymous" option and sign your name at the bottom. :0)

Hurricanes 2006

Where do hurricanes get their names? Check out this information! I didn't know that the same list was used every six years. It just goes to show that there is something new to learn every day! Be the first to answer this question and you will get a trip to the "trash can" when we get back to school in August!

We already had a storm named Alberto. What will the next storm be named? Reply by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

If you liked that, check out this quiz. You can guess to see what names have been used to name hurricanes. This one is just for fun. I only got 19 out of 27. :0(
However, I did find out that certain letters of the alphabet are not used for naming hurricanes. Second question...same rules apply: What letters of the alphabet are not used to name hurricanes?

Hope you are having fun and enjoying the sun! Wear your sun lotion! :0)

Find the Sums

Solve the number sentences. Either post your answers in the comments or email them to me at graykr@dare.k12.nc.us.

561 + 249 =

754 + 47 =

456 + 108 =

328 + 99 =

567 + 122 =

Library Program

The Dare County Library kicked off its summer reading program this morning with a visit from the Balloon Lady. She made some nifty balloons! Dylan won a balloon that is called The Rocket. He can blow it up and let it go. While it is flying about, it makes a shrill noise. Of course he loves it! Bailey won a race car. There are plenty of other activities going on throughout the summer. Each Tuesday from 1-2 there is a program at the Hatteras Community Building next to the library. There are weekly challenges to complete. As each sheet is completed, you get a chance to be drawn for the big prize on August 4. The more sheets you complete, the better your chances. I hope all of you will take advantage of this program. It would also give you an opportunity to fill in your summer reading logs that you made with Mrs. Brown. Continue to enjoy your summer, but make time to read! :0)

Get Ready to Write

Hi, guys! Today is the last day that Miss Ainslie and I have to work so tomorrow is finally our first official day of Summer Vacation. The room is so bare and quiet without all of you to cheer it up. It looks like we are in for some nasty weather the next few days as Tropical Storm Alberto approaches. Put some of those writing skills to work and write about what you do to entertain yourself during the storm. Post your writing on the blog so we can all read it. Stay dry!

Last Day

Today was our last day of school. We had a nice, relaxing day. It was a bit sad since we knew that two of our classmates were not going to be at our school next year. Miss Kristin wrote a poem to remind everyone of our time together. Each student received a copy. Here is what it said...

It’s hard to believe that second grade is going to end

It’s exciting to think that third grade is around the bend.

Before you leave there’s one thing left to do

We must think about our memories of grade two.

Chandler bringing fresh flowers from her yard,

Matthew acing Fast Facts from studying so hard.

Fuller’s ideas show a creative mind,

Indica always thoughtful, quiet, and kind.

Cheering for Paloma when she nailed the test,

Ian never giving less than his best.

Mary, Paul, and Dakota didn’t stay very long,

Ryan tapping out the beat to a song.

Miranda volunteering to ALMOST shut the door,

Who IS that wiggling on the floor?

Josh liking stories with romance and comedy,

Bryan getting money daily from me.

Bennett making sure to spell everything right,

Kyle writing about a wild banana fight.

Emma’s face shining when telling a tale,

How much stuff is left in STUFF FOR SALE?

Summer is now here, glad you’re out of school?

Make sure you read some books since that’s what’s really cool.

Keep checking the blog for our final stories to be published and daily challenges. Have you read anything yet? If so, leave a comment. Tell us what story you are reading and what it's about.

More About Earthquakes

Help others know what to do in case there is an earthquake. Read the information on this link and then make a poster using Publisher.

Earthquake in the Early Morning

One of our reading groups has just begun another Magic Tree House book. It is the fourth in a set of missions for Jack and Annie. In this book they are looking for a special type of writing that demonstrates something to lend. This will end this series of missions that will help Camelot. The setting for this book is San Francisco in 1906. Can you guess what event they will encounter? The kids are really excited about this book! Today we looked at the Internet to see recent earthquake activity around San Francisco. This information is updated often and lets one know where earthquake activity is taking place and the strength of each earthquake. Another neat site shows where earthquakes are occuring around the world. Check it out!

Terrific!

It is April and that means another month for Terrific Kid! This month's awardees are Ryan and Bryan! Both were named because they are good friends and because they do their work. Way to go!

Welcome!

We are thrilled to have a new student in our class! His name is Dakota and we know he will make a fantastic addition to our group.

Twister on Tuesday

One of the second grade reading groups has been reading the story by Mary Pope Osborne entitled Twister on Tuesday. In this story Jack and Annie travel back in time to pioneer days. During their visit, they experience school in a one-room schoolhouse called a dugout and experience a "twister"! Check out this wonderful work of literature if you get the chance!

Celebrate!

Hurray! The class selected two new Terrific Kids for March! Paloma's classmates said that she was nice and a good friend. Matthew's fans said that he was a hard-worker and always tried to stay out of trouble. Congratulations! The assembly will be next Tuesday at 8:30 am. :0)

New Sites!

I know it has been a bit since I posted a weekly update. I am really sorry. Between my trip out of town and the ear infection, it has been difficult just keeping up! I do have new stories to post that were authored by Indica, Bennett, and Emma. I promise I will get them up by next Friday (which, by the way, is a teacher work day....no school for the students). Anyway, I will give you a quick update as to what we are doing and where on the web you can find fun and educational activities for your child.

We have begun working on time. In second grade the students are required to learn how to tell time at 5 minute intervals. Visit Clock Wise for practice with this skill.

As you know we have been using a new phonics program this year called Fundations. Some of the rules we have learned can be found on the Starfall website. We really like the video that talks about the double vowel rule! There are a variety of activities that will accommodate a variety of learners. Have fun checking it all out!

I am extremely proud of all the hard work that has gone on to learn the math facts! This is a skill that must be practiced often to keep the skills sharp. Visit Math Mastery to race against the clock while practicing these facts.

Enjoy!

The Chocolate Touch

Other students in our class are reading The Chocolate Touch.

Stone Fox

Some of our students are reading Stone Fox. Check out these vocabulary activities.

Bremen Town Musicians

Check out the matching game to practice vocabulary from The Bremen Town Musicians.

Magic Tree House author

The children are really interested in the Magic Tree House series written by Mary Pope Osborne. I refer to her often when discussing good writing. When we read her stories we always pick out wonderful words she has used to describe everything. The students are a bit reluctant at times to rewrite their "sloppy copy" editions. I try to make them see that authors write and rewrite MANY times before publishing a fabulous piece of work. During Author's Chair today I used Ms. Osborne again, citing her advice to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. The students were interested in reading about her so if you click on her name above, you can visit her in cyberspace. :0)

February Terrific Kid

Congratulations to our February Terrific Kid: Fuller! He is well-deserving of this title. He is very considerate of his classmates and tries his best. Hurray for Fuller!

Star Snackers!!!

Today in second grade we celebrated those students who passed the Fast Facts test! From Miss Kristin's class, the following students were able to proudly snack:

Chandler, Josh, Matthew, Emma, Bennett, Fuller, Miranda, and Ryan!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAY TO GO!!! I am extremely proud of your progress!!!!

Ian's Squiggle Story

Ahh! I was in a crack! I did not know what to do! I was tightly in the crack! First I put my right hand then right foot. After that, the other hand and foot. Eventually I got out of the dark, scary crack. Then I tumbled down the mountain. After that I started to think. I kept thinking and thinking of what to do. Then I got an idea of what to do. I would roll down the small mountain. But how would I get up the mountain? The back? The front? The side? Yes! All I wanted to do was have fun. So, I climbed up the side of the mountain and rolled right down and layed on the grass and did nothing. I did nothing for hours and hours. Then I rolled over and did that for an hour. The last minute I was there I layed on the nice, wet grass and did nothing. Nothing.

Josh's Squiggle Story

First my mom was lying down on a towel getting tan. Meanwhile, I was running to go in the water. Then I paused. Next I saw this huge shark jump! I ran to my mom and told her all the details. She didn't believe me so I took my board. I ran to the shark and the shark ate half of it. The 15-foot black tip shark's tooth was wedged in my half-eaten boared. I showed my mom. Now she believed me. I showed my brother Thomas. Thomas was shocked by my dreadful story. I took the tooth out of the board and made it into a necklace. One time before I went to bed I noticed something. I felt part of my board in the tooth. I took the part of the board out and fell gently to sleep in my bed. I tried to shake off that horror of a day and I did.

Squiggle Stories

Our newest writing endeavor has been using Squiggle Stories to create stories that can be edited, revised, and published as final copies. A Squiggle Story is a super way to get your child to write. Simply draw a "squiggle" on a sheet of paper and have the child create a complete, colorful picture inspired by the squiggle. After that have the child use the picture s/he has created to write a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. Encourage him/her to use descriptive words and phrases. Once the story is done, have the child use the following steps to help edit the work:

1. Point and read each word ALOUD. Can you change any words to make the story better? Does it make sense?

2. Check for capitals and end marks.

3. Use the tapping that we have learned from Fundations to tap the words.

4. Think about the Fundations trick words. Correct as many as you can.

In class we used this method to create Squiggle Stories. We also used Author's Chair to help expand each story. To do this, an author sat in the rocking chair and read his/her story. First we gave each author a bunch of compliments. After that, the author read the story again. At that point, we provided the author with suggestions using kind words. Finally, the author had time to revise the work and then share it again in the Author's Chair. The writing progress the students are making is incredible!!! Please enjoy reading and commenting on our stories. :-)

Fuller's: The Crazy World of Snowmen

On a cold winter night not a critter was stirring except a jolly snowman named Ricky. Ricky was on e of the oddest snowmen you had ever seen. His ears were made of two cucumbers. His eyes were two pennies and his mouth was made of Laffy Taffy. His nose was an ordinary carrot. But the next morning he was not the same. His ears were not two cucumbers. His ears were two carrots and his mouth changed too.
Where was I? Last night when I was in bed I heard a song being played outside. By the sound of it I already knew the name. It was a song called “Can’t Touch This”. I couldn’t believe it. It was my favorite song! One snowman was doing my dance. First he waved his right arm and then he scooted to the left. Then he waved his left arm and scooted to the right. Then he did the moonwalk.
I crept downstairs and I knew it. They were having a dance-off. I was steaming mad! In fact, I was so mad steam came out of my ears. So far I had only shown that dance to my parents.
All of a sudden it all turned into a kung fu fight. This was the time to get my revenge. I kicked him. He fell down. I said, “Wow! That guy was a real push over.” Almost every snowman was mad except Ricky. He was jumping up and down hollering, “Hurray!” I did the same thing too. One of them besides Ricky was not dead. He just fell down and said, “You swing those legs like a mad man.” I broke his arm off. Quickly I ran inside. There was still one more snowman. Since I was so tired, slowly I got my Frisbee. Then I opened my window and I threw it at the back of his head and yelled, “It’s time to go to bed!”

Miranda's: Snowgirl at the Mall

One winter night in Norfolk my snowgirl named Cristle was very beautiful in the moonlight. She had fake silver eyelashes that shimmered in the moonlight and a beautiful blond wig. I gave her my mom’s purse, too. I also gave her my aunt’s cowgirl hat from when she was a little girl. I gave her my blue scarf my grandfather gave me. And, added a carrot nose.
My snowgirl wanted to go to Lynnhaven Mall. She slipped off my lawn, onto my sleigh, and sped down the street. She stopped close to the main entrance of the mall. She shopped at Hechts, Dillards, and Claire’s.
Then she saw it. She saw Mani’s Manicures. She got fake nails. She picked a nice color. She picked silver palm trees. The people there were nice.
After that she got hungry so she went to Pizza Pete’s. She loves cheese pizza so that’s what she got.
After that she wanted to go ice skating. She bought pink skates. It was good to be cold again. Then she heard something. It was the zamboni! She slid as fast as she could. But got away just in time. She got really tired and wanted to go home. She rested on my lawn for the rest of the night. So that’s what my snowgirl does at night.

"Snow" School = Saturday School

We will have school on Saturday from 8-11. This will avoid using a day at Spring Break. Keep your fingers crossed for no more inclimate weather.

Italy WebQuest

To answer the questions about Italy, watch the slide show. Be sure to read carefully. Have fun.

"Snow" School

Monday, February 20th:

There is no school today. The Dare County Schools page says it's because it's snowing. I will let you know about the make-up day as soon as I hear.

2006 Olympics & Other Neat Stuff

The Olympics are well underway, and actually halfway complete. We have been discussing the world-wide event in class and keeping a daily medals chart to see which countries have been winning medals. Each day two children use the table on the Internet to update the chart we keep in class. We are always excited to see the numbers increase. We have used the globe to locate Italy on the map and know that the country is shaped like a boot. One morning we looked at pictures that showed the many events that take place during the Winter Olympics. Although there was quite a bit of interest in curling, snowboarding was by far the most popular.

This week we also began to subtract with regrouping. This is a very difficult concept for the students to master. We have used base ten blocks and work mats to actually manipulate the numbers and are slowly building up to solving the number sentences without the manipulatives. A cute rhyme that helps the children remember what to do when subtracting numbers that have more than 1-digit follows:

(Don't say this part as part of the rhyme: Look at the ones place for the top and bottom number)
"More on top, no need to stop." (This tells the students that they can subtract safely without any other steps.)
"More on the floor, go next door and borrow ten more." (This tells the students that in order to subtract properly, they need to borrow a group of tens from the tens place and add the tens to the ones.)
"Numbers are the same, zero is the game." (This reminds students that if the numbers in the ones are the same the difference must be zero.)

You can create practice worksheets if you would like to assist your child. Please use the rhyme to have your child examine the ones column and the tens column before subtracting. The more they use it, the easier the subtracting will become.

Presidents Day is Monday. We have spent some time this past week learning about George Washington and even worked on a WebQuest about him. You can find out other info there as well.

Have fun! Kristin

Gold Medal Math!!

Hurray for our gold medal recipients! In true Olympic fashion, the following students were honored with "the gold" today for earning 100's on the Fast Facts portion of the Weekly Math Review: Miranda, Emma, Bennett, Ian, Indica, and Chandler! I am thrilled with the improvement! I can tell you have worked hard and done all your homework! Being recognized with the silver (for passing the test) were Josh and Matthew! Excellent! Keep practicing. You can even practice online!

Congratulations, Bennett!

Bennett entered a picture in the PTA Reflections contest. The theme this year was I wonder why.... Bennett created a picture entitled I Wonder Why Monkeys Don't Wear Clothes. His picture placed first in the school and was honored last night at our monthly PTA meeting. Hurray for Bennett!

Paloma's: Snowman at Night

One cold day Bailey and I had three balls of snow. I made a snowman. My snowman was done. She had leaf hair, a gumdrop mouth, and icing eyes. Bailey said she would sleep over. She had packed her clothes.
That night my snowman went to a party. The party looked cool. It had punch. Then my snowman went in the pond. It looked like it would freeze my snowman to death, but it didn’t because she was made of snow. I woke up Bailey to show her my snowman. She was shocked. Bailey tumbled. I had to get her a bag of ice. I felt something with leafy hair, icing eyes, and a gumdrop mouth. It was my snowman! She said, “Can I go upstairs with you?”
“Okay. I will be there in a minute. Go upstairs. My room is the first one. Be quiet. My mom and dad are sleeping.”
I skipped to my room as fast as I could go.
Then that next day it was so hot. I was soaked with water. My snowman was gone. It melted. She was not the same at all. All that was left was her nose and her hat.

Hurray for the 100th Day!

It's finally here! The 100th DAY OF SCHOOL! To begin the day, the students had to write journal entries pretending that they were 100 years old and describing a day in their lives. Completing that task earned 10 points. After earning the 10 journal points, the students had the opportunity to earn 90 more points by finishing a variety of centers. The students could complete 100 piece puzzles, make a graph of the gumballs we had collected from the first day of school, search for 100 items buried in a box filled with pattern blocks, and many more! Many students chose to wear 100 items. On display here is Kyle's illustration of what he thinks he will look like when he is 100. The 100th day was wonderful!

SPIRIT FINGERS!

SPIRIT FINGERS for the students who passed the Fast Facts test today: Indica, Josh, and Ian!
I am seeing GREAT improvement....keep practicing.

Chandler's: What Snowmen Do at Night

Once I built a snowman. He had a blue scarf, blue mittens, coal eyes, and a carrot nose. In the morning I saw my snowman was not the same. I saw slide-like tracks in the snow. I began to wonder, “What do snowmen do at night?”
They partied hard and they had races like roll, snowboard, ski and they will see who can slide down the hugest hill in the state. My snowman won! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I didn’t know my snowman was alive in the first place. Then I walked up to him. He said, “Come on with us and join the party. So I did. We had the best time.
We had the biggest, best snowball fight ever! It was fun. Then we built more members. They looked just like my snowman except for this one little twig on my snowman’s right stick.
Then we went home. My mom made cold chocolate for us. She made hot chocolate for me. It was the best hot chocolate I ever tasted. I asked my mom if I could sleep outside. She said no. Then the snowmen went outside. I went to bed. It was the greatest night I ever had!

Bryan's: Snowman Gone Wild

One wintry night at 9:50 when I go to bed, I looked out the window and saw a snowman sliding to the beach. He had a striped scarf and a cowboy hat. He was on a snow horse. I was so surprised! I had never seen a real live snowman ever!
I sprang out of my bed. I had to tiptoe down the steps because I didn’t want to wake Mom and Dad. When I got outside I said to the snowman, “Do you love to ski?”
“Yeah. Do you?” he said.
“Yeah.” But I had never skied before.
The snowman grabbed my hand and he said, “You will see,” and off we went. We jumped over frozen waves.
When we were done we decided to go to the circus. There was a clown on a unicycle. There was a giant snow elephant. Everybody was made out of snow. There were snowmen trapped in a cage and on dirt bikes. They went up and down and upside down.
Afterwards we went to the zoo. The lion ate the snowman’s hat. “That’s weird. I thought lions ate other animals.” My snowman heard footsteps coming. Oh, no! It was the snowman catcher. He was right in front of my snowman. He almost got him, but he got his nose and ate it.
Afterwards, we went home. The snowman went back to the neighbors with no nose. I went home and went to bed.

Matthew's: Snowman at Night

One night I made a snowman. It was a big snowman. I couldn’t wait to build him. I made him on the side of my house. He was made of snow. I made him with raisins for his eyes and raisins for his mouth. Then I put a carrot for his nose. Next I put three black buttons and a red and blue striped scarf. Next I put mittens on him. Then I named him Zack. We had snowball fights and races. Then we went home.

100!

Tuesday, February 7, is the 100th day of school! We will be celebrating by having a Second Grade Centers day that focuses on the number 100! The entire second grade will have the opportunity to select centers located in all three classrooms and move freely between each one. Students are invited to wear 100 things that day. If you would like to join in the celebration, feel free. As always, check in at the office first.

Josh's: What Snowmen Do At Night

One shivery day in Canada I was in my bed barely asleep. I looked out my window and my red-scarfed snowman with with black buttons and a black hat was getting off the front lawn and sliding to the park.
First my snowman was at the park to race. The race was awesome! It had 20 snowmen. They lined up and they had the race. There was a snowman that had a watermelon for a head. My snowman won!
Then they went to ice skate. They sang some beautiful carols. Then they did some radical tricks. They did back flips and front flips.
Later they snowboarded. There were 30 snowmen lined up and ready to race in the snowboard competitions. First Zack won. Bennett made him. Then another snowman won. His name was Billy. Kyle made him. Then my snowman won first place.
They finished snowboarding and they started to sleigh in one big race. It was the last race. It was the championships. They lined up and my snowman won! The other guy tripped and that’s how mine won.
After that we went back home and it was six o’clock in the morning! So, I went to sleep and so did the snowman.

Jan. 30-Feb. 3

This week we are learning about fractions in math. We are learning about equal and not equal parts as well as learning how to write fractions. One site where students can practice is Harcourt. Children can also practice fractions with circles by clicking the highlighted text. Please keep practicing those math facts. :0)

Last week we were fortunate to have Valentina's mom help introduce this week's story to us. The story is called Fernando's Gift. The story contains text in both English and Spanish and relates the tale of a boy who gives an amazing, long-lasting gift to a friend. Some of the students are honing their research skills by using the ZOOM Rainforest site to discover information about the rainforest. This early introduction to research will help with other projects this year as well as future endeavors.

In science we are learning about matter. By Friday we will have conducted lessons that develop the concepts of liquids and solids. Our first lesson taught us that solids do not change when they are moved from place to place and that they do not change to fill up the container that they are in.

Have a super rest of the week. K

Valentine Box Instructions

DUE: Tuesday, February 14th

Each student is to create a Valentine box to collect valentine cards. To make the box, the student will need to read a story pertaining to a February theme (President’s Day, Valentines Day, Black History, Dental Health, Healthy Heart, Groundhog Day, the Olympics). To create the box, the front of the box should be decorated to depict the cover of the story, including the title, author, and illustrator. The next side should depict a scene from the beginning of the story. The back should depict a scene from the middle of the story. The remaining side should depict the end. The top should have a slot so valentines can be slid inside. On Valentines Day each student will retell the story to the class using the box as an aid. Words can be written on the box to assist with the retell, as well.

Have fun!

Indica's: Snowmen in Colorado

One cold wintry night a snowman was made. The next day he was not the same at all. His eyes slipped. His nose drooped. His arms were crooked. He did not look the same. So I decided to camp out. I wanted to know what snowmen do at night.
When I was camping in my backyard I was amazed. I saw my snowman move! I’ll bet he’s been sledding and having fun playing and having snowball fights, too.
Suddenly I saw my snowman sledding. When he was sledding he was smashing into rocks. His sled was long. There were a lot of snowmen with him on it.
My snowman got hit in the head by a snowball. Another snowman threw it at him. He laughed and threw one back. All the snowmen got tired of snowball fights. One snowman said, “Who wants to play hockey?” Suddenly the ice started to break and then all the snowmen fell in the water. Then I saw my snowman sinking in the cold water so I helped my snowman out. I grabbed his arm and pulled him out and he said, “Thank you. We have to save the others.” So we helped the others out of the water.

Ian's: Snowman at Night

One winter night there was a snowman named Justin. He had a black hat and a scarf that was green and orange. He had sticks for hands. He was out in the yard of somebody’s house. I did not know the kid or the snowman either. When everybody was asleep, but me, the snowman was alive! Then he went to the airport. He bought a ticket to California. I did, too.
When we got to California Justin went to a hotel called Palm Inn. It was an extremely big room. It had a pretty big flat screen TV that was gray outside and black inside. There was a huge bed just for him. The room had a refrigerator full of snacks and sodas. Justin did not know what to do. “I will go get new clothes. But where? How about the mall? Yeah!”
He went to the mall and got some swimming trunks. Then some shirts. One of them was Quicksilver. The second one was Burton. The third one was Billabong. They were short sleeve. Then he got some shorts.
He did not know what to do again. “I will go to the warm sandy beach. Yeah!” So Justin went swimming in his black trunks with blue flames. He went in the deepest water in the ocean. Then he went surfing. He did a lot of tricks.
He was hungry so he went back to the hotel to get food. Afterwards he went to the park to skateboard. He did an ollie. It is when both sides of the board come up and you land. He did a kickflip. A kickflip is like an ollie except the board spins.
After he went skateboarding he got some really cold vanilla ice cream. When he was done I told him it was time to go so we got on the plane.
When we got home Justin melted because it was spring. I will never forget him.

Bennett's: Snowmen Are Everywhere

One cold winter day in Colorado I was making a snowman. I called him Brandon. He was round and big. Then my mom called me for dinner. At 9:30 I went to sleep. The next day my snowman was not the same. His eyes had fallen in the snow. His nose was beside his mouth. What happened to my snowman? Did a rabbit mess with it?
That night I snuck out of my house to see what my snowman was up to. I was in a tree looking at my snowman. I saw my snowman in the football field. He was the quarterback. His team was the Panthers. The score was 50 to 50. There were 20 seconds left! Brandon threw the ball. Touchdown!
After the game he went snowboarding. He was at Mt. Icy. It was a steep hill. He sped down. He was going really fast! Then he fell in the Candy Cane Forest. There were candy canes everywhere. You could lick the trees. It also had a pond. He was afraid of the raccoons. Then someone threw a snowball at them. It was war! There were too many of them so Brandon ran into the Holly Jolly Woods. He heard a snap. It was a raccoon! Then he burst into speed down town.
He was really starving so he went to Joe’s Pizza. He ordered a frozen pizza because hot pizza would melt him. He had fries with it. He said it was delicious. Then he had some pudding. It tasted fabulous. Then he went home.
The next morning it was warmer. The birds were singing and my snowman had melted.

Emma's: Snowmen at Night

One cold winter night I was in my warm bed at my nanny’s house watching movies or playing my Game Boy SP. Then I caught a flash of movement outside. Next I got out of my bed. I ran to the window to see what it was. It was snowmen moving! I followed them down to the park very quietly.
There were snowmen jamming out down at the park. “They are having fun!” I said to myself. I could not believe my eyes! There were snowmen having rolling races. In rolling races you have to roll. Of course my boy snowman, Drake, won first place. My girl snowman, Mary, won second place. I clapped for them. I was excited.
Then the snowball fights began. The snowball fights were long plus they were fun. The snowmen saw me spying on them. I joined the fight. The two snowmen against me. We all had a great time together. Then the snowmen asked if I wanted to go skiing with them after we sat down.
After resting we went skiing. I fell down a few times. I just got up and tried again. The snowmen and I had a great time. All three of us held hands and skied all together. Then we let go of each other’s hands.
Then the snowmen and I walked back to my nanny’s house. I went inside. The snowmen stopped out in the front yard. I got in the bed and went to sleep.