Fast Facts Strategy

This post is mostly for parents....I was searching for a few games to post when I came across this strategy for practicing/memorizing addition and subtraction facts. It is a second grade objective to memorize the addition and subtraction facts to 18. Some of you use aaamath.com as well as other sites for practice. This seemed like a good method, too. By "ticks", I believe they mean tallies or some other type of mark that reminds you that they have repeated the fact fluently. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

Congruent Shapes

We have learned that congruent shapes are the same size and the same shape. Check out this game I found that lets you match congruent shapes! It's called Ice Blocker. Let me know what you think! Can you find other games that let you practice shapes?

MONEY!!

In honor of Black Friday, count some money! Here is a site where you can match money cards. Have fun!!

Professor Garfield

Thanks to some other teachers at school, I checked out a new website called Professor Garfield. It uses the funny comic cat to practice lots of skills. There is even a place where you can create your own comics! Make a comic of your own and bring it back to school on Monday, November 30th for a prize!! Have fun! Let me know what you like best about this site. I liked playing the trivia game against other people and watching the videos in Knowledge Box (check out the topics in other grade levels, too).

Happy Thanksgiving Break!!

Hi, second graders! We have not used this site this year, but I think you are really going to enjoy it! I use this spot to share cool websites with you and share information about our class. I even use it to post stories that you have written so others can see your incredible writing. You can use it to link to the sites I suggest or sites we have visited (like the R.L. Stine site). You can also leave comments. If you want to leave a comment, you do not have to be a member. You can select to submit it anonymously, but sign your name. Please remember to respect the feelings of your classmates by writing positive comments. I would love for you to suggest websites for me to post or share anything interesting about the topics we are studying. You can see older posts and use those to link to other sites on the web. I will leave a new post this week with some online information that I think you may enjoy. Since I know how much you liked the R.L. Stine site, I will include that one here. All you have to do is "click" on his name and it should take you there. Can you find any sites for other author's we have read like Gail Gibbons, Dan Gutman, or Mary Pope Osborne? If you do, let me know!

Rain by Ronaldo

Rain
Wet, splashy
Raining, splashing, wetting
Wet days
Raindrops

Thunder by Trafton

Thunder
Hot
Unneeded
Nature
Destroying
Electric
Roaring

Rain by Jazmine

Rain

Drippy, wet

Falling, dripping, watering

Rain, rain, go away

Water

Rain by Betty

Rain
Watery, wet
Dripping, watering, dipping
The rain is dripping on the roof.
Weather

Cloud by Henry

Cloud
Fluffy, big
Flying, soaring, hovering
Cool to look at
Weather

Sun by Samantha

Sun
Hot, bright
Warming, tanning, burning
On fire
Star

Rain by Morgan

Rain
Drip, drop
Splashing, playing, running
Go inside
Water

Poetry

Many of you have been excitedly writing cinquain poems. I am thrilled with your work! I would love for you to post some on here in the comment boxes. Click here to get to the worksheet we use to plan and write our cinquains.

We have also talked about acrostic poems. Those are the ones where you take the topic word and write it vertically down the left side of your paper. Each line you write must be about the topic and begin with the letter from the word. Here are some examples. Please post your poems.

Try out some others we discussed: free verse, concrete, rhyming! Write and post and have fun! Feel free to leave positive comments about another person's poem, too! Get your parents to write some also!!!

Disappointed

I have had this blog for two school years and I must admit that I was truly disappointed this morning when I saw that someone had left an unkind comment about another classmate. Many times this year we have quoted the phrase, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." Just to make it clear, that goes for writing, too. Before you write or say something, think about how you would feel if another person was saying or writing the same thing about you. If you would not like it, then please keep it to yourself. We are a class and our job is to support each other and celebrate our successes. Please do not leave hurtful comments.

So you know how this works, I get an email whenever something is posted. Since this is my blog, I have the authority to delete comments. I will delete unkind remarks. I can also choose to turn off the 'comment' option, but I like the idea of you being able to add your thoughts about activities on here.

Make a Mummy

Today we read about mummification. It was mentioned in our read aloud book Clementine's Letter. We were curious about how mummies were made so we did some research. We made our own mummy! Give it a try on Discovery Kids!

Science Fest

We are presently seeking volunteers to assist second grade with the experiment portion of the Fest. If you can help on June 4, please let us know. Mrs. Kee's class needs help from 9-10:30 am and I need help from 12:45-2:15. The task is easier than it sounds and we will be there to help! THANKS!

Landforms

As the year winds down we are learning about landforms and bodies of water. We are creating expository text by making a booklet that tells about 6 landforms/bodies of water of choice. The booklet must be illustrated and include examples of each. The students are using their textbooks and computerized material to do their research. On the National Geographic for Kids site students can play a game that teaches them about the Grand Canyon. They can also learn about Mount Everest by playing a similar game. To create some interest about other geographic topics, try the GeoQuiz. Try it until you get 100! Take the opportunity to explore the other wonderful articles and videos on the National Geographic site. Visit often as the site changes regularly.

Have some fun researching sites on your own. Post what you find so we can share it with others!!

Venn Diagrams

We have been using Venn diagrams to show how all of the students are a like and different. We have also been using them to compare stories. After reading non-fiction text, we have used Venn diagrams to compare and contrast the topics of the books (eg. spiders vs. insects). We are using Venn diagrams with two and three overlapping circles. Zoo Logic will help students sort animals into the correct pens using the concept of a two-circled Venn diagram. The site does not specifically say that the zoo pens are Venn diagrams, so you will want to ask your child what the pens remind him/her of (guide them to the answer: Venn diagram). I am still searching for other games/activities to practice this skill online. If you find one of your own, please send it to me or post it in the comment section.

Language Arts Sites

We have been working on using periods, capitals, commas, exlamation points, question marks, and apostrophes correctly in our own writing. The students are really improving this skill. For fun practice with editing, we have been using the Power Proofreading site. With its game format, it is a fun way to practice. Have fun!

For children needing extra work with sight words, Professor Garfield is a wonderful place to begin. You can select stories rich with sight words, print them out, and let your child read away. There are Bingo cards, flash cards, etc. If you would like some of the stories, but do not have access to a printer, let me know. I can certainly provide you with what you need.

A fantastic way for "chapter book readers" to make their reading more meaningful and to get them to think about what they are reading is to have them make predictions every so often throughout the book. Scholastic Instructor gives detailed instructions for doing this. Encourage your child to follow these steps. Not only will it improve his/her reading skills, but it will also hone writing skills.

Inauguration Info

With our study of how our country elects a president, we talked about the Inauguration. I was hoping that we'd be able to watch it together on the 20th, but due to the work day, that will not be an option. I hope you will take the opportunity to view this event so you can see what takes place. You can read about Presidential Inaugurations by connecting to this link. Write about it and bring it in on Thursday (or post a comment here) for a prize. :D