Classroom News October 28th, 2016

Dear Families,

This week we survived school pictures, indoor recess, a visit from the firefighters, and a visit to the pumpkin patch!  I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I am always inspired by the curiosity and love of learning 2nd graders bring to these experiences.

The pumpkin patch was a huge success. Thank you to all the parents who attended and made this trip safe and fun for everyone. Also a shout out to Ben, Averick, and Riley who kept DVD safe in the spooky spider house! The students went on a hayride, experienced a Harry Potter scavenger hunt, had lunch together, played together, learned about what is real and fake, and picked out the perfect pumpkin.  I hope all the pumpkins made it home in one piece.  To incorporate math you could estimate how many pumpkin seeds are inside. You could measure around your pumpkin and find the 'circumference'. You could also estimate the weight of your pumpkin.

If you missed school pictures or would like retakes the date is November 22nd. I must say the entire group looks as adorable as ever all dressed up!

This week firefighters visited 2nd grade students. Only about 1/5th had a fire escape plan at their home. I have watched a home burn down. It happens quick. Please make a plan and teach it to your children. Here is a great website as a resource. Be Safe!
http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/by-topic/safety-in-the-home/escape-planning/basic-fire-escape-planning

Conferences are happening next week.  I hope everyone received their conference appointment slip.  If not, send me an email and I will be happy to give you the time and date. This means there is NO SCHOOL next Thursday and Friday. There is also NO SCHOOL Friday November 11th due to Veteran's Day.

I am NOT sending home official homework this week due to the three day week ahead. Please keep reading every night with your child or encouraging them to read to themselves or a stuffie. Additionally, you can always use the links on my blog to practice 2nd grade skills.  Here is a great Halloween math website.

Monday students may wear costumes to school. If there is a very special part of a costume such as a prop perhaps it should stay home and only be used Monday night. I want to avoid the tears lost costume parts can cause.  Other than that, we are planning a very exciting day.  Thank you to all the volunteers who are decorating and providing a fun party for the class.  If you can stay a few extra minutes Monday morning you will  see our annual Halloween Parade.  It is always a good time.

With so much going on, sometimes it is hard to keep up with all of it.  Remember to take some time and just enjoy each other. Have a wonderful weekend!
~Donna

Wattle and Daub

 Last week was very messy in project class.  We constructed our version of wattle and daub, peasant homes to begin our replica of a medieval village.  This village will take some time to complete, but with nearly 30 peasant homes we certainly have a good start.  Traditional wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw.  Our homes were made of popsicle sticks and a mixture of soil, straw, moss, and glue.  This is one of many activities to address our project driving question... "How do we as historians educate our community about what life was like 1000 years ago?"

 

Medieval Festival November 10, 1:00-2:00pm

Dear Families, 

Donna & Eric's project classes are planning a Medieval Festival to celebrate the end of our project, 1000 years back.  It has been exciting learning about life so long ago.  Parent help is needed to make sure this is a memorable event for our 2^nd & 3^rd grade Lords and Ladies!

Students are encouraged to dress up.  Next week we will send home a handout of simple costume ideas you can make at home.  If your child needs assistance with a costume please let Eric or DVD (Donna) know as soon as possible.  Not all children enjoy dressing up so remember dressing up is OPTIONAL. 

Students will participate in a three-village rotation.  Village one will be Feast or Famine, village two will be Knight Jousting, and village three will be Centuries Old Crafting.  Because we are hosting 60 young Lords and Ladies we are asking for parent volunteers during this historic event.  Please return this volunteer form as soon as possible so the planning can begin!

Student Name ________________________________________________________________________________

Parent Name _________________________________________________________________________________

Phone __________________________  Email ______________________________________________________

_____________       I can attend to decorate the medieval feasting hall and help with the

feast 12:30 – 2:00pm.

_______________  I can judge the Jousting Battles from 12:50 – 2:00 pm.

________________ I can help the young apprentices in the Crafters Village  12:50 – 2:00pm.

______________     I can donate foods for the feast.

Circle what you are able to donate/prepare:

Vegetable Soup         French Bread             Chicken Legs

Cheese            White Grape Juice     Ham    Honey

Pears              Berries            Oranges          Grapes                       

Medieval Times Project

Welcome to the Medieval Times Project. Many of you expressed an interest in doing research. Here are some websites to get you started!

Middle Ages Multiple Topics

Middle Ages Daily Life

Feudal System

Castles

Classroom News October 7, 2016

Dear Families,

This week marked the beginning of projects.  How exciting for second graders to start projects this early in their school year.  This means your child now attends homeroom, community time, and a project class 4 times per week.  Please take some time this weekend to talk with your child about their project and what they hope to learn in their class. 

Science was exciting as we started a crystal growing experiment. Each student was given a jar and we dissolved Epson Salt into warm water. We are hoping crystals form.  Fingers crossed!  This continues our study of rocks and minerals.  This topic extends through December so keep looking for and talking about rocks and minerals.

Money was the word of the week in math.  We are trying to learn our coins and what it means to trade coins.  This week give your child a chance to count your money jar at home or to use coins at the store.  It is also interesting to look at different money from around the world.

We are being highly creative in language arts as our fall poems are nearly complete. We explored fall words, designed magic pairs of adjectives and nouns, created first draft poetry, and now we will refine our poems.  This might seem like a long process to get to a fall poem, but the effort is so worth the outcome.

Important dates to look forward to include:

No School October 13^th & 14

Jog-a-Thon October 19^th

Harvest Festival October 21^st

School Pictures October 21^st

Finally, due to the short week next week there is NO SPELLING homework and if you are able to help organize our classroom harvest party please contact me at dubois_d@4j.lane.edu   It can be a very exciting event with your help!

Enjoy your weekend,

~Donna

Math Practice Websites

Fact Practice Count Down

Fact Monster

Many Math Games to Select From

Word Problem Practice

Bingo Money

Adding Dice

A collection of games to choose from