January 30, 2012

This week, we will be delving further into our exciting adventures. 

In Language Arts, we will be continuing to read our literature book, Little House in the Big Woods.  The students are starting to get a feel for what life was like for Laura and her family.

Science has been exciting as we continue our study of insects.  The students have learned about classification of insects, external and internal anatomy, and a few of an insect’s senses.  We will continue to look at the senses this week.  Be sure to ask your child about our newest “guests” in the classroom.  Everyone is very excited about them. 

In History, we are learning about the War of 1812 and some of its causes.  We will continue to look at the war and its effects.  We will also study the National Anthem and Old Ironsides.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

We have many important things coming up that you should be aware of. 

-       Our cell phone recycling program will wrap up on Tuesday, January 31.  Please send in any cell phones that you have replaced or are no longer using no later than Tuesday.

-       Jump Rope for the Heart will take place this week.  Mrs. Knight could use volunteers to help out.  Please sign up if you can help. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044BA4AC238-jump

-     The Medieval Faire is quickly approaching (February 18^th).  Mrs. Poros-Coley has sent out the invitation for volunteers on Sign-up Genius.  Please consider helping out on that day.  Your children will love that you are able to be part of the festivities.  On a side note, the classes with the most volunteers will win money for the classroom.  Hope to see everyone there! 

-       Athletic Field Day (2^nd Annual Archway Olympics) will take place on March 8^th.  Mrs. Knight is in need of volunteers for this event.  Please sign up if you can help.  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044BA4AC238-second

-       Great Hearts Day will be held on February 14^th.  More information will be coming home on that.  Remember that we do not want the students going out and purchasing any Valentines from the store.  We will do something as a class.  I will let you know as soon as possible what to expect.

Again, I am honored to be part of your child’s academic adventure.  We are still working very diligently to follow the procedures and expectations of the classroom.  Thank you for your support and dedication.  I am having the time of my life with your children.  They inspire me every single day.

Mrs. Winkler

January 16, 2012

Week of January 16, 2012

I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  Many wonderful things are happening in our room.

 Language Arts:  We are really enjoying our literature book, Little House in the Big Woods.  The students are learning a great deal about what life was like “in the olden days”.  I would like to thank Sam for bringing in a real butter churn to share with us.  It was wonderful letting the kids see such a wonderful piece of history.  Although we didn’t use an authentic butter churn, we did create butter in class today.  It sure was tasty!  The kids didn’t think it would taste very good, but they all agreed that they wanted more.   Try it at home.  Simply pour a pint of heavy cream into a jar, seal the lid tight and shake, shake, shake.  Before long, you will have tasty butter.  They’ve also learned how Pa preserved meat and Ma’s routine for completing her chores.

Riggs:  We continue to build our spelling list every day.  Please continue to work with your child on his or her spelling words so that they are successful on their daily test.  They are expected to spell the word correctly, mark the words, and use their best Riggs handwriting.  Their words this week are:  grief, guilty, fluffy, swell, dwell, account, frost, study, studies, district, eagle, scalp, crush, mourning, morning, use, use, used, using, usable, death, and stood.  Check the Second grade website to get all of the markings for these words.

Science:  We have many budding entomologists in our classroom.  The student presentations were absolutely wonderful.  The kids did a great job on their projects.  Last week, we studied how some insects were helpful and others were harmful.  We even went on a mini-fieldtrip to look for “bugs” around the school property.  The kids loved walking to the Chandler Prep garden.  I heard many happy remarks (“ooh”, “aah”, “wow”).  This week, we are learning about the characteristics of arthropods and how to distinguish an insect from an arachnid, a crustacean, and a myriapoda.   Your children will be happy to tell you all about them.  We will be learning the external and internal anatomy of insects and compare some of their anatomy to our own.  Some of our classroom “guests” will be arriving soon.   More information will follow.

History:  Our “young” soldiers went to war and fought the British during the American Revolution while the “young” women stayed behind running the farm.  They learned that the paper money paid them by the government had no value when they went back home to their farms and families.  When they tried to pay for food and supplies with that money, they were told that only coins would be accepted.  They learned about Shays’ Rebellion.  The students were then allowed to create their own cities and rules.  They soon realized that there was no unity between them and that many problems arose from not having a central government in place.   Therefore, they sent delegates to represent them in order to form a unified nation.  We discussed “compromise” and found out that it means both sides must give a little to come up with a “fair” plan for all. 

As you can see, we are very busy.  Stay tuned for more.  It is going to be an exciting quarter.

Mrs. Winkler

Week of January 9, 2012

Welcome back!

I enjoyed meeting with so many of you last week to discuss your child's progress. It is always a pleasure to talk with you. If you did not get an opportunity to meet and would still like to, please send me an email and I will set an appointment with you.

The presentations were absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed hearing about a wide variety of insects. The students did a fantastic job researching, preparing, and presenting their projects.

This will be a very busy quarter for us. In Language Arts, we will begin our literature study of Little House in the Big Woods. Please make sure that you send the book with your child early this week. Reading groups will begin again on Friday, but we will be using the books before then. Don't forget to put your child's name in their copy so that we can avoid any lost books.

In Science, we will begin our unit on insects. However, I do believe that the children are all experts by now. We are planning on bringing some insects into the classroom. More information will follow.

History will begin with a study of our own country, working toward the making of the Constitution.

As always, it is a pleasure working with each of your children. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am always happy to assist.

Have a wonderful week,

Mrs. Winkler