Weekly Photos Here
What an exciting time to be in Ms. Leah’s grade 2 classroom. Our Unit Of Inquiry, How We Express Ourselves is in full swing with the introduction to the creative process. The students enjoyed watching a multiple amount of stories in the classroom. A few examples were the Tortoise and the Hare, Stone Soup, and Little Red Riding Hood. They have chosen their top three and written them down for me on an index card. I will sift through their choices and put them in groups. They will be given scripts to practice in class and at home. They will engage in the creation of backdrops (scenery) and props. We will not just look at how we physically express ourselves, but how we will creatively express ourselves with art. The end result will be a performance the students will put on for Ms. Susan’s grade 1 classroom. I will make sure to have these recorded and shared at the end of the unit. Next week please ask them what story they will be working on.
In English the students have really been working on vowel teams. They focused at the long a, which includes the vowel teams ai, ay, and the silent e with the vowel a. Everyday they continue correcting sentences in their language review book. We focus on capitalization, punctuation, plurals, and correct verb form. Our focus for grammar is verbs. This week we looked at verbs that do not show physical action, such as thinking and wondering, and they were introduced to helping verbs. There are 21 helping verbs in the English language. A few examples are is, are, and was.
For math our focus has been adding and subtracting. The students were working on problems adding up to twenty. We used our math skills booklets and whiteboards to practice these topics. Some students chose to use counters, others their hands, and the remaining have the experience and knowledge to imagine the numbers in their minds.
Next week students will be placed in a group for their How We Express Ourselves Unit. They will collaborate and figure out their characters and begin rehearsing their story plays. They will also plan out their background and props. This will continue for the next few weeks. Please ask your children about their progress and roles.
In English we will focus on writing a recount essay. They will use the word first, next, then, and finally. We will write about a day at school. I will provide the format and the students will provide their individual details to their papers. In phonics the focus will be on the vowel team oo. As you know this vowel team has different pronunciations such as book and school. Both are using the oo vowel team, but they do not sound the same. Ask your children to share examples with you. For grammar the students will be assessed on their knowledge of verbs next week.
For math we will continue adding and subtracting, however we will now be going into double digits. We will learn how to carry and to borrow. Students will be using their books, whiteboards, counters, and base ten resources. It is important that the students are comfortable with different approaches to solving math problems. I want them to figure out what works best for them so I can accommodate their style of learning.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!
It is important for the students to be reading twenty minutes a day. They must turn in their Reading Journals on Thursday. I will return them on Sunday. Please make sure students bring their reading folders with them, with both library books and paperback readers that I supply weekly. Sunday the students should be going home with their new library books and two new paperback books for their nightly reading of twenty minutes.
IMPORTANT DATES!!!
Feb 1-5 = Oman Week
Feb 1 = Field trip to the Sohar Fort and Old Souq
Feb 5 = International Food Evening
Feb 12 = No school due to Teacher Professional Development
Feb 18 = Possible beginning of Ramadan
Feb 24 = No school due to Teacher’s Day