Back to School Again!

I can't believe this summer break has come and gone...BUT...I couldn't be more excited. I am heading to my classroom tomorrow to start setting up and getting ready for my new class! I can't wait to meet all of my new little F.R.O.G.S (Fully Responsible Organized and Growing Students)!! It's going to be another great year!

End of Year Class Party

Check your child's beach bucket...they went home today and include party details!

I hope to see you all there :)

Q4 Reading Extra Credit Assignment: Due Tuesday, 6/5

Hi parents--

     I passed out one part of the Q4 reading extra credit, but explained to the students that I would post full details here.

   Students will choose a PICTURE BOOK of their choice that is 2nd grade level or higher. It should be a book that they not only enjoy, but are able to read fluently without assistance. Students will read aloud the story to our class on Tuesday during reading block. They will be required to use expression, so make sure they practice.

   They are also required to either dress up as the main character or bring at least 2 props that represent the main character of the story. For example, I had a student read "Miss Nelson is Missing" last year and she dressed up like Miss Nelson. I also had a student dress in pajamas with slipper for Fancy Nancy and a student in a dog costume. Be creative :)

Lastly, students will fill out the character sketch chart I sent home today. This chart will help students understand details about the main character of their book. I know the space is small, but complete sentences need to be written to the best of their ability. If they run out of room, they can attach a sheet of notebook paper with the rest of the assignment.

This assignment grade will REPLACE the lowest reading OR language arts grade (whichever helps your student's grade more).

**DUE: Tuesday, June 5th. NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED...**

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks,
Ms. Walker
  

REMINDER: Animal Kingdom Field Trip: Wednesday, 5/30

This is a reminder that we will be going on our field trip to Animal Kingdom next Wednesday, 5/30. We have six approved chaperones, myself as well as some parents meeting us at the park so we are in great hands in terms of supervision. I have received lunch $ from everyone so we are all set for food. Please make sure to arrive to school ON TIME, as buses will be departing from school promtly at 8:30 am. I am finalizing return time and will get back to you with a firm time, but expect 5:15-6:00 pm.

Please make sure your child wears sunscreen and brings a hat, sunglasses etc. If you want sunscreeen re-applied, please send it with your child.

Please do not send DS, iPods etc. for the bus ride. We will not be allowing the students to bring them.

Students will need to wear school uniform, but please make sure students are wearing tennis shoes. I want them to be comfortable, as we will be walking around a theme park for many hours.

We are allowing students to bring spending money if they would like to purchase a souvenir in the gift shop. Please send this money in with your child by Wednesday. I will be handing it over to the chaperones so that your child is not carrying $$ with them.

I will be back in touch as I firm up plans for a time to return to school.

In the interim, please let me know if you have any questions. I am so excited to spend a fun, educational day with your children :)

Ms. Walker

FAIR and STAR Test Results

Parents-

      FAIR results for the 3rd testing period, a comprehensive report for FAIR scores for the year and STAR test results were sent home with your child TODAY. Please make sure to check their blue folder under "keep at home" to view the results. Overall, we grew a great deal as a class and I was very pleased with the results! Please let me know if you have any questions. I don't need them signed or returned. You may keep them for your records.


Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Math Enrichment Packet Extra Credit: Due Friday 5/25

Enrichment packet for unit 15 was sent home tonight. The packet is due back this Friday, 5/25 for 5 points of extra credit factored into your child's math average.

Math Test Unit 15: Wednesday

We will have a math test covering unit 15: 3-digit addition strategies on Wednesday.

I will send home the Florida Test workmat tonight so that your child may begin practicing!

What to Expect in 3rd Grade Meeting: TOMORROW NIGHT!

Hi Parents-

    As a reminder, we will be having our "What to Expect in 3rd Grade" Meeting tomorrow evening at 5:30pm. We will meet in our classroom (elementary building room 203) to discuss expectations regarding academics, behavior etc. next year.


I hope to see you all there!

Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Lists Week of 5/21

This week will be our last test with a NEW skill. Next week will be our final spelling test and will be a comprehensive review of 50 words chosen at random from list B from August to present. I want to see that your children have truly learned each skill and have not simply memorized for the sake of a test.

List A:
deciding, laughed, claimed, trading, cruising, pleased, whining, teasing, wretched, happening, listened, surprised, troubled, rescuing, arguing

List B:
liked, hoping, baked, using, chased, slicing, making, closed, choking, hiding, named, whined, riding, tapped, teasing

BONUS: predator, amphibian, mammals, habitat, survived

Spelling Lists Week of 5/7

This week's phonics skill focuses on Long "i" (igh and ie)                                                                           List A: nightmare, sign, twilight, final, pilot, silent, replies, magnify, title, invited, survive, migrate, icecream, crisis, scientist
Bonus: butterfly, life cycle, seedling, percussionist, responsibilities

List B: tiny, spine, twice, die, high, might, tried, mind, climb, sign, sight, buy, eyes, behind, spy
Bonus: butterfly, life cycle, seedling, percussionist, responsibilities

                                                                                                        

Math Unit 13- Test 5/7, Enrichment Due 5/9 (Weds)

Math enrichment packet for Chapter 13 was sent home today. The packet is due on Wednesday, 5/9 for 5 points extra credit in your child's average.

Our Unit 13 Test will be on MONDAY, 5/7. The Florida Test for review/practice was sent home today and we did a review in class of questions similar to those they will see on the test.

Human Body Unit Test on 5/7

 We will have our comprehensive test on the human body on Monday, 5/7. The test was moved from it's original day of Friday 5/4.. We have been talking in depth about each major body part and its basic function(s). We have labeled the parts on a diagram and are currently working on a life-size human body to better understand the location of each organ in our system. This week, we will read Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body and complete lab activities, as well as watch the DVD. Furthermore, we will complete the human body packet so that students can bring it home to study.

The test questions will come from our class notes, human body packet and the Magic School Bus book discussion. Students will bring home their spirals and human body packets on Wednesday to study. The most important thing for students to focus on are each of the major organs in the body, understanding their location and basic functions.

Continents and Oceans Quiz on 5/3

We will have a continents and oceans quiz this Thursday. Students will be given a blank map with a word bank and will be expected to correctly identify each of the 7 continents and 4 major oceans.

We have been practicing them through maps, our globe project and a fun song in class, but please continue to reinforce learning at home to prepare for Thursday.

Here's a link to an online interactive quiz for practice:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/World_GL.html

Spelling Words Week of 4/30

Pattern: oo, ue, ou, ew

List A:
avenue, valued, jewelry, renewed, reviewers, balloons, rooster, fruit, argue, cruel, bruise, juice, spoonful, cookware, sewer
*practice *crayons *oxygen *carbon dioxide *diseases

List B:
hook, moon, hoof, soup, bloom, booth, droopy, cartoon, clue, glue, chew, stew, noon, group, moose
*practice *crayons *oxygen *carbon dioxide *diseases

Math Unit 12

We will have our unit 12 test on capacity and weight tomorrow. Please practice the Florida Test 12 to prepare. The most important thing is for students to understand the difference between units of measurement (which one is bigger vs. smaller) and which containers would hold X amount of water (cups, quarts, pints, gallons etc).

We have some practice pages in the WB that we didn't get to which would be very helpful too!

**Extra Credit**
Unit 12 enrichment will be sent home today and is due back by THURSDAY for 5 points extra credit (only 3 pages-- please do ENRICHMENT side only on the packet)

Spelling Words week of 4/23

Homophones
Homophones sound the same, but have different spellings and different meanings.
(I suggest practicing these in sentences/stories with examples).

List A:
pair, pear
guest, guessed
coarse, course
choose, chews
mourning, morning
steel, steal
peace, piece
stationary, stationery
route, root
passed, past
*stomach *intestines *esophagus *tongue *ventricles

List B
tail, tale
plane, plain
sail, sale
to, too, two
hole, whole
there, their, they're
write, right
pair, pear
here, hear

*stomach *intestines *esophagus *tongue *ventricles

Spelling Words Week of 4/16

This is a review week, so we will have one list with 20 regular words and 5 bonus.

isn't, hugging, silly, getting, sister, doesn't, clapped, mother, couldn't, many, lady, better, you're, puppies, sitting, brother, babies, stopped, making, known

*gallon *capacity *oceans *human *skeleton

Science Test Wednesday, 4/11

Hi parents--

      I originally told the students that we would have our chapter test on forces and motion on Tuesday not thinking about the Easter holiday weekend. In any case, I am moving our unit test to this WEDNESDAY. Students will bring home their science notebook tomorow and Tuesday evening to study. I will also be doing an in-class Jeopardy review game.


Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Language Arts and Math Resources for your child :)

Parents--

     Please find below some links to resources to help your child at home with grammar and basic addition/subtraction facts. We will have weekly quizzes from now until the end of the school year until these skills are mastered. Students are responsible for understanding and recognizing nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns. All of these have been introduced to the students beginning in first grade and have been reviewed and reinforced several times throughout this school year.

   In terms of addition and subtraction, students should know all of their basic facts up to the number 20. I would like to introduce multipication to the students, but this will depend on the readiness of the majority of the class. Until timed basic facts tests are mastered, we will not begin.


Language Arts sites with interactive games:

http://frankelassociates.com/calithwain/GrammarGames.htm

http://www.funbrain.com/

http://www.stufun.com/


Math Sites with interactive games:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm

http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/mathfact/mathFact.htm

http://www.wildmath.com/

http://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards.html

Report Cards sent home TODAY!

Parents--

     Please make sure to check your child's blue communication folder, as Q3 report cards were sent home today. Please email me with any questions you may have.


Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Words Week of 4/2

List A:

daily, grumpily, empty, shiny, mystery, fancy, beauty, valley, colony, monkey, dictionary, quickly, everybody, usually, cookie

*April *Wednesday *Easter *gravity *magnetic

List B:
city, candy, sorry, sticky, study, story, funny, happy, pretty, family, berry, many, angry, very, only

*April *Wednesday *Easter *gravity *magnetic

Happy Spring Break!

I wish all of my students and families a wonderful, relaxing and fun-filled spring break! The students have worked incredibly hard and truly deserve this week off. I have not assigned any home learning, as I want them to take a break and spend time being 7 & 8 year old children :) If they have time to pick up a book, I highly encourage it!

See everyone on April 2nd!

Best,
Ms. Walker :)

Congratulations to our classmates!

A big congratulations to Cameron LaPointe for placing 2nd overall in the spelling bee!

I would also like to recognize our other class finalists who participated in the bee:

Kristina Aponte, Riley Greenwell,Kylie Martinez, Christian Ovalle, Samuel Ovalle, Kyle Robers and Christian Roman


All of  my students also participated in a school-wide writing contest to win bears made and decorated by Mrs. Spurlock's 4th grade class. Our class had three lucky winners whose essays "wowed" the 4th graders:

Florida Bear: Brock Krueger

Alien Bear and Baby: Gracie Gillespie

Liquidator Bear: Samuel Ovalle


Congratulations to all of my amazing students for their hard work! Job well done, F.R.O.G.S. :)

***3rd Quarter: Extra Credit Opportunities***

Hi Parents-

    As promised, I have assigned a few extra credit opportunities to replace low grades from quarter 3. The students wrote the assignments in their planner today and the guidelines and due dates are as follows:

1) Reading/Language Arts: Favorite Character Report due Wednesday, 3/21

 http://www.abcteach.com/ebwhite/favchar.htm

Students will need to choose a favorite character from the book, Charlotte's Web, and write a report using the adjectives selected in their response. They will also need to explain why the character chosen is their favorite.

*Lowest assignment/test/project grade etc. will be dropped and replaced with this extra credit grade.

2) Math: Enrichment packet unit 10 was sent home earlier this week. Students will receive 10 extra credit points factored into their grade average if packet is completed and turned in by Tuesday, 3/20.

3) Science...due Tuesday, 3/20: Sound lab packet was sent home today. Students are to choose TWO of the labs out of the THREE and complete 4 pages total of the lab packet. Materials are simple and should be able to be found around the house. Lowest science assignment/test/lab will be dropped and replaced with this grade.


Please note: I will be out of town all weekend with no access to email. Also, late work WILL NOT be accepted.

Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Words week of 3/12

List A:
zipper, antlers, rubber, ladder, wrapper, listener, grasshopper, feather, gander, spider, whiskers, grandmother, answer, wonder, leader

*leprechaun *echoes *Ireland *shamrock *St. Patrick's Day

List B:
never, summer, power, later, sister, zipper, winter, letter, clover, clever, order, number, paper, hamburger, dinner

*leprechaun *echoes *Ireland *shamrock *St. Patrick's Day

A big "Thank You" :)

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and your families for coming to support your students at our Live Biography Museum. The students were so dedicated to this project and their efforts truly showed! I was incredibly proud of every single one of them, as I am sure you are too! From reading the book, to writing a report to memorizing a speech and performing in front of their peers, I was blown away by their confidence and ease at which they handled such a big task. Their props and costumes were the "icing on the cake." Colleges better watch out because these students will be ready to handle anything :)

Furthermore, the students received many compliments from other students, teachers and our CCA administration. Everyone was just so impressed with their performances!

Job well done, students (and parents for helping students prepare for this big day) :)

2nd Grade Spelling Bee- March 21st!

Parents-

    A letter was sent home with your child on Thursday informing you of the upcoming spelling bee for 2nd grade. A list of spelling words was attached to the form for your child to review. We will be conducting our preliminary bee in class tomorrow to choose our 8 finalists for the big event on the evening of March 21st. Even if your child is not selected as a finalist, we highly encourage all 2nd graders and their families to come support their fellow classmates.

We are looking forward to our inaugural event :)

Best,
Ms. Walker

**Copies of Charlotte's Web Novels Needed**

We will be starting a literature unit during reading this week on Charlotte's Web. Since this book is an advanced level, I will be reading the book aloud as students listen or follow along. If you would like your child to have their own copy to use as we read and discuss, please send it in tomorrow or as soon as possible this week. We will be reading this book for 3 weeks and it is a big unit, so if you can purchase a copy for your child (it's a classic, so I highly recommend it) or you can borrow a copy from the library it would be greatly appreciated.

I have only a few spare copies, so please let me know if you are unable to get one.


Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Field Trip 4/6: Charlotte's Web at Orlando Shakespeare Theater

**THIS LETTER WAS SENT HOME WITH YOUR CHILD ON 3/5**

PS-- I have already filled 2 chaperone spots with those parents who were first to send in the form and money (and had not been selected for the fall field trip). I am looking for one more to join us.

2nd Grade is going on a field trip!
Hi Parents-

As part of our literature unit, we will be reading E.B. White's classic novel, Charlotte's Web. As an extension on our in-class discussions and activities, we will be going on a field trip to the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre to see this book come to life on stage. The date of the field trip is Friday, April 6th. We will be leaving school promptly after lunch at 11:00 am and will return to school after the performance prior to dismissal. The performance will be at 12:00pm at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre located on Rollins Street. Each classroom will be limited to 3 designated chaperones for the trip, but you may purchase your own ticket separately and meet us at the theater if you wish to enjoy the show with your child.
Please detach the form below and return to your child's classroom teacher no later than March 14, 2012. Be sure to include approrpiate funds in CASH only, please. If you are interested in chaperoning the trip, make note of it on the form.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We are very excited to share this experience with your children!

Best regards,
Ms. Walker

NO SPELLING THIS WEEK!

There will be NO spelling list or spelling home learning this week. I really want to focus efforts on preparing for Friday's museum.

Enjoy the week off from it!


Thanks,
Ms. Walker

REMINDER: Math Enrichment due TOMORROW, Biography Report due TUESDAY!!

Hi Parents-

    Just a friendly reminder that the enrichment packet for Unit 9 is due TOMORROW to receive extra credit for the assignment. We will be moving on to Unit 10 tomorrow which involves fractions and time...an excellent unit!

    Secondly, biography week is here! Please remember that the report portion for your child's biography is due on TUESDAY, 3/6. This has been communicated through a letter home, blog updates, email updates and has been written in their planner for weeks. One letter grade will be deducted for each day late that the work is received. Please make sure your child brings their "fancy copy" of their report on Tuesday (fancy copy means final copy...handwritten neatly on a sheet of notebook paper by the student, in the student's vocabulary capabilities). The outline is NOT the final report in case there's any confusion. It must be re-written in report format.

      Students must memorize their speech for the museum. We will be making flashcards in class on Tuesday and practicing in class Tues, Weds and Thurs. The students will also be bringing the cards home each night for additional practice. I had asked students to memorize their intro last week (name of person, date and place of birth to get started).

       Lastly, students should come to class on Friday IN their costume with a change of uniform clothes. Please make sure your child has their props too! Costume and props are required for their grade :) Please feel free to be creative. If your child has a large prop or needs a specific amount of space, please let me know in advance as we will also be working on placement in the room this week.

OK, I think that's all for now. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Reading Logs This Week

I am in the process of getting more copies, so please bear with me. In the interim, I have asked the students to use a piece of notebook paper to log their reading activities for this week ONLY. I promise I will have more copies of the log next week.


Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Biography Project: Speech Portion

We started talking about biographies in class today and I spoke to the students about their speech for the live museum. I've had a few questions about it, so I wanted to clarify a few things.

After the book is read and the outline is filled out (sent home with original project details), your child is to re-write their paper in final form on a separate sheet of paper.

Once the final paper is written, they should be practicing their outline. This can be used as a basic outline for their speech. Students may definitely add to their speech, but the minimum requirement is the information included on the outline.

I asked the students to start memorizing their speech in pieces. I suggested that tonight they work on the introduction of their name, birthdate and place of birth as follows:

 "Hi my name is ______name_______________." I was born on ____________date________________ in __________place__________."

 

It doesn't have to be verbatim, but needs to be along these lines.

 

We are also going to work on memorizing our speeches next Tues, Weds and Thurs in class but they definitely should start now. Also, we will write our speech on notecards during class next Tuesday to keep closeby in case we forget some lines (sometimes the kids get a little nervous, as expected, but I know they'll be great)!

 

Lastly, make sure you are working on a costume and props for your "exhibit." Multiple props for a "wow" factor are highly encouraged. For example, we had an astronaut last year who built a space shuttle out of cardboard. We also had a snowboarder with snowboards, skateboards etc. An artist with a paint set, easel/canvas etc. Please get creative :)

 

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

 

Thanks,

Ms. Walker

 

 

Math Ch. 9 Test and Enrichment Due Dates

Math test for chapter 9 is TOMORROW! Please make sure your child practices the Florida test that was sent home on Monday. Also, they can review the Ch.9 workmats for extra practice of different skills. If you havwe thrown them away, you can print them from online at pearsonsuccessnet. I sent everyone the site and access codes earlier in the year. There are also videos for each section of the unit that can re-explain any concepts your child may be having difficulty with.


The chapter 9 enrichment packet was sent home today. It is due back on Monday, 3/5. Late work WILL NOT be accepted at all. I will be giving 10 points of extra credit for completed packets.


Thanks!

Spelling Words week of 2/27

We will only have ONE list this week, as I will be out on Thursday and Friday. I would like to make things as easy on the substitute as possible.

Students may do List A or List B activities for home learning this week.


acorn, orbit, resort, format, support, organ, horse, absorb, story, decorate, hornet, afford, reporting, escort, glory

*February *famous *champion *scientist *vibrations

Biography Project!

Just a few reminders about the biography project:

1. Students have all approved a book with me. They should be either finishing up their reading or they should be finished. early this week.

2. Students should be writing their report using the outline that was sent home with the details for the project. Please remember this is a 2nd grader's report, so I expect the vocabulary to be in their words and the report should be hand-written by them. The report is due on March 6th! \

3. Once your child's report is written, they will need to start making "speech" to memorize for the day of the museum. We will be working on the speeches in class next week, but they can practice at home too. The speech follows the basic outline of the written report. I will provide more specific details to the students in class tomorrow.

4. Students should be working on a costume including at least 2 props. Costumes and props can be made from things around the home if you are unable to purchase one.

5. Our live museum will take place on the morning of March 9th. If you are able to come, we would love to have you as a visitor! This is an awesome experience that you don't want to miss.

6. Most importantly, have fun!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Science Folder/Light Packet/ Science Notebook

Hi Parents-

     Just a quick reminder that your child needs to return all three of these items to school TOMORROW. The green science folder, the "light" packet with the labs and the science notebook.

Happy studying! I know they are all going to do great :)

Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Update on Upcoming Tests

Hi Parents-

     This short school week has resulted in us getting a little bit behind. In any case, I have moved the science test to MONDAY 2/27 and I have also moved the reading comprehension test to either Monday or Tuesday depending on when we complete our centers left from this week.

We will still have our regularly scheduled spelling test tomorrow.

Also, I have told the students we will have a Unit 9 math test on patterns next Wednesday, 2/28. We will do an in-class review on Monday and math center games on Tuesday to prepare.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks in advance for your understanding and flexibility.

Ms. Walker :)

Spelling Words Week of 2/21

List A:
loaves, approach, octopus, unknown, swallow, borrow, narrow, lonely, control, quote, telephone, potato, mosquito, solar, marshmallows

*biography *information *accept *argument *President

List B:

yellow, coach, snow, oatmeal, pillow, rowboat, coast, poster, home, hope, smoke, choke, woke, throw, know

*biography *information *accept *argument *President

Grades in Progressbook

Parents--

    Please refer to the email I sent out this evening (or should I say morning? Why am I still up?) I have graded all work turned in to date and grades are entered and updated online in Progressbook. Please let me know if you have any questions!


Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Lists Week of 2/13

List A

moment

dumplings

fungus

simple

blanket

hungry

wrong

jungle

handle

young

behind

command

panda

elephant

different

*language *antennae *colonies *cocoons *pattern

List B

bent

bang

young

thank

think

friend

stamp

spend

string

skunk

pants

drink

ground

branch

under

*language *antennae *colonies *cocoons *pattern

Spelling Lists Week of 2/6

I apologize in advance for those students who were not able to write list A in their planner prior to dismissal. I also want to apologize for not having their bonus words ready. Sorry!

List A:
adore, garbage, compartment, tortoise, orchard, guard, armor, sparkle, jaguar, fortune, parlor, participate, guitar, senior, foreign

*remarkable *margarine *pharmacy * audience *accident

List B:
carpet, start, smart, warm, party, scar, shark, starve, market, larger, farther, fork, more, store, short

*apartment *garbage *fortune *audience *accident

AR Leaderboard "clean sweep" :)

                                       CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE "AR STARS"!!

     As a result of our hard work in room 203 (and at home too), we claimed all of the "Top 5" AR spots in 2nd grade!! We even had a tie which made us six. Keep up the great work...everyone is doing a great job and I can tell that my students truly LOVE to read!

1. Christian Ovalle 79 Books WOW!! (The most books read and passed in all of K-5)
2. Chase Hollingsworth
3. Samuel Ovalle
4. MacKinzye Arend and Kylie Martinez
5. Kristina Aponte

Karyzma Pierre, who also joins us for reading, was a leader on the 1st grade board!

OK, I'm done bragging...I'm just so proud of them!

Ms. Walker :)

Math Ch.8 Enrichment Packets Due Friday, 2/3- *Extra Credit*

Math enrichment packets for chapter 8 went home today.  They are due no later than Friday, 2/3 to receive extra credit. I will be giving 8 points total for completed work.


Thanks :)

Spelling Menus are Here!

Hi Parents-

     This week we will begin using our spelling menus. I reviewed the expectations for the menus in class after I passed them out, but I wanted to reiterate what I told the students in case anything was misunderstood. All students were given menu "b." This menu has activities for those students with 2 or more incorrect words on their pretest who are on list "B." (I believe the top of the paper says 3 or missed words, but it is 2...sorry). Only students studying list "a" this week were also given menu "a." Menu "a" has different activities that are more challenging and more suitable for advanced students. If your child is on list "a," they are only to choose activities from list "a." I gave them the "b" list as well, as some students are not always on a specific list depending on pretest results. In turn, any students who make list "a" in the future will be given the "a" list to choose from if they do not already have the list.
      
      Every Monday, the students will need to choose only 2 activities for the week from their menu. They will have 4 nights to complete the activities (Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs) and the assignments will be due on Friday. The assignments are to be completed in their red spelling notebook UNLESS they choose an activity that requires glueing objects etc. In these instances, please have your child write me a note in their spelling notebook to "assignment on separate sheet" and they may hand in their assignment separately from the notebook. If an assignment is something that cannot be turned in, I am asking parents to write a note telling me the activity was completed with a signature (I think there are only 1 or 2 activities such as these).

    I decided to change our spelling home learning mid-year, as I felt that the students were bored with the 3 routine assignments we were doing each week. Furthermore, it is really important to provide "choice" to students to keep them more engaged and for them to have a sense of ownership over their work. Lastly, I found some of these activities to be more challenging and interesting which always makes learning more fun!


If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. I want this to be a positive experience for everyone.


Thanks so much,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Lists Week of 1/30

List A:

seem, seashell, between, believe, reason, sneakers, creature, heaven, meadow, jealous, healthy, beetle, squeeze, disagree, kneeling

*electricity *reflection *rural *Gulf of Mexico *plaque

List B:
dream, mean, sweep, free, street, cheat, leave, feel, read, need, least, seem, sea, geese, stream

*electricity *between *reason *believe *plaque

Chapter 8 Math Tests Graded and Posted!

I was eager to see the results, so yes, the chapter 8 math tests they took today are graded and posted! Our class average was a 90 A....WOW!!! I am so proud of these students. They are absolutely amazing! Most errors came from forgetting to regroup, not showing work, forgetting cents signs for money problems, performing the incorrect operation (e.g. addition instead of subtraction and vice versa) and not knowing their basic facts. Conceptually, they nailed this unit!


I will be sending home this test, as well as the Ch. 7 test (which counted for Q2 but I didn't have a chance to send home for corrections) tomorrow. Each test is eligible for +5 extra credit points. Chapter 8 will be added to their test grade and Chapter 7 will be factored into their Q3 average.

Once again, awesome job!

Check your email :)

Hi Parents--

      Please make sure to read this week's weekly updates. It's quite a novel, but I had a lot to tell you! Lots of exciting things coming up-- literature circles, learning multipilication, biographies unit with a live museum and more.

One thing I forgot to include is the spelling menu. I PROMISE they will be ready and sent home on Monday :) Thanks for your patience!

Ms. Walker

Accelerated Reader Leaderboard :)

Hi Parents-

       The new leaderboard was posted in the library last week for the top five readers in each grade.We have 4 out of the 5 top readers for second grade! I couldn't be more proud of not only the students on the leaderboard, but the class as a whole. Everyone is doing great with reading daily and taking multiple quizzes per week during reading centers. The following students are on the leaderboard with the most books read with quizzes passed:

#1 Chase Hollingworth- 58 books!! AMAZING!!
#2 Samuel Ovalle- 50 books
#3 MacKinzye Arend- 49 books
#4 Kylie Martinez- 44 books


Keep up the great work! Please continue to encourage your children to choose challenging books within their reading range. Their new AR levels were sent home on the STAR assessment results last week that most of you reviewed and signed. If you can't remember your child's level, send me an email and I will get it for you. It's important to keep striving to achieve higher reading levels :)

Best,
Ms. Walker

Chapter 8 Math Test on Thursday, 1/26

We will have our chapter 8 math test this upcoming Thursday. We will have a review in class on Wednesday and I will send home a sheet to review for the test tomorrow.

Please continue to practice basic addition and subtraction facts. Many of the students are understanding concepts, but are unable to arrive at the correct answers due to lack of knowing their basic facts.


Thanks!

Spelling Lists Week of 1/23

Please note: I am finalizing the spelling menu and will have it for use next week.

List A:

trousers, flounder, outstanding, blouse, allowance, cowgirl, mountain, fountain, ounce, surrounded, pout, doubtful, vowel, powder, amount

Bonus:

*disguise

*costume

*peninsula

*Tallahassee

*soldier

List B:
town

hour

sour

frown

cow

clown

found

how

mouse

brown

sound

loud

around

towel

about

*disguise

*costume

*peninsula

*Tallahassee

*soldier

Science Test on Thursday, 1/19

Hi Parents--

   As stated in your child's planner, there will be a science test covering states of matter and changes in matter this Thursday, 1/19. We have been working on this unit for the past 9 weeks, so they have had plenty of in-class assignments, lab activities and review. I reviewed the notes in their blue spiral that I would like them to review tonight and tomorrow evening. I told them it's not necessary to memorize the notes verbatim, but rather understand the concepts e.g. when ice is heated, it melts....or when water boils and reaches a high temperature, it evaporates. They will also need to know vocabulary terms such as solid, liquid, gas, property, balance, mass, volume, freezing, melting, condensation, evaporation just to name a few. They can review any science packets that have been sent home for this unit, and I will send home a few more tomorrow that they should be familiar with.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am more than happy to answer them :)

Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Extra Credit Reading/Language Arts Assignment-- Due 1/19 :)

Hi Parents-

     I sent home an extra credit assignment today with your child. The assignment is due back on Thursday, January 19th as grades are due that day. Your child is to choose ONE book that they are currently reading or recently read that they can easily recall the main events and characters. The first activity is a flow map of the important events. I told the students to think of this activity as "beginning, middle, end." The first box should tell the beginning (introduce the character(s) and the setting). The three middle boxes should be the most important events in the story. The end should tell the solution to the problem in the story. The second activity is a Venn Diagram. Your child is to choose two characters and write the name of each one at the top of each circle. They are to write 3 characteristics that are different for each character (total of 6) and 3 characteristics that are the same in the middle of the diagram.

      Students are expected to write in complete sentences on the flow map, the Venn Diagram can be descriptive words or phrases. You may help discuss the book and guide your student, but they need to complete the chart with their own handwriting and use their own vocabulary.

    This assignment will replace their lowest grade in either reading or language arts for the second quarter.

    Please let me know if you have any questions!

Best,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Words Week of 1/17- Review Week!

*Please note all students will have the same list of words this week. We have 20 regular spelling words that are a comprehensive review from the year thus far. I have chosen words that students use often and are expected to spell correctly in their writing. There will be no bonus words this week, but we will resume with a normal spelling schedule and the introduction of our spelling menu next week!

was
those
goes
one
these
outside
school
house
used
their
you're
shouldn't
where
ask
any
talk
really
through
went
people

Please check updated grades in Progressbook!

Hi Parents-

     Over the past week, I have been inputting a number of grades into Progressbook for various subjects. Grades for the second quarter are due by Thursday, January 19th so please make sure you take a look on Progressbook. I don't want anyone to be surprised come report card time. For the most part, I have seen incredible improvement in each one of your children over the course of the past few months. Remember, I am striving to challenge them so I'd rather your child make a B and work really hard than give them an A with work that doesn't promote their growth :) This is not to say there aren't As because there are many!

Also, each one of your students are well aware of their missing assignments. I went over assignments that were missing with each one of them on Friday. Most of them were hiding in the back of their desks or in their incomplete folder, so I will continue to grade them as they are turned in.

Please let me know if you have any questions.


Thanks,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Words Week of 1/9

List A

container, complain, raisins, explain, praise, raindrops, mailboxes, paintbrushes, haystack, cupcakes, painful, steak, essay, details, display

*emergency, directions, question, answer, firefighters

List B

birthday, way, wait, aim, great, waste, tale, shave, snail, stage, grape, break, trail, obey, stain

*emergency, directions, question, answer, firefighters

Grades in Progressbook

Hi Parents--

     Thank you very much to those of you who have been consistently checking your child's grades in Progressbook. I am behind from the holidays, so please bear with me as I get the assignments graded and recorded this week. I entered a few grades today and will continue to do so as I grade each assignment. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks in advance for your patience :)



Thanks,
Ms. Walker

New Year, Higher Expectations...

Hi Parents--

       Happy New Year to all of you! I am very excited to be back for a great second half of our year. As I begin to prepare the students for the increased rigor that 3rd grade requires, we will be "stepping it up" in our classroom in order to acclimate them better to what will be expected in their future. Please note the following changes in policies/expectations as follows:

Home Learning:

Reading
Students are still required to read for 20 minutes each night, but I am going to hold them more accountable for this component as they are openly admitting they don't read each night that it is assigned. I have sent home a reading log that is to be filled out Mon-Thurs and returned Friday with the rest of their home learning. Two nights per week, they will be required to not only fill out the log and get a parent signature, but also write a 3-sentence summary or reflection of what they read. Our main skill we are trying to reinforce is writing in complete sentences and understanding how to write a summary. I told the students that ONE of their entries per week may be a reflection of what they thought about their reading if they choose to do so.

Spelling
Beginning next week, students will be given a "spelling menu" which will be housed in their binders and will have a wide variety of assignments for them to choose from for practice. I believe student choice is very important in continuing to motivate the students and I don't want them to fall into monotany of doing the same 3 assignments each week. I will review the assignments with the students next Monday, but please let me know if you have any questions. I hope this change will provide a nice change of pace!

Home Learning Grades/Participation
Beginning this week, I will be giving 5 pts of credit per subject area/per night (20 pts total per week/subject) for completed work. Reading log, spelling notebook and math workbooks will be checked and grades will be recorded in Progressbook for completion. I have always used home learning as a participation component when it came to behavioral marks or a borderline grade, but the students deserve credit for their hard work and effort at home. This is a great opportunity to improve grades that may not be as good on tests or class assignments.

Late Work
Late home learning assignments will be accepted for half credit within a reasonable amount of time. Students who are absent have one day for each school day missed to make up their work.

Behavior Managment Program/Incentives
Next Monday, we will officially begin our class money system and store. I have been talking to the students for quite some time about this exciting change. This will be a great way to incent positive behavior, while also teaching the students how to count money and value a dollar (even if it's fake). Every Friday, they will have an opportunity to visit my "store" and purchase prizes with their earned cash. I have bought quite a few things, but feel free to send in donations if you have them.

All of the changes I have put in place are to benefit the students! I know the reading log adds a little bit of extra work to their evening, but it should take no longer than 10 minutes max to write 3 sentences...they are all VERY capable!

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Best,
Ms. Walker

Spelling Lists Week of 1/3

List A

strength
shampoo
flashlight
fourth
thaw
shirt
shoulder
nothing
finished
mouth
chef
charcoal
whispered
stretch
switch
*chocolate
*chimpanzee
*immigrants
*celebrations
*delivery

List B
sure
thaw
whip
chest
much
why
punch
reach
checkers
beach
should
thumb
through
threw
chain
*celebrations
*delivery
*chimpanzee
*chocolate
*immigrants