by Jill & Sarah | Mar 3, 2018 | In The Loop
Literatura
Fox in Socks!
This week we finished working with Picasso. Our objectives were:
- to use comprehension skill compare and contrast as we read the story the second time
- understand the nuances of definitions in word chains
- understand how authors use setting, description, emotions, and word choice to create a tone in a story
- recognize and understand the difference between definite and indefinite articles
- understand meaning of new spelling words
Students have reader #18 due Monday!
Matemáticas
Truffula Trees!
This week we continued working with measurement. Our objectives were:
- read scales in kilograms and grams
- estimate and find actual masses of objects using different scales
- convert units of measurment
- Estimate and find the volume of liquid in liters and milliliters
- find the volume and capacity of a container
- convert units of measurement
- build a Truffula tree using the material provided that measures at least 7 inches tall and stands on its own
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
This week we finished the read-alouds for our unit on the Viking Age. The class wrote a letter from one of the characters in our lessons describing life in Iceland. We learned about Viking runes and each student made a rune set. We worked on our group puppet skits. We took our assessment on Thursday as well. The class had fun celebrating the end of this unit by sampling some Viking bread, cheese, and honey, watching our skits, and playing with our class made rune stones.
Our objectives were to:
• recall that the Viking people relied on farming, fishing, and trade for their living
• explain the importance of Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson
• identify the three orders of Viking people: thralls, karls, jarls
• describe the everyday life as a Viking people
• explain that the Viking people built and
used ships for different purposes
• identify and locate Scandinavia as the area from which Vikings originated
• locate Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, Canada, Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and Norwegian Sea
• identify the Vikings as the earliest known Europeans to travel to North America
Social Studies with Ms. Laura We talked about how winning the Revolutionary War did not solve all of the problems facing a young America. We talked about the writing of The Constitution and the need for compromise. We studied the important language in the Preamble. We talked about the ratification of The Constitution and the writing of The Bill of Rights. We constructed a timeline of important dates and events. We talked about writing our own class constitution and, for Tuesday, March 6th, will bring two suggestions to be included.
Science
This week in our new science domain, Astronomy, we read about planet Earth and began to learn about our solar system. The class added to our KWL chart as we went through each lesson. We also broke up into partner groups to work on a brief research project about the planets. Each group will gather info on one planet to later share with the class. We learned the mnemonic device, Many Very Energetic Mermaids Just Swam Under Neptune in order to sequence the names of the eight planets in their position from the sun.
Our objectives were to:
• identify the sun as a constant source of heat and light energy
• classify the sun as a star
• identify our planet earth as the third planet from the sun and ideally suited for life
• demonstrate how day and night on Earth are caused by Earth’s rotation
• explain what happens during a solar eclipse and lunar eclipse
• describe the characteristics of a planet
• describe the eight planets of our solar system and their sequence from the sun
• describe stars at hot, distant, and made of gas
• compare and contrast asteroids, meteoroids, and comets
English Word Work
Spelling groups got their new sorts on Monday and had a spelling test on Friday. In our journals we used the word of the week ” ” in one entry and students could use the idiom “rule the roost” in another.
For grammar we worked on metaphors, similes, and personification in writing.
Specialists
Dear SWS families,
It was so fun having Valentines Day on a Wednesday this year! Thank you so much for
all the sweet Valentine cards, chocolate, and beautiful flowers!
This month the students did a variety of art projects:
• Clay Pottery
Many thanks to Ms. Karen for teaching the students about coil pottery and
showing them how to use glazes to create Native American patterns.
• Valentines Day Pictures
The 2nd and 3rd grade students cut out symmetrical paper vases and filled
them with a variety of heart shaped flowers for a Valentine still life.
• Snow Day!
• Black History Month: Faith Ringold Story Quilts
We looked at Faith Ringold’s book Tar Beach, which is based on one of her
famous Story Quilts of the same name.
The Objectives were:
- Draw a picture of yourself flying, using basic shapes, with oil pastels.
- Add background shapes to create a city setting, similar to Faith Ringgold’s New York skyline.
- Use scrapbook papers as “fabric” to create a quilt border.
This hard-working class completed this project in one class period! These fun quilt designs are
on the bulletin board at school.
I still have the students’ collection of Native American art (Salmon drawings, Horse decoration
designs, and Totem Pole art) that I’ll send home soon.
In February we learned how to read notes in the treble clef, and learned how to tell if a melody is ascending or descending while learning the melodies of jazz love songs. We also learned and sang African American folk songs and spirituals like Follow the Drinking Gourd, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and Kum ba yah.
Music with Ms. Erin
In March we will be learning about the elements of songwriting:
– Writing lyrics, and learning to rhyme
– Creating a melody in which to sing our lyrics
– Drumming a rhythm we create for the songs on hand drums
– Choosing major or minor chords to fit the mood of the songs
– Deciding what other instrumentation we can add (piano, violin, cello, etc.)
– Recording with a multi-tracking program, like professionals do!
– Sharing our creations with you!
by Jill & Sarah | Feb 24, 2018 | In The Loop
100th Day of School!
100th Day of School!
Spanish Language Arts
Reviewing vocabulary
100 licks lollipop game for the 100th day of school!
100 licks lollipop game!
How many times can you jump in 100 seconds?
Can you do a wall sit for 100 seconds?
This week we read Picasso. Our objectives were:
- students will familiarize themselves with the spelling words for this lesson
- students will gain an understanding of the digraph ch and how the ch sound is not separated when sounded out
- to use comprehension strategies such as asking questions and summarizing to construct meaning from the story
Math
$100 monster receipts
Buying pieces to make $100 love monsters for the 100th day of school!
Buying pieces to make $100 love monsters for the 100th day of school!
Buying pieces to make $100 love monsters for the 100th day of school!
Measuring how far we can toss a ball.
What can you do in 100 seconds?
This week we began our metric length unit. Our objectives were:
- Use kilometer and meter as units of measurement of length
- estimate and measure length
- convert units of measurement
- use meters and centimeters as units of measurement of length
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we in our unit on the Viking Age the class retold events from the previous lesson using sequence words such as first, next, then etc. We found Iceland on the map and discussed the reasons why our characters were relocating to this land. We are breaking up into two groups to work on our Viking play scripts and puppets for our puppet show plays coming up soon.
Our objectives were to:
• explain how and why the Vikings travel to other countries
• explain the the Viking people were shipped many gods and goddesses
• explain that the Viking people built and used ships for different purposes
• identify and express the mental states and emotions of the characters in our lesson
Social Studies with Ms. Laura
GREEK DAY! We finished our long unit on Ancient Greece! We dressed as our favorite Greek god or goddess, traded our homemade goods at our agora (marketplace), and enjoyed a celebration with ambrosia, nectar, olives, figs and popcorn with olive oil. We reviewed and had our assessment for the unit. For our next unit, Making The Constitution, we will travel across the Atlantic Ocean to America and advance 2000 years and appreciate Athens gift to the world: democracy! We talk about how winning the Revolutionary War did not solve all of the problems facing a young America.
Science
This week we introduced are new science domain: Astronomy, Our Solar System and Beyond. We learned that astronomy means the study of the stars and all objects in space, which are referred to as celestial bodies. We talked about how astronomers are scientist who study all of the objects in our space and that most of what we know about outer space we have learned from the observation, measurements, and thinking of astronomers. The class began to generate a KWL chart that we will reference and add to throughout this domain.
Our objectives were to:
• review what we know about astronomy
• contribute to a KWL chart for this domain
by Jill & Sarah | Feb 15, 2018 | In The Loop
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
This week we began our unit on the Viking Age. We read a book about Leif Erikson. The class had some time to explore Iceland on the chrome books.
Our objectives were to:
• describe the Viking people’s proficiency and legacy at sailors, raiders, and traders
• explain about the Vikings
Science
This week in our Light and Sound domain the class finished their Alexander Graham Bell biographies. Our Light and Sound Science Fair was a great success. The demonstrations were well thought out and very interesting. It was fun to have parents and the rest of the school came to visit our fair. 
Our objectives were to:
• describe the life and contributions of Alexander Graham Bell
• present our demonstration/experiment with an explanation including domain vocabulary.
English Word Work
Spelling and grammar:
We did not have a spelling test due to the large work load and shortness of the week. In grammar we are talking about similes and metaphors. In our journals we used the word “tranquil “.
by Jill & Sarah | Feb 9, 2018 | In The Loop
Literatura
Designing our own cloaks and making inferences!
This week we read Una capa para el soñador. Our objectives were:
- review what a prefix is
- understand how the prefixes in-, re-, des-, bi-, and tri- change the root word
- understand how to conjugate regular -ar -ir and -er verbs in the present tense
- use correctly words that indication location
- to use the comprehension skill Making Inferences as we read the story the second time
- to use comprehension strategies such as predicting, and summarizing to construct meaning from the story during the first read
We will not have a spelling test or reader homework during the next two short weeks!
Matemáticas
Adding and Subtracting Money!
This week we worked with money! Our objectives were:
- add money in different ways without regrouping
- add money in different ways with regrouping
- Subtract money in different ways without regrouping
- subtract money in different ways with regrouping
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
This week we in our unit on the Viking Age we learned about sagas and swords. We discussed the how mainly the elite jarls had swords and how they were made. We also talked about the importance of sagas and the skalds who retold them. Students designed and painted their own Viking shields and made a model of Thor’s hammer as an amulet. For a writing response to our lessons, students could choose to use a Venn diagram or a T chart to compare and contrast two of our characters from the read aloud.
Our objectives were to:
• describe the Viking people’s proficiency and legacy at sailors, raiders, and traders
• explain that skalds were poets who memorized and retold Viking history through sagas
• identify the three orders of the Viking people: thralls, karls, and jarls
• explain that the Viking people built and used ships for different purposes
• recall that skilled blacksmiths lived during the Viking Age and name some items they made
• recall that the Thing was an assembly where the Norse made decisions for their community
Social Studies with Ms. Laura We continued practicing the play, “Victory at Marathon”. We learned about Athens under the leadership of Pericles, during the Golden Age of Greece. We talked about symposiums in Ancient Athens and used computers to explore decorative Grecian urns and then we designed our own! We planned our end of unit celebration, to take place on Tuesday, February 20th, when we will dress up as Greek gods or goddesses and bring homemade items to ‘trade’ at our Agora (market).
Science
This week we in our Light and Sound domain the class worked on their Alexander Graham Bell biographies. most of the students finished there rough draft and editing and our now typing there biographies. Those who are finished are working on an illustration to go with their paper. Our Light and Sound Science Fair will be on Monday beginning at 1:30.
Our objectives were to:
• describe the life and contributions of Alexander Graham Bell
• explain the significance of the invention of the telephone
• design some kind of illustration to go with your report.
English Word Work
We had our spelling test on Friday. In grammar we worked on prefixes and suffixes. In our journals we used the word “dingy” in one entry and also wrote about the idiom, “sound as a bell” in another.
Specialists
Character Education:
This week in Character Ed class, your child learned about the possibility of participating in a book drive for the children of Humacao, Puerto Rico. Recently ravaged by Hurricane Maria, Humacao is a city on the eastern side of the island with a (formerly) booming tourist and fishing industry and a university, among other charms. Today, many children there have still not resumed school, and library collections have been left in ruins. A contact of mine who runs the library at the university of Humacao recently put out a request for donations of children’s books that could be distributed to the children of Humacao and outlying areas.
We thought the children of Spanish with Sarah could help! We propose that each classroom “adopt” a USPS box (12 x 12 x 51/2) to fill with books— both in English and Spanish for ages 6 to 14. Each class would also need to raise the $18.90 for shipping. Today in class we talked about ways to earn a couple of dollars, perhaps by doing some extra chores. We hope this book drive not only helps children in a place far from here, but also reinforces to our kids value of empathy and service. If your child would like to participate, s/he can start today! We will be collecting books in each classroom tomorrow, along with postage donations. We will cease collecting on Thursday, February 15 and send the boxes to Puerto Rico. ~ Jodie Marion
by Jill & Sarah | Feb 3, 2018 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read El gato que se volvió poeta. Our objectives were:
- understand what the digraph ll sounds like
- understand the suffixes -ado and -ción
- understand how nouns, adjectives, and articles change according to number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine)
- to use comprehension strategies such as predicting, summarizing, and asking questions to construct meaning from the text
- use the comprehension skill Fantasy and Reality as they read the story for the second time
Matemáticas
This week we wrapped up our chapter on Using Bar Models: Multiplication and Division. Our objectives were:
- use bar models to solve two-step word problems
- choose the correct operation to solve two-step word problems
- review using bar models to solve different types of multiplication and division problems
- demonstrate using bar models to solve different types of multiplication and division problems on the chapter test
Our next chapter will be Money!
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we in our unit on the Viking Age we read more about Viking Family Life. We discussed reasons why Vikings traveled, trade, raid, and to explore new lands. Students made a model of a longship. We also watched a short video on what daily life might be like in a Viking village, and read Norse mythology stories about Thor. Students wrote about a Norse child’s morning routine and their own morning routine, comparing and contrasting the two.
Our objectives were to:
• explain that only the warriors who went on raids to other lands were actually called Vikings
• explain how and why the Vikings traveled to other countries
• recall that Viking people relied on farming, fishing, and trade for their living
• describe the everyday life of Viking people
Social Studies with Ms. Laura We talked about the history of The Olympics and held our own Olympic games, SWS style! We learned about, through reading and computer use, The Persian Wars and the unlikely victory for the Greeks over the powerful, and numerous, Persians. We started reading through, and practicing parts, for a play about one of the battles of this war, “Victory at Marathon”.
Sound travels faster through solid matter
Science
This week we continued with our Light and Sound science domain. We reviewed what we have learned so far and watched a Bill Nye video on sound. The class worked on their Alexander Graham Bell biographies. On Thursday a note about our upcoming science fair on light and sound came home. In this note you can find details on expectations and requirements for this activity. On Friday we worked took our unit assessment.
Our objectives were to:
• describe the life and contributions of Alexander Graham Bell
• explain the significance of the invention of the telephone
• review what we’ve learned this unit so far
Is it Purple day?
English Word Work
We had our spelling test on Friday. In grammar we worked on pronouns and suffixes. In our journals we used the word “irrate” in one entry and also wrote about either the proverb, “actions speak louder than words” or Groundhog day.
Specialists
Music with Ms. Erin
In January the 2nd and 3rd grade class developed their skill reading and writing notes on the staff in treble clef, as well as reading and playing rhythms in three different time signatures.
In February they will be:
– Using their notation reading skills to play and sing songs, and writing lyrics to their own tunes
– Listening to and singing famous love songs on Valentine’s Day
– Learning and singing African American folk songs and spirituals like Follow the Drinking Gourd, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and Kum ba yah.
by Jill & Sarah | Jan 27, 2018 | In The Loop
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we in our unit on the Viking Age we read more about Viking Life and learned about Viking raiders and traders. We reviewed what narrative and point of view in writing meant and then rewrote a first person narrative paragraph into a 3rd person point of view paragraph. The students also wrote a descriptive piece using adjectives and their senses to describe a Viking village.
Our objectives were:
• identify and locate Scandinavia as the area from which the Vikings originated
• locate Iceland on a map
• explain how and why the Vikings travel to other countries
• explain that the Viking people worshipped many gods and goddesses
• describe the everyday life of the Viking people
• explain that the Viking people built and used ships for different purposes
• describe the Viking people’s proficiency and legacy as sailor’s, raiders, and traders
• explain that only the warriors who went on raids to other lands were actually called vikings
• locate the areas to which the Vikings traveled
Social Studies with Ms. Laura
We talked about some of the many differences for children in the Ancient Greece city-states of Athens and Sparta. We made charts describing life as a boy and as a girl in each of these locations. Very different, indeed! We started preparing for our own Olympic Games, SWS Style, which will take place on Tuesday, January 30th during class.
Science
This week we continued with our Light and Sound science domain. In our read aloud we learned about the voice and began to read about Alexander Graham Bell. Next week students will begin to write a short biography on…
Our objectives were to:
• compare and contrast light and sound
• describe how the intensity and frequency of vibrations affect the qualities of sound
• identify the parts of the body that create the human voice
• explain how the human voice is produced and is able to make a wide range of sounds
• Describe the life and contributions of Alexander Graham Bell
• explain the significance of the invention of the telephone
English Word Work
We had our spelling test on Friday. In grammar we worked on adjectives. In our journals we used the word “hurl.” in one entry and they also wrote about the proverb, “actions speak louder than words” in another.
Specialists
Character Education with Maestra Sarah: For the next couple week’s we are working on a citizen project. We talked about how doing and saying kind things for others makes them feel happy. We don’t do acts of kindness because we want something in return. We are working on random acts of kindness. Students will share their acts of kindness on our school-wide bulletin board.
As part of our acts of kindness we are doing a canned food drive. We would like to ask students to bring in canned and boxed foods for a donation to our local food pantry. We will will make the donation on Tuesday, February 13th.
We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, February 14th during Character Education classes. Students are asked to make a box to collect their Valentines. They should bring this box and their Valentine cards (one for every student in their class) on 2/14.
Art: 
In early January the students watched a Power Point presentation about
Totem Poles of Pacific Northwest Coast Native Americans. They learned how and why Totem Poles were made and they learned about the special shapes and patterns used in various artwork of
Pacific Northwest Coast Indians. Students practiced drawing the various
eye shapes, and Ovoids and U shapes that are prevalent in Totem Pole designs. Then they chose an animal and started a sketch of how that animal would look using Totem Pole shapes.
At the next class, the students used their sketch as a pattern to cut out various shapes from construction paper, and then glued these to poster board. Several students added 3-dimensional beaks or ears to their totem animal. I’m impressed with how hard everyone worked on this project! These great Totem Pole designs are on display at the end of the hallway!
The students also learned about the significance of salmon fishing to all Pacific Northwest Native Americans, and they made beautiful drawings of Sockeye Salmon using oil pastel.
This past week we discussed the Nez Perce and Yakama tribes and the importance of horses to these and other Native American tribes. The students learned that the Nez Perce create beautiful bridles, saddles, and other ornaments for their horses to wear in celebrations and parades. The students designed their own horse ornament using the simple geometrical shapes that New Peace artists use. We’ll add the finishing touches later in February.
On January 31 and February 7, I will be out of town, and our art substitute Miss Karen will be providing some wonderful lessons on Native American pottery, using real clay and glazes! It would be helpful for the students to bring a clean plastic container (from salad mix or berries, etc.) to transport their clay pieces home when they’re finished.
by Jill & Sarah | Jan 20, 2018 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we finished up our unit by taking the Unit Assessment. Our objectives were:
- students will demonstrate their understanding of grammar, vocabulary, and writing that was studied during this unit on the unit test
- students will demonstrate their comprehension ability on the Unit Test
Next week we will start our new unit: Imagination!
Matemáticas
This week we finished up our unit on Division. Our objectives were:
- review how there can be remainders when dividing to form equal groups or when dividing things equally
- demonstrate how there can be remainders when dividing to form equal groups or when dividing things equally on the chapter test
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week our next unit on the Viking Age. We were introduced to who the Vikings and Norse people were, the areas they lived, and a little about their daily life. On Thursday everyone did a great job performing their Romulus and Remus play and presenting their opinion papers/projects. Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend!
Our objectives were:
• identify and locate Scandinavia as the area from which the Vikings originated
• describe the geography of Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland
• understand that the Vikings were proficient sailors, raiders, and traders.
• explain why Vikings were also called Northmen or Norsemen
• identify the Vikings as the earliest known Europeans to travel to North America
• Recall that the Viking people relied on farming, fishing, and trade for their living
• explain the importance of Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson
Rehearsing the play.
Social Studies with Ms. Laura We learned about the city-state Athens by reading a myth concerning a competition between Athena and her Uncle Poseidon. Athena wins and becomes the goddess for the people of Athens. We learned about the Parthenon, the temple Athens built in Athena’s honor. We each made own model of the Parthenon. We talked about Athens, the democracy, and had our own Assembly of Citizens, suggesting, speaking for and against, some laws (rules and modifications) for our class. We read and practiced a play, A Trial in Athens.
Science
This week we continued with our Light and Sound science domain. In our read aloud we learned about qualities of sound. We explored with different instruments on Friday the different ways they make sound and the qualities they observed. Each student is also reading their own A to Z science book about the properties of sound.
Our objections were to:
• identify sound is a form of energy that travels in waves
• describe how sound waves traveling different mediums
• identify sources of sound
• compare and contrast light and sound
• describe how the intensity and frequency of vibrations affects the qualities of a sound.
English Word Work
We had our spelling test on Friday. In grammar we worked continued to work on past tense verbs and reviewed quotation marks. In our journals we used the word “lug” in one entry and also wrote about the proverb, “His bark was worse than his bite,” in another.
by Jill & Sarah | Jan 13, 2018 | In The Loop
Literatura
Our story of the week!
This week we read Un Lugar Secreto. Our objectives were:
- understand 5 different types of story starters
- review dialogue lines, commas in a list, verb tenses, and using capitals and punctuation in preparation for next week’s assessment
- Use comprehension strategies such as monitoring and clarifying, summarizing, and visualizing to construct meaning from the text during the first half of the reading
- Use comprehension skill Author’s purpose as students finish reading the story
Matemáticas
Playing division games!
Playing division games!
This week we continued working with division. Our objectives were:
- divide a 1-digit or a 2-digit number by a 1-digit number with or without a remainder
- Use different strategies to identify odd and even numbers
- Use base-ten blocks and place value to divide 2-digit numbers without regrouping or remainders
- Use base-10 blocks and place value to divide 2-digit numbers by a 1-digit number with regrouping, with or without remainders
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
This week we were finishing our Roman contribution opinion paragraphs . The finished papers and projects are due on Tuesday January 16th. Projects should be either a model or a poster board illustrating the student’s chosen contribution from Ancient Rome. We will be presenting these to parents on Thursday the 18th at 2:30. Students who finished early this week had the option of typing their papers and working on an interactive BBC site on Ancient Rome. We also practiced our Roman play which we will be performing on the 18th as well.
Social Studies with Ms. Laura We learned about some of the many gods and goddesses worshiped by the Ancient Greeks and talked about the difference between fact and myth. We made a family tree for the major Greek Gods. We located Troy on the map and read a myth about the ten year long Trojan War. We learned about the trick of the Trojan horse and drew our own large Trojan horse, complete with a trap door
Science
This week we continued with our Light and Sound science domain. We began reading our next section on Sound. The class had fun doing a sound vibration experiment on Friday and they continue to enjoy singing our “Light and Sound” song.
Our objections were to:
• we call the sense of hearing and the corresponding sensory organ
• identify sound as a form of energy that travels and waves
• describe how sound waves travel in different mediums
• identify sources of sound
• compare and contrast light and sound
• describe how the intensity and frequency of vibrations affects the qualities of sound
English Word Work
Everyone got there new sorts this week and worked on them in class. We had our spelling test on Friday. In grammar we worked on verb tenses and comma’s in lists. In our journals we used the word jovial in one entry and also wrote about the Martin Luther King Jr. after reading a story about his life. The class then had the opportunity to share their entries with the class.
by Jill & Sarah | Jan 6, 2018 | In The Loop
Literatura
Hard at work on our book reports!
This week we finished writing for our book report. Our objectives were:
-
Introduce their book, characters, and setting in the writing piece
-
Develop the topic by stating the conflict and at least two events from the story
-
Use linking words and phrases
-
Provide a concluding statement by providing their opinion
Some students will finish typing their story next week. Next Friday we will have a book report fair during the first 15 minuets of school so parents can come by and see everyone’s hard work!
Matemáticas
Working on Khan!
This week we began our new unit, Division! Our objectives were:
- Use related multiplication facts to divide
- Use patterns to divide multiples of 10 and 100
Remember to keep practicing those multiplication facts at home, this will help so much while we work on division and as we continue throughout the year!
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
This week we worked on our Roman contribution paragraphs . Most of the class has finished revising their rough drafts and are working on editing. Students should be planning to work on either a model or a poster board to illustrate their chosen contribution at home. Reports and models/posters are due on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Social Studies with Ms. Laura We began our unit about by locating ancient Greece on the map. We notice that ancient Greece is much larger than present day Greece, with some city-states in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and Italy and Africa. We talked about important geographical features, surrounding countries and bodies of water. We learned about city-states and the Greek alphabet, which we practiced writing and singing! We read one of Aesop’s fables.
Science
This week we continued with our Light and Sound science domain. We finished our Light section and did some exploration with color . We had fun using prisms to create rainbows. We took a pausing point to to summarize and review what we have learned in this domain up to this point. The class did riddles for core content, brainstormed key vocabulary, and chose a vocabulary word to illustrate and define.
Our objections were to:
• recall the five senses and there corresponding sensory Oregon
• identify the sun as Earth’s main source of light and name other light sources
• identify light as a form of energy that travels in waves
• describe how light waves travel in different mediums
• explain that color is determined by how light is absorbed and reflected.
• explain what causes a rainbow to occur
English Word Work
This week in grammar we worked on exclamation and command sentences. In our journals we wrote about our New Years resolutions and used the word of the week, “shrieked”. We will have spelling sort lists next week, due to the short week we did not have spelling.
Specialists
Music with Ms. Erin
In January the 2nd and 3rd grade class will be learning how to write notation on the music staff with these elements:
– Treble clef
– 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 time signatures
– Bar lines, double bar lines, and repeat signs
– Notes in the key of C Major
With these skills we will be able to begin writing melodies and songs that we will then sing and play together.
This week we finished working with Picasso. Our objectives were:
This week we continued working with measurement. Our objectives were:
• identify the Vikings as the earliest known Europeans to travel to North America
Social Studies with Ms. Laura We talked about how winning the Revolutionary War did not solve all of the problems facing a young America. We talked about the writing of The Constitution and the need for compromise. We studied the important language in the Preamble. We talked about the ratification of The Constitution and the writing of The Bill of Rights. We constructed a timeline of important dates and events. We talked about writing our own class constitution and, for Tuesday, March 6th, will bring two suggestions to be included.
