The Caterpillars

The caterpillars arrived one week ago. We've been observing and measuring their growth over the last week.  They are 5 centimeters long and they are hanging from the lid. The students have enjoyed watching them grow and change. When they arrived they were only one centimeter long and crawling all around the jar. After a few days they were shedding and now they are hanging and look like the letter J.  We're anxiously waiting for one of them to change into a chrysalis right before our eyes.

Science

We're learning about animal groups.  The students have learned about mammals and birds.  Ask your child about his/her favorite bird or mammal.  The students have written the characteristics of both mammals and birds and they've drawn some great pictures of their favorite mammals and birds.  We'll be learning about reptiles, amphibians, and fish on Thursday and Friday.

Addition Strategies

Yesterday we started learning addition strategies.  The first strategy is counting on and I introduced "touch points".  If your child has already memorized the addition facts, please don't have them practice this strategy at home. Memorizing the facts is much faster!  However, if your child still uses his/her fingers to count on or has to use a number line to add, then please have them practice using "touch points" at home.  I sent home a math packet explaining how to use "touch points" with several math practice sheets attached.  Your child should be practicing on Xtramath.org at home or practicing with flashcards for about 5 minutes every night to improve his/her speed on the timed tests.  Thanks for your help and support at home!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences are on Monday, October 29th and on Thursday, November 1st.  I sent a link through e-mail yesterday and many parents have signed up already.  Please let me know if you haven't received the e-mail or if you're having difficulty signing up.  There are several time slots still available on Thursday evening and only a few left on Monday evening.  I look forward to meeting with everyone and discussing your child's progress.

Field Trip

On Wednesday, I sent home the zoo field trip permission slip forms.  The cost of the field trip is $6.00 and that covers the bus transportation to the zoo and the cost of the class called "Habitat is Home".  Several students have returned the permission slip without the money and if that's you, please send the money as soon as possible.  If you need a new form, please let me know.  The trip is on Monday, October 22nd and we'll leave at 9:00 and return in time for lunch at 12:20.

Math Review

We've been learning about tally tables, bar graphs and pictographs. We reviewed in class today and the Chapter 4 test will be tomorrow, Sept. 27th.
You child can access the 2nd grade Moodle by logging into Lindbergh's cloud.  The students are getting really good at logging in now.  There are math games and activities for each math chapter.  Check out the links to Chapter 4 math.
Link to Lindbergh Cloud

Science Review

We reviewed for the Chapter 1 Science Test today. I sent home review sheets so your child can review at home. We will review tomorrow too and the test will be on Wednesday, September 26th.