Learning To Go Mr. Avery's Class on the Web 

This Friday we will be “Celebrating Differences” at our next Grade 1 & 2 School Meeting. Students will be recognizing the various ways that we shine with individuality, yet together make a handsome mosaic. We’ll also join in singing this song, Building a Better World.

Coincidentally, we will also be learning more about the autistic spectrum and how it affects our friends here at school as part of a kickoff for “Autism Awareness Month” starting  April 1.

Thanks to parents for sending in Kleenex! I’ve had a few responses, and we need LOTS more to get us through spring. Please send some in if you haven’t, and thanks!

In writing, our poetry lessons have gone off with a bang! The goal at this time is for kids to write about a topic important to them using carefully chosen words, imagery, thoughts and feelings, and to think about lines and shape when making a final draft. Here are some great examples:

Summer

Winter gray clouds cover

like steam from a factory.

Soon they fly away like crows.

Behind them is the sparkly sun.

The jealous clouds come back.

by Joshua Mastromatteo

Dean Park

The lake is beautiful

in the morning sun

Sparkling with yellow diamonds.

The trees have a burning glow

like they’re on fire.

by Steven Kaye

Elephant

Big as a truck

gray as the winter sky

Skin hard as a tree bark

A trunk like a canon to shoot water into

their mouths

Big wavy ears to listen for lions.

by Manpreet Gill

The Snake

Sun sets on the sky

The snake slithers on the trail

with others following behind.

by Meredith Agneta

Our math work this week sees a return to mental math strategies. Here are 3 addition strategies we will focus on this week, that are expected to be used during homework. See the resources section of your child’s math homework folder for illustrated examples of each!

1. Add multiples of 1s, 10s, or 100s when you can: 354 + 5= 359 (just add the ones; nothing else needs to change);   354 + 30 is just counting by 10s three times–364, 374, 384;  354 + 400 is just counting by 100s four times–454, 554, 654, 754.

2. When an addend ends in a 7, 8, or 9, you can add 10 instead because that’s easier. Then you subtract the ones: 216 + 7 is the same as 216 + 10 = 226. Since you added 3 to make the 7 into 10, you minus 3 from the answer: 226 – 3 = 223. Similarly, 436 + 8 can be done like this: 436 + 10 = 346, minus 2 = 344. And finally, 667 + 9 is the same as 667 + 10 = 677, minus 1 = 676. The big idea here is that kids do this in their heads by recognizing familiar patterns (counting by 10s).

3. A similar strategy can also be used to add by 100 and minus the 10s: 521 + 90 is the same as 521 + 100 = 621, minus 10 = 611. In the case of this and the other mental strategies, we don’t want kids to be adding the ones first, then the tens (and carrying, etc.). Rather, we’re trying to build that all-important fluency with number.

In science, we have begun our study of matter with hands-on experiences designed to get kids manipulating and thinking about solids and liquids. Kids are also learning properties of solid objects (opaque, transparent, translucent, flexible, rigid, etc., etc.) and applying them while sorting a wide variety of material in and out of the classroom. Here’s a fun collection of short animations we’ll be using from time to time:

http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/solids-liquids-gases/slg2.cfm?coSiteNavigation_allTopic=1

And finally, I promised the kids I’d post our newest favorite classroom sing-a-long song as I prepare them for future lessons with coins and money! It is part of an awesome series from Reedeez you can find on Youtube.

Literacy Night is coming on Friday, April 10, 6-9 PM! Floral alumni know this to be an evening of fun, games, treats, and everything reading and writing. This year’s honored guests include local illustrator and author Ralph Masiello (http://ralphmasiello.com/) and historical actress Sheryl Faye (http://sherylfaye.com/).

One feature of Literacy Night is the reading of original pieces of writing by students. I encourage any student from our class to participate. If your child wishes to read his/her writing (in classrooms with a group of about 9 other students), here’s what to do: 1. Select a piece of writing from home or school this year. 2. Send it in for me to OK this week. 3. I’ll send it back with any suggestions for polishing. 4. You’ll be sent a confirmation letter with room assignment and time. 5. Come and celebrate!

The success of this event is due in large part to the many volunteers who donate their time and efforts. If you can help, please use the following link to sign up, and thank you!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4dabaf2ba6f94-floral1

Thanks to parents for sending in Kleenex! I’ve had 2 responses, and we need LOTS more. Please send some in if you haven’t, and thanks in advance!

This coming Saturday at 8:30 PM, individuals and whole towns/cities will take part in Earth Hour. This now-annual event is designed to increase awareness about climate change and nature conservation world wide. Watch this video from the World Wildlife Federation and find out more at their Earth Hour website: http://www.earthhour.org/

 Our CAFE focus now turns to Summarizing. This comprehension strategy is similar to Determining Importance in that it leaves out small details in favor of the big ideas and consequential events in a story or in nonfiction texts. We will learn to summarize narratives in terms of the main characters, problems and solutions, and changes the characters undergo on their journey. As a simple example, in Green Eggs and Ham (Dr. Seuss) the main character becomes increasingly annoyed at being pestered to try something he doesn’t want. Then he resigns out of exhaustion and frustration. Finally, he is surprised at his delight with this unusual breakfast. The following site from the VA Dept. of Ed has a terrific collection of PDFs and links you can use to have your child practice this essential skill after doing reading homework: http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/summarization.html

All year, students have been taught elements of good poetry and how to apply their knowledge when analyzing poems. As our final Trimester of school begins, they will now be taught how to write meaningful poems of their own. They will learn how to choose topics that they feel strongly about; how to write with a mix of thoughts, feelings, and carefully chosen words; how to replace uninteresting text with better words and similes; and how to edit the structure (lines, repetition, etc.) of their poems until it looks and sounds right. Here is a cool site for you and your child to view at home, where children’s poetry is read aloud and you can learn more about poets and their craft: http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/home.do

As Chapter 7 comes to a close, students will be asked to apply their skills with measurement, reasoning, modeling, and addition/subtraction as they solve real-world problems. Consider this problem from the MIF Student Workbook:

Notice how the answer isn’t obvious at first. Students really need to ask themselves “What is being asked?” in the problem. Then they need to break it down into steps and model each part (in this case, two comparison bar models would do nicely) and do the appropriate operation (add/subtract) accurately to get to the final answer. While the answer is important of course, it is even more important that students develop this understanding of how to model and solve problems so they can apply it in all future mathematics.

Our Trimester 3 mapping goals include locating and identifying all continents, oceans, and major physical features of the U.S. such as the Mississippi, Rocky Mountains, Appalachians, Great Lakes, etc. We will make a game out of identifying these using physical maps, political maps, and Google Earth.

The final science topic of the year that we will explore is States of Matter. Through a combination of hands-on activities, investigations meant to teach the scientific process of inquiry, and multimedia approaches, students should develop an understanding of matter and be able to identify solids, liquids, and gases by their observable properties. This week they will investigate solids, liquids, and gels by manipulating examples of each in order to learn about their properties. Here’s a link to our district’s science program for this topic, with objectives and content defined: https://www.fossweb.com/delegate/ssi-wdf-ucm-webContent?dDocName=D568667

Luck o’ the Irish? There’s just 13 weeks to go! We’ll start this one by flexing our map skills as we explore directionality and landforms related to the Emerald Isle, share Irish folk tales and music, and more. For some fun sharing of Irish culture, check out: http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/1Kids/2Index.html

Thank you for keeping our classroom stocked with health items this winter. We are currently in need of boxes of Kleenex (lots!) to get us through the rest of this record-breaking winter and into spring.

 We continue our focus on grammar and English language skills by learning about pronouns (direct/indirect/possessive) and plural nouns, with a specific focus on spelling changes (puppy/puppies).

As the second trimester of school comes to an end, students will also be taking reading tests (DRAs) and a district-wide writing assessment that tests students’ abilities with focus, organization, details and English conventions (punctuation, spelling) while producing a piece of informative writing. Quizzes and tests will also be given to measure students’ progress with map skills (natural/cultural features; directionality; countries vs. continents; oceans and continents; finding places on maps) and science concepts related to weather.

This week’s math focus is on accurately measuring in cm starting at zero on a ruler, or from any other number (e.g. developing a sense of length in cm). The latter is shown in this picture from the MIF Student Book. Notice how length can be determined and compared in more than one way.

We will also compare lengths and learn to calculate the difference between them, and solve real-world problems about lengths and distance using bar models and diagrams. Look at this example from the Student Book. What pictures/diagrams (including bar models) would help to model the problem? What numbers and operations are involved?

Our Read Across America event was a blast! Shrewsbury artist Pat Erickson volunteered her time and talents reading Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat Comes Back to our class. She also modeled our core value of promoting lifelong learning by explaining the importance of reading in her own life as mother, business woman, and artist. A big ‘thank you’ to her and all the community members who made the day a success.

  

As a way to bring reading to life, students learned to read a script and then act out Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches. This activity gave us a means to practice fluent and expressive reading while reinforcing understanding of story structure and narration. Our day ended with a celebration of all things reading-related at our Grades 1 & 2 School Meeting, at which students were treated to “Seuss-isms” (life lessons from Dr. Seuss books), a visit from “The Cat” (Mrs. Martel’s husband, in costume), and a read-and-think aloud by guest reader and 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Edgren.

 Our CAFE focus on grammar & English skills continue as we learn about verbs, verb tenses, and adjectives. You can play games at home to reinforce these skills using ABC Ya: http://www.abcya.com/parts_of_speech_quest.htm, and the Web abounds with practice pages like these from one of my favorite sites, Have Fun Teaching: http://www.havefunteaching.com/worksheets/english-worksheets/parts-of-speech-worksheets.

Students will be writing a second Informative Writing piece this week. They will choose their own topics based on personal expertise; organize their compositions using the Grade 2 Informative Pillar; take ever more ownership of explaining their thinking in coherent sentences; and edit for spelling and English conventions.

This week we begin chapter 7 of Math in Focus, the goal of which is to make students proficient with linear measurement (especially meters and centimeters). To begin, students will learn the importance of standard units of measurement and be introduced to content-specific vocabulary (width; height; length; meter; etc.). They will next develop a sense of how big meters and centimeters are. Then they will learn correct methods for estimating and accurately measuring and talking about measurement (more than, less than, about, exactly). And as always, they will be asked to solve real-world problems that require analysis and application of skills learned. Consider the following problem from this week’s lessons. Notice how it requires students to think about space, length, multiplication/repeated addition, and subtraction to solve it:

In Social Studies this week we will learn about in-between directions (NE, SE, NW, SW) and apply this skill to solving problems and finding places on local, national, and world maps. We often apply skills using a trivia game in which I or the students make up questions having to do with one of the maps mentioned that require students to practice the ability to use map features (map key, symbols, natural and cultural features, country borders, directions, and more). I encourage you to do the same at home. Making up questions helps to stretch your child’s knowledge and understanding of the subject. Baseball fans may be interested in a game we play called Where Are Your Sox?, in which students use a political map of the U.S. and Canada to find the home state/city/country of the team the Red Sox are playing against any given day/week. You can find maps of every kind at National Geographic Online: http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps, and the Red Sox season schedule at: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/schedule/?c_id=bos#y=2015&m=3&calendar=DEFAULT

 

 It’s Read Across America Week! This nationwide effort is sponsored by the National Education Association with the aim of drawing attention to the importance and joy of lifelong reading. That’s an everyday goal of our classroom! The event is always paired with Dr. Seuss books, which we will share this week. On Friday we will be honored by a community member who will come in to read to us and share the importance of reading in our everyday lives. Our week will conclude with our class participating in our own Reader’s Theatre reading of The Sneetches (see video below) and a grade-wide celebration of reading at our monthly Grade 1 & 2 School Meeting.

 

You can learn more about the day, including science and math activities that can be done at home, at http://www.nea.org/grants/886.htm. This year’s theme book is Oh, The Places You’ll Go. Here it is being read aloud by U.S. service men and women (from the DVIDS website: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/392728/read-across-america-2015-service-members-read-oh-places-youll-go#.VPMuyGd0z3g) –it puts a new spin on an old idea!

 Our CAFE focus is on identifying and correctly using grammar (singular and plural nouns, adjectives, homonyms, etc.). We’ll sing along to Schoolhouse Rock videos from Netflix.com (remember those old chestnuts?) and apply our learning with word play and scanning text.

We will end the trimester by revisiting and extending our learning of Informative Writing. Being naturally curious, kids are all experts on something: sports, music, building, animals, etc. How do experts use their passion about a topic to write informational text that teaches others what they know? We will answer that question by exploring our passions and using our Grade 2 Informative Pillar to structure short articles about a topic. You and your child can study great examples of short nonfiction at home with any of the links found on this blog post from Hello Literacy: http://helloliteracy.blogspot.com/2011/02/sources-of-short-web-based-text.html

 We are coming to the end of Chapter 6: multiplication of 2s, 5s, and 10s. Kids should know what multiplication means; strategies for multiplication; ways to model multiplication (arrays; bar models; drawing representational groups) and how to apply all of the above to solve real-world problems. We will take the tests on the chapter this week and continue to practice ways to solve problems.

 In Social Studies, our study of geography continues with an examination of countries and continents. What exactly does each of these mean? How are continents and countries made? Which maps are best for learning about and locating these different places? National Geographic Online is a fantastic stop for all things geographical, including the photos for which they are famous as well as games and articles for kids: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids-world-atlas/maps.html

 How does weather change day to day and over time? We have spent much of the trimester answering this question using scientific investigations, content learning, and observations. Having created bar graphs to show our data around temperature, we will learn this week how to analyze them. Part of analyzing data is to accurately report what the data shows, instead of what we wanted to find. Another part is noticing trends and putting the data together to comment on it. We will learn the difference between these two skills and apply them to report out on our findings.