Woods School

Wow! These 2nd Graders sure are having fun learning more about counting money and making change. I am so impressed by their skills and application of their knowledge! We even made 100th Day a fun money day! Now, we are moving along into telling time and building on the skills we learned about in First Grade. It should prove to be lots of fun because they are constantly watching the clock to make sure I am on schedule.

Needs versus wants is the topic of our latest Social Studies curriculum. The students are learning how thing are made and they many people involved in creating the goods they consume each day. Watch for the flow charts to be on display in the hallway!

We will also be starting our Flat Stanley project in a couple of weeks. Please watch for information as it approaches. That is a great time for everyone invovled — especially the 2nd Grade!

The class has developed a wonderful thirst for learning and knowledge about the human body and how our digestive system works. Although I know that the information gave some students the squirmies. I am very proud of all of them and you need to ask them about their "factories;" if you haven't already!

The 2010 Winter Olympics is just a few days away and we are learning so much about some of our U.S. athletes. The students were asked to complete a research report about an athlete of interest and they have given us many to watch in all of the various sports. It should prove to be very exciting!

One of the biggest changes taking place in our classroom is the use of cursive. I have started writing in cursive when making comments on their papers, the date, and our daily schedule. It is wonderful exposure for them and next, they will be learning to write their names! Oh, you can defintely see the excitement and pride on their faces! I am just asking that cursive is not taught at home because we look for particular letter formation in the 3rd Grade!

Happy Groundhog Day, Dental Health Month, Valentine's Day, and President's Day

from the Second Grade!

Oh – how time is flying by! I am so surprised by all of the things that take place during the Holiday Season! This class has done an excellent job staying focused and continuing with their routines. Thank you for all that you have done to assist with this! I also want to compliment the class on their performance in the Christmas Concert – what a pleasure it was to watch them, along with the rest of the students! They all have so much talent to offer! It truly displayed the spirit of the Holidays!

We were able to complete Chapter 4 in Math and even took a test at the end. You should see what great independent learners the class has become!

The SmartBoard has been a very fun learning tool for us! We have been using it to reinforce our Science topic. We found some great lessons about the heart and lungs and how they work! Just ask the class about resuscitating the young man by putting his respiratory system together properly! It was a riot! We were also able to do some things with Native Americans and Pilgrims. It is proving to be very valuable!

Saying this hardly seems right because time is so quickly passing us by! We had a wonderful Spirit Week and were stuffed after the delicious Thanksgiving Feast! That is a true start to the Holidays for many. Our Spirit Week came to an exciting end – not that dressing up in our p.j.'s, showing our team spirit, looking crzy, dressing fancy, and displaying the Woods' colors wasn't enough – we won the Spirit Stick!

The Math chapter about turn around facts and fact families gave us a new way to look at patterns in Math problems. It has definitely helped us become more fluent in our answering of math facts. Please continue to work on these skills at home. The more the students practice, the more fluent they become.

Native Americans and Pilgrims have been our focus in Language Arts and Social Studies. The students are trying hard to understand how lives were different and what activites were done to entertain the children. They can hardly believe people lived without electricity, water, and most of all, computers and video games.

Enjoy the Holiday Season!

Wow! Where has the time gone? This has been an excellent month filled with lots of new concepts! I am so proud of the class and their budding acting skills! We have been doing some comprehension activities that have been involving acting the stories out for their classmates. This is a very exciting activity for them and they love performing for others. They continue to amaze me with their interpretations!

We have completed our latest chapter in Math and the class did extremely well on their assessment! I am also so proud of their story problem writing.  They have caught on to the key words that tell us whether to add or subtract the numbers. We also spent some time making problems that are using items around the room — give it a try as you are driving or at home. It is a fantastic way for them to practice their facts!

The state reports are still being presented to the class. We are a great bunch of listeners and can recall facts that have been told during the reports. Please remember to encourage your student to do their best and remember that the more additional time, information and efforts that are displayed improve their grades. We will be doing another report in November — please watch for details!

Keep up the hard work 2nd Grade!