Palm Pipe Performance

This week . . .

*Dallas and Alex did a wonderful job presenting for Book Buzz!

*The 3rd grade performed at All School Meeting using the palm pipes they constructed in science as part of their study of sound.

*We read the books Ghost Eye Tree by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault and The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau by Jon Agee. The third graders have paired with the second graders to introduce them to the comprehension strategy of wondering and questioning books as we read them.

*The second graders started their I-Search reports and the residential community books.

*The third graders began their study of Japan by studying and creating political maps of Japan.

*In writing, students continue to write and learn about fiction. After reading the mentor text Ducky by Eve Bunting, we wrote stories about a toy that has an adventure!

*We discussed the tragedy in Haiti and brainstormed ways that we can help.

Looking ahead . . .

*Next week we will choose a fiction story to edit and expand.

*We will start a new home-to-school writing project!

*Third graders will begin a multiplication unit.

*We will begin book clubs next week!

*We will begin working on our Haiti service projects.

*On February 10th the third grade will go on a field trip to the Boston Children's Museum to learn about Japanese culture. We will need one chaperone from our class. Please let us know if you are interested in joining us.

We will soon post a video of the palm pipe performance!

Have a great weekend.

Important Conversations

This week in SBS 2/3 we had some very important conversations. In consideration of our upcoming day off from school, we discussed Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement, and the importance of keeping its dreams alive. We read the stories My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold and Rosa by Nikki Giovanni. Naturally, students have lots of questions about this time in our history. This coming Monday there is a wonderful opportunity for education and reflection. At the Providence Children's Museum there will be a storytelling duo acting out some stories from Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and the civil rights movement. I have taken my own children there for several years and each time it has proven to be an informative and inspiring experience. For more information please visit: http://www.childrenmuseum.org/calDetail.asp?date=1/18/2010.

Highlights from our week:

* Allie and Victoria did a fabulous job presenting for Book Buzz at All School Meeting. Bravo girls!!

*We learned about exceptions to the closed syllable type and began learning about open syllables.

*We continued to listen to and read fiction. We read the book Beardream by Will Hobbs and made up our own endings to the story.

*Second graders had a fabulous field trip to Bristol, RI as part of their commercial community study. We will post pictures early next week!

Remember there is No School on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.

Happy New Year!

We have had a great transition back to school this week. It was great to see everyone and to hear about all the adventures we experienced during break. Upon returning to school on Tuesday, children were greeted by the newest member of our class, a beta fish! The children brainstormed name ideas and voted on their favorite. Please take a moment to stop by and meet our pet, Lucky!

Curricular News

*This week in writing we began a new fiction unit. We read the mentor texts Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey and Brave Charlotte by Anu Stohner. These stories helped us to brainstorm different characters that we could write about as well as to think of interesting things that could happen to a main character in a story. The children spent time writing short fiction stories of their own.

*Children have been learning about and practicing the k/ck spelling rule. They have learned that when spelling the /k/ sound at the end of a syllable you most often use "k" after a long vowel or a consonant (mask, snake) and "ck" after a short vowel (snack).

*Third graders have been continuing to practice the strategy of wondering and questioning for comprehension purposes. We read the mentor text Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell, based on a true story of a little girl who was "mailed" on the train in 1914 in order to go visit her grandmother! Ask your children about it! Students have been expected to ask themselves questions about their independent reading and to share them with others in the group.

*Second graders continue to practice the strategy of making inferences. Often, we learn things about the characters in the stories we read by observing what they say and do. These things are not always stated explicitly. Rather, we have to "read between the lines" to gain information. Children are practicing through studying mentor text and then reading independently with these strategies in mind.

*In math, third graders have begun a unit on measurement. This week we discussed the importance of standard units of measurement, and practiced using a meter stick to measure various objects. Students continue to practice addition and subtraction with and without renaming. Second graders began to think about repeated addition problems as a beginning exploration of multiplication. Children also spent some time practicing addition facts.

Next week we will:

* Learn about closed syllable exceptions and begin to examine open syllables.

* Continue to write and read fiction stories.

* Practice comprehension strategies.

* On Thursday, second grade will take a field trip to Bristol, RI for our study of community. (Details coming home!)

* Pizza Day, Tuesday 1/12