Connected Learning

About our week:

1. Second graders are working to design business cards to go with their professions using the computer program Kid Pix. They are in the midst of their I-search projects in preparation for our Job Fair.

2. Third graders had an exciting week with their study of Asia. On Thursday we were generously treated by the Patys family to enjoy a hibachi

style lunch at Umi's restaurant in celebration of Chinese New Year. It was delicious, fun, and very educational! Thank you Patys family! On Friday, the third grade skyped with my friend Ari who lives in Japan. Students had prepared questions for Ari, who grew up in the US but moved to Japan 15 years ago, asking him about various aspects of Japanese culture, as well as differences between US and Japanese culture. It was a fabulous exchange!

3. Sally, our writing moose, has had grand adventures! She spent last week at Ethan's home. She bowled, met another moose named Ted, and snuggled with 2 week-old baby Aubrey. This weekend she is getting to know Dallas and his family. We can't wait to hear what she has to say!

4. We are playing around with the new SBS Promethean Board and learning how to use it. Very FUN!

We look forward to chatting with you all at conferences next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Valentine's Day

It has been a full and productive week, despite the gift of a snow day mid-week!

Here's what's happening in our classroom:

1. Children have been working hard on their fiction stories. This week we finished editing and stretching our stories. Using the software Kidspiration, students have typed up their final drafts. Next week we will illustrate them using another neat computer program called Kid Pix.

2. Book clubs continue! Second graders are now reading The Outside Dog by Charlotte Pomerantz, while third graders are finishing up My Father's Dragon Ruth Stiles Gannett. Book clubs are an exciting venue to practice our learned reading comprehension strategies, build fluency, and share the excitement of a book with friends. The children seem to be thoroughly enjoying this experience.

3. In math, both second graders and third graders have been working with the concepts of multiplication and division. As always in our math program, learning begins with concrete experimentation, then moves to pictorial representation, while ultimately focusing on the abstract manipulation of the concept. (Challenge: Can you figure out "What's my rule?" for the pictured Venn diagram?)

4. In social studies, second graders have been enjoying visits from parents working in all different professions! Research on their chosen jobs is ongoing. In the coming weeks, students will be bringing home some work to do relating to their I-Search projects. Stay tuned. Third graders have been learning about Japanese home life. We made a book about ourselves to send to a school in Japan, with questions about their lives to answer. Next week we will skype with a friend of Mrs. MacGregor that lives in Japan! Finally, the third grade will travel on Thursday to an Asian restaurant to learn about Chinese New Year. (See note in blue folders for more information on this). Many thanks to the Patys family for this wonderful opportunity!

5. "Have a Heart for Haiti" update: Students drafted a letter to the FA community explaining our project and delivered a copy of it to each classroom and faculty member. Many folks have written messages of hope on the board! Come in and add your own!

We have a short week next week! Monday is a day off for Presidents' Day. On Tuesday there is no school for children as the faculty has a professional development day. We hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Have a Heart for Haiti

This week second and third graders have been involved in a collaborative service-learning project. As we are learning more and more about the tragic events in Haiti, and the devastating conditions that the Haitian people are living in, our students have had a natural impulse to help. Third graders decided to research reputable organizations that are working in Haiti and offering relief efforts there. They made informational posters to educate our community about these organizations, the kind of work that they do, and how to donate to specific organizations.

Second graders have been making symbolic "hearts for Haiti" and writing messages of hope, love, and peace for the Haitian people. They have also made many blank hearts and are creating an interactive display where others from our community can contribute their own messages of hope, love, and peace.

Together our students have learned about where Haiti is, what the climate is like there, and what the Haitian flag looks like. Students then created a Haitian flag. To learn more and to add your own message of hope, please visit the our display in the Reed entrance.

In other news, Sally the Moose traveled last week to the Michaud household! She had tons of adventures, and is now off to the Harrison residence for the weekend. Everyone is enjoying reading what Sally is writing in her journal, and anxiously awaiting their turn to bring her home! Second graders have been immersed in their job research. Third graders were lucky enough to learn how to make (and eat!) Sushi from FA parent Aaron Derego. Thanks Aaron!

Next week third graders will be traveling to the Boston Children's Museum to visit a traditional Japanese home and to engage in a traditional Japanese art. Thank you to Barbara Corey for chaperoning this trip!

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