NOVEMBER and BEYOND!

November has been an exciting month of building on our tri-conference goals and continuing our important work as learners.  Yesterday, November 20th was a special day, our 50th day of Grade 2!  What unbelievably independent and strong learners we have become in such a short time.  BRAVO 2J!

So let's catch you up..........

BECOMING THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE!

* I co-operate well with my partners and get the job done

*I solve conflicts using my Kelso strategies

Becoming mathematicians!

*I think, give answers and explain my thinking during Number Talks.

*I understand place value.
(I can build a two digit number and explain what both digits mean.)

*I use my mental math strategies.
*doubles *near doubles *ways to make 10

 

Becoming voracious readers!

I use my comprehension strategies
*Monitor and fix up
*Ask questions before, during and after reading

I can read words accurately

*Flip the sound (short/long vowel sounds)

I read accurately, with expression, and understand what I read
*Voracious reading
 

Leap into Learning

On the count of 3,

Let's say C0MMUNITY!!!

Linden Meadows is a community where we work, learn, and play together!

Here are some highlights we'd like to share with you.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to the many parents who have offered their time both in and outside of the classroom this year. We are so lucky to have such a positive response

.  Special thanks go to Lisa Kroeker, who has offered to take on the job of Parent Rep this year!  She will be emailing you shortly to update you on volunteer opportunities such as super lunch, class party treats, field trip supervision, as well as classroom volunteer times.

Volunteers make a difference!!

A special thanks to our parents and younger siblings that attended the Terry Fox walk with our class.

Great Cause, Great Day!!

OUR CLASSROOM CONTRACT

What a wonderful sound to hear our contract read aloud each morning. Students are working actively to do the right thing and be the best that they can be! Let's Keep Hopping 2 it 2J! This is important work.

So what have we been up to these past weeks?

Let's have a look......

LANGUAGE ARTS

We have begun our Home Reading Program to promote oral reading skills. Reading Just Right Books aloud with a "storytelling voice" helps to build both fluency and expression. The October reading goal is 200 minutes. Don't forget to record your minutes and hand in your home reading duotang on the first day of each month! Keep turning those pages!

Reading Workout
Everyone loves a good recipe, especially teachers. The Literacy CAFE Menu continues to be a recipe for success when it comes to teaching reading. The CAFE headings stand for:
C - Comprehension -I understand what I read.
A-  Accuracy -I can read the words.
F-  Fluency- I can read accurately, with expression, and understand what I read.
E- Expanded Vocabulary - I know, find, and use interesting words.
Our reading targets are:
*Increasing our reading stamina (30 minutes is our target)
*I pick books
*Checking for understanding
*Cross-checking ( Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does it make sense?)
*Tuning into interesting words

MATH

Our September and October focus continues to be building a strong understanding of numbers from 1-100. Within this focus, we have been working on several different math activities to expand our mathematical thinking.

Number Talks is a daily routine, where students are expected to work with a set of number facts that they can solve mentally. Wonderful teaching opportunities arise as students share and defend their mental math strategies.

Math Targets
*Describing numbers to 100
*Representing and showing numbers in a variety of ways
*Skip counting sequences (by 2s, 5s, and 10s), forward and backwards
*Estimating quantities to 100 using referents

Wow! That's all I've got to say!

Here we are the second last day of school!! How can this be?? I would like to take a moment to thank you, yes you, our wonderful parents. Your support has been much appreciated! As always, we couldn't do it without you!! It has been a privledge and an honor to teach your children this year. Grade 2 has a life of its' own and I truly love the pace and energy! Thank you also, for your many kind words, wishes and gifts this past week. Your generosity and thoughtfulness means so much and has been truly overwhelming!
Please scroll down and enjoy our two end of the year videos, followed by our two performances of La poule Maboule. Also, here is the link to our online math learning site, Dreambox. Our subscription lasts until August 31st, so if the kids need a break from the outdoors they can come on in and play math games indoors!
Here is the site: DREAMBOX
Kids, please use your school login, and you're off!
Now Let's All Hop To It and have a FABULOUS summer!
Take care!
Erika Jordan

Term 3......here we go!!!!

The glorious weather during spring break left us all refreshed and ready to leap back into learning for our last three months. Tri-conferences helped us celebrate our successes and focus on our current goals. As always, it was wonderful to be a part of student, parent and teacher conversations about learning. So here's a snapshot of what we've been up to:
TEACHER CANDIDATE
Our teacher candidate, Ms. Hurdell is completing the final portion of her teaching practicum. She's been a great addition to our classroom and we're lucky to have her with us until April 20th.
MATH TARGETS
Students are continuing to work on their tri-conference goals:
We are mathematicians using our mental math strategies!
We are brave and daring problem solvers!

NEW MATH TARGETS THIS TERM INCLUDE:
 *creating, identifying and describing repeating and increasing patterns
(Patterning mathematical language: *core *predict *term *element *extend *rule)

*demonstrating and explaining the meaning of equality
(Equality mathematical language:*same/more/less, equal, not equal, balance, match, equality, inequality                                                                                              

Our Churchill Tour

March Update

If it's one thing we know how to do well in 2J,

it's co-operate, participate

and have fun learning!!

No matter what the ocaasion, solving the Tangram Challenge,

day to day learning,

I Love to Read activities, the WSO field trip, 100 Day festivities or preparing for tri-conferences,

2J always strives to be the best that they can be!

TOGETHER IS BETTER!!

FEBRUARY UPDATE!!

FEBRUARY UPDATE!!

Five months into the year, five months left to have fun learning together! 2J are you ready for the final stretch?
LET'S HOP TO IT!!!

February is a happening month. Let's look at upcoming events:

VALENTINE'S PARTY
*Tuesday, February 14th will include a day of valentine math, writing, reading activities, to be followed with valentine games, snacks and sharing of valentines in the afternoon.
(Please note: This party is a class celebration only.)


100 DAY CELEBRATION
The countdown began on the first day of school and we are now only 5 school days away from this exciting event.  Friday, February 17th is our official 100th day of school and we have a jam packed day planned! Students, remember to bring your 100 collection to school on Friday.  Students may bring any 100 items they choose. Over the years many strange and unusual items have found their way into the classroom with everything from shells, marbles, feathers, toy cars, stuffies, pasta, books, lego pieces, 100 wallpaper samples, and so on and so on.  Anything goes, so use your imagination!

I LOVE TO READ MONTH
FUEL YOUR JETS FOR READING!
Students are building their reading stamina during reading workout and earning one puck for every 30 minutes of reading time.  The reading pucks are placed in the net in the front hall.  Once the net is full, a shoot out will occur during the final Playoff Reading Day- February 29th in the gym at 3:00 pm.  Rumour has it Mrs. Zimmerman and Mr. Scott will be our much anticipated participants!  At home, students are encouraged to read a total of 400 minutes in February for their Boston Pizza prize and to participate in the hockey bingo reading sheet found in their home reading duotang.  In keeping with our theme, every Friday is also a Wear Your Jets Gear day.  Check out our slideshow!
We read! We score! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to 2012!!  I hope that everyone had much family fun over the holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year.  Thank you to our many volunteers who helped us get through the busy month of December with ease!  Your help with preparation and holiday craft making, party planning, super lunch supervision and holiday treats on our last day helped us get the job done.  It was also great having Ms. Hurdell, our student teacher, on board for the past 6 weeks  We look forward to her return in March.
I would also like to take a  moment to express my sincerest thanks for your many thoughtful words, wishes, cards and gifts.  Thank you for the kindness you show each day and your continued support.  It is much appreciated!

So, what's new and exciting in 2J?  Let's have a look!

READING AND WRITING TARGETS
Novel Study

Before Christmas, we read Stanley, Flat Again!  In the first book,the main character, Stanley Lambchop is flattened in his sleep when a large bulletin board over his bed, falls on him!  Luckily, Stanley survives and makes the best of being flat.  No easy thing!   In the second book, he seems to have gone flat AGAIN and finds that being flat can be kind of handy.  2J immediately began imagining themselves flattened in their sleep and before you know it we created our own Flat Classroom.  We laminated our artwork to make it extra durable and began to consider the possibilities of what adventures we could now have.  Stay tuned for further interesting developments!!!

Reading Targets

*Chunking letters and sounds together
*Blending sounds; stretch and reread

Writing Targets

*I use my planning sheet for small moment writing
*I am a writer and can write for 20-30 minutes
*I always reread my work before I begin writing
*I am using some interesting story telling language

MATH TARGETS

I know my addition and subtraction facts (to 18), using mental math strategies
*using a known fact  3 + 4 = 7 so 30 + 40 = 70
*counting on 1, 2, and 3 more    
Begin with your largest quantity and then use your strategies to count on
$20 + $10 + $5 + $3 = 38
20, 30, 35, 38
*ways to make ten review (0 + 10, 1 + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7, 4 + 6, 5 + 5)
*doubles

I use my mental math strategies when I play What's My Value?

I can create and solve addition and subtraction problems using my mental math strategies.

BEHAVIOR TARGET  

                   

***TEAMWORK***