Happy New Year

We ended the year on a high note with a fantastic Polar Express Day. After a nice long break we returned from the holidays rested and relaxed 2nd and 1/2 graders ready to work hard for the rest of the school year.

In our new unit of study in Writers Workshop we are taking another look at our hopes and dreams and writing about them in a constructed response. A constructed response involves answering a question in a structured way using a graphic organizer to plan out your idea, then a topic sentence, detail/supporting sentences and a closing sentence. This is the first time that the students have experimented with this type of challenging writing and they are doing a great job. They also came up with some very thoughtful hopes and dreams to try and accomplish before the end of the school year.

In our new unit of study in Reader's Workshop each student has chosen a series to become an expert on. This week was the kickoff of the unit and we headed to the library, where Mrs. Wentz gave us an introduction to all types of fiction series. The students chose two or three books that they will use to investigate the character, identify the story elements, and eventually create a reccommendation about the series that they will share at the end of the unit celebration.

In Math we are starting our new round of workplaces. We are putting to use all of the addition and subtraction strategies that we have learned throughout Unit 3. In Number Corner, the students have been thinking about fractions in a fun way using probability and have started to make deposits into a base ten bank. This activity helps them to use the strategies that they have learned for basic facts and begin to apply them to computing double and triple digits numbers quickly and efficiently.

I am proud to announce that during the two weeks that the students participated in our Chores for Change fundraiser, they were able to raise $350.00. Yesterday we took a vote on what animals we wanted to purchase for Heifer International with the money and the winners were: 1 goat, 1 llama, 1 trio of rabbits, and 1 flock of chicks. The hard work that your children put in will help to benefit many families in need.

I hope that you all had a restful holiday and wish you a very happy new year.