Second Grade News
by Karen Papa
November 18, 2008
November has provided us with some beautiful fall weather and plenty of activity in the second grade classroom. One special activity we enjoyed was going to a play in Columbus called “The Three Little Pigs.” It gave us a chance to practice our audience etiquette when at a live performance plus had a great message about sharing and friendship. As a follow-up we are writing letters to the actors from the Wichita Children’s Theatre Company.
We continue to work hard and grow in all areas of the curriculum. This month in reading we have been working on the skill of deciding whether the information we read is fact or opinion. Our progress with our mastery lists has been going well, and we have started or are looking forward to starting new reading books in each of our reading groups. During author time we have been sharing books written and illustrated by the author Arnold Lobel. He has introduced us to Frog and Toad, two very good friends. They are always having some type of adventure. Reading is such a big part of our day and we are gaining much confidence in this area.
Math has found us working with positive and negative numbers. We used an everyday tool to help us practice these numbers. That tool is the thermometer, and we are practicing reading the temperatures daily. The weather has been so nice, but that mercury has to be going down within the next few weeks. Please remember to dress for the weather. This unit has also introduced us to several strategies that we can use for addition and subtraction of bigger numbers. These strategies are used to help us develop our mental arithmetic skills. I can’t stress enough how important learning our addition and subtraction facts is this year. Since we use them so much in our everyday life any extra practice at home is greatly appreciated.
This month in Social Studies we studied three important elected positions and the responsibilities of each of these jobs. We found out about the president, governor, and the mayor. It was interesting to talk about what they do to help our country, state, and community. The national election provided us with an opportunity to discuss how an election works and the importance of voting. We got to take part in a mock election here at school organized by the fifth grade. We thank them for all their hard work to make this activity possible.
Science class has been very interesting as we are studying the human body. We are focusing on these organs: heart, lungs, brain, stomach, and intestines. One of our favorite projects would have to be making and wearing our body vests and brain hats. This has been a fun unit and we know that we need to eat healthy, make healthy choices, get plenty of rest, and exercise to keep our bodies in good shape.
November is a time of thanksgiving and counting our many blessings. Mrs. Papa is especially thankful for her wonderful second graders and their families. Have a joyous and safe holiday season.
