September Is Over?!?

September 30, 2011

 

Greetings from Room 116!

Hard to believe that September’s already over, but we certainly closed out the month in style! Here’s a short recap of our week:

ELA: We read about frogs and cranberries this week in addition to our nonfiction book group work. We also learned the learned the letter “t” in cursive, and reviewed the “short o” and “short e” spelling patterns.

Math: We finished Unit 1 and took our first unit assessment. Ongoing practice at home of addition/subtraction facts, time, and money will help greatly as we begin to build on last year’s concepts and skills.

Science/SS: We continued our life cycle work with an in-depth look at the lifespan of frogs. We will be creating a PowerPoint in computers to display our learning. We also learned more about the amazing cranberry plant.

Other: We discussed the concept of “empathy” in Second Step and brainstormed various ways to be more aware and empathetic.

On Monday, October 3, students will get together with other third graders for lively book talks about various summer reading selections. Please remember to bring in your Patricia Polacco book if you have not already done so. Also, the EHB Open House is on Thursday, October 6, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. I look forward to meeting everyone then!

Warm wishes for a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney

Happy Fall!!

September 23, 2011

 

Greetings from Room 116!

Our classroom is now in full swing, and everyone is doing a great job of settling in. Thank you so much for your support in this regard. Below is a brief recap of Week 3:

ELA: We began reading Gooney Bird Greene, as well as several nonfiction books to accompany our life cycles science unit. We also started our spelling program with a look at “short a” and “short i” words, and we learned our first letter in cursive (“i”).

Math: We continued our review of second grade concepts with a focus on money skills. We also reviewed probability, addition, and subtraction.

Science/SS: We worked in small groups to learn about the life cycles of different living things, and created posters and songs/skits to teach the rest of the class what we learned. We made some preliminary connections to the life cycle of the cranberry plant, which is native to Massachusetts.

Other: We Had our first trip to the relocated computer lab where we set up our new student folders and reviewed basic procedures.

Best wishes to all for a relaxing weekend!!

Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney

Off and Running!

September 16, 2011

 

Greetings from Room 116!

 

Our second week of school has been very busy indeed. We are already starting to internalize the daily routines and classroom expectations, which will help us to maximize our time on learning. This week we set personal goals for the coming year. We also created a set of classroom rules to help foster a positive, productive learning environment.

Following is a brief review of the rest of our week:

ELA: We read several stories around the themes of friendship, community, and personal responsibility. We published individual “I Am” poems and “Hopes and Dreams.”

Math: We continued to review second grade skills in the area of addition/subtraction, time, and graphing.

Science/SS: We enjoyed a brief introduction to life cycles. This first science unit connects to the social studies unit on cranberries that we will begin next week. We also discussed the U.S. Constitution in conjunction with the creation of our own Classroom Constitution and Constitution Day.

Thank you to everyone who sent in completed parent/guardian questionnaires and blog permission forms. If you have not yet done so, please return these as soon as possible.  Best wishes for a super sunny weekend!

Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney

Successful First Week of School!

 

September 9, 2011

 

 

Greetings from Room 116!

 

Thank you to all of our 116 families for helping to ensure a smooth and successful transition back to school. We got off to a super start this week! Everyone came prepared and ready to learn. Thank you also for your quick turn around regarding required school forms. If you have not yet returned those, please make sure to send them in on Monday.

 

This week was a great time to greet old friends and make new ones. We also spent time getting to know our new surroundings, establishing classroom routines, and outlining expectations for the year. We are now ready to begin our exciting third grade curriculum.

In math we started Unit 1, which is mainly a review. In language arts, we discussed good reading habits and introduced DEAR time and Writer’s Workshop. We also read several stories around the themes of friendship and individuality. We will continue these discussions next week, in addition to introducing spelling and SS/Science.

I have sent home a brief questionnaire that will help me to learn more about your student. Also enclosed is a permission slip to post your childs’ work on our classroom blog. Please complete and return both of these forms as soon as possible. I look forward to meeting everyone at Open House on October 6 from 6:00 to 7:30. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

 

Ms. Feeney

 

P.S. A copy of our Special Schedule is included for your information as well.

Room 116’s

Special Schedule

 

Monday Junior Great Books

Tuesday Music

Wednesday Gym

Thursday Gym

Friday Art