November 28 - 30

LAST WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS SEASON OFFICIALLY BEGINS!

Welcome back to school!  I hope everyone's time off was relaxing.  The next few weeks will be very busy as we celebrate a fun final season of the year.

READING:
This week we will read Patricia Polacco's book, The Keeping Quilt.  This is a unique story that looks into the importance of family and of keeping our family's history alive through the generations.   Polacco is from  a Russian immigrant's family that came to the United States a few generations ago.  We will follow a quilt that is passed down generation to generation.  Test will be on Friday.  Make certain that your child reads the book orally on the day he/she brings it home.


MATH:
This week we will begin a fun new unit on various graphs - bar graphs, line graphs, and pictographs.  Students will be asked to create as well as read in interpret these graphs.  We will review a bit this week as well and have a test on Friday on Clocks, addition with regrouping, as well as money sums.  Please review these concepts with your child if he/she struggles in one or more of these areas.

SPELLING:
We will continue our high frequency word lists this week.  Please make certain your child is taking the time to do his/her homework neatly.  This has become a bit of a problem. Thank you.

SCIENCE:
FINAL WEEK OF WEATHER:  Take home test and weather report on the way!
We will finish up our weather unit this week.  On Wednesday (or Tuesday) the student's will be bringing home his./her notes he/she has taken over the past few weeks.  With these notes the students will complete a take home test.  ALSO, a report is due as well on one of the weather concepts we have studied.  The explanation and requirements of this report and the take home test will both be in the students' blue weather folder.  BE ON THE LOOKOUT!
BOTH DUE Monday December 10th


GINGERBREAD HOUSES:

We will be celebrating the season by studying Germany and decorating gingerbread houses.  I need everyone to pitch in to help with this project.  I will be sending home a note with a request for icing and an item we will need to decorate these edible houses.  Please be watching for this note.  Our decorating will happen on Thursday, December 13th @ 1:45.  Parents are encouraged to come to help their children out with this fun project.


IN HOUSE SCIENCE SOUND FIELD TRIP:
Our in house science field trip will be on Monday, December 17th.  Please send in the $8.50 if you have not already.  This money is due now!


THE POLAR EXPRESS MOVIE:
We will have pajama day and watch The Polar Express on Tuesday, December 18th.  We will eat popcorn.  The only thing I need is the movie!  If you have the movie, please let me know!

THANKSGIVING WEEK!

This week will be more of an educationally fun week!  We only have two days until Thanksgiving Break!


This week. . .

Math:
We have successfully learned about time this week and will finish up with a few review lessons this week.  When we return from Thanksgiving break we will dive into various graphs - bar graphs, pictographs, line graphs, etc.  This should be a fun break from our traditional math schedule.  Of course we will continue to work on addition with regrouping as well as money.
**There will be a small bit of math homework on Monday!


CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LATEST ADDITIONS TO OUR MATH DUDE STATUS!
These are the students who successfully completed 95% of their 80 math facts in five minutes!  I was so proud of the students.  We will have one more try at our math fact addition test before Christmas break.  I am hoping we will add even more students to our "MATH DUDE CLUB".


Reading:
This week we will look into the tradition of Thanksgiving and Pumpkin Pies using our PROVE IT method.

Spelling:
NO SPELLING THIS WEEK.

Science:
We will be wrapping up our weather unit the week we return from Thanksgiving Break.  The students will have a take home test as well as a small project.  Be on the watch for more information to come!

MONDAY:
PIE TASTE BAR GRAPH DAY!
On Monday at 1:45 PM we will take time to taste various flavors of pies donated by the parents.  The students will decide which pie they enjoyed the most and we will cooperatively make a class bar graph with our results.  Parents are welcome to come and help pass out pieces of pie for this activity.

TUESDAY:
CRAFT/SNACK DAY
On Tuesday at 1:45 we will be working on a small craft (place mat) to take home as well as have a small Thanksgiving snack.  Parents are welcome to come in to help out.

Finally,
Don't forget to bring in the $8.50 due for the Sound Science Field Trip on December 17th.
Thank you.

November 13-16

Thanksgiving is on the way!

Wow - Can you all believe it?  Thanksgiving is next week!  I hope you all are planned for an exciting week with family.  Since all our family lives far away, we have made a Cabascango Thanksgiving tradition. . .
THE ZOO!
Yep!  We pack up and head off to the North Carolina zoo every Thanksgiving Day.  The weather is usually perfect animal siting weather and it's great exercise.  This year we plan to add to our celebration by stopping off at Golden Coral on the way home (in honor of you Emily!!)

OUR CLASS THIS WEEK WILL. . .

Reading:
We finished Flat Stanley and will be working on sending our Flat Stanley letters out this week.  We have some exciting places Stanley will visit such as Ecuador, Brazil and China!  Wish him luck as he journeys around our country as well as into other lands across the globe.




This week we will also return to our 2nd grade reading series and enjoy the story, A TURKEY FOR THANKSGIVING by Eve Bunting

This will be a perfect story to enjoy as we approach the holiday.  Yes, there will be a comprehension test on Friday.

Spelling:
We are on to our fourth list this week with only two more lists to go.  Forgo Monday's homework and continue to do Tuesday - Thursday homework.
PARENTS. . .Please check over your child's spelling homework.  I have noticed little silly mistakes and sentences that could use some guidance.  Thank you for your help.

Math:
This week we will be working on Time.  Practice at home!

Science:
Weather has been a blast!  Last week we enjoyed learning about wind by using feathers, bubbles and a few kites.  This week we will begin to learn about precipitation and the water cycle.

FIELD TRIP
Don't forget to send in the $8.50 required to attend our in-house field trip about sound.  This is due before Thanksgiving Break!

THANKSGIVING PIE TASTING:
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19th @ 1:45 PM
We are in need of some more pies.  So far we have pumpkin pies donated.  I have heard some parents are bringing in some pies, but this has not been confirmed.  Please e-mail me.

November 5-9

NOVEMBER IS HERE!

November is here and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Parents, I would like some ideas concerning our Thanksgiving Treat.  On Monday, November 19th, I'd like to have a pie tasting day where we would taste a variety of pies and as a class make a bar graph to record our results.  On this day I would like to have a variety of pies - homemade or store bought.  

Apple Pie

Cherry Pie

Chocolate Pie              

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Etc.

This day will be our "Educational/Thanksgiving fun day.  I would like some parents to volunteer to. . .

Bring in a pie or two

Bring in some paper plates

Bring in some forks

Let me know if and how you can help.  We will probably begin this pie tasting after lunch around 1:45 PM

E-mail me at scabascangoncs@gmail.org

THEN, on Tuesday, November 20th, I'd like to have a small treat (cupcakes or creative Thanksgiving cookies etc.) as well as a simple craft for the students to make.  If you have any ideas, please let me know.

This week in ACADEMICS:

Math:

We are on to regrouping place value blocks and will begin to connect this representation of numbers to actual regrouping by carrying in numeric form.  I really think the children are ready for this concept.  Make certain your child can explain to you why he/she is regrouping and how he/she is doing this in the homework.  

Next week we will venture into time!

Reading:

Our class will continue Flat Stanely and finish the book this week.  Our Flat Stanley test will be on Friday.

IMPORTANT!!!

This week we will be working on Friendly Letters.  I will be sending home a form on which you need to write the address of a friend/relative that preferably lives in another state.  Your child will send Flat Stanely to this person who will, in turn, (hopefully) take Flat Stanley around his/her home town and record Flat Stanely's adventures.  After, Flat Stanley should be sent back to our school where we can share his adventures and record his travels on our U.S. map!

Small Groups:  Focus on Non-fiction - Mummies/Ancient Egypt

Science:

This week we will finish talking about temperature and continue to record our daily temperature patterns on our class November Weather Calendar.  The students will begin to investigate wind!

Social Studies:

ELECTION WEEK!  

Our class will take time Monday and Tuesday to discuss the elections!  We will have a mock election on Tuesday.

Spelling:

We are on to our third week of high frequency words.  I am seeing some great grades!  Keep up the good work.  Remember, we will have six weeks of high frequency word list and then will return to Words Their Way.

Writing:

Hopefully the editing process went ok.  If you need a couple more days, that is fine.  Please send in the final drafts by Friday!

Final Notes:

We will have another Science in house field trip on December 17th.  This field trip (about sound) is with Science for Fun - a great company that specializes in science for children.  I have seen this field trip in the past and my students have said, "this is better than recess!"  Be on the watch for the permission slip.

Also - our class will have our own "scientist" come into our room. We will not need to share this time!