Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Hunting and Camping by Devin

When I was down by my pond, I was trying to catch frogs. I was fishing, too. I went for a hike in the woods. I was playing water gun fight. I was hunting for bears, too. I shot one and I ate it for dinner. I went for a canoe journey with my friends. We tried to go down our little stream. I had so much fun! It was the best time ever. Then it was time to go to bed. I stayed outside the whole night!

Camping by Willow

Once I went camping. Some of my friends came with my mom and me. First we played kick ball. Then we played tag. Last we played hide and seek. Then it was time to go to sleep, but first we looked at the stars. Then we all got into our sleeping bags. It was fun! In the morning, we had pancakes with strawberries.

Playing House by M.E.V.

One day I went to a party. It was at a friend's house. It was very, very, very fun! There were lots of kids and parents. The kids played house, police, and ran around. My favorite game was house, because I was the mom. I got to be active. I acted as a mother in the game. I had to do everything. It was fun!

A Fun Time Outside by Chloe

One time I climbed to the top of Pitcher Mountain with my Mom and my brother, Noah. There were blueberry bushes. It was so fun! I saw like five butterflies. When we reached the top, I was so happy! It was the first time that I climbed to the top of a mountain.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Playing Outside by Makenzie


When I was at my cousin's house, me and my sisters and cousins played outside on the trampoline. Then we played tag and climbed trees. We also went to the beach and we had fun!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Dear Families,

Thanks so much for helping with the schoolhouse memory interviews. Most of the children have had a chance to share their responses. Since our field trip to the Peterborough Historical Society where we got to go in a one room schoolhouse, we have begun working on a writing piece to compare certain aspects of the past to present day experiences in schools. I hope to post these writings in the next few weeks.

The children are making progress on the Henry and Mudge reading marathon. Please let me know if you have a well-trained dog, or know of someone that would be willing to bring in their dog for a show and tell on our celebration. It may be another 2 or 3 weeks before we have all finished the marathon, so there is time to plan.

Did you hear about our science lessons? The children have been studying the three types of soil: clay, sand, and humus. They used their observation skills to determine the differences in texture, smell, and color. Ms. Young, our methods student from Keene State College taught these lessons. Then we had an exciting visit from Ms. Sutton, the naturalist from the Harris Center. She brought in earth worms for the children to touch and look at under a magnifying glass. We all learned interesting facts, and that worms help make soil good for growing plants. Next, we will be learning about composting, and will continue to study worms. A field trip is being planned for later this month to visit a composting center. I will provide more details next week.

We have finished our first unit in reading, and took the benchmark test. We will begin Unit 2 next week. We finished our third topic in math. W.I.N. time has also started. Ask your child what he/she is doing during this time. W.I.N. stands for What I Need. It happens once a day for a 30 minute block of time. The children are divided into various groups for certain skills for which extra practice is needed, or for enrichment activities.

Fall is a beautiful time of year. Have a great weekend.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Henry and Mudge Reading Marathon

Dear Families,

We are excited to tell you about a reading challenge for both second grade classrooms. It started after we read the story, "Henry and Mudge, and the Starry Night" in our Reading Street text book. In case you don't know, Henry is a boy and Mudge is his big dog. There are many more stories in a series published in small paperback books. The kids really like these stories, so the challenge is to read twenty titles and write at least four sentences about each story. We are calling it a Henry and Mudge Bonanza Marathon. When every child has finished all 20 titles, we are going to have a big celebration with balloons, refreshments, and certificates. To add to the fun, the children will be allowed to bring in their stuffed animal dog toys for the day. I'm also hoping to arrange for someone to bring in a real dog, preferably a puppy. Most of us love dogs, especially Mrs. Bluhm. So we will keep you posted on our progress.

Lastly, we will be going on our field trip to the Peterboro Historical Society this coming Wednesday, Oct. 5th. We will be taking a school bus, leaving school around 9:50, and returning for lunch. Please provide a regular morning snack. We will eat snack before we leave AES.

The children have been learning about how different life was in the early 1800's, and on this trip, they will get to experience a few hours in a one room school house. They will also get to play with toys and games from this era. To complement this unit of study, each child will also be conducting an interview of the oldest person they know or can meet. The questions will focus on the memories of that person's elementary school days. ( Try to find someone at least 70 years old). Of course, you may assist or accompany your child on the interview which can be done over the phone or in person. You may act as scribe if your child requests help. We are hoping to share the results by next Thursday, Oct. 6th. Thanks for your help.

( Back Posted: Originally written on Sept. 30th)

Our First Week of School of 2011

Dear Families,

Here are some of our accomplishments as dictated to me by my students.

We learned about Rocket Math. We had assembly and met all of the new students and teachers.
We did the dance of Jump, Jim, Joe in our classroom. We started to fill up the marble jar. We learned a new action song at assembly to the tune of Dynamite. We went to P.E. and met our new teacher named Coach Druin. We love read aloud! We read the following books: I am the Dog, I am the Cat, Boomer's Big Surprise, and Boomer Goes to School. In our regular math, we learned about using the part-part whole mat to add and subtract. We had health time and music. We take turns using clothes pins with our names on them. We earn bonus marble points for good listening and cooperation. We started our Reading Street unit. Our weekly question is: What can we learn by exploring different communities? We brainstormed topics that we want to learn about. Here is our list: fawns and deers, basketball, science, the internet, computers, technology, mammals, food and cooking, Hollywood, acting and performing, cheetahs, soccer, caterpillars, insects, jaguars, horses and riding, ducks and squirrels.

So, as you can see, we have had a great first week.

Finally, please mark your calendars for Open House on Thursday, Sept. 22nd from 5:15 - 6:15.

Leave us a comment.

(Back posted by Mrs. Bluhm on Oct. 4th, 2011) Originally written on Sept. 2nd, 2011