Hello everyone, We are the second graders at Antrim Elementary School. Our teachers are Mrs. Bluhm and Mrs. Taylor. We are studying about China in our classroom. We are very excited to share what we have been learning during these past two weeks.
Please feel free to stop by our room to see more of our study on China
Sincerely,
The Second Graders
大家好，我們是二年級的學生在安特里姆小學。我們的教師都是夫人布盧姆女士和泰勒。我們正在研究對中國在我們的課堂。我們很高興能分享我們在學習期間，過去兩個星期。請隨意停止我們的房間裡看到更多我們研究中國此致，二年級的學生
Welcome to our blog. We are a second grade classroom at Antrim Elementary School in Antrim, New Hampshire, USA. There are currently 16 of us in our class. Our teacher is Mrs. Bluhm. We hope you enjoy sharing in our learning. Please be sure to leave us a comment.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
February Break 2010
Hello Families,
We have been working hard this week in an effort to make up some of the work that we missed on our snow day. The children took an 8 unit cumulative math test, and a five unit spelling review test. We have also started a new math topic on subtraction with borrowing.
Sledding and playing in the snow have added drama to our unit on the Arctic. The recess duty teachers have told me that some of my students have been seen crawling around in the snow pretending to be Arctic foxes and polar bears. We have begun to talk about the Iditarod, the great sled dog race of Alaska. If you have access to the internet, go to The Official Site of the Iditarod with your child. Click on the 2010 Iditarod. There are lots of short video clips to watch, and go to the musher listing. Click on a musher's name and you can read a short biography. Many of the mushers also have a link to their own website. It's fun to read about their lives and their dogs. When we return from break, each child will have a partner from our class. They will be asked to choose a musher to follow during the race. We will put up a huge map on the bulletin board, and track each musher's progress on a daily basis. This year's race starts Saturday, March 6th. The dogs travel about 8 miles an hour. Thus, the race can last from 8 to 16 days. Get ready! Set Go!
Have a wonderful break. See you back at school in March.
We have been working hard this week in an effort to make up some of the work that we missed on our snow day. The children took an 8 unit cumulative math test, and a five unit spelling review test. We have also started a new math topic on subtraction with borrowing.
Sledding and playing in the snow have added drama to our unit on the Arctic. The recess duty teachers have told me that some of my students have been seen crawling around in the snow pretending to be Arctic foxes and polar bears. We have begun to talk about the Iditarod, the great sled dog race of Alaska. If you have access to the internet, go to The Official Site of the Iditarod with your child. Click on the 2010 Iditarod. There are lots of short video clips to watch, and go to the musher listing. Click on a musher's name and you can read a short biography. Many of the mushers also have a link to their own website. It's fun to read about their lives and their dogs. When we return from break, each child will have a partner from our class. They will be asked to choose a musher to follow during the race. We will put up a huge map on the bulletin board, and track each musher's progress on a daily basis. This year's race starts Saturday, March 6th. The dogs travel about 8 miles an hour. Thus, the race can last from 8 to 16 days. Get ready! Set Go!
Have a wonderful break. See you back at school in March.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Winter News: Feb. 5, 2010
Hello Families,
With winter upon us, we are ending our literary unit on the study of China. Beginning next Monday, we will begin our next unit on the Arctic. We will be learning about the animals, native people, and the natural environment. Our focus will be mostly on Alaska. This will lead us into learning about the Iditarod, the great dogsled race that starts in early March. If you have never followed this race, get ready for some exciting fun.
We will incorporate mapping, math, and literacy skills.
In math, the children have learned how to regroup ones into tens, and to add in columns. This is the traditional way of adding of which we are familiar. I thank you for helping with their homework even when the process was different than the way you were taught. We will be finishing this topic next week, and should be able to take the unit test by Thursday. I will be sending home a packet of homework next Monday that includes spelling and math as I did this week. Please give assistance and check over the accuracy of the work. This packet of work can be worked on a few pages each night. It is not due until Friday of each week.
In science, we are still exploring the three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. We have conducted three experiments. Ask your child how we discovered that air takes up space. We also discovered some fast ways to melt ice cubes without using any source of heat besides our own bodies. Then, we worked in cooperative groups to insulate ice cubes to keep them frozen for as long as possible. We learned that a combination of cloth, tin foil and modeling clay worked best. Perhaps, the most rewarding activity was making lemon sherbet. ( See the recipe in this week's papers.)
Our next classroom party will be to celebrate Valentine's Day, and Chinese New Year. Our party will be on Friday, Feb. 12 from 2:15 until dismissal. The rotating refreshment committee has already been contacted, and some people have sent in notice of their contributions. It looks like we will have some delicious foods. If your child wishes to hand out Valentine cards, please provide one for each child. See attached class list for names.
Have fun at Winterfest tomorrow. I may see you there!!!
With winter upon us, we are ending our literary unit on the study of China. Beginning next Monday, we will begin our next unit on the Arctic. We will be learning about the animals, native people, and the natural environment. Our focus will be mostly on Alaska. This will lead us into learning about the Iditarod, the great dogsled race that starts in early March. If you have never followed this race, get ready for some exciting fun.
We will incorporate mapping, math, and literacy skills.
In math, the children have learned how to regroup ones into tens, and to add in columns. This is the traditional way of adding of which we are familiar. I thank you for helping with their homework even when the process was different than the way you were taught. We will be finishing this topic next week, and should be able to take the unit test by Thursday. I will be sending home a packet of homework next Monday that includes spelling and math as I did this week. Please give assistance and check over the accuracy of the work. This packet of work can be worked on a few pages each night. It is not due until Friday of each week.
In science, we are still exploring the three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. We have conducted three experiments. Ask your child how we discovered that air takes up space. We also discovered some fast ways to melt ice cubes without using any source of heat besides our own bodies. Then, we worked in cooperative groups to insulate ice cubes to keep them frozen for as long as possible. We learned that a combination of cloth, tin foil and modeling clay worked best. Perhaps, the most rewarding activity was making lemon sherbet. ( See the recipe in this week's papers.)
Our next classroom party will be to celebrate Valentine's Day, and Chinese New Year. Our party will be on Friday, Feb. 12 from 2:15 until dismissal. The rotating refreshment committee has already been contacted, and some people have sent in notice of their contributions. It looks like we will have some delicious foods. If your child wishes to hand out Valentine cards, please provide one for each child. See attached class list for names.
Have fun at Winterfest tomorrow. I may see you there!!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Chinese Characters and the Week of the Dragon
Hello Families,
Highlights of this week include the following: reading two Chinese folktales about dragons; writing numbers and our names with Chinese characters; and presenting a play called "The Terrible Dragon". We also had the pleasure of a having a guest come to our room. It was Steven, a family friend, from Jason Lin's house. Steven showed the children how to write some words and the numerals 1 - 10 with Chinese characters. Then the children made their own poster of the numerals. Mr. Cogan has also been involved by showing the children how to write their names in Chinese, and how to paint with a bamboo brush using black ink. The children painted scrolls which are just beautiful. Keep checking the blogsite for photos of art work and Chinese writing. I'm also hoping to have photos of the play as well. (Only a portion of the class will be in this play which will be presented at Friday morning assembly.)
Next week, we are completing a math unit, and finishing the Explode the Code phonics workbook. Thus, we will be taking a test for the both of these. I also want you to know that all second, third, and fourth graders will be taking a mid-year reading test on the computer as we did in the early fall. We will take this test on the 19th, this Tuesday morning. We will still have spelling homework and our regular weekly spelling test on Friday. So, with this said, your support in insuring that your child comes with a snack each day, and gets plenty of rest will be very much appreciated.
Thanks again for all of your involvement in your child's learning.
Highlights of this week include the following: reading two Chinese folktales about dragons; writing numbers and our names with Chinese characters; and presenting a play called "The Terrible Dragon". We also had the pleasure of a having a guest come to our room. It was Steven, a family friend, from Jason Lin's house. Steven showed the children how to write some words and the numerals 1 - 10 with Chinese characters. Then the children made their own poster of the numerals. Mr. Cogan has also been involved by showing the children how to write their names in Chinese, and how to paint with a bamboo brush using black ink. The children painted scrolls which are just beautiful. Keep checking the blogsite for photos of art work and Chinese writing. I'm also hoping to have photos of the play as well. (Only a portion of the class will be in this play which will be presented at Friday morning assembly.)
Next week, we are completing a math unit, and finishing the Explode the Code phonics workbook. Thus, we will be taking a test for the both of these. I also want you to know that all second, third, and fourth graders will be taking a mid-year reading test on the computer as we did in the early fall. We will take this test on the 19th, this Tuesday morning. We will still have spelling homework and our regular weekly spelling test on Friday. So, with this said, your support in insuring that your child comes with a snack each day, and gets plenty of rest will be very much appreciated.
Thanks again for all of your involvement in your child's learning.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Happy New Year: January 2010
Hello Friends and Families,
We have started the new year off with a unit on China. As an introduction, we watched a video called Families of China. It featured the lives of two children, one from a city and the other from the country. The film showed the daily routines of going to school, homework, play and living in their homes. We also shared a big book about a Chinese American boy who lives in San Francisco. We've had lots of discussion, and much interest has been shown. We've also enjoyed two folktales: "The Master Swordsman" and "The Magic Doorway". We have incorporated mapping skills, and art projects are being planned with Mr. Cogan.
In math, we have been learning how to add tens and ones using "mental math". Check out the math papers in your child's folder this Friday. Ask your child to explain how they got their sums. The examples shown across the top are helpful illustrations of the steps. You can also go to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com and login to your child's student book. Several of the children have mentioned using the site to try the games and activities.
In science, our new topic is the study of matter, and its three forms of solids, liquids, and gases. Our first experiment involved melting 500 ml of snow. We were amazed to see it melted down to 140 ml of water, and that it took about 4 hours to melt. We will be doing at least one experiment per week to learn about the changes that can occur with each of these states of matter.
Spelling homework is usually sent home on Monday, and should be returned no later than Friday of that week. Our weekly test is on Friday. Please continue to check over your child's homework before it is turned in and provide help if needed. I appreciate your involvement greatly.
I am also considering math homework that will be sent home on Fridays, and due back on Mondays. Check your child's backpack as I may start this practice this week.
We have started the new year off with a unit on China. As an introduction, we watched a video called Families of China. It featured the lives of two children, one from a city and the other from the country. The film showed the daily routines of going to school, homework, play and living in their homes. We also shared a big book about a Chinese American boy who lives in San Francisco. We've had lots of discussion, and much interest has been shown. We've also enjoyed two folktales: "The Master Swordsman" and "The Magic Doorway". We have incorporated mapping skills, and art projects are being planned with Mr. Cogan.
In math, we have been learning how to add tens and ones using "mental math". Check out the math papers in your child's folder this Friday. Ask your child to explain how they got their sums. The examples shown across the top are helpful illustrations of the steps. You can also go to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com and login to your child's student book. Several of the children have mentioned using the site to try the games and activities.
In science, our new topic is the study of matter, and its three forms of solids, liquids, and gases. Our first experiment involved melting 500 ml of snow. We were amazed to see it melted down to 140 ml of water, and that it took about 4 hours to melt. We will be doing at least one experiment per week to learn about the changes that can occur with each of these states of matter.
Spelling homework is usually sent home on Monday, and should be returned no later than Friday of that week. Our weekly test is on Friday. Please continue to check over your child's homework before it is turned in and provide help if needed. I appreciate your involvement greatly.
I am also considering math homework that will be sent home on Fridays, and due back on Mondays. Check your child's backpack as I may start this practice this week.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Winter Has Arrived, Dec.11th,2009
Hello Parents and Families,
We have had our first snow day, and the children are having fun playing in the snow at recess. In the classroom, we are still working on our African unit with folktales and non-fiction stories. Next week, we will learn about an African holiday called Kwanza. It is celebrated for seven days beginning on Dec. 26th. Mr. Cogan, the art and music teacher will also be teaching the children about Kwanza. Of course, we will spend some of our time on Christmas stories.
Speaking of Christmas, I want to inform you that we will have our classroom Christmas party on Dec. 22nd. That is the Tuesday which is the last day before we go home for Christmas break. I will be sending a separate request to the designated families whose turn it is to provide refreshments. Remember, for our party refreshments, I have divided the class into thirds alphabetically. In response to the district wellness policy, I ask those families to consider sending some healthy refreshments such as fresh friuts, cheeses, chips,or pretzels. Some sugary items are hard to avoid, but it is appreciated if there are some other foods as well. Please note that there are allergies in the classroom to peanuts and cinnamon.
For our gift exchange, we will not be drawing names. Instead, we will have a book swap. Please wrap the book you wish to include in the swap, and send it to school on the day of the party. I will provide extra books if it is a hardship to purchase a book. Please keep the price range no higher than $8.00.
In math, we are starting a new unit on money. The children can use practice in counting coins up to one dollar. The half dollar is also used. Please let me know if you would like extra practice papers sent home for money. Also, please see the enclosed sheet with your child's user name and password which can be used to login at the pearsonsuccess.net math website. There are activities that I've chosen for the children. I am not treating this as homework, but rather as extra practice. Let me know if you have trouble with the login.
Thanks for all of your continual support. It was wonderful seeing you at conference time. Let's keep up the great team effort. Parental involvement makes a huge difference.
We have had our first snow day, and the children are having fun playing in the snow at recess. In the classroom, we are still working on our African unit with folktales and non-fiction stories. Next week, we will learn about an African holiday called Kwanza. It is celebrated for seven days beginning on Dec. 26th. Mr. Cogan, the art and music teacher will also be teaching the children about Kwanza. Of course, we will spend some of our time on Christmas stories.
Speaking of Christmas, I want to inform you that we will have our classroom Christmas party on Dec. 22nd. That is the Tuesday which is the last day before we go home for Christmas break. I will be sending a separate request to the designated families whose turn it is to provide refreshments. Remember, for our party refreshments, I have divided the class into thirds alphabetically. In response to the district wellness policy, I ask those families to consider sending some healthy refreshments such as fresh friuts, cheeses, chips,or pretzels. Some sugary items are hard to avoid, but it is appreciated if there are some other foods as well. Please note that there are allergies in the classroom to peanuts and cinnamon.
For our gift exchange, we will not be drawing names. Instead, we will have a book swap. Please wrap the book you wish to include in the swap, and send it to school on the day of the party. I will provide extra books if it is a hardship to purchase a book. Please keep the price range no higher than $8.00.
In math, we are starting a new unit on money. The children can use practice in counting coins up to one dollar. The half dollar is also used. Please let me know if you would like extra practice papers sent home for money. Also, please see the enclosed sheet with your child's user name and password which can be used to login at the pearsonsuccess.net math website. There are activities that I've chosen for the children. I am not treating this as homework, but rather as extra practice. Let me know if you have trouble with the login.
Thanks for all of your continual support. It was wonderful seeing you at conference time. Let's keep up the great team effort. Parental involvement makes a huge difference.
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