Madam Jackson, the Chair of the World Languages Department and French teacher, joined us for Morning Meeting on Friday to talk to the children about World Languages in 3rd Grade. She answered their questions and gave a engaging description that definitely piqued their interest! The World Language Forms are due tomorrow. You can find the form here.
CAUGHT BEING KIND
To help us with a random acts of kindness activity, please share with us (in an email) any acts of kindness you "catch" your child doing at home - no matter how big or small. As we say with our Kindergarten Buddies, "Kindness is contagious. Pass it on!"
KIDBLOG
The kids began blogging this week and are so excited! For a while, we will be writing on our blogs instead of in our Family Message Journals. We are using a platform called Kidblog that allows kids to publish their writing for an authentic audience in a safe, controlled manner. I moderate all posted and comments before they get published. We will never post photos with your child's name or post your child's last name. When you comment, please make sure not to include your last name as well. Under the name box in the comment section, simply write "Mom or Dad, or __________'s Mom/Dad/Grandma, etc. Kids are eager to see comments posted and I will approve them at the end of each day. We invite you to read the other children's posts and make comments too. We did some lessons in October leading up to their post but got a little sidetracked. Some children may also have an All About Me post finished. Kids are welcome to blog from home and can access Kidblog through computer or mobile device.
Blogs are a digital portfolio of sorts, a place to share ideas and learning. Kids should write posts about things they love or know about, places they've visited, book reviews, experiences, favorites, etc. The kids are very excited right now about the comments and we have talked a little about what makes a good comment. We are still practicing our commenting skills on SeeSaw and will review this more in the upcoming weeks. Make sure your child is logged in before he/she comments so that his/her avatar shows up instead of the "guest" picture. Feel free to share the link with friends and family. We'd love to see the visitor map grow!
As they get used to this platform and typing, we hope the kids will be able to write in greater length. Blogging has already inspired the kids and this added interaction with text will improve their reading and writing skills over time. Next week, we will focus on choosing a topic. Let me know if you have questions.
Find our blogs here: https://kidblog.org/class/MsHarrisonsSecondGrade2015-16/posts
Click on your child’s name at the right to see all of his/her posts.
SEESAW
You may notice more comments appearing from Ms. Harrison in your child's SeeSaw account. Some of the activities posted are assessments and we always want the children to reflect upon their learning so we can get a real sense of their understanding. This also gives you a peek into their learning. In the comments, I may ask children to go back and look at their work to make corrections, add more details, etc. The children are also beginning to comment more on one another's work.
VALENTINE'S DAY REMINDER
We will celebrate Valentine’s Day before the long MidWinter Break weekend on Wednesday, February 10th. A pizza party will be arranged through CafeLab and each family will be billed through FACTS. In the past it was about $3-4 per family. Please RSVP and select your pizza preference here. CafeLab will provide plates, utensils and napkins for the pizza. We'd also like to add some items to the lunch including dessert, beverages, and veggies. Sign up here if you'd like to contribute or help with set up/clean up:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f44a5aa2da57-valentines
Finally, If your child is brining Valentines, he/she must make one for everyone in our class. Valentines for other teachers and staff are optional. We will not be able to deliver Valentines to students in other classrooms. Please send Valentines to school by Wednesday, February 10th. Your child is welcome to bring them earlier so he/she won’t forget. Also, if you attach candy to the valentines, make sure it is peanut/tree nut free. You will find a class list here.
WHOOPING CRANE UPDATE
The cranes have arrived in Florida but have one more stop to go before their migration ends. They tried to fly the last leg this morning, but a strong headwind foiled their attempt. Hopefully, they will fly this week and we will be able to catch it live on the Crane Cam one last time!
MATH
As a fun way to practice symmetry and sharpen visual/spatial skills, we introduced the app called Symmetry Shuffle. In this game, students need to flip, turn, or slide shapes to make them align with other shapes nearby. It can be a complicated game but the kids are up for the challenge!
Other apps we use for math include Math Doodles, Math Bingo, Base Ten Bingo, Zoom and Pattern Shapes.
SNOW STUDY
You may have noticed some virtual snowflakes in your child's SeeSaw portfolio. These were created with an app called Happy Snowflake. We also made 3D snowflakes with paper that decorate our classroom. Our snowflake catchers are ready to go and now we wait for the flakes to fall! As a apart of our snow study, we will also be learning about the water cycle and introduced it with a story app called A Tale of a Snowflake. We also read the book called The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story by Neil Waldman. Now that they have had an introduction to the water cycle, the children will work this week to understand evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
We encourage children to read, watch or listen to the weather forecast each day, pay attention to the temperature and bring in any new weather words they learn. Last week, we learned that the freezing point of water is 32° F and practiced reading thermometers.
MAPLE SUGAR FIELD TRIP
On Thursday, March 10th, we will be taking our annual field trip to the Indiana Dunes to learn about how maple sap is gathered and made into maple syrup and sugar. We have room on the bus for 3 parent chaperones so please let Ms. Harrison know if you’d like to join us. As with the trip to the apple orchard, everyone is welcome to join us but you may have to drive your own car. This will be an all-day field trip. More information to come!
There won't be any newsletters for the next two weeks as we prepare for conferences and progress reports.
Have a great week!