Extreme field trip!

Thank you to all of the chaperones that joined us on this memorable field trip! You helped keep us safe and moving along. Our first stop was to Sally Corporation.

Part One: Sally Corporation Field Trip on PhotoPeach



Afterwards, we went on a tour of Jacksonville's City Hall and some of the students met Mayor Alvin Brown. He invited the students into his office and the press conference room for a tour. The children were thrilled that they got to sit in his chair!

Part Two: Meeting the Mayor on PhotoPeach



Our great adventures ended with lunch in Hemming Park and an awesome performance from XPogo.


Part Three: Hemming Park and Extreme Pogosticks on PhotoPeach

Special Guest

Today, we had a senior from Fletcher High School come to visit our class. She spent time teaching our students American Sign Language. The children learned to sign the alphabet, how to sign "I love you" and "turtle."  Some of the students even got to try signing their first name. All of our students were completely enthralled in learning how to sign. We are very grateful to have such wonderful, young role models come share their talents with our children. Ask your 

little one to share what they learned.  

Dear Friend: Please Read Me

We recently began the Lucy Calkins Units of Study in Opinion Writing where students began the unit by writing letters to classmates about their favorite books. 

In the first bend of this unit:

• the students drafted letters about their favorite characters in a book, and
• included opinions with reasons and evidence from the text that supports their opinions. 

The second bend emphasized that students

• write "long and strong," 
• examine pictures in their books to help them form an opinion, and
• retell parts of the story to help the reader understand their opinion.

The letter written and shared by the student in the video below is an example of the magnificent and powerful results we have been witnessing thus far. Just listen to this persuasive letter about the story Dogarella by Maribeth Boelts. We bet that you will want to read it, too!

    

Fun Run Time

Our awesome PTA is starting the new school year with an exciting fundraiser that not only raises money for our school, but also encourages our students to have a fit lifestyle and a strong character for success. This goal is promoted through the Fit Character Initiative. Our students have already received their pledge information. Sponsors can pledge per-lap or offer a flat donation towards their student.

It's almost time for the big day! Stay tuned for pictures from our upcoming Fun Run. 

Read the Summer Away!

Click Here

It's a bird...It's a plane...No, wait!! It's a ping-pong ball!

This week, we started an exciting lab report for our unit of study in writing, Lab Reports and Science Books by Lucy Calkins. Students were asked a question and had to come up with a hypothesis, plan their procedures, conduct multiple trials, record results, and analyze results.

Using the catapults we built, which goes farther, the ping-pong ball or the cotton ball?

Spotlight on the Problem/ Hypothesis page

Hypothesis: I think the ping pong ball will go farther because after you shoot it the ball will bounce off the floor a couple times like it does on the ping pong table. 

We love your thinking! Can't wait to read your conclusion page. 

Hypothesis: I think the ping pong ball because it is harder and it has more speed than the cotton ball.

I would have never thought of that! Do you think the size of the ping pong ball matters? You mentioned that it is harder. What if we used a baseball and a ping pong ball? Which one do you think would go farther off of the catapult?

Hypothesis: I think the ping-pong ball because when you play ping-pong it goes far but a force stops it. If a force didn't stop it it would go farther.

Whoaaaaaaaaaaa...did you mention FORCE? Way to use domain specific language in your writing.

Spotlight on the Procedures page

Procedures: This student focused on their drawings to show another scientist what he/she needs to do for this lab. 

We love how detailed the pictures are! I know that if I looked at only your drawings, I would know exactly how to make a catapult and what to do. Way to go!

Procedures: 

Step 1: Put the catapult on a flat surface. Put the long side of the catapult the opposite way you're going. 

Step 2: Put the ping pong ball on spoon on the catapult. 

Step 3: Hold the catapult with one hand.

Step 4: Push the spoon down from the tip. 

Step 5: Measure the distance of how far the ping pong ball and the cotton ball land. 

Step 6: Do the experiment three times for both experiments (cotton ball and ping pong ball). 

Step 7: Use inches for measuring. 

Step 8: Record your data and then compare your data. 

Step 9: Repeat what you did on the ping pong ball experiment. 

We love that you mentioned which way the catapult needs to face! That is a very important detail. Do you think it matters where on the spoon I put the ping pong ball? Thank you for all of the tips! We love that you want to compare your data. What a little scientist you are!!

Procedures:

Step 1: Set up the catapult on a flat surface. 

Step 2: Put the cotton ball in the palm of the spoon. 

Step 3: Push the palm of the spoon and let go.

Step 4: Measure how far it went in inches. 

Step 5: Repeat it two times. 

Step 6: Do the same for the ping pong ball.

Love how you labeled what is needed for this experiment. I know that if we give your procedures to another class they will be able to conduct this exact experiment. Do you think you should mention exactly where to measure? Does it matter what number they begin measuring with?  

We love writing like scientists! 

Leave a comment and feel free to ask our little scientists questions about their lab reports. Next week, we will be comparing results and reading mentor texts to consider new questions. 

Make sure to check back!

100th Day of School

We enjoyed spending the day with 

some lovely old friends of ours. 

B-I-N-G-O! Our Readers Played Some Bingo

Congratulations to our 
second quarter 

Readers to Leaders! 

We hope you had fun celebrating 

your amazing accomplishments. 

Keep reading! 

Oh! So close and yet so far.

Hey, I won!

BINGO!

I won, too!

Ugh! Only one space left!  

Wish they would quiet down. 
Can't they see that I'm trying 
to read my new book.

Ok. Let's see here?
What do I have left?

I love this game!

Happy Teachers

This is just one of those many small moments in our day that bring us great joy. There is nothing like seeing a student read (while waiting for the bus at the end of the day) just for the sheer joy of reading.

Reading Time

We just love how some of our students choose to sit by the fireplace while others will just sit anywhere to enjoy a good book.  

                   

December Character Trait-Kindness

Congratulations for being voted by your classmates as the character education winner for the month of December! 


This is what some of your classmates said about you:

• He in always nice to me and the bugs and the lizards on the playground.
• He is very polite and always says thank you and please. 
• He is the best field trip partner. He asks me what I want to do first and he never yells in my ear on the bus.

November Character Trait-Patriotism

Congratulations for being voted by your classmates as the character education winner for the month of November! 


This is what some of your classmates said about you:

• He is always fair and kind to everyone. 
• He knows a lot about America and the military.
• When I watch him say the pledge, he knows all the words and he stands tall and proud.

October Character Trait-Cooperation

Congratulations for being voted by your classmates as the character education winner for the month of October! 


This is what some of your classmates said about you:

• He helps me tie my shoes. 
• He always follows directions.
• I was new in December and he became my friend fast. 
• When no one was playing with me on the playground, he asked me to go and play basketball with him.

Math Night

Second Grade Math Night was a great success! We were able to share with parents the addition and subtraction strategies that we teach our students. We would like to thank Mrs. Shall and Mrs. Sambito for their work in helping us prepare for this very important event. Please view this link for details regarding the shift in thinking about mathematics instruction and further details about the event. Thank you to the parents that were able to attend. Parents who were unable to attend will receive a packet with all of the information from the evening along with a copy of the addition and subtraction strategies brochure. Spanish versions are available as well. Please view the links below if you wish to have a copy of the brochures that were created with the addition and subtraction strategies along with the research that supports our practice.

Addition Strategies Brochure

Subtraction Strategies Brochure

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2011