Weekly Update from 1/21

Hi Families,
​
We had a great week of learning and working together. We had a nice visit from Principal Gallegos, who reviewed some school-wide expectations about arriving on time, being safe at recess (especially when there is snow and ice plus many children), and showing respect to all adults in the building. She complimented our class on the great job we are doing in those areas. Thank you to families who have adjusted their morning routines in order to get students to school on time. It is noticed and appreciated!

We changed table groups this week, which means students have a new day of the week to get comfy chair privileges. Our system seems to be working well so far. For the most part, students are handling the new flexibility with seating very responsibly, choosing where they sit for instruction and staying focused  –no more assigned “sit spots” for everyone on the rug!

Special request: We are almost out of tissues and disinfectant wipes for the classroom. Any donation is greatly appreciated!

Barrows Weekly Newsletter
Here is the link to the latest Starburst from Principal Gallegos. 

​Important Upcoming Dates:

• Thursday, January 26: Ms. Kimball and grade 2 team out for math professional development​​

Below, students working on their informational writing.

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​Community Building
This week we talked about kindness and ways to show it to others without expecting anything in return. Students can participate in the school-wide Kindness Challenge by showing little acts of kindness to others in the classroom or the community. A checklist went home this week. 

We also discussed solving social problems that come up during unstructured time and recess, especially indoor recess. I modeled some language and tone of voice that students can use to solve their social problems. I’m of course available to intervene if things don’t resolve. My hope is that students will learn to solve problems for themselves by using their words effectively.

Literacy 
This week we continued our study of immigration. I read aloud two stories about immigrants from Asia and Northern Europe. We learned a little about the Angel Island immigration center in San Francisco and pull factors (such as the promise of striking it rich with gold in California or job opportunities) that lured many Asian immigrants to the United States in the late 1800s. We discussed the exhausting jobs that many Asian immigrants were forced to take in order to make a living, and why many of them stayed in immigrant communities within big cities (to be around others who spoke their language, shared their traditions, and could help them find work). Students are improving in their ability to answer literal and inferential questions orally using complete sentences. 

We will continue our study of immigration next week, analyzing the idea that the United States is a “Nation of Immigrants” and exploring how immigrants have contributed and continue to contribute to our country today.

I’m still reading aloud from Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. Students are charmed by the silly adventures of these lovable characters and the laughable confusion they often stumble into.

Writing
In Writing this week we worked on our informational writing skills, working to vary our sentence types and expand our thoughts using the conjunctions because, but, and so. Most students were able to organize and draft a text. Some students got stuck and couldn’t think of what to say about their chosen topic. I tried to have a more structured option for those students who needed it. Next week we’ll publish this short piece of writing on an informational topic of our choice.

Phonics
In Phonics we practiced reading and writing using vowel-consonant-e, including multisyllabic ones. We learned that “s” can make two different sounds, especially in vowel-consonant-e syllables: /s/ and /z/. We learned some new trick words, such as house, right, and place. Next week we will take our Unit 6 Phonics Test.

• Read more in the Fundations Home Support Packet for Unit 6.
• Review with the Fundations Home Support Packet for Unit 5.

Math
This week we tackled story problems based on measurement: cutting things, growing things, and finding the difference. I taught students a strategy to subtract 2-digit numbers without needing base-10 block models. We solved multi-step story problems and used diagrams to represent the situation. On Friday students took the Section B Checkpoint, so next week we’ll move into Section C, which introduces line plots using measurements. 

• Read more in the Illustrative Math Family Support Materials for Unit 3
• Review with the Illustrative Math Family Support Materials for Unit 2

Social Studies
We didn’t get a ton of time for Social Studies this week, but we reviewed the continents we’ve studied so far: North America, Europe, and Asia. We began exploring South America at the end of the week using Google Earth, noticing and wondering about the geographic features. We’ll explore South America more next week and then take a break from our continent exploration to switch to Science. Our Science unit is on Matter and Its Interactions.

​​Thank you for reading! Please reach out with any questions or feedback. Have a great week!