Dates to remember in our class
Monday: Poetry books back to school, Gym
Thursday: Gym. Library—Bring your library book.
Friday: Poetry books go home.
April 16: Scholastic Book Orders Due
April 27: PD Day—No School
Current Events
After 3 months, the children are getting quite skilled at finding the 5
Ws—Who, What, When, Where, Why and How? Please encourage your child
to write in complete sentences. If they want to skip the W’s and write
a paragraph about their news story, that would be even better.
Monday: Colter, Jaden,
Tuesday: Alexis, Rebecca Brendan, Colton
Wednesday: Jared, Shaelyn, Carter, Danny
Thursday: Jordan Sam, Chevy
Friday: Gage, Nicholas, Simon
Science
In science for the next several weeks, your child will be studying
simple machines and movement. At the end of the unit, your child will
construct a child’s toy from recycled containers, boxes and found
objects which contains at least 2 simple machines. Please help us add
to our collection of shapes by sending in empty boxes, jars, cans, and
bottles. We will also use these containers during our Math unit on 3D
geometry.
Social Studies
Over the next few weeks your child will be completing a family tree of
his or her immediate family. You can help him or her at home by:
• Discussing family relationships and history with your child.
• Telling family stories
• Sharing special items and photo albums.
Your child will be bringing home a family tree worksheet. He or she
will likely need assistance with completing some of the family tree.
Help your child complete as much of the sheet as you believe applies to
your family. I would like your child to do the actual note-taking.
The Family Tree worksheet will need to be completed by Thursday April
19, so that your child can complete a work of art using this information.
Language Arts
During the month of April, the entire primary division will be doing an
author study of Dr. Suess to prepare for a special primary literacy
celebration in May.
Math Chapter 7&11 2-D and 3-D Geometry
For the next while, our focus in math will be exploring 2-dimensional
shapes. Your child will be flipping, turning, and sliding shapes to
different positions. As part of this unit of study, we will also be
measuring the area of shapes using materials such as pattern blocks and
tiles as measuring units. Your child will sort and describe 3-D shapes
using different properties, including capacity and mass.
Your child will also be creating 3-D shapes with paper and making
skeletons of 3-D shapes using items like straws and modeling clay.
Try these activities with your child:
• Encourage your child to use position words (e.g., to the left, beside,
between, in front of ) to give directions.
• Encourage your child to complete jigsaw puzzles to practise turning,
flipping, and sliding shapes (puzzle pieces).
• Have your child create flip, turn, and slide patterns with objects,
such as cutlery, while waiting at the table.
• Fold paper shapes to show symmetry.
• Check the area of floors or ceilings in rooms by counting floor tiles
or ceiling tiles.
• Encourage your child to use math words to describe
3-D shapes. Some examples of words they will learn are:
face: one of the flat surfaces of a solid
edge: a line at which 2 faces meet
vertex (plural: vertices): a corner; the point where
edges of a 3-D shape meet
• When you are in the supermarket with your child, point out the mass
(similar to weight) and capacity (similar to volume) measurements marked
on the items. Use the store’s scales with your child.
• Fold paper to create 3-D shapes. Build shapes with balls of modelling
clay for corners and straws or toothpicks for edges.
• Play an I Spy game where you look for, and point out, 2-D and 3-D
shapes. Or think of a shape and give clues until your child guesses it.
Then reverse roles.
500 Book Challenge
In less than a month, the grade 2 students successfully met Mr.
McGaughey’s challenge to have a popcorn party after they had read 150
books at home. We are going to do this again after the class has read
500 books (or chapters) at home. Each child may record 1 or 2 books (or
chapters) in their reading log nightly. Everyone needs to have at least
25 books on their reading log to participate in the popcorn party.
