A Blast from the Past!

When the students walk down the hall and see a former teacher of theirs, there is an impulse reaction with wide eyes and excitement. They want to blurt out a loud hello, slap a high five or jump for a quick hug! So this time, I brought the teachers to them! Over the past couple of weeks the students were surprised by guest readers Mrs. McPherson and Mrs. Walter! They read a couple of their favorite books and of course carried a lesson along as well! 

(Mrs. Johnson will be a special guest reader after we return from break)

Thank you to the always cheerful and uplifting Mrs. McPherson!

She read two stories...which were new reads for a lot of students.

Monsters Love Tacos

All students had a great laugh from Monsters who LOVE parties and tacos, but NOT spicy tacos! So what happens when they are accidentally served peppers in their salsa?!

Spoon

This was a very creative story about a spoon who has always been a happy utensil, but begins to feel like like he isn't cutting it as much as fork, knife and chopsticks. After the story, Mrs. McPherson lead the conversation in a gentle reminder to celebrate what makes us each special!

Thank you Mrs. McPherson!!

 

Thank you to the motivating and always optimistic Mrs. Walter!

The story Mrs. Walter chose was a favorite from when she was a child. Not only did she share it with many new faces of our classroom, but it is also a favorite each year for her students as well!

The Giant Jam Sandwich

Four million wasps have just invaded a town and everyone is in a panic! However, they think of a crazy idea to make a giant jam sandwich that just might work to clear out all the wasps!Students were totally engaged as they heard the town knead, bake and slather the biggest wasp trap there ever was! Not only did this text bring humor, but it also brought a purpose and a lesson. Mrs. Walter asked the students what could have been learned as they heard the story?

Some ideas were to never to give up or to  accomplish something. Great ideas, however, the bigger idea discussed was to think outside of the box! That it is okay to think differently or have a new perspective on things.

Thank you Mrs. Walter!!

Enjoy the break!

Report cards came home on Tuesday! Please make sure you take the time to go over your child's card with them. I am so proud of all the progress and growth I have seen in students this year in second grade! I look forward to the next few months to continue challenging their abilities and exhausting their thinking! As always, please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Please return all report card envelopes emptied with your signature on the front. I will use these one last time for the end of the year report cards to send home. 

Enjoy your break and time off! Hopefully the students, whether they are heading off or staying close, can rest up and be ready for our last stretch of the school year!

Tuesday's Guest Readers!

Tuesday was a BIG day for reading! We had a LARGE list of celebrity parents and teachers walk through out door to surprise many faces, while sharing a favorite book of theirs.

Many stories we heard today had a reason for why their book was an all time favorite, a memory attached to the book, or a taught a lesson to give more of a purpose to the story.

Thank you to the super dad Mr. Houghton who began our Tuesday morning by sharing one chapter from the story The BFG! Even with one chapter, the students were reeled in! All students expressed many giggles and full attention during the read, while leaving with a couple new vocabulary terms taught from the story. Ask your child what a whizpopper is...they will LOVE to tell you!

Thank you Mr. Houghton for the great read! 

 

Thank you to the awesome Mrs. Schopieray to surprising our room, even with a sore throat and almost gone voice! She read I Am The Dog, where a dog and a boy switch spots. Now the dog sees what it's like to be human and the the boy finds out what it's like to be a dog! Very cute and interesting! Afterwards the students said they wanted to be a dog! However, we made them think a little bit about what they would be missing from not being human. There was a new thought for them...some changed their minds :)

Thank you Mrs. Schopieray! 

Our last read was the organized and persevering parent, Mrs. Stone! Thank you for ending our day with a fan favorite of a read and a thought to take with us. Mrs. Stone read, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day! Not only have most students read this before and loved it, we have read it in the classroom, and now they are hearing again. The best part is not a single student cared...it is still a story to get excited about and hear over and over. When it was over, Mrs. Stone talked to the students about having bad days and that it is okay! We all have them here and there, but like Alex, we are sometimes surrounded by our people who make it better.

Thank you Mrs. Stone for our last guest read in March!!

 

 

Monday's Guest Readers!

Thank you to the both amazing and incredible parents and volunteers of our building, Mrs. Young & Mrs. Coleman!
Mrs. Young read two different Dr. Seuss stories...who doesn't love Dr. Seuss! First we heard The Lorax. Which even though most students had heard the story still engaged in hearing it once, twice and multiple times over. Students know that when you reread books it helps to become a better reader! In addition to one, Mrs. Young took the time to share one more Seuss book named What Pet to Get! This is a new story that was found hidden beneath the stacks and piles on Seuss' desk. It was even a new read to myself! The best part was the end of the story was left unknown. This made every mind roll...what pet did they end up getting?? Thank you Mrs. Young!

 

After lunch Mrs. Coleman read another new read to students, The Huey's in the New Sweater! The thing about the Hueys is that they are all the same, until one becomes different! Suddenly the new change is catching on and everyone wants to give it a try. Great lesson learned from this story on being different and that it is okay! Thank you Mrs. Coleman!

 

Both stories engaged our attention, helped make cross text and personal connections, and was just plain fun to hear!

Thank you for adding more GREAT reads to our day and to our library of books heard! 

Reminders & Updates

March 23 - Half Day of School
Cold lunches will be available for students to purchase and bring home or eat at extended day.  Please let me know if you would like to order a cold lunch by Tuesday, March 22, 2016.  Extended day is available on the half day of school.  The cost for extended day on a half day is $20.

Report Cards
McNitt Classroom Report Cards are coming home on Tuesday, March 22, 2016.
(All other report cards for WW you might not see until Wed., March 23) 
Please note that there will not be grades for Art until the next marking period.  We are excited to have Mr. Alex Gunn as an official part of the Westwoods staff.  He is already building connections and introducing creativity into our community.

Homework & Spelling
We will NOT have homework or spelling this week due to a short week. Please have your child continue to work on CKLA literacy workbooks that are coming home, along with math packets. All content in both packets and books contain material that we have already gone over as a classroom and will be review to all students. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 
Thank you and have a great break!

Westwoods Student Art

Collaborative classroom prints from the Westwoods Evening with Art are available for purchase in a glossy 12X18 poster, the cost is $10.00 per print.  Orders will be accepted through March 23rd.  Checks can be made payable to Westwoods and turned into the office.http://goo.gl/forms/MQLsWuTDCWQuestions can be emailed to walterje@tcaps.net

Guest Readers
A HUGE thank you to all who have surprised our classroom with your presence and read the students a favorite book! You wouldn't believe how exciting this was for EVERYONE! The anticipation of who was the guest reader and what book they were bringing brought so many happy faces! I know it is hard for many schedules to correlate with our school schedule. So for those who were not able to make it in, but want to stop in another day, please let me know. March is reading month, but we would love a guest reader every now and then to add a special perk to our schedule. It was a hit!! Thanks again!!

Beach Bums Reading

Remind your child to keep reading and rounding the bases by recording the titles they have read. Read around the bases with the Traverse City Beach Bums mascots, Suntan & Sunburn, as they curl up with their favorite books dreaming of spring. There may be snow on the ground, but that is not stopping either Suntan or Sunburn from gearing up for baseball season.

It is your time to step up to the plate and earn a base hit by reading five books this winter. Every additional five books earn readers extra bases and some awesome rewards! Hit it out of the park by finishing 20 books to earn extra tickets and more.

Here’s how the program works:

1. Start Reading! Find a good book, curl up and start reading!
2. Record every book you finish on your Reading Club poster. An added challenge for 3^rd, 4^th, & 5^th graders: ONE book = 100 pages (For example a book with a lot of pages such as Harry Potter may equal 4 or 5 books).
3. When you finish reading your way around the bases, have your teacher check your poster and add your name to the Super Reader list.
4. Deadline to meet your reading goal is March 31^st!
5. Prizes will be delivered during the month of Apr

Daddy Daughter Dance
Friday, April 8
More information to come...

Guest Reader!

To end our day we had a special guest reader that served as a connection to all students. Thank you to a principle who continues to encourage our community and is always inspiring, Mrs. Houghton! Her book of choice to read to the students was The Princess Bride. It was one of her favorites to share with our group. This was a new story line for many students, giving some a new book to get excited about! Mrs. Houghton read only a chapter, leaving students to read the rest on their own. 

Thank you Mrs. Houghton for capping our day off with another great read!

 

Making Quilts for the Westward Expansion

Throughout our journey through the westward expansion, students were producing quilt squares at the end of each Listening story. We understood that pioneers sewed quilts from small pieces of fabric to take with them on their journey westward. Some pioneer women made quilts before their trips, while others who stayed behind made quilts for their family members and friends who were moving west. Quilts served many purposes during the westward expansion:

packed in trunks or used to wrap precious belongings

used for bedding

padding on the wagon seat

used to cover the cracks and openings from dust and rain

The quilts squares the students created were pieces identifying the main idea and critical information from each of the nine stories read.

Going West (The Morgan Family)

Mr. Fulton's Journey

The Journal of a Twelve-Year-Old on the Erie Canal

The Story of Sequoyah

The Trail of Tears

Westward on the Oregon Trail

The Ponly Express

Working on the Transcontinental Railroad

The Buffalo Hunters

This domain introduced students to an important period in the history of the United States, the time of the westward expansion during the 1800's. As we read each story, students learned why pioneers were willing and eager to endure hardships to move westward and all they encountered on their journeys. Ask your child about the Morgan family or the covered wagon journey families had on the Oregon Trail. 

We also learned about important innovations in both transportation and communication during that period, which increased the movement of people westward. 

Fulton's Steamboat

Erie Canal

Transcontinental Railroad

Pony Express

We came to understand the hardships and tragedies that the Native Americans went through as well because of the westward expansion. 

This unit helped to build the foundation for learning about The U.S. Civil War, which is our next unit of study for Listening.

Guest Reader!

Thank you to the super cool and full of fun Mr. Laurent for joining our classroom on Friday afternoon! He read to the students Walter the Farting Dog! You can imagine the giggles, and some red faces, from the crowd as each page was turned! The text throughout the story left the students will many eye popping and jaw dropping responses, while also leaving their attention utterly engaged in the story.

Thank you Mr. Laurent for giving us many much needed laughs and leaving our classroom with many connections to the text :) They loved it!