Timelines

Hello Families!

We are mixing it up a little bit with an at home project instead of our weekly homework this week! The students have a homework project to complete to get a better understanding of timelines, while connecting it to their own lives. 

They are going to make an individual timeline of their life.

Timelines should include:

- Begins at birth and continues to the present.

-  Photos are optional and can be used along with written events. 
However, photos for each timeline should be appropriate for school display.

- At least 10 significant events in their lives.

(Some suggestions of significant facts include getting a new pet, moving to a new house, riding a bike, or the birth of a sibling.)

I did encourage your child’s timeline to be unique and creative, and to make it their own. While I did allow the use of photographs, illustrations, and other creative materials, please keep in mind that these timelines will be displayed.  Remember that although all of the items will be returned, please do not send any valuable photos or materials in case they get lost in transit.

Students can also get a refresher from a video on timelines that we watched on their Google Classroom.  

I am asking all timelines be due by Monday, February 5^th.

Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. We look forward to sharing your child’s life with our classroom.

Thank you!

Homework

We have a full week of school...hopefully! You know Michigan weather :)

Which means...homework is back! It is always nice to see students excitement for the extra activities to do at home! Most seemed very interested in taking the extra step of homework to practice and push their thinking.

Please remind your child to budget their week so that all assignments are due back on Friday.

 

 

Idioms

 We have been working with Idioms in the classroom and having quite a bit of fun!

Students have learned that idioms are a group of words having meaning, but not from the individual words. You might hear your child coming home using idioms in their language to express something around them. Each student made their own poster using an idiom and then explained what their idiom is suppose to express.

These were made into a classroom book as a resource for all students to read through to better understand what idioms are. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning America

We do not have homework this week due to the short week. Instead we are launching our Learning America project! 

This is all side work. Students can do it at home, use extra time in the classroom, or use a recess here or there. I won't be designating classroom time to this because of time and the focus of curriculum. The purpose of this project will help students get to know the country they live in!!

1. Assign a State

Students were given 1, 2, or even 3 states to find fun and interesting facts about. They have been given mini books to fill in and a state page to help them out and to motivate their excitement. Today was like an auction where I was selling states to the highest excited student. It was pretty fun! 

These are not mandatory assignments where they are due back at any time. Instead, they are meant to be fun and engaging for students. So far I have high student attraction to this assignment! 

They can take their time and bring their state back, or finish, to present when they feel comfortable to share.

All states that are complete can be shown to the classroom, and then will go into our classroom library for students to read as they please.

In addition, the state they have chosen gets to also be colored in on our large map found in our classroom hallway!

2. Postcard Exchange

Our classroom has been signed up for a nationwide postcard exchange! Which means we will (hopefully) get 49 other postcards from around the nation.

And...since we are getting postcards, we also need to send out postcards to those states we are receiving from.

Our postcards need to be out through snail mail by the end of February.

In order to do this, I need a little help from classroom families. I am asking that each student bring 2-3 Michigan Postcards into class with a stamp on every postcard they contribute. Postcards could be all about Michigan or any other region within Michigan. Please have all postcards in by Feb. 1. That way we can have all postcards filled out and addressed in time to send them out before the end of February.

 If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact me! 

McNitt Reminders

Last Chance Yearbook Orders

Students that did not already order a 2017-18 Yearbook from Timeless Image, received an order form this week to bring home. It is important that students who still want a yearbook do it now as there will be a limited number of extra yearbooks available at the time of delivery in the spring. If your student did not receive an envelope this week and you would like to order a yearbook, please stop by the Office. Yearbook orders are due back to the Office by Friday, January 26, 2018!

Dinosaurs Go To School Night

Lake Ann Brewing Company Fundraiser

Our next fundraising event is with Lake Ann Brewing Company

Wednesday, January 24

2:00 - 10:00

Featuring music in the brewery with the Shady Hill Band! 

20% of sales from that evening will go to the Westwoods PTO. 

2018 Daddy/Daughter Dance

Friday, February 8, 2018

6:30-9:30pm

Wear a dress, favorite outfit, craziest outfit you can make up, or be yourself! 

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students/children and must be purchased in advanced. 

Wishing Well Wednesday

2018 brings a couple new additions to our classroom! One of which is a Mind Bender Board!

Every so often students will have a mind bender on the board for a morning message, as a small addition to their morning work. These are meant to be fun and get the brain moving in the morning. There is not a certain day we will be doing our mind benders, and they will only show once, or maybe twice, a week. The question to ponder will always connect to the day it is posted.

Our first one was last Wednesday, so the students had Wishing Well Wednesday!

Students had to think of ONE wish and write it on a posed note. All remained anonymous unless they wanted me to know their wish, so they put their name on the back. We read the different wishes aloud. They thought the different wishes were very creative! We had a good chuckle as it also created small discussions back and forth about what if??

Volunteers Needed!

Our book clubs are in need of adult volunteers to lead the students during this time. If you can, and it fits into your schedule, please pick a day, two or more to sign up and spend 30 minutes with a group of fantastic second graders. Each week the students are involved in a book club with a few of their peers. They are making connections, expressing reactions, making prediction, solving tricky words, an identifying the problems and solutions. Your help is necessary to push their thinking, help them stay focused, and to read, discuss and answer questions to engage their interest of reading.

The link is below for the volunteer sign up. I have the sign up trough the end of the year. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your continued support!

McNitt's Second Grade Book Clubs

http://signup.com/go/mhTLeiA

Back at it!

We are back at it!! Homework came home with all students today. Please help to remind your child to find the time throughout their week to sit down and work through the variety of activities. If the students have any questions or confusion please let me know.

Thank you!