February 6th

Happy Almost Valentines Day!

Valentine’s Day will be celebrated on Wednesday. Wear red, pink and/or hearts!

Please no names on the cards
No food, please
We currently have 29 students (If we hit 30 in the next 3 days I will let you know.)

What have we been up to?

We have started Jump Rope for Heart!

We are doing this to raise money for heart and stroke research. In gym class, we have been learning and practicing different skipping skills.

In math, we have been learning mental math addition strategies, including:

Counting up on a number line (starting from the bigger number)
Making ten, then adding the rest (for example: 7 + 9 → 7 + 3 = 10, then 10 + 6 = 16)
Fast doubles
Near doubles (if 6 + 6 = 12, then 6 + 7 is one more = 13)

If your child is still using their fingers to add questions like 5 + 3, 2 + 7, or 6 + 4, extra practice at home will really help them be successful as we move on. Fun ways to practice include making your own flashcards, buying some at the dollar store, asking your child about games we play in class, or doing a quick Google search for simple addition games.

In phonics, we have been working on r-controlled vowels.

er, ir, and ur make the “rrrr” sound
ar makes the “arrr” sound

At the end of a word, we almost always use ER because it is a syllable, and every syllable needs a vowel. We talked about how vowels are the “glue” that hold letters together to make words!
In writing, we are focusing on paragraph writing and using editing skills independently. Ask your child about the paragraph burger 🥪.

In science, our focus has been on energy and sound. We are working on an ongoing sound experiment in the Grade 2 entryway, and our classroom feels like a laboratory or factory! Students are coming up with creative ideas to absorb sound. Science is all about trial and error, so we are testing everything. The students have been very engaged—thank you for sending in egg cartons. Once they are dry, I will put them up and share a photo.

We also learned about light: