Grade 2 Newsletter

Mrs. Boshell

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two MAY (and final) 2013 Newsletter

PLEASE NOTE: as indicated on the May calendar, there will NOT be a June newsletter. I will send home curriculum related notes in the student agenda as/if needed. Also the English and French dictations will end at the end of this month. This applies to the French “Take Home Reading” program as well.

Well, first it was the snow I couldn’t wait to get rid of and now it’s the weeds in my yard. My apologies for the delay in getting this newsletter out to you sooner, I’ll blame it on the weeds and the beautiful, warm sunny days that we have been having.

I wanted to begin by thanking all of my “Mystery Readers” for coming in to share their love of books with the class. I think I enjoyed story time as much as the students did! Our “Mystery Readers” were: Mme Nagano, Mme Derbecker, Mme Mudge, Mme Smith (our V.P.), Mlle Mussolum (Grade 2 Health and Character Ed. Teacher), Mme Moore (our L.R.T.), Mme Banting (Grade ¾ Teacher and “Conversation Buddies” with our class) and, last but not least, Mme Lougheed (our Principal). The kids had a ball attempting to guess who the reader of the day was from the series of clues that the reader had provided me with in advance. Mme Banting’s: “I have 21 kids.” was especially entertaining for them as they thought of “children”, not “students”.

Thank you so much for submitting five or ten dollars in order for your child to create one or two beautiful pottery keepsakes for Mother’s and Father’s Day. The kids enjoyed the experience (as much as they did at Christmas time), and I can’t wait for you to see their “one of a kind” end results!

I hope that you find a few minutes to come by to view the wonderful display of student work that is hanging in the hall just outside of our classroom. I fully understand that many would not have been able to make it to our school’s “Open House” due to work and other commitments.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS:

I am continuously reading from the series of Flat Stanley and Roald Dahl books. We’ve just completed George’s Marvellous Medicine and will be moving on to Esio Trot.

The students have completed their Flat Stanley postcard written to “Mom and Dad” from various locations around the world (from Fiji to Timmins) and will begin to learn about letter writing (which is quite similar to postcard writing and should make for an easy transition).

I am SO pleased to see how the boys and girls have been continuously moving up through the “sight word” lists completed on a weekly basis with the much appreciated help of Mme Drury. A few have even entered the “Grade 4-6” words! Now that’s impressive!

We’re just completing our “CAPITALIZATION” test and will be going back to learning about the different types of sentences (?,!,.) in more depth.

Thank you for completing the short “Internet” assignment that I sent home as part of our study of “Media Literacy”. I will compile the results and create a list of recommended websites that the students visit to share with the class as soon as I am able to.

MEDIA LITERACY:

Creating Media Texts (images, sound, text, or visuals or combinations of these that are used to communicate a message)-

After examining the THREE main “purposes” of media texts: to inform, to entertain, and to persuade, the students will complete and/or draw maps to INFORM people (to give information or ideas).

As part of our study of Canada and mapping, the students will be involved in drawing maps (imagined or otherwise) using symbols (drawings used to communicate a specific message without words), the compass rose (N, S, E, W) and a legend.

FRENCH LANGUAGE ARTS:

We have been reviewing the more challenging vocabulary words seen in the GB+ testing books. As such, when I begin the Board’s mandatory May reading assessment next week, the students should fly through the levels as they are familiar with the vocabulary.

The kids have completed their descriptive paragraph telling about a classroom peer, their teacher or a loved one. We will compose one more descriptive paragraph about an object this time, before moving back to narrative writing. The boys and girls will be learning how to use sequential terminology such as “premièrement, ensuite, après, finalement” to share the steps to making something. Our culminating task will entail sharing the steps to creating the perfect pizza.

We will continue to work with the “La phonétique animée” (yellow duo-tang) stories in class, but to a much lesser degree. Don’t expect to see this work coming home. From now until the end of the year, the students will be involved in various oral language development activities involving the dramatic arts.

While I am discontinuing the “Take Home Reading” program at the end of the month, the students are continuously reading in French in class and are now demonstrating their understanding of teacher-selected texts read through a series of comprehension questions. These include identifying primary and secondary characters, setting(s), the problem or the theme (if there isn’t a problem) as well as changing the last page of the text and adding a new page onto the text.

MATHEMATICS:

ONGOING: Please work on subtraction with borrowing, counting change to 100 cents – counting by fives, tens and twenty-fives, counting backwards by 10’s from 100-0, counting backwards by 1’s from 50-0 and +/- to 18 at home. Simply counting in French from 0-200 is also needed as many do not yet know the difference between # 40 and # 80 and numbers from 60-100 are always challenging.

We have begun working with symmetry in Visual Arts (using paper folding) and are learning to locate the line of symmetry in two-dimensional shapes and letters of the alphabet using a Mira to assist.

ONGOING: drilling of the doubles, adding/subtracting with borrowing/carrying and +/- change to 100 cents.

NEW: We will begin adding 1 or 2 onto a given double now. For example: If 15 + 15 is 30, then what would 15 + 16 be? How about 15 + 17?

In the coming weeks, I will be sending home a “review booklet” for the concepts that we have been working on in the “Number Sense” strand. A test will follow thereafter.

We are only just wrapping up our work on Geometry and are beginning our study of perimeter and area in “Measurement”. Also under the strand of “Measurement”, the class will begin to learn how to tell time to the quarter hour (“et quart”/”et quinze” = quarter after the hour and “moins quart”/”moins quinze”) = quarter to the hour). The students will learn to tell time using digital and analogue clocks.

By year’s end, the students will have learned about simple fractions such as 1/3 and 1/8 (1/2 and ¼ when we are telling time). The multiples of 1, 2, 3, 5 and 9 (represented through drawings as the combining of equal groups), the probability/likelihood of an event occurring in everyday situations and simple games, and looking at geometric patterns (with two attributes) and money patterns (5, 10 and 25 cents).

SOCIAL STUDIES:

The kids have been learning about what a continent is as well as identifying/labelling the seven continents and the five oceans on a world map. We are continually reviewing the cardinal directions (nord, sud, est et ouest) and using positional language as it relates to our study of mapping. For example: What direction is Asia from North America? It is East of us (à l’est).

After we briefly touch on how some parts of the world are covered in deserts or prairies and how some areas are mountainous or forest covered, we will go on to study the SECOND largest country in the world: Canada! Our beautiful homeland. The class will look at life in Nunavut compared to their life in Ontario.

A couple of fun facts:

1. Do you know why the North Pole is NOT considered a continent but the South Pole is?

2. Do you know the “new” name for the Antarctic Ocean (recently renamed)? I’ll give you a hint: it’s named after its “location” in the world.

ANSWERS:

1. The North Pole is not considered a continent since only Santa lives there - LOL. That is, it has no “land mass” only floating ice. A continent consists of “land”.

2. The Antarctic Ocean has been renamed the Southern Ocean. In French: l’océan Austral (conveniently located right near Australia). However, the term “Antarctic Ocean” is still acceptable/recognized.

It’s that time of the year again, I am thinking ahead to our end of the year excursion/trip. Seeing as Brant Park (swimming pool) is no longer permitted by the Board, I am looking for your suggestions please. Many heads are better than one. Please feel free to write me a quick note in the agenda to share your ideas. Thank you!

As you’ve just read, May and June are jam-packed, fun months. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you very much!

Sincerely,

Mme LA Boshell, OCT J

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two APRIL 2013 Newsletter

Wow! March was a crazy, busy month! I hope that you and your loved ones enjoyed some relaxing quality time together over the March and Easter breaks. I’ve officially seen my first robin and am heading full force into spring mode now. Goodbye and good riddance snow!

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS:

The boys and girls are enjoying our second Roald Dahl book George’s Marvelous Medicine. We continue to use learned “Head” and “Heart” strategies to respond to books read aloud. I really encourage you to apply these strategies when reading together at home as well.

HEAD STRATEGY: it centres on predicting and inferring (I wonder, I think) and JUSTIFYING by presenting an OPINION (I think… because).

HEART STRATEGY: it centres on emotions and feelings (relating the text to SELF). “It reminds me of a time…”

The students have written a number of quatrain and acrostic poems over the last month which I have compiled into a class book of poetry that will be on display outside of our classroom for “Education Week” in May.

We are now trying our hand at postcard writing using Flat Stanley as the main character in our writing. The kids will be describing three activities that F.S. takes part in from whatever city he is visiting in the word. If you have any postcards lying around, I would really appreciate borrowing them for our classroom display. Also, a few parents e-mailed photos of their child hanging out with Flat Stanley over the March Break. If you are able to/would like to print these photos off and send them in with your child, I will happily display them in the hallway as part of my Flat Stanley display for “Education Week”.

The students are learning to edit their written work based on the proofreading marks that I apply. I will send a copy of these proofreading marks home for you to use/refer to. MANY continue to write a sentence without a capital letter at the start and/or a period at the end of the sentence. Continually have your child correct this mistake when you see it please. The boys and girls are also slowly beginning to use the word wall, classroom dictionaries and personal dictionaries to spell words. When we can’t find a given word on the word wall or in a classroom dictionary, we work together (the student and I) to add it to the personal dictionary. This applies in French as well.

In Media Literacy, I was impressed by the effort/time that some students put into their oral presentations (poster and/or commercial). Sadly, some students were not ready to present on their scheduled day and/or put little effort into the “visual aesthetic” of their product. We are beginning our study of the “Internet” and a very short assignment will be sent home soon.

FRENCH LANGUAGE ARTS:

The class continues to work with matching nouns to personal pronouns (e.g., la fille = elle), changing a given “simple” sentence to a “complex” one, changing an affirmative sentence to its negative form using “ne pas” and working with the verbs “avoir (to have)”, “être (to be)” and “manger” in the present tense. I will begin adding other “er” verbs such as “danser”, “chanter” into our practise work as well. Every student should have an easy to use/understand, illustrated French dictionary at home to assist him/her as needed with homework.

The boys and girls are learning what “descriptive” writing is and will be writing a descriptive paragraph about a classroom peer.

Board testing in reading occurs during the month of May. As such, I have begun preparing the students by regularly having them read vocabulary words (written on flashcards) taken directly from the GB+ testing books. We will cover two lists a week.

MATHEMATICS:

Please work on subtraction with borrowing, counting change to 100 cents – counting by fives, tens and twenty-fives, counting backwards by 10’s from 100-0, counting backwards by 1’s from 50-0 and +/- to 18 at home. Simply counting in French from 0-200 is also needed as many do not yet know the difference between # 40 and # 80 and numbers from 60-100 are always challenging.

We had a great time learning about the various polygons (two-dimensional shapes) and three- dimensional figures. The students enjoyed creating three, four, five, six, seven and eight sided polygons on geoboards (using elastic bands wrapped around pegs) and dot paper. Testing will occur soon.

The kids have been using a hundreds chart to assist with counting a pile of coins (to 100 cents). A great and fun resource has been abcya.com. Click on Grade Two and scroll down until you see “Money Bingo”. Play using “all coins”. Some of the students can easily add the bills with the change as well. I know who the “spenders” are-LOL!

The students are learning the following doubles “by heart” through regular drilling in class:

from 1 + 1 to 15 + 15 as well as 20 + 20, 25 + 25, 30 + 30, 40 + 40 and 50 + 50. Later on, we will learn to add/subtract 1 or 2 from a given double as well.

On-going: drilling of the doubles, work on subtraction with borrowing, +/- change to 100 cents

We are beginning our study of perimeter and area in Measurement.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

We’ve learned about the uses/major differences of a globe, a map and an atlas and realize that there are also a variety of books available to teach us about Earth and its features. The kids had fun locating Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the United States on the globe as well as a few other cities and/or countries that they had either visited or heard of. We’ve touched on the Equator, the northern and southern hemispheres and the northern and southern poles. We will be talking about climate as it relates to the extremes (poles) as well as life near the Equator. Later on, the students will study our climate and way of life compared to that of Nunavut.

The students will continue to look at features of a map such as the compass, the legend, the use of colour and symbols and apply positional language (south of, to the right or left, above, below, etc.) when comparing the location of two objects on a map.

VISUAL ARTS:

We recently applied our knowledge of complementary/contrasting colours to the use of regular and irregular shapes. The boys and girls will be applying their geometric knowledge of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures to work with both “symmetry” and “form”.

SYMMETRY: the property of being the same or corresponding on both sides of a central dividing line. Our bodies are symmetrical as are many capitalized letters of the alphabet.

FORM: When a flat, two-dimensional shape is bent, a third dimension is created. The shape becomes a form. Artists use form when they create sculptures. Some forms commonly used are cylinders, cones, spheres, cubes, pyramids and prisms.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:

The class is focussing on “movement competence” as it applies to sending and receiving a ball in soccer. We’ve learned about our “big foot” (the dominant foot when kicking the ball), how to kick and pass using our instep (keeping the ball close to the ground) and are learning how to lift the ball into the air using our toes. Practising with both a tennis ball and a soccer ball provide different challenges to the kids.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mme LA Boshell, OCT J

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two MARCH 2013 Newsletter

March is here and spring is in the air! You know this to be true when you officially spot a teenager wearing shorts and/or a t-shirt outside (which I did yesterday). We finally get to spring (our clocks) forward” on the 20^th! Looking ahead, I’d like to wish everyone a restful, enjoyable March Break, a festive St. Patrick’s Day and a lovely Easter long weekend at the end of the month.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS:

We’ve completed the first Roald Dahl book in our “Reading Response Journal”, and will be moving on to George’s Marvelous Medicine next. The students are enjoying Mr. Dahl’s “quirky” style of writing and look forward to “story time”.

Thank you for taking the time to help your child to prepare for the weekly Spelling and/or Dictée tests. Preparing sentences with the words IN ADVANCE really helps students when the testing day arrives. Just a reminder that the students must use EVERY Spelling word in a sentence (can combine a maximum of TWO words in one sentence) AND a total of FIVE Dictée words in sentences.

We’ve been so busy having a great time writing our “Animal Valentine” quatrain poems (a four line verse of poetry where the second line rhymes with the fourth) that we only just touched on letter writing last month. We will come back to writing friendly letters soon.

We continue our study of various grammar concepts as well. We are still working with the sentence types: telling, asking and exclamation sentences and have begun proofreading skills. Learning some basic proofreading marks will help the students become more aware of carefully checking their written work. I’ve introduced the proofreading marks for a capital letter (needed), a period (needed), a lower case letter (needed). We’ve also briefly touched on the proofreading mark for a spelling error. The boys and girls are learning what kinds of words are capitalized and why.

In Media Literacy, I look forward to the class’s oral presentations of either a commercial or a poster that advertises a toy or a food product. Please let me know if you did not receive the home project outline. SEE THE MARCH CALENDAR SENT HOME ON MARCH 1^ST FOR YOUR CHILD’S PRESENTATION DATE.

FRENCH LANGUAGE ARTS:

I’ve temporarily shifted our focus away from independent story writing back to whole class lessons on the writing process in an effort to improve on the quality of student writing being submitted. We are focusing on the transition of a SIMPLE sentence into a COMPLEX one. I will be working with the students to clearly teach them that their simple sentences should follow this formula: noun/pronoun (subject) + verb (action). While their more complex sentences should follow this formula: noun/pronoun (subject) + verb (action) + object (telling where and adding adjectives and other descriptive words). PLEASE PRACTISE WRITING SIMPLE AND COMPLEX SENTENCES AT HOME AS WELL.

We continue our study of various grammar concepts as well. We are currently working with the sentence types: telling, asking and exclamation sentences. I will be introducing the negative form as well: “ne.. pas”. For example: Je ne peux pas nager. We will return to our study of subject/verb agreement looking at the present tense of regular –er verbs (manger, danser, etc.).

Both my class and Mme Banting’s Grade ¾ class (our buddies); look forward to our animal plays that will be happening soon. The characters’ masks are very creative!

MATH:

The students will be submitting work on two surveys that they conducted on their peers. This data is to be displayed using one-to-one correspondence in a simple bar graph, with appropriate titles and labels along the axes.

In the Measurement strand, the students continue to work with centimetres and I have introduced the metre. We will look at estimating, measuring and recording the distance AROUND objects (perimeter). The class will also look at area, describing, through investigation, the relationship between the size of a unit of area and the number of units needed to cover a surface.

We will return to four-step problem solving incorporating the addition/subtraction of coins to 100 cents as well as the use of measurement skills.

In the Geometry strand, the students are learning about the various two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures, studying their geometric properties (faces, sides) and learning to identify these by name.

We are beginning to look at the concept of borrowing in two-digit subtraction. This is a challenging concept for many, so please review at home as well.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

CANADA AND WORLD CONNECTIONS: GRADE 2 – FEATURES OF COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD. The students will develop their awareness of physical and human geography by examining contemporary global communities. They use map, globe, and research skills to compare the cultural and physical features of a variety of communities. Students explore how the environment influences people’s lives, and begin to recognize that the lifestyles of people in other countries may be both similar to and different from their own.

We’ve defined the word “community”, and have talked about how we can be part of “many” smaller communities (family, school, church, soccer, etc.). I also put markers/flags on our posted map of Brantford and of Paris, indicating where the students live. From there, we have begun a discussion on the compass rose and the use of cardinal directions in mapping. The class is enjoying learning about the features of our beautiful city. We can’t believe the number of Tim Horton’s we have-LOL!

Here’s to another great month in Grade Two! As always, please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions that you may have.

Mme LA Boshell, OCT J

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two FEBRUARY 2013 Newsletter

Happy Groundhog Day, happy Valentine’s Day and happy Family Day to everyone! I’m so glad to hear that we are in for an early spring (fingers crossed). Even though we’ve only had a small amount of snow, this winter has been too long for me already.

February is “friendship month”. Take the time to smile at a friend or co-worker. Brighten their day by sharing a few kind words.

I would like to take a minute to introduce you to Sage who joined our classroom on Monday, January 21^st. We welcome Sage and his family into our wonderful school and community.

Term One Report Cards will be coming home today (February 4^th). Please remember to complete, CUT OFF and return the sections of the Term 1 Report Card (pages 3 and 4) as well as the report card envelope. Should you wish to meet to discuss your child’s achievement, I am happy to do so. Your son/daughter’s success and happiness are important to me.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS:

The class has begun a “Reading Response Journal” for the book The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl. The journal is a place to reflect on the book that I am reading aloud, focusing on head and heart strategies primarily. The head strategy centres on predicting and inferring (I wonder, I think) and justifying by presenting an opinion (I think… BECAUSE). The heart strategy centres on emotions and feelings. In this case, the student tries to relate the text to self. “It reminds me of a time…” The students comment in their journals and I read and respond to their ideas. Story elements such as characters (primary, secondary), setting(s), problem(s) and resolution(s) will continually be addressed.

The bi-weekly Spelling program will resume. However, tests will no longer simply be “oral” assessments. I will now be testing the students on their written “spelling” of the dictated words as well as their use of the words in complete, logical sentences of their own creation. Words for the first test come home in the agenda on February 4^th and the first test will be on February 15^th.

Mme Drury will be returning in February to continue to test students on their sight word lists. Students must be able to accurately read and quickly recall the words from the lists. I will continue to keep you informed of your child’s progress as he/she progresses through the lists. Your child must study at home regularly in order to move up through the lists.

As part of “friendship month”, the students will learn the basic parts of a letter (date, opening/salutation, body, closing and signature) and we will be writing friendly letters. I also plan to do some work with poetry this month.

We will continue our study of various grammar concepts as well. We are currently working with the sentence types: telling, asking and exclamation sentences. Next we will look at proofreading skills. Learning some basic proofreading marks will help the students become more aware of carefully checking their written work.

In Media Literacy, the students have been learning about the language of advertising which is that of “persuasion”. We’ve looked at the purpose of advertising such as enticing the consumer to DESIRE the product, to want to take ACTION to buy the product, to attract the consumer’s ATTENTION and to arouse INTEREST in the product. The boys and girls enjoyed looking at a variety of magazine ads and trying to figure out what the ad was trying to sell and who its target audience was. We will be moving on to advertising techniques (such as the use of slogans, jingles and celebrities to sell a product) next.

FRENCH LANGUAGE ARTS:

We continue to work with narrative stories in French whereby the students are required to write a clear beginning, middle and end to their story. A problem is introduced in the middle and its solution is unveiled at the end. The students are required to include mainly SIMPLE sentences in their writing with some more COMPLEX sentences. I will be working with the students to clearly teach them that their simple sentences should follow this formula: noun/pronoun (subject) + verb (action). While their more complex sentences should follow this formula: noun/pronoun (subject) + verb (action) + object (telling where and adding adjectives and other descriptive words).

The bi-weekly Dictée program will resume. However, tests will no longer simply be “oral” assessments. I will now be testing the students on their written “spelling” of the dictated words as well as their use of the words in complete, logical sentences of their own creation. Words for the first test come home in the agenda on February 11^th and the first test will be on February 22nd.

I will be resuming the French Reading Log. While students will be EXPECTED to borrow from my French library (MONDAY to THURSDAY) and to read a book at home 4 nights a week, I will only be checking the logs ONCE a week on Fridays. ALL Reading Logs MUST be returned to school every Friday morning. A parent signature is needed to confirm each entry read please.

We will continue our study of various grammar concepts as well. We are currently working with the sentence types: telling, asking and exclamation sentences. I will introduce the negative form as well: “ne.. pas”. For example: Je ne peux pas nager.

The students are working in small groups with boys and girls from Mme Banting’s class (our “Conversation Buddies”) to memorize a few simple lines to a short play. They will be presenting their plays to one another and to a few of the primary classes. The actors will wear animal face masks and will “act” the part of the animal in role by using voice and proper body/facial actions as well.

MATH:

We are still working on the Data Management strand. The students have been reading and presenting information on pictographs and bar graphs as well as posing and answering simple questions about (class-generated) data. They will be gathering data to answer a question, using a simple survey with a limited number of responses (and keeping a tally). This data will then be displayed using one-to-one correspondence in a simple bar graph, with appropriate titles and labels along the axes.

In the Measurement strand, the students continue to work with centimetres and various non-standard units of measure. I will be introducing the metre and we will begin to look at estimating, measuring and recording the distance AROUND objects (perimeter). The class will also look at area, describing, through investigation, the relationship between the size of a unit of area and the number of units needed to cover a surface.

We will return to four-step problem solving incorporating the addition/subtraction of coins to 100 cents as well as the use of measurement skills.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

The students are finishing work on their celebration comparison pamphlet, comparing two celebrations (choices of “Christmas”, “Hanukah” and/or “Kwanzaa”) using the research information gathered in our study of these celebrations in class.

We will then move on to our study of CANADA AND WORLD CONNECTIONS: GRADE 2 – FEATURES OF COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD. The students will develop their awareness of physical and human geography by examining contemporary global communities. They use map, globe, and research skills to compare the cultural and physical features of a variety of communities. Students explore how the environment influences people’s lives, and begin to recognize that the lifestyles of people in other countries may be both similar to and different from their own.

VISUAL ARTS:

We will be moving on from line and colour to look at the element of design “shape/form”.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:

Movement Competence: Skills, Concepts, and Strategies: send objects of different shapes and sizes at different levels and in different ways, using different body parts (e.g., kick a utility ball to a partner or slide a beanbag across the floor to a partner, using their hands, or foot).

Receive objects of different shapes and sizes at different levels and in various ways, using different body parts (e.g., stop a low bouncing ball with their hands or feet or catch or trap a beanbag that they or a partner toss).

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours in education,

Mme LA Boshell, OCT J

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two December/January Newsletter

First off, let me begin by saying thank you once again to Mrs. Harrison for assisting in supervising the students during our fun visit to the Safety Village last month. Hopefully everyone will now be checking their smoke detectors MONTHLY and you have mapped out two emergency exit routes from your home in case of fire.

Also, a huge thank you once again to Mrs. Nagano for her help with the creation of the cute bear mask that Kendra wore on the float for the Santa Claus Parade. Pacey and I combined our talents to create the loveable three-eyed alien (from Toy Story) that you saw.

Mrs. Drury and Mrs. Nagano are kindly volunteering to come in weekly to assist the students with their reading. Mrs. Drury is testing the students on their ability to instantly read the sight word list that each child was assigned; while Mrs. Nagano is helping out my lower level readers in French. We really appreciate your help!

LANGUAGE:

In both languages, the students have been working with the identification of nouns, adjectives and verbs. We have been learning about telling, asking and exclamation sentences and continue to orally discuss the components of a narrative: characters, setting, problem and resolution as seen/heard in texts and in film. The class has also been applying learned “reading strategies” to partner reading begun recently. We endeavour to read for 10-20 minutes a day. Ask your child about “Comme un ombre/Shadow Me” and “Le petit perroquet/You read Then I Read.”

We continue to work with the “head” and “heart” strategies when studying texts and will go on to the “hand” strategy in time.

In French, the students have been working with pronouns (mostly in conjunction with verb conjugations of “avoir” and of “être”) as well as writing more complex sentences (by adding an object on after the verb. The students have started work on a short piece of writing that they will share orally. It tells of themselves and/or of their family and utilizes the different sentence types learned. We will later be moving on to a five character “saynète” (skit) that will encourage dramatic role play while developing confidence in communicating in French.

Congratulations to Ryan Court and Kennedy for having read the MOST French books at home, during the month of November. Who will be our December winners?

In JANUARY, three students will be reading to the class IN FRENCH DAILY (a book chosen from our class library that is at their level and that they have PRACTICED in advance). Please see the January calendar for dates. The class and I will be asking questions afterwards. For example: What is the setting, problem, resolution? Who are the characters? What was your favourite part and why? What did you learn? Any new words? Etc.

In English, the boys and girls have been learning to organize their ideas using diagrams: a word web/brainstorm, a story map (characters, setting, problem, resolution) and beginning, middle and end sequencing of events. The organized ideas will assist in the development of a sequential story that involves two characters, a setting, two events, a problem and a resolution.

I will be introducing media literacy to the class next week. The students are exposed to all types of media on a daily basis. Understanding how to read and write media is a critical asset for children.

MATHEMATICS:

We continue to work with problem solving (4 step process) and the development of mental math skills on a regular basis. The kids have been adding with and without carrying and have been subtracting without regrouping. We continue to work with money amounts to 100 cents (+/-, representing and counting) as well as determining the missing number in equations involving +/- using a variety of strategies (fist and fingers- “count on”, number line, ruler, 100’s chart).

We have been sorting objects according to two shared attributes. The kids will be creating repeating patterns with two attributes (attribute and pattern blocks).

We are beginning work on reading data in tally charts and in graphs. The class will be making statements about, and collecting and displaying data.

In January, we will study measurement, estimating, measuring and recording length, height and distance using standard and non-standard units.

Please continue to drill +/- facts to 18 at home to develop speed and accuracy with mental math computations.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

We have been learning about good/bad habits and setting personal goals to change bad habits in the classroom learning environment (and hopefully at home too). The kids have discussed responsibilities in the class, school and on the bus as well as good and bad consequences of actions. The students are beginning to see how their actions (good and bad) impact directly on the class as a WHOLE as we are like a family unit working together. We’ve also reviewed the school’s code of conduct (with special focus on the student’s role).

VISUAL ARTS:

We’ve moved from our study of the element of line, onto the element of colour. The students will identify the primary and secondary colours and create works of art incorporating the use of these.

Have a wonderful, safe holiday!

See you on January 7^th boys and girls.

Sincerely yours,

Mme LA Boshell, OCT J

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two November Newsletter

On Friday, November 9^th, Progress Reports will be coming home. Please ensure that you have completed the form sent home from the office indicating when you would like to meet with me to discuss your child’s progress to date at the parent-teacher interviews. If I do not hear from you, I will assign you a given day and time slot (that will hopefully work for you). It is very important that we meet to discuss your child’s progress prior to the first Report Card coming home at the end of January.

On Saturday, November 24^th, our class will have two or three representatives riding along on our school’s Santa Claus Parade float. Those representatives will be wearing masks of a “toy theme”. Some ideas that the staff has shared with me include using a baseball cap to build off of (as a base) or using boxes to build a robot head. I am looking for your help please! I will admit to not being overly artistically inclined. If you can help by providing ideas, BRIGHT AND COLOURFUL materials to use and/or your time helping out in the classroom, please let me know via the agenda. I WILL GLADLY WORK MY SCHEDULE AROUND YOUR AVAILABILITY.

While I only need 2-3 masks for the parade, I would love for every student to be able to create one.

LANGUAGE:

You will note that I am now clearly indicating when the French oral dictations (Dictées) and English oral dictations are on the monthly calendar that is sent home.

The boys and girls are wrapping up their work on an English Halloween riddle that incorporated the use of nouns, verbs and adjectives. We had a great time coming up with lists of Halloween nouns, adjectives and verbs together! The students have also been learning how to take words directly from the question in order to answer English story comprehension questions, using COMPLETE sentences.

We will begin to learn about and apply READING STRATEGIES (“All Star” and “hand”, “heart” and “head”) to assist with independent reading time that will be starting.

Of course, these strategies will greatly assist your child during his/her time spent reading with the “Raz-kids” program as well.

In French, the boys and girls learned how to identify/re-state the characters, setting, problem and solution in the narrative (récit) entitled: Le canard à l’aile cassée. We are now moving on to a second narrative: Petit chat et gros chat. As a class, we will begin work on the creation of a narrative as a shared writing piece, leading to the students learning how to develop and organize their ideas in order to write their own narrative. The students are also learning how to write more interesting, complex sentences using posted adjectives and words describing “Where?”.

In November, we will begin to look at the different “types” of sentences as well (declarative, interrogative, exclamatory and imperative).

“Chaise chaude” continues. I choose five students a week (1-2 a day), to sit on the chair at the front of the room next to me, to answer questions that the students and I ask “en français”. The student must try his/her best to answer in French and in a complete sentence. A great way to build self-confidence while improving oral communication, question formulation and vocabulary skills (and the kids LOVE it)!

French Reading Logs:

Due to the fact that I only have a small group of students who consistently read in French at home, I will be changing the format/method of logging and rewarding individual student reading. Beginning on Monday, November 5^th, I will be teaching the students how to use the monthly calendar provided in the student agenda to log their French reading. As such, I will no longer be using the yellow reading log duo-tangs. If you could assist me in using the monthly calendar in the agenda to track how many books or stories your child reads DAILY, at the end of the month, I will provide the boy and the girl with the MOST books read, their choice of a free book from my selection of Scholastic bought books.

Mathematics:

We have begun problem solving. The boys and girls are given a problem to attempt on their own; we then take it up as a class. A similar problem is posted, and I send them off to work with an assigned partner. After a few minutes, we convene to discuss strategies used in the various groups (the use of pictures, numbers and a sentence to sum up the learning). Next, the students are again given a similar problem to solve independently this time. With so much prior practice, the independent rate of success should be quite high. Over the next little while, we will focus our problem solving on money amounts to 100 cents and determining the missing number in equations to 18 (+/-).

We continue to work with sorting objects according to TWO ATTRIBUTES. However, the students have already begun to graph “Mad Minute” 5 minute timed drill results onto a bar graph using 1:1 correspondence. Your child would benefit greatly from +/- to 18 practice at home. The use of flashcards to help develop speed and accuracy are a great idea and can be purchased from the Dollar Store.

We have been working on addition and subtraction with only occasional regrouping. We will learn how to regroup beginning with addition and moving on to subtraction.

Teaching Friendship Skills (Character Education):

In LESSON THREE: BEING A PUT-DOWNER MAKES YOU HARD TO LIKE, the students will learn some reasons behind put-down behaviour, as well as the fact that giving put-downs can cause others not to trust them. The students will learn techniques to help them change their put-down behaviours.

In LESSON FOUR: THE SECRET TO MAKING FRIENDS: MAKE OTHERS FEEL SPECIAL, the students will learn specific behaviours that promote friendship.

Thank you for your continued support at home and I’ll see you at the parent-teacher Progress Report interviews on November 15^th and 16^th.

Mme LA Boshell J

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two October Newsletter

Fall is here and boy can you feel it in the air! I hope that you had a lovely Thanksgiving Day long weekend.

Please speak to your child about his/her clothing decisions for the day’s recess breaks (Is it okay to wear your coat/sweater first break, but not second?). I would appreciate your letting me know (via the agenda) if your child is allowed to make his/her own clothing decisions for recess. Thank you!

It was great meeting so many new faces at our annual “Meet the Teacher” night.

Please make sure that your child has all of the necessary school supplies that I mentioned in the September newsletter.

Thank you for taking the time to fill-in the Highlights Magazine slips that I sent home. Even if you said “NO”, you were not interested in ordering the magazine; your reply helped our class to receive a box of roughly 1ooo stickers! WOW!

HALLOWEEN: The students will take part in the annual costume parade around the school in the afternoon (getting dressed after recess at 11:40). We will follow this up with some Halloween crafts and activities in our classroom. Please be sure to send your child’s costume to school in a bag as he/she will be changing later in the day. Store bought treats would be appreciated, but are certainly not required. We’ll be having fun no matter what –LOL!

“I’M DONE EARLY” BAG: Please remember to put together a plastic baggie of quiet, educational activities to entertain your child when he/she is done work early and/or for rainy indoor recess days. Thank you!

CHILDREN’S SAFETY VILLAGE: On Friday, November 23^rd from 1:00-2:30, the boys and girls will be learning about “fire safety” at the Village. I will need 2-3 supervisors to attend please. Permission forms will be sent home as the date nears. Thank you.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Thank you for ensuring that your daughter has hair ties or elastics to keep her hair out of her face and that your child is not wearing any jewellery on scheduled gym days (DAYS 1 & 5).

LANGUAGE: I will be starting English reading dictations the week of October 9^th. Please check the October calendar for reading dictation dates in English and in French Language. As part of your child’s responsibility as a student in Grade 2, he/she will now be required to write out the oral dictation words in his/her agenda. These words are reviewed by me (for accuracy), initialled and sent home daily for studying.

WORK SENT HOME: Please have your child complete and return (the next day) any work that is sent home. I appreciate your support. Please understand that students are given a reasonable amount of time to complete the task in class before it is sent home to be completed under your supervision.

READING LOGS:

French: I am so happy to see many students reading in French on a daily basis! Bravo, belle lecture! Please note: Effective immediately, for LONGER texts sent home, I will now allow students to read and count these entries MORE THAN ONCE. This will remain at my discretion. Should your child choose to select a “free” book from Scholastic, please ensure that it is NOT MORE THAN $10.00. Thank you for your understanding.

English: Raz-kids will be starting up very soon.

THE GRADE TWO CURRICULUM:

In October, the boys and girls will be studying:

French and English Language Arts:

Same as last month with the addition of:

·  the incorporation of some more COMPLEX sentences that use adjectives and objects (telling where and adding details)

The young boy went to Green Park across the street from his house.

· the teaching of reading/decoding strategies (posted and used in class)

· re-stating information (read or viewed/listened to) including the main ideas and supporting details such as characters, settings, problem and solution

· developing and organizing ideas (as pertains to the narrative form)

CONVERSATION BUDDIES WITH MME BANTING’S GRADE ¾ CLASS:

Every Day 4 of the cycle, our two classes get together at the very end of the day to converse “en français” with one another. On our first two visits, the kids were paired up and worked on an introduction to one another (grade 2 student to grade 3 or 4 student) which they then shared with the larger group. It was great fun getting to know one another and seeing what we had in common!

Mathematics:

Continued review of numbers to 200 (counting by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s and 25’s), printing number words to twenty, locating whole numbers to 100 on a number line and solving +/- problems to 18

The addition of:

· money amount to 100 cents/1 dollar (estimate, count, represent)

· count backwards by 1’s from 50 (or a number less than 50)

· count backwards by 10’s from 100 (or a number less than 100)

· repeated, growing and shrinking patterns

· determine the missing number in equations involving +/- to 18

· organizing/sorting objects according to TWO ATTRIBUTES simultaneously

· read primary data presented in a graph

· pose and answer questions about data

· gather data to answer a question, using a simple survey

· represent/display data on a graph (including titles, labels on axes and 1:1 correspondence)

Social Studies:

Overall: The students will learn to distinguish between needs and wishes/desires and between rights and privileges. They will develop social skills and assume responsibilities within the classroom and school communities. The boys and girls will familiarize themselves with the school environment by taking a look at the various roles and responsibilities of those in positions of authority (staff members) as well as the students.

We will look at:

· responsibilities associated with a certain role (e.g., principal, secretary, teacher, student, firefighter, police officer…)

· the development and acquisition of social skills as they relate to the school/classroom environment

· good and bad habits as they relate to the students at school

· actions/decisions and subsequent consequences

· differentiating “fact” from “opinion”

· showing respect for the rights and opinions of others

· differentiating between “rights” and “privileges” and between “needs” and “wishes/desires”

· “community” (a definition of, civic and cultural activities related to a community, personal involvement in the community)

Teaching Friendship Skills (Character Education):

Last month at the primary awards assembly, students earned certificates for showing “respect”. This month’s character trait is “cooperation”.

In our class, we have been looking at LESSON ONE: BEHAVIOURS THAT HELP KIDS HAVE FRIENDS. Within this lesson, the students discussed what they thought were the MOST IMPORTANT characteristics of a friend and they nominated class members who they thought exhibited friendly behaviours. They also noted a friendship behaviour that they thought they were “best at” and one that they “needed to work on”.

In LESSON TWO: BEHAVIOURS THAT KEEP KIDS FROM HAVING FRIENDS, the students will learn behaviours that prevent the development of friendships by identifying behaviours they dislike in others. The students will identify behaviours they have that interfere with friendships.

Thank you and Happy Halloween.

PS: Just a quick reminder that extra clothes (and mitts) are a GREAT idea for ALL students. Your son/daughter is welcome to keep items in a LABELLED bag on his/her hook in the closet area. Should your child borrow from a friend, please be sure to launder and return items a.s.a.p..

Sincerely,

Mme LA Boshell, OCT J

Mme Boshell’s Grade Two September Newsletter

Bienvenue de retour! Welcome back to school and a big, warm welcome to Grade Two! Some of you may know that this is my first year in Grade Two after teaching Grade One for many years. I am really looking forward to a wonderful year working in close conjunction with my grade partners Mme Mullings and Mme St-Denis. I have a lovely class of 18 (7 boys) energetic and eager students.

I hope to see you at our upcoming “MEET THE TEACHER” evening on Thursday, September 20^th from 6-7 pm. At this time, I will be holding two information sessions (2^nd session is a repeat of the first) regarding classroom routines and the Grade Two program from 6-6:30 and 6:30-7.

AGENDAS: Students in grades 2-8 are required to purchase a school agenda. The agenda is an important tool used to help students organize and manage their time effectively. It is also a means of on-going communication between home and school. The cost of the agenda is $7.00 (CASH ONLY ACCEPTED). Please send in this amount with your child as soon as possible (in a labelled baggie or envelope). WHENEVER SUBMITTING MONEY, PLEASE PLACE INTO AN ENVELOPE OR BAGGIE LABELLED WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME. We will soon be recording homework and other important information, such as Picture Day, Meet the Teacher Night, etc. Please feel free to write to me, but AVOID writing notes on the LEFT page as your child will be using this side of the agenda. While I DO NOT require a daily parent signature in the agenda, I will be checking it every morning for any parent communication. Please DO check your child’s agenda NIGHTLY.

Note: The best way to contact me is via the daily agenda as I do not find the time to regularly check my voice mail.

CLASSROOM SUPPLIES:

· A pencil box or case

· A COVERED pencil sharpener

· Two glue sticks (to start the year)

· Scissors

· Crayons and pencil crayons

· A few QUALITY pencils that are easily sharpened

· An eraser

· Small bottle of hand sanitizer (at your discretion, to use in lieu of hand washing at the sink)

· A headphone set to be used in the computer lab (placed in a LABELLED plastic baggie to be kept at school)

· Indoor running shoes

· Hair elastics, clips, etc.

· A labelled re-usable water bottle to be kept on your child’s desk in class (sent home every Friday or sooner if you wish for washing)

· If your child likes to draw or journal, only a small (I suggest coiled or bound) notebook will be permitted

Pens, highlighters, loose-leaf paper, binders and other un-necessary supplies that are not on the list, will be returned home.

DONATIONS: Donations of antibacterial/sanitizing wipes, medium and large size Ziploc baggies, paper towel, spoons and forks are ALWAYS appreciated J.

MISCELLANEOUS: With your permission, LABELLED, appropriate safe toys (soft balls, action figures…) are welcome at school (for recess use). However, no trading cards whatsoever please. Also, please be aware that the school will not be held responsible for lost, stolen and/or broken toys.

HIGHLIGHTS MAGAZINE and SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS:

Even if you are NOT interested in ordering Highlights magazine, please take a minute to fill-in the yellow slip. The class is awarded prizes for both “yes” and “no” answers to ordering.

In regards to Scholastic book orders, I will soon start sending order forms home monthly. You are under absolutely NO obligation to order anything. However, should you wish to order something, CHEQUES ONLY are accepted (made out to “Scholastic”). I wait about A WEEK after sending home the forms before I place any orders received. When the orders arrive, they are sent home with the students (unless you instruct differently).

Mme Edmondson and Mme Lougheed are reminding parents to please use the parent pick-up area (labelled on the tarvia) to pick up non-bussed children. The halls are filled with students and staff during busy entry and dismissal times. Please respect that this can be a “hectic” time for all and wait for your children at the designated pick-up area.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Our gym days are on Days 1 and 5 of the cycle. However, we will be participating in Daily Physical Activity (D.P.A.) regularly. As such, your child needs to keep indoor running shoes at school and have long hair secured in order to participate safely. While studs are permitted, no dangling earrings or other jewellery will be allowed in the gym. Children who are not prepared (appropriate dress, hair, jewellery or footwear) will not be participating.

LANGUAGE: This will be the first year that your child is formally instructed in BOTH French and English. We will soon begin reading dictations (reading language quizzes). The kids will work with a pre-determined vocabulary list for a period of 1-2 weeks. Students will practice these words through play, grammar and vocabulary activities throughout the week(s). Practice will be done at school. However, incomplete work will be sent home for completion. The vocabulary list will be sent home in the agenda so your child can practice at home as well. We will alternate French and English (not both languages simultaneously). Children will be tested on their ability to read the words on Fridays.

READING LOGS:

French: A French home reading program will begin this month. The boys and girls will be encouraged to read in French, 4 times a week, for 10-15 minutes a night. They will need to record their book, story, or phonics sheet each time they read. Parents are asked to initial beside the entry. The goal of this reading log is to foster a love of reading, to build your child’s confidence and his/her word base in French. Watch for the reading log duo-tang coming home shortly.

English: I will be introducing the students to the “Raz-kids” reading program. Each child will be given his/her own account i.d. and password. Children will be encouraged to use the “Raz-kids” website as their English home reading program. I will be able to track children’s progress online, as well as to listen to children read online (if you have access to a microphone at home). Look for more information to come.

THE GRADE TWO CURRICULUM:

In September, the boys and girls will be studying:

French and English Language Arts:

· Nouns, adjectives, verbs

· Writing simple sentences

· Identifying the four components of a narrative (character, setting, problem and resolution)

· Writing narratives applying the four components as well as grade level conventions

· Reviewing basic phonics

Mathematics:

· Read and print in words whole numbers to twenty

· Represent numbers to 100 using base ten materials (ones, tens)

· Count forwards by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s and 25’s to 200

· Locate whole numbers to 100 on a number line and a partial number line

· Solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of whole numbers to 18, using a variety of mental strategies

Social Studies:

Heritage and Citizenship: Grade 2 – Traditions and Celebrations

· Demonstrate an understanding that Canada is a country of many cultures

· Use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate information about similarities and differences among family traditions and celebrations

· Explain how the various cultures of individuals and groups contribute to the local community

Beginning the FIRST FRIDAY IN OCTOBER (and the first Friday every month thereafter), I will be posting my newsletters online at our school’s website: www.granderie.ca/ecolefairview. If you require a paper copy of the newsletter, please let me know via the agenda. Otherwise, I will not be sending home subsequent paper newsletters.

Here’s to a fantastic, memorable year in Grade Two!

Yours in education,

Mme LA Boshell, OCT

Subjects:

Grade 2