Friend 2 Friend Presentation

These last two days of sunshine have been amazing and apparently it is supposed to continue on for the rest of the week. YAY! We've definitely taken advantage of the sunshine and spent some extra time outdoors during our gym block.

 

Personal Fitness

 

We are also right smack dab in the middle of our personal fitness unit for physical education. We are working on improving our stamina during our personal fitness centre rotations. Here are a few pictures that show some of our personal fitness activities. 

 

Friend 2 Friend Presentation



Today we were very lucky to have a few special visitors from the Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society. The program they presented today in class works to foster understanding, acceptance and empathy between individuals with autism and their peers, while introducing prosocial communication strategies to enhance peer social relations and reduce bullying. The students watched a short video presentation, learned the seven friendship tips, and finally role-played with some puppets to demonstrate their learning and understanding. The presentation was extremely engaging and fun. We will definitely be doing some follow- up activities over the next month.  

 

Spelling

Don't forget that Friday is a Professional Development Day, therefore students will not be in class. Our weekly spelling quiz will take place on Thursday and we are focusing on the r-controlled spelling pattern - or and -ore. Our spelling lists are now available on spellingcity.com/singha. Spelling city is a great opportunity to practice your weekly words in a fun and engaging way. 

What's New This Week

I can't believe Spring Break is already over and we've been back at school for our second week.

 

Reading and Writing

 

Before we left for Spring break, we celebrated everything to do with leprechauns and St. Patrick's Day. We engaged ourselves in a whole lot of St. Patrick's Day themed writing and story retelling.

 

Since we've been back, we have continued on with our story retelling unit with a fairy tales theme. We read two familiar fairy tales last week - "Cinderella" and "The Princess and the Pea". For each of the stories, we completed a "someone, wanted, but, so, finally" activity page to help develop our retelling skills. We also completed a directed drawing, crayon and water colour resist art project to compliment our "Princess and the Pea" activity. We will continue our retelling unit this week and hopefully move on to creating and writing our very own fairy tales next week.

 

Math

In the area of Math, we have started a new theme unit focusing on solving word problem. Our goals for this unit include solving a variety a word problems involving addition and subtraction, and using different strategies which may include :

- using a number line

- using tens frames

- drawing a picture

- drawing tally marks and

- using manipulatives

 

We have also learned to recognize several "signal" words which assist us in recognizing whether a word problem is asking us to add or subtract.

 

Addition Signal Words

more

combined

in all

sum

altogether

total

plus

 

Subtraction Signal Words

less

take away

fewer

how many more

decrease

difference

minus

 

 

Spelling

 

During this week's spelling unit, we will focus on the r-controlled spelling pattern ar. Our weekly words are now posted on spellingcity.com. Be sure to visit spellingcity.com for extra practice and review at home.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

 

I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday and is refreshed and ready for school tomorrow.

Although we'll be focusing a lot on goal setting and creating some classroom new years resolutions, we'll also be getting back into the swing of some of our regular weekly routines. The first of which is spelling. Over the next four weeks our focus will be on consonant digraphs. Consonant digraphs are when two consonant letters are paired together to make a new sound. These digraphs can be located at the beginning or end of the word. This week, we will focus on the consonant digraph /sh/.

 

Spelling City has a few new games they have added to their website. I really enjoyed READ-A-WORD and I am sure you will too.  Click here to access our class homepage for some fun online ways to study our weekly spelling words.

 

I also came across this cute video. How many /sh/ words can you guess as you watch this short video clip?

 

See everybody tomorrow!

 

-Mrs. Singh

 

 

Spelling This Week...

Our spelling words this week focus on the long i vowel patterns.

Here are some of the spelling patterns that can create the long i sound.

 

magic e (i_e) = time

ie = pie

igh = right

ind = kind

tricky pattern ye = rye

 

Remember to complete your spelling journal activities for homework or visit  SpellingCity for extra practice and review.

 

Enjoy your evening!

 

-Mrs. Singh

Just a quick update....

This post is going to be short and sweet...

 

It seems that some of Santa's elves were busy decorating the classroom over the weekend. The students walked in this morning to find Christmas lights hanging everywhere. Hmmmmm!!?? I wonder what they'll be up to next? I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes and ears open to see what other Christmas fun they might bring to the room during the month of December.

 

Today we learned about the long e vowel sound. Some of the long e vowel patterns we focused on today were:

 

ea = peach     ey = key     ee = teeth     i = ski

tricky pattern ei = theif

 

Once again, we created a list of words with the long e vowel sound and then placed them under the appropriate pattern.

 

Lastly, we will be celebrating 50 days of school this week. We'll be spending the week engaged in a number of hand-on activities centered around the number 50 as well as many 1950's inspired writing and art activities. On Friday, we'll wrap-up our fifties celebration with a costume dress-up day. Everyone is encouraged to come dressed-up in rolled jeans, t-shirts, and poodle skirts or just in the colours pink and blue. We will be sure to have a BLAST!

 

- Mrs. Singh

 

 

Fun with the iPAD

This morning, our class had the opportunity to use the school's iPAD. We attached the iPAD to our classroom document camera. The document camera allowed us to enlarge the image on the iPAD and view it on our classroom projector screen. The entire class was then able to utilize and benefit from the iPAD, rather then one student at a time. Isn't technology amazing? The spelling City app was downloaded onto the iPAD, so we played a few spelling games using our words of the week. All the students were having a great time learning and practicing their weekly words and there was a TON of enthusiasm in the air. What a great way to start the day!

 

After our fun with the iPAD, we completed our weekly word work activities in our work word duo-tangs. It is really amazing to see how much my sweet ones and twos have learned in just 3 short months. They are turning into independent lovely learners. Yay!!!!!

We also had a chance to visit the computer lab today. Most of the students accessed their RAZ-Kids reading accounts and engaged in a variety of activities to help improve their reading and comprehension.

 

In the area of Math, we are continuing to improve our number sense by describing, comparing, and ordering numbers up to 100 as well as using mental math strategies to solve addition and subtraction facts to 20. Grade two students will be moving onto double-digit addition and subtraction without regrouping shortly. I always find that double-digit addition and subtraction is much easier for students when they have their basic facts memorized. For this reason, during the month of December, we will begin a new morning Math warm-up that will help all of the students memorize and master their basic math facts.

 

We have been having a lot of fun in gym learning and performing a number of folk dances. One of our favourites is the Kinderpolka. The Kinderpolka is a children's dance from Germany that mocks the adults scolding finger and uses a clap and slap pattern. The students create a circle and are assigned a partner. Next, they perform a number of side steps, stomps and claps which are repeated several times throughout the music. Too cute!

 

Tomorrow, we will be working on completing some animal classification riddles that we started working on this afternoon. Each of the students chose an animal and then researched information and facts about the animal of their choice. They started creating riddles using the information they gathered. Tomorrow they will have other students in the school try and guess their animal after reading their riddle. I'll definitely be posting photos of their work on this blog.

 

Have a great evening! See you tomorrow!

 

- Mrs. Singh

When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.

This week in our word study, we will be learning words that have the long a vowel sound. Last week, we learned how this sound can be created with the magic "e". Some other spelling patterns that create this sound are :

ay as in day

ai as in pail

eigh as in sleigh

One way to help the students remember the ay and ai vowel patterns is to remember this rhyme:

"When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking."

Here is a fun video and song clip to help reinforce these patterns:

 

 

We created a list of words with the long a vowel sound and we will continue to add to the list as the week progresses.

 

Onto animal classifications...

 

Today, in Science, the search was on when six poster boards were displayed throughout the classroom. Each poster board represented one of the six animal classification groups that we have been studying (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects). Each of the students cut out animal pictures from a variety of magazines and then pasted the magazine pictures onto the appropriate poster boards.

 

    

 

Searching through magazines

and

our mammals poster board

 

 

When we were all finished, we checked over our work and crossed out any animals that were pasted into the incorrect group (penguins had some of us confused, but we learned that they actually belong in the bird category).

 

Next we completed our animal classification windsocks (which some students have taken home to complete as homework) and displayed them hanging from our ceiling.

 

 

 

Have a great evening!

-Mrs. Singh

 

 

Reading, Writing, BINGO, A Salamander, An Assembly, and Some Spelling

Just so you know, this post will be ALL-OVER-THE-PLACE. There is so much to write about because so much has happened this week.

First.....

This month our reading and writing goals have been focusing on connections. Making connections to the books we read enhances understanding. A story will become more meaningful when it triggers memories of similar experiences, feelings, people, or places from within our own lives.

Some of the types of connections students can make to the books we read are:

Text-to-Self : When a book reminds the reader of something that happened to them.
Text-to-Text : When a book reminds the reader of another book they have read.
Text-to-World : When a book reminds the reader of something that doesn't just affect them personally, but affects other people in the world.

Many of our connections happen during story read aloud times and group discussions.
I have been choosing to share books and stories about real-life situations, such as friendships, school, and feelings. Before, during, and after our read aloud times, the students are encouraged to make connections to the pictures, characters, and feelings from the stories.

Writing to connect is another important component of our Language Arts curriculum. This month we will be writing many personal narratives that invite readers to make connections to our own writing.
This week we wrote about different feelings and the experiences that cause these feelings. Before we begin any type of writing, we will usually complete a planning sheet that helps us organize our thoughts and ideas. Here are a few examples of our work...

A pre-writing planning sheet:

 

 

 

Two examples of student writing.

 

 

Second...

 

In math, we've been working on our number recognition skills all the way to 100. BINGO seems to be a favourite activity to practice this skill. Yesterday we had the opportunity to teach the sweet Kindies a little number recognition and play a little BINGO.

 

 

 

Third...

 

A special guest spent two days in our room this week. No, it wasn't the candy corn bandit but rather a very cute and slimy salamander. One of the our classmates happen to find the little guy near the basketball court by the doggy daycare. We quickly found him a cozy, moist aquarium where we could keep him safe. We spend a little time looking up information regarding his eating habits and habitat. We also had a little election and voted on a name. We decided on the name Zoom, appropriate because he was able to hide under the leaves in his aquarium so quickly. Today, with a little bit of sadness in our hearts, we let Zoom go and returned him to the spot we had found him. We knew he'd be much happier that way.

 

 

Fourth...

 

We completed a Remembrance Day writing activity with messages for the soldiers to display in the gym for our assembly.

 

 

 

Fifth...

 

Finally, I wanted to showcase a few more amazing spelling activities completed by three of my hardworking students.

 

 

A short vowel sunshine

and

a beautiful word pattern rainbow!

 

Some short vowel playdoh words

 

 

And Finally...

 

Don't forget that Sunday is Remembrance Day.

Please take some time to remember.

 

Have a wonderful weekend.

See you on Tuesday!

 

-Mrs. Singh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Amazing Class

This post is purely to brag about the amazing kids I teach. First of all, we are only into the fifth week of our spelling program and already everyone is demonstrating so much improvement in their reading and writing. All your hard work definitely shows!

 

WAY-TO-GO Division 4!!!!!!!

 

Every week, the students are given several ideas for extra spelling help at home. One of the suggestions is to come up with their own creative and fun way to practise their words. Two of my lovely little leaders in grade two have surpassed my expectations the last two weeks and have come up with the coolest projects! The classroom has definitely been filled with many oooohhhhs and aaaahhhhhs! You can see their amazing work below.

 

 

Some "sweet spelling" cookies by the lovely Amy!

Amy also came up with the idea for "spicy spelling" and used white glue to write each of the spelling words on construction paper.

Then she sprinkled the glue with some delicious smelling spices. Unfortunately, my camera was not at school that day so I was unable to take a photo.

 

A spooky spelling graveyard and a spelling mobile by the sweet Alexis!

 

 

Wow! What creative ways to practise our words!

 

We wrapped-up our pumpkin study today by writing a pumpkin diamante poem. A diamante poem is a poem in the shape of a diamond. Each line uses specific types of words, like adjectives. It does not have to rhyme. After we completed our poem, we used chalk pastels to create these pumpkin patch scenes.

 

 

Can you say

AH-MAZ-ING!!!!

They are all so pretty!

 BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 

 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Mrs. Singh

 

Fun With Frankenstein

We completed our Frankenstein adjective writing activity today.

Last week, each of the students used their imagination and creativity to make their own Frankenstein picture. The one and only rule was that he had to be interesting enough so that they could each come up with  a bunch of adjectives to describe him. The kids were super engaged and let me tell you, I could have heard a pin drop in the classroom, that's how hard they were working. After we finished our Frankenstein pictures everyone was given a piece of writing paper. The students came up with a number of descriptive sentences to describe their very own Frankenstein.

 

Today we revisited our Frankenstein writing. First we used our writers eyes to edit for appropriate upper and lower-case letters, fingers spaces between words, and appropriate punctuation. When our editing was complete, we used our highlighters to underline the adjectives in our sentences. Finally we partnered up with a classmate and read our work aloud. Overall, I think they did an amazing job!

 

 

 

In Math, we started our FACT FAMILY unit. A Math fact family is a group of addition and subtraction number sentences that are alike in some way. Each family has two addition facts that have the same addends and sum.Addends are the numbers you add together and the sum is the answer. If you switch the addends to the problem, the sum stays the same. The fact family will also have two related subtraction questions.

 

Here is an example:

 

2 + 3 = 5      and     3 + 2 = 5

 

5 - 2 = 3   and    5 - 3 = 2

 

I explained to the students that the largest number is like the Dad. He always goes at the end of the addition sentences after the equals sign. However, in the subtraction sentences the larger number or "Dad" always goes at the beginning. Here's a little visual I introduced to help them understand the concept a little easier.

 

 

After our group lesson, we went back to our desks and worked on our own individual fact family activity to demonstrate our understanding and learning.

 

 

We'll be continuing our Math fact family study over the next couple weeks so that we can really grasp this concept.

 

Speaking of families, we also discussed word families today. The grade ones are focusing on the short /u/ vowel pattern in their spelling this week. We brainstormed a huge list of short /u/ words and then sorted them into the different word family endings. Here's what we came up with:

 

 

Wow! What a lot of words! We'll keep adding to the list throughout the week.

 

Have a great evening!

 -Mrs. Singh