Click to watch a BrainPop Jr. movie about Thanksgiving.

Studying light

     Since we have just concluded our reading unit about the sun, we decided we wanted to do a few science lessons on light.  Today we predicted whether we would be able to see light through certain objects or not and then we tested and recorded our results.

     First we predicted.  Then we tested our predictions.

     Then we recorded our results.  We learned that scientists predict all the time and they are not always right!  That's how they learn new things.  Scientists also record their results to share with others.

     Here we are recording our results.

     We also learned a new word today - opaque.  Something that is opaque does not let light through it.  The tile, the foil, and the cardboard were all opaque.  The styrofoam was not opaque.  That one surprised a lot of us!

Newsletter 11-18-11

     We had our first writing celebration with our fifth grade warrior buddies from Mr. Brady's class.  They came to our classrooms and listened to us read our books to them.  Then they told us what they liked about our writing.  We even had cookies!  Nice work second graders on your small moments writing!  I'm proud of your hard work.

We finished addition with and without regrouping with 2-digit numbers this week and started a new topic, subtracting 2-digit numbers.

Please return the report card envelopes signed on the trimester one line right away.  You may keep the papers inside.

Jeb's grandpa came and shared his native  American artifacts with us.   Read more about it and see pictures on the blog.

     If you have any beads, sequins, yarn, or similar crafty items that you would like to donate for a class holiday project we would love to have them!  Please send them in by Thanksgiving so we have plenty of time to work.

      Next week is a three day school week due to Thanksgiving.  Have a great holiday with your family.

  Spelling words for next week:  No test next week!  
We will review previous lists here at school instead.

Spelling words for the week of Nov. 28:
burn   churn   turn   stir   sir   look   lick   like   smoke   cook   not   first   joke   kicked

Upcoming events:
Nov. 22 – PTO meeting @ 5:30
Nov. 24-25 – Thanksgiving vacation – no school
Dec. 5 – Food drive begins
Dec. 12 – music program for grades 4 and 5 @
 7:00pm

We've got the moves!

Check out our dance moves to the Junior Achievement Quarter Rap!  I know it's blurry, but it was kind of hard to catch all that fast action!

Learning about the past

     Jeb's grandpa came to visit us today to teach about Native Americans and artifacts found in our area.  First he got out his "time machine" to help us understand how long ago 20,000 years ago was, the time of the last big ice age.

     Here are some of his artifacts.  Almost all of them were found in the area which we live!

      He had a nice selection of cooking tools, arrow points, tools to prepare animal hide, toys, tools for cutting and chopping, drilling,  jewelry, pipes, and even some items with an unknown purpose.

 

 

     Then each student got to use a mortar and pestle to grind corn into flour.  It was hard work!

Some of us looked in a reference book to find out more information.

Today we had our Veteran's Day Program.  We sang several patriotic songs.  We heard the gunshots.  We learned about the table for POWs and MIAs.  There was a slide show with pictures of veterans from our families.  Several students in our class have veterans in their families.

 On our way out we got to shake veteran's hands.  It was an honor to have them visit our school today.