News from Mrs. C's Room
March 31st-April 4th
Tidbits From the Teacher
We're in for a week of fun around here! We presented the winning station ideas to our community panel to loud applause and compliments on Monday morning. We're having a few changes to our schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday due to STAAR testing in the upper grades. Thursday is our field trip to Austin Zoo and on Friday is our Gallery Walk for all parents from 10-11:00 am.
Things to Do/Remember:
1. Please fill out the school survey about your Sommer experience this year. (It's really important for school accountabiity under House Bill 5 and helps the school improve too. It's anonymous if that helps at all!) The last day to do this is Friday. The district looks at the parent participation.
Class Wish List
- We need AA batteries for our cameras and flashlights.
-Any Books (picture or chapter) that you are no longer reading at home would make great additions to our class library
Dates to Remember
April 1st & 2nd: STAAR testing in upper grades (campus is closed)-No Joke!!
April 3rd: Field Trip to Austin Zoo!!
April 4th: PBL Gallery Walk in classrooms 10-11 am
April 5th: Round Rock Express game Spirit Night!! (scroll to bottom for info)
April 18th: School Holiday!!
What We'll Be Learning...
PBL: How can we plan and design improvements to our existing playground in order to meet the abilities of all students?
Students voted and the winning ideas for each station presented to a panel of community leaders on Monday morning. We had some pretty impressive guests! Our Round Rock Superintendent, School Board Members, PTA Board Members, Sommer Faculty, Administration in Round Rock and at Sommer were our panel. All the second grade teachers are super proud of all the groups and their hard work! We all learned a ton from this PBL. To end the unit, students will write a reflective piece about their experience with this project and we'll finish our read aloud about Melody. We've been sticky noting pages that students want to make sure you see on Friday if you are able to visit! We'll send home notebooks so you'll get to see everything.
Math: Students will be introduced to arrays and multiplication this week! We’ll be spending the next two weeks looking at multiplication and division to understand the relationship between the two PLUS trying out multiplication and division problems. For those ready for a challenge, we’ll have activities to deepen their understandings.
Reading: Students will study fiction texts this week, specifically folktales and fairy tales. Students will read different versions of Cinderella and compare the texts, thinking about the setting, the country/culture of origin, theme, plot, and characters.
Reading/Writing: Students have been responding to our 2nd grade read aloud, Out of My Mind, this week. Their responses include writing about character traits, facts and details, and making connections. We will also revisit letter writing, which will include “Thank You” notes and some persuasive writing.
Science: Students will be reviewing animal characteristics and behaviors as we prepare for our field trip to the Austin Zoo. Students will be given an animal that they will complete a “Guess My Animal” sheet on; using the animals habitat, outer coverings/characteristics, adaptations and method of getting from place to place. We will be wrapping the week up by visiting the zoo and applying their knowledge while completing an animal scavenger hunt on Thursday, followed by our PBL Gallery Walk on Friday.
Grammar: Students will also be working on editing and revising, getting prepared for an upcoming benchmark in April.