Substitute and SPELLING TEST

Unfortunately I have had a death in the family. I am already going to be up in Ogden, (my hometown) on Thursday for a conference and will continue to stay there throughout the weekend due to these circumstances. I am really disappointed that I am going to miss two days of school and the Valentine's Day party, however, I need to be with my family and friends at this time. I hope that you all understand and will be patient with me. Also because of the crazy week, we will NOT be having a spelling test. I usually would have the students make it up, however, next week is a short week, so I have decided to skip it. I made the students a deal and told them that if they handed in their homework on time, then they would get to skip the spelling test. NEW HOMEWORK WILL STILL COME HOME ON FRIDAY!! (if the substitute hands it out) Thank you for all of your help and support. If you have any questions, feel free to call me or email me. (mmcmickell@washk12.org) I will check my email while I am gone. Thanks again!!

Music for the Program

Here is the program music!! You need to click on the title and it will link you to the music. You might need itunes, I'm not sure. I'm still learning how this blog stuff works, so if you have some problems, let me know and I will fix it. Enjoy practicing!

Feb. 9-Feb.13

Math- We will continue to learn about numbers to 1,000. We are working on writing the numbers in different ways. (words, numbers, and using the blocks) We are also working on graphing in math camp. We picked graphing because it is sometimes difficult to understand and is on the end-of-level test. Make sure that you practice looking at all the information that the graph has to tell. (definatley make sure that you are looking at the key when practicing graphing)
Writing- We are still working on our narrative essay. It is taking a little longer that I anticipated because we have been working on a science fair project to get the kids excited for the science fair and to help them understand what to do. We will really get back to our essay next week. Thanks for your understanding.
Guided Reading- I am so excited!! I am finally seeing some amazing summaries in our guided reading groups. The students are really understanding how to write a summary. The best part about writing summaries is that it helps them practice writing paragraphs and gets them ready for our essay. I love when all of the subjects connect!!
Teachers Notes- I sent a note home explaining Valentine's Day. I am having each student create a box or a bag at home to collect their valentine's in. Be creative, as long as it is appropriate for school, it will be fantastic for our party! I also don't want names to be put on any of the valentines. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. We are also asking for a $1.00 donation for the Valentine's Day party. Any donations would be greatly appreciated!! The Valentine's Day party will be on February 13th at 12:15. Everyone is welcome to join us!! I also wanted to let you know that I will be gone on Thursday for a conference. If you have any problems that day or if you need anything, please contact the office. (652-4712) I have had some questions about our program, we have it shceduled for Wednesday, April 22nd. Things could change, so I will keep you posted, but save that date for now. We are working hard and are really excited to share it with you. I am still working on getting the songs on the blog. Thank you so much for all that you do and for your amazing support!! Have a fantastic week and HAPPY VALLENTINE"S DAY!!

February 2-6

Math- This week we are learning about numbers to 1,000. We are really working on place value. Please review numbers up to 1,000 with your child and ask them what number is in the hundreds place, in the tens place, and in the ones place. Then ask them what the number means. (Example: 731 If I asked what the 3 meant in that number, the answer would be 30.)
Writing- We are still working on our narrative paragraph. We are going to be writing a three paragraph essay, so this might take some time. They have come up with some great ideas in their pre-write, so I am looking forward to their writing.
Guided Reading- We have re-grouped the students according to their new reading score and are even triple serving some of the students. I am so surprised at the progress that I am seeing in reading. The second grade team is really working hard and is getting great success in reading!!We will continue to work on fluency and summaries in our small groups.
Teacher Notes- We are asking for a $1.00 donation for our Valentine's Day Party. This will help in buying treats and fun things for the party!! Thanks so much for all that you do. Our party in be on February 13th at 12:15. Everyone is welcome!! We are also working on our program. I am trying to get the songs on the blog, so that the students can practice them at home. We will see if I can do it. Thank you so much for everything and for your support!! Have a fantastic week!!

January 26th-30th

Math- We will continue working on geometry and measurement. We are learning how to measure area and we are also working on measuring using cups, pints, quarts, and gallons. The students are learning how many cups are in a pint, how many cups are in a quart, and so on.

Writing- This week we will be focusing on a narrative paragraph. We will be working on the pre-writing phase of this paragraph. The students have now learned how to write an expository paragraph, a descriptive paragraph, and a persuasive paragraph.

Guided Reading- We are still working on our summaries. The students are writing a paragraph after they read a chapter. By doing this, the students are also working on their writing. I like to really get the summaries down because in third grade they have to write a summary for their DRA test. If I prepare them now, it will help them succeed in the future.

Other Notes- The students are working on a fun program. We still haven't set a date for this exciting adventure, but I will let you know as soon as I do!! We are also getting talkative again in class. Please remind your children of the behavior that is expected at school. Thank you so much for all of your help and support.

Math- We are working on Unit 7. This unit will focus on measurement and geometry. The students will be learning about symmetry and 2-D shapes. They will also be discovering right angles and parallel lines. This week we will be focusing on measuring using nonstandard units.
Writing- We have started our expostiory paragraph. In this paragraph, the students are explaining how to get from our classroom to another location in the school. We are in the writing stage of the writing process and will be making our sloppy copy this week.
Guided Reading- We will be working on monitoring and clarifying this week. This will help the students really understand what they are reading.
Teacher Notes- Thank you for all the many gifts that I recieved!! I truly appreciate your kindness and love!! I would also like to thank all of you who helped with the Christmas party!! It was amazing and the kids really had a good time!! Thanks for all that you do and for your support!!

Big Kahuna

This week the Big Kahuna is Natalie Gardiner!!