Halloween Updates and More

 Just a few quick updates for the week ahead...

Math:  We will be wrapping up how to read and write numbers in unit form, standard form, expanded, and word form this week. After that we will be using these forms to read and write numbers within 1,000 with place value disks.

ELA:  We will be reading "Pumpkin Jack" and after introducing vocabulary and doing two reads we will be writing about the life cycle Pumpkin Jack goes through in the story. In phonics we will be working on the vowel teams au/aw. We wrapped up our reports on bats and spiders as well as did some great three part stories on how animals use certain adaptations to in their habitats.

Science:  Last week we introduced the scientific process by doing a simple experiment of testing if certain cookies would sink or float. This week we will continue learning the steps in the scientific process be conducting a science experiment with different colored pumpkins on Monday before we read Pumpkin Jack on Tuesday. We will be seeing if all pumpkins (green, white, black pumpkins) are orange on the inside. After we are done with this experiment we will set up the carving of our pie pumpkin to look like Pumpkin Jack, which will set us up for the beginning of our plant unit in the spring. After we read Pumpkin Jack we will place Pumpkin Jack in a sealed tub to start to decompose and begin his life cycle. We will take data on our pumpkin throughout the year, leading up to our plant unit in the spring. 

Social Studies:  In honor of the end of Filipino American History Month we will be reading "Francesca Isa, Dalawa, Sorpresa!" and listening to it in the Tagalog language of the Filipino people. After we listen to this story about a Filipino girl celebrating her birthday we will make a Pabatin, a game where toys and prizes are hung from bamboo sticks that the kids have to jump to get. We will also be learning about Día de Los Muertos.

Halloween:  As a second grade team we have decided that second grade will all be doing a pajama party on Halloween this year. There were a lot of factors surrounding this decision, the main one being that we are at specials on this day and costumes make it really difficult to run at PE and other specials activities. So instead of costumes all second graders may wear their pajamas this Tuesday. Again - no costumes but it is a pajama party. Please make sure your child has on the appropriate shoes for recess and a jacket for the cold. Also, we will have a small fall/holiday themed "celebration" (standards aligned should anyone ask). I will not send out a sign up sheet for food, I will just hand out what we get. If you wish to send in any treats please make sure they are store bought. Please also make sure whatever you send in does not require any cutting, slicing, mixing, or assembling by me. I do not have the tools or time available to do so. Thank you for understanding. 

Hope you have a restful rest of your weekend. Picture retakes is this Friday and we have not received picture packets as of yet. Hoping they come in by the beginning of the week so you can make a decision on retakes by Friday am. If not, I would advise to do retakes. 💜-Ms. Shaw