Timeline Project

Hello Families!

I sent the following information home with the kids today. We wrote the information together so they were all there for the discussion. They should be able to answer any questions you have but don't hesitate to contact me if you need clarification.
:)Ms. G

Second Grade Timeline Project

Each timeline needs to have the following:

• 5-10 events (also include the year you were born and today on the ends) 
• a photo or drawing of each event and a sentence to explain the event 
• the year the event occurred (the exact date can be included) 
• your name, # and date 
• a title

Also expected:

• write large enough for easy reading
• a clean, neat project
• correct capitalization and punctuation
• neat handwriting
• correct spelling

Your child will be scored in two areas: meeting the requirements of the assignment and their workmanship. The timeline is due on Friday, January 29th. We will hang them in the classroom for a few weeks but all timelines and photos will be returned to you.

Author Study

We recently wrapped up our first author study on Leo Lionni. We read about 10 of his books and did some research to learn more about his life. At the end of our study, the kids wrote a short biography about Mr. Lionni (as a group) and each of them wrote about their favorite Leo Lionni book. In addition to enjoying his stories, they were also inspired by his artwork so each of them created a collage in Lionni style. You can see their work in our school's front office as well as in our classroom.

What are the benefits of doing author studies? Here's an article that outlines them: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/authorstudy/reasons

Our new author is Eric Carle. We have read several of his books and already, the kids are asking when we can create an Eric Carle art project! At the end of this study, we will again write a biography and I'll ask them to write about their favorite book. In addition, they will work in small groups to put together a video retelling of one of Carle's stories. They will create their their own versions of the book's character(s) and act out the story on a felt board or with puppets.

Here are some of the sites we will be using during our study:
http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3234
http://www.carlemuseum.org/
http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/carle
http://ericcarleblog.blogspot.com/

Videos:
Interview
Interview about The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Quiet Cricket
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Holiday (pet) Adoption Event

Are you thinking of adding a furry member to your family this holiday season? Almost 10 years ago, I adopted my handsome dog Charlie Brown from the animal shelter in Bonita and he has brought so much joy to my life ever since!

This is a notification from Nixle:
The Chula Vista Animal Care Facility is hosting a "Holiday Adoption Event" beginning Tuesday, December 15 through Saturday, December 19.  During that time, adoption fees will be waived on ALL animals.  Normal adoption fees are $75 for dogs and $65 for cats.  Pets will be fully vaccinatd, spayed or neutered, and even micro-chipped to ensure a quick reunion should your pet get lost.

The ACF is open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and adoptions are processed until 6 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with adoptions processed until 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with adoptions processed until 3 p.m.

This holiday season, give the gift of friendship to a loved one or yourself.  Adoption application forms are available at the front desk of the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility, located at 130 Beyer Way.  Or download one at www.chulavistaca.gov/pets.

Everyday Mathematics Online at Home

As you are aware, we have adopted Everyday Mathematics as the core mathematics’ curriculum for our school. A website with online programs to assist your child accompanies this curriculum. These programs can be utilized on any computer that has internet access. The site allows access to a number of math games as well as the Reference Book we use in class. (Your child brought this home at one point to share with you. It's the hardcover book.)

Tomorrow in class, I will be reviewing the site with the children and giving them an opportunity to try it out. I will also be sending a letter home with your child that explains the process of logging on so that you can try it out together. Each child will have their own unique login and password to personalize their experience.

If you have any trouble getting set up or accessing the site, please feel free to contact me and I will do what I can to help out. You can also stop in after school on Tuesday or Thursday and we can go through the steps together on one of our classroom computers.

https://www.everydaymathonline.com/

VTS

Last weekend, I went to a fantastic training at the Museum of Photographic Arts that focused on Visual Literacy. Basically, Visual Literacy is based on the idea that images can be 'read' and that a person can gather meaning from the image. One of the ways we emphasize this in class is with the use of something called VTS - Visual Thinking Strategies. I was trained in this over a period of several years and was excited to get a refresher at the training.

In a VTS lesson we look at an image (piece of artwork usually) and discuss it. I use only three questions when asking the children about it:

1. What's going on in this picture?
2. What do you see that makes you say that?
3. What more can we find?

To value what each child has said, I will repeat their thoughts but not interject my own opinions or thoughts. I don't ever say, "That's right!" or "I agree."  I am simply mirroring what they have said (to be sure that I understood.)

When students have the opportunity to talk about art, something amazing happens. There is no right or wrong answer so kids are free to express their opinions. Their comments often build on what other students have said so it's clear to see that they are engaged in the activity, listening thoughtfully to what their classmates think. The experience teaches them to think critically and to give a reason to back up their opinions and feelings. It's always very interesting to hear what the children have to say - come in and join us if you can! I think you'll be very impressed.

Last week, we looked at this photograph at the top of the post by Dorothea Lange called Migrant Mother. Today, we looked at two pieces of art. The first is a sculpture by Francis J. Yellow called Hanta-po (Get Out of the Way.)

And the second is a color woodblock print referred to as Kitchen Scene by Japanese artist, Kitagawa Utamaro.

Talk them over with your child and see what s/he has to say...

da Vinci Experience

Last week, on Thursday, we traveled to the San Diego Air and Space Museum on a bus. Kekoa thought it took a long time to get there.

We talked to a man who worked there about the planes that were in front of the museum. Guy thought they were so awesome! We had a snack and then went inside. First we went into the da Vinci exhibit and started with a movie about da Vinci. We walked through the exhibit, looking at the machines and touching the ones that had green signs on them. A green sign meant that you could put your hands on the machine and try it out. The machines were models of the drawings he had put in his notebooks. Kamryn thought the inventions were really cool. Rhiannon especially liked the hall of mirrors because you could see your back and most times you don't get to see that! Maya's favorite part of the museum was the hallway that had da Vinci's paintings in it. Erika's favorite part was seeing a model of the wings we talked about in class.

In other parts of the museum, there were planes, helicopters and spacecrafts. We even saw an old fashioned car! There was a special room dedicated to astronauts. There were lots of photos of them and you could learn more about the planets. In the back, there were some fake people inside a helicopter and Sabrina thought they looked real. Chelsea thought that the fountain in the middle of the museum was beautiful.

The museum was interesting to Kaitlyn and Briana thought the trip was fun! Gina thought we all learned a lot about Leonardo da Vinci. We had a great time visiting the museum and hope we'll be able to go there again! Maybe next time we'll get to go on that cool ride. :)

*This entry was written by the kids!*

Reading Rockets - Resources for Parents

Reading Rockets "offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development."

I have added a widget (seen at the bottom of this post) to the sidebar on this blog that has some updates from Reading Rockets' website. One thing from the site that I think is helpful for all parents is the Recommended Books for Kids page. It has books listed by theme so you can find just the right title for your young reader.

Catching up...

I just uploaded a bunch of photos from the past couple of weeks, including the ones from our trip to the Pumpkin Patch. We all had such a great time there! We got to see the different stages in the life of a pumpkin - one of our science standards. It was a great opportunity to step out of the classroom and experience the science first hand. Here are the stages, minus the seed stage:

Ask your child to tell you about the stages and to talk to you about the other things we learned about pumpkins. You might just learn something new!

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Next Thursday, we will be heading to the San Diego Air and Space Museum to check out The da Vinci Experience, an exhibit of Leonardo da Vinci's machines. The group that went today really enjoyed it so I am  looking forward to taking the children! It will help the children learn more about da Vinci and why we chose to name our school after him.

Next Friday, we'll be heading over to Mater Dei's theater to see CYT's performance of High School Musical 2. It's a great opportunity for the kids to experience a theater production that features children as the actors. Also, it's just a short walk to the theater so we'll be saving on the cost of a bus.

We've had a lot of events going on in the past month! It seems like everything came up at once. This will not always be the case. In the spring, we are planning to go to the San Diego Zoo. This will be a field trip where we will not be limited in the number of chaperons so if you are unable to join us for next week's events, hopefully you will be able to join us then. I'll let you know as soon as we have a date set up.

Chula Vista Nature Center Event

I wanted to let you know about this special event that's happening on Saturday... :)Ms. G

Bring the family for a fun-filled day in Chula Vista! In honor of National Wildlife Refuge Week, there will be free admission to the Chula Vista Nature Center on Saturday, October 17. Onsite festivities begin at 10 a.m. with free shuttle buses running continuously throughout the day until 4:30. Parking will also be available at the E Street Trolley Station; just tell the staff in the station center to call for a ride to the Nature Center and the bus will come for you there.

Some of the festivities include birding and nature tours, kids activities and crafts, special guest speakers and performers and much more. Visit www.chulavistanaturecenter.org for more information or call (619) 409-5900.