Mrs. Stringers Blog

 In Literacy this week, we finished our writing about what it would be like to be 100, be reading it over and revising it.  For Pink Shirt day, we focused on writing a poem from different perspectives and then typed it up on the computer.  In word work this week, we looked at the sounds oi, oy.  We added them to our sound wall and worked at spelling words with those sounds in them.  On Thursday, we looked at the morpheme of <s> and how when we add it to the end of words, it makes it plural. In math, we continued our work in our math classes. The grade 3's continued to work on multiplications, they looked at the commutative property, and the property of zero as well as wrote some multiplication stories.  The grade 2's focused on subtraction, using blocks to visualize why we need to regroup when subtracting and then complete some paper and pencil work on using the standard 'stacking' method. In Science this week, the grade 2's finished their musical ins...

In Literacy this week, we wrote our second personal narrative or small moment. This time, we imagined and described what life would be like if we lived to 100 years old.  This was to go along with our 100 days of school activities this week.  In word work, we looked at less familiar vowel teams of, 'ea' that make the short /e/ sound, like head or bread and when a can make a short /o/ sound like in water or swallow.  We also talked about how the 'a' often makes the /o/ sound when it comes after the letter w in words. In math this week, we continued with our math groupings.  The grade 2's worked on skip counting with 100 and adding 3 to 4 numbers at once.  On Friday, we practiced our subtraction skills with the game Salut!! In art this week, we worked on creating a self-portrait of ourselves when we were 100 years old. This artwork will go with our writing about being 100 years old.  We used construction paper, cotton balls and old dollies to create the art p...

 In Literacy this week, we continued to practice writing complete sentences through authentic writing tasks. We wrote about what we learned on our Field Trip to Studio Bell, thank you cards to our parent volunteers, and sentences about Kindness.  In word work this week we learned about 3 other vowel teams that work together to make the sounds/aw/, aw, au and augh.   In math this week, we continued with our math groups.  The grade 3's are learning about multiplication and how skip counting connects to multiplication.  The grade 2's continued their work on addition, looking at mental math strategies such as decomposing, using making 10 and finding friendly numbers when adding.  On Thursday, we did Valentine's Math with a partner, rolling and adding 2-digit numbers. In Science this week, the grade 2's experimented with soundproofing.  They tested various materials to see which ones worked the best to block out sound, and built their own sound-cancell...

 In Literacy this week, we completed several writing pieces.  We also looked at expanding our sentences using, because-but-and so.  In word work, we studied more long u vowel teams, /ew/ and /ui/.  We also began our new reading groups during quiet reading time. In math, we began our new math groups based on grades.  The grade 2's focused on reviewing mental math strategies for addition.  We learned about using math talks and then did some 'penguin 'math, moving around the room and solving for missing numbers in the snowball questions.  The grade 3's began learning about multiplication. In social studies, we completed our study on India and an Arctic community by stamping our passports.  Each student also created a travel brochure about each country they studied. In science this week, we looked at friction and explored its characteristics through multiple stations. On Thursday, we went on our first field trip to Studio Bell.  We had a wonderfu...

 In literacy this week, we continued working on our small-moment story.  We learned about adding sound effects, 'showing, not telling', using transition words and writing an effective ending.  In word work, we continued looking at vowel teams, this week we looked at the two different sounds oo make in words. In math this week, we continued with our different math groups.  On Monday, we will regroup our math groups again into grade groups.  This will allow the grade three's to continue with multiplication and division and the grade two's to focus on addition and subtraction skills. In Science this week, we continued exploring sound energy and forces.  The grade 2's learned how sound behaved and experimented with sound travelling through solids.  We also went outside to complete some sound mapping and observe the sounds we hear in nature and how we can tell what direction they are coming from. Important Reminders & Upcoming Events: 1. Please,  N...

 In literacy this week, we began working on writing a small-moment story. A Small Moment story is a personal narrative about an event we can turn into a story.  This week, we brainstormed and created a 'draft' or a plan for our story.  In word work, we looked at the spelling patterns that make a long I sound, /ie/ and /igh/.  We also created a word web, with the base 'light' and talked about all the words that have the base light in it and then sorted them into groups based on the patterns the students noticed. In our math groups this week, we continued working on addition and subtraction.  This week we built 2 digit numbers and added them together. In Science this week, we continued looking at sound energy and learned how sound travels through a solid, for the grade 2's.  The grade 3's learned about balanced and non-balanced forces and non-contact and contact forces.  In Social studies, we compared the culture in India and an Arctic community to the c...