September 17, 2012 Dear Parents, We had another great week! I appreciate your support in everything. Field Trip: The second grades will be going on an all-day field trip to Red Cliffs on Thursday September 27th in conjunction with our unit on rocks. Please see that your child wears GOOD walking shoes as we will be doing a lot of hiking at Red Cliffs. Also, all students will need to purchase a school lunch for that day. We will be leaving right when the bell leaves so help your child be on time so he/she won’t be left. We are on a tight time schedule and won’t have time to wait for stragglers. The permission slip was sent home today (Monday) to be returned by Thursday September 20th. Science: We will continue our unit on rocks. At the listening center we will be listening to Byrd Baylor’s book Everybody Needs A Rock. We will learn about sedimentary rocks, make a sedimentary rock, and write some rules for finding the perfect rock plus much more. We learned a lot about volcanoes on Friday. The students wanted me to tell you how we did the experiments. For one, put a tablespoon of soda in a narrow container and then add vinegar. Watch the chemical reaction happen and the mixture overflow the container. I added red food coloring for a cool effect. I also put a small amount of water in a 35 mm film canister and then added ½ of an Alka-Seltzer and quickly replaced the lid. The pressure formed inside exploded the lid off from the canister. I also poured hard shell ice cream topping over ice so the students could see how when lava cools quickly it forms neat formations. Language and Literature: We will learn about punctuation marks, as well as plot, setting and characters in fiction stories. Math: We will continue with patterns, learn about symmetry, and work with graphs. Watch for homework to come home on Wednesday to be returned by Friday. Reading Mothers: Reading moms started last week. We sure appreciate those of you who were able to come and help. Reading: I am impressed with the amount of reading that is done each night by the students. Reading each night will have a vital role in their becoming fluent readers and enjoying reading for life. Thanks! We as 2nd grade teachers will introduce the students to the Reciprocal Teaching strategies for comprehension on Monday. We do a fun skit which we then build on in our classrooms. Spelling: Spelling words will come home on Monday. The test will be on Thursday. Thanks again for your help and support. Sincerely, Brenda Haight