Happy Easter! I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing March Break and Easter long weekend. A few housekeeping details to note:
First Communion is fast approaching - taking place on Sunday, April 29th at St. Patrick's church. The mass for our class is at 3:00 p.m. Looking forward to seeing many of you there and all of the lovely outfits :)
Education week will be May 7th - 11th this year. Check out the upcoming St. Anne newsletter for a schedule of events.
On the learning front:
The students have been developing their writing skills and are learning to self-edit their work using an editor's checklist. Many students continue to struggle with proper use of capitalization and punctuation. Children should have many opportunities to write at home and be encouraged to self-edit their work afterwards. Our current writing focus is Persuasive writing (light focus) and then Narrative writing (in-depth). The students will be learning to write their own stories using the story map we have been studying throughout the year. It is a great opportunity for them to further explore the elements of stories --> Beginning (Characters, setting, problem), Middle (4-5 important events) and End (Solution to problem). We have also been doing some grammar exercises to further improve their writing skills.
In Math, we continue to practice our addition/subtraction facts and apply problem-solving strategies when working on word problems. This week, we will be learning how to regroup with double-digit subtraction problems. Often children who are adept at adding with regrouping will become confused when subtraction with regrouping is introduced. Taking the time to review/practice regrouping with your child at home as part of their daily homework would be beneficial in cementing these skills.
We are wrapping up our Science units of Liquids and Solids, and Air and Water. Our next unit will be Growth and Changes in animals and will include a special homework project. Directions will be sent home with the students for this project.
Enjoy the nice weather!
Mrs. Logan
Tuesday 3 April 2018
Thursday 1 March 2018
Hello and Welcome to March!
We are so happy to see the sun shining and to know that spring is just around the corner! The yard is quite wet and muddy so rain boots are still appropriate. March will be a short month with March Break from the 12th-16th, but that won't stop us from all of the wonderful learning we have planned.
A reminder that Reconciliation takes place next Thursday, March 8th at 6:30 p.m. The students have been working hard to prepare for this Sacrament and have learned the importance of asking for forgiveness and making peace when we have made the wrong choice and hurt someone.
In Math, we have been working on regrouping and the students have picked it up quickly. We spent some time practicing our addition and subtraction facts to 10 and experimenting with different strategies to help us know them quickly (doubles, making 10). I will soon be introducing subtraction with regrouping. In order to help your child succeed with this unit, please try and review addition and subtraction facts to 10 with them regularly until they know them by memory. This will help them complete the more challenging equations quickly and easily.
We will continue with our WWW quizzes on Fridays. Our writing focus recently has been Procedural Writing. The students are now proficient at writing a procedural text, and have practiced often by writing out the steps to make toast, get dressed, etc. Next week we will begin using an Editor's Checklist to self-edit our writing, with a focus on proper punctuation and use of uppercase letters. We continue to practice retelling stories using the Story Map which outlines the Beginning (Characters, setting, problem), Middle (4 - 5 important events) and End (Solution to problem). Many students are able to read and decode at an advanced level, but are unable to retell what they have read afterwards or are lacking detail. This comprehension component is an essential skill needed for students to advance their reading level and should be practiced regularly at home as well. If your child reads a non-fiction text, this would involve retelling some/many important facts from the text.
If you don't already, please check out my twitter to see pictures of all the learning happening in our classroom @liannelogan10
Have a wonderful March Break and as always, please contact me with any questions.
Mrs. Logan
We are so happy to see the sun shining and to know that spring is just around the corner! The yard is quite wet and muddy so rain boots are still appropriate. March will be a short month with March Break from the 12th-16th, but that won't stop us from all of the wonderful learning we have planned.
A reminder that Reconciliation takes place next Thursday, March 8th at 6:30 p.m. The students have been working hard to prepare for this Sacrament and have learned the importance of asking for forgiveness and making peace when we have made the wrong choice and hurt someone.
In Math, we have been working on regrouping and the students have picked it up quickly. We spent some time practicing our addition and subtraction facts to 10 and experimenting with different strategies to help us know them quickly (doubles, making 10). I will soon be introducing subtraction with regrouping. In order to help your child succeed with this unit, please try and review addition and subtraction facts to 10 with them regularly until they know them by memory. This will help them complete the more challenging equations quickly and easily.
We will continue with our WWW quizzes on Fridays. Our writing focus recently has been Procedural Writing. The students are now proficient at writing a procedural text, and have practiced often by writing out the steps to make toast, get dressed, etc. Next week we will begin using an Editor's Checklist to self-edit our writing, with a focus on proper punctuation and use of uppercase letters. We continue to practice retelling stories using the Story Map which outlines the Beginning (Characters, setting, problem), Middle (4 - 5 important events) and End (Solution to problem). Many students are able to read and decode at an advanced level, but are unable to retell what they have read afterwards or are lacking detail. This comprehension component is an essential skill needed for students to advance their reading level and should be practiced regularly at home as well. If your child reads a non-fiction text, this would involve retelling some/many important facts from the text.
If you don't already, please check out my twitter to see pictures of all the learning happening in our classroom @liannelogan10
Have a wonderful March Break and as always, please contact me with any questions.
Mrs. Logan
Tuesday 30 January 2018
January is over and we are getting into some exciting new areas of learning!
In math, we have wrapped up our Data Management unit and have begun our new unit of Addition and Subtraction. We are currently practicing addition and subtraction strategies for single digits, such as using doubles facts and making 10. We will be moving into 2 Digit addition and subtraction and the students will learn about borrowing. Finally, we will be covering money concepts in this unit as well.
Our new unit in Writing is called Procedural Writing, and the students are learning how to write about how to make or do something. They are required to include a title, goal, materials and steps. We continue to learn reading strategies and it is so important that these are reinforced at home as you read with your child. We practice how to figure out difficult words by re-reading the sentence, reading on to the end of the sentence, and using clues such as pictures and how a word looks to figure out what it is. We are consistently practicing retelling stories using a story map such as the one I sent home with parents in November. Having your child retell you the stories they read you using this story map is important to help them move up in their reading levels.
In Science, we have been building on what the students' learned during our Scientists in Schools presentation by learning about properties of matter. We did a fun activity to show the difference in the molecules of liquids, solids and learned that water can be all 3 forms.
The Grade 1 and 2 students have begun an inquiry that is intended to create a deep learning experience where they will explore, "What does it mean to care for ourselves?" We are reaching out to our parent community to see if you might have any skills, talents or experiences related to growth mindset, or supporting our social/emotional health. One of the avenues we are looking to explore for this inquiry is through the arts (visual art, music, dance, drama). If you have talents in any of these areas, and you might be able to share with our students, we would love to know.
Click here to fill out the survey, or use this link
https://docs.google.com/forms/
The date for Reconciliation is Thursday, March 8 at 6:30 pm. The Retreat is on Saturday, February 10th from 9 am until 12 pm. First Communion is Sunday April 29 at 1 pm and 3 pm. The church will be sending out email reminders of these dates as well.
In math, we have wrapped up our Data Management unit and have begun our new unit of Addition and Subtraction. We are currently practicing addition and subtraction strategies for single digits, such as using doubles facts and making 10. We will be moving into 2 Digit addition and subtraction and the students will learn about borrowing. Finally, we will be covering money concepts in this unit as well.
Our new unit in Writing is called Procedural Writing, and the students are learning how to write about how to make or do something. They are required to include a title, goal, materials and steps. We continue to learn reading strategies and it is so important that these are reinforced at home as you read with your child. We practice how to figure out difficult words by re-reading the sentence, reading on to the end of the sentence, and using clues such as pictures and how a word looks to figure out what it is. We are consistently practicing retelling stories using a story map such as the one I sent home with parents in November. Having your child retell you the stories they read you using this story map is important to help them move up in their reading levels.
In Science, we have been building on what the students' learned during our Scientists in Schools presentation by learning about properties of matter. We did a fun activity to show the difference in the molecules of liquids, solids and learned that water can be all 3 forms.
The Grade 1 and 2 students have begun an inquiry that is intended to create a deep learning experience where they will explore, "What does it mean to care for ourselves?" We are reaching out to our parent community to see if you might have any skills, talents or experiences related to growth mindset, or supporting our social/emotional health. One of the avenues we are looking to explore for this inquiry is through the arts (visual art, music, dance, drama). If you have talents in any of these areas, and you might be able to share with our students, we would love to know.
Click here to fill out the survey, or use this link
https://docs.google.com/forms/
A few important reminders:
:The date for Reconciliation is Thursday, March 8 at 6:30 pm. The Retreat is on Saturday, February 10th from 9 am until 12 pm. First Communion is Sunday April 29 at 1 pm and 3 pm. The church will be sending out email reminders of these dates as well.
Litterless Lunches
Beginning Friday, February 2 we are encouraging all St. Anne students to participate in a weekly challenge. Students are asked to bring in a litterless lunch every Friday. Our Eco Club members will be visiting classrooms after lunch each Friday to survey. Students can use the compost but they are asked to use reusable containers. At the end of each month, the class with the least of amount of litter will be awarded a prize. The challenge will be divided by kinders, primary and junior.
Thursday 30 November 2017
As we come to the end of November, I wanted to update everyone on all of the things currently happening in the classroom.
We have completed our Science unit on Simple Machines. The students brought home a booklet tonight which they are to complete and return by Thursday, December 7th. This homework activity will help them to review simple machines in preparation for their assessment on Thursday. Please remember to return their duotangs back to school by this day as well.
In Math, we have been learning about patterning. Grade 2 patterning includes growing/shrinking patterns, learning about the pattern rule and identifying how patterns change by various attributes. Help your child practice these skills by identifying patterns at home and in their environment!
Our current focus in Reading is comprehension, and we are regularly using the Shape-Go Map which I distributed in interviews to help them retell the story. Hopefully the students are practicing this at home as well, as it is an important skill to help them become better readers. We have also been working on the strategy of visualizing, which becomes especially important when students begin to read chapter books without pictures. Another strategy which has been our focus is making connections between what we are reading and our life.
Our writing focus for the past few weeks has been descriptive writing. The students will bring in their favourite stuffy tomorrow and describe it using our format of title, introduction, characteristics and evaluation (how do they feel about it?).
Thanks once again for all of the time you are spending practicing the WWW with the children. Their writing is improving every day, partly due to their ability to spell all of these new words.
Reminders:
Please check agendas daily. There are important notes and notices going home which often go unread until it is too late. The students are working on being responsible by giving their agendas to their parents every evening.
Please send spare socks and mittens in your child's bag. These often get wet and a spare pair comes in very handy.
Many students are attempting to go outside for recess without proper winter clothing. Despite many reminders, there are some who still insist on going out underdressed. Please remind your children the importance of dressing appropriately for the weather.
Thank you and stay tuned for all of the upcoming December and Christmas activities and events!!
We have completed our Science unit on Simple Machines. The students brought home a booklet tonight which they are to complete and return by Thursday, December 7th. This homework activity will help them to review simple machines in preparation for their assessment on Thursday. Please remember to return their duotangs back to school by this day as well.
In Math, we have been learning about patterning. Grade 2 patterning includes growing/shrinking patterns, learning about the pattern rule and identifying how patterns change by various attributes. Help your child practice these skills by identifying patterns at home and in their environment!
Our current focus in Reading is comprehension, and we are regularly using the Shape-Go Map which I distributed in interviews to help them retell the story. Hopefully the students are practicing this at home as well, as it is an important skill to help them become better readers. We have also been working on the strategy of visualizing, which becomes especially important when students begin to read chapter books without pictures. Another strategy which has been our focus is making connections between what we are reading and our life.
Our writing focus for the past few weeks has been descriptive writing. The students will bring in their favourite stuffy tomorrow and describe it using our format of title, introduction, characteristics and evaluation (how do they feel about it?).
Thanks once again for all of the time you are spending practicing the WWW with the children. Their writing is improving every day, partly due to their ability to spell all of these new words.
Reminders:
Please check agendas daily. There are important notes and notices going home which often go unread until it is too late. The students are working on being responsible by giving their agendas to their parents every evening.
Please send spare socks and mittens in your child's bag. These often get wet and a spare pair comes in very handy.
Many students are attempting to go outside for recess without proper winter clothing. Despite many reminders, there are some who still insist on going out underdressed. Please remind your children the importance of dressing appropriately for the weather.
Thank you and stay tuned for all of the upcoming December and Christmas activities and events!!
Monday 30 October 2017
The month of October has flown by! The students have been working on many different things here in Grade 2:
Language - We continue to introduce new Word Wall Words each Monday and practice them daily. Students are asked to spell them on independently on Fridays.
A big focus for the Grade 2's right now is sentence writing. Our lessons have covered sentence structure, asking vs. telling sentences, and as always, we are working on using proper capitalization and punctuation. If this is an area of need for your child, please have them practice at home with your help.
Math - We have completed our Numbers unit and have begun learning about 2-D Geometry. The students have been exploring shapes with different numbers of sides and vertices. If your child has difficulty counting by 2's, 5's or 10's, please spend some extra time practicing with them at home.
Science - Simple Machines cont'd - The children are getting very good at naming simple machines, and recognizing that they exist to make work easier for us!
A few reminders:
Please check your child's agenda every day. There is often important reminders and sometimes homework that needs to be returned and completed. WWW books need to be signed on the weekend and returned on Mondays.
The children will be getting a large amount of treats tomorrow evening. Please try and save these treats for them to eat at home rather than in their lunches. Excessive amounts of sugar do not help children focus at school and make it difficult for them do their best learning.
From October 30 - November 3, St. Anne is having a Spirit Week in Support of United Way. This year instead of bringing in a donation every day, we are asking for one donation of School Cash Online for the whole week.
Give what you can!
Monday - Sports Day
Tuesday - Black and Orange Day (costume day for the Kinders)
Wednesday - PJ Day
Thursday - Crazy Hat or Hair Day
Friday - Favourite Movie or Book Character Day
Progress Reports are going home this Thursday, November 2nd. Interviews will be scheduled for next Thursday, November 9th.
Our Remembrance Day Liturgy will be held at 1:00 pm on Friday, November 10.
Language - We continue to introduce new Word Wall Words each Monday and practice them daily. Students are asked to spell them on independently on Fridays.
A big focus for the Grade 2's right now is sentence writing. Our lessons have covered sentence structure, asking vs. telling sentences, and as always, we are working on using proper capitalization and punctuation. If this is an area of need for your child, please have them practice at home with your help.
Math - We have completed our Numbers unit and have begun learning about 2-D Geometry. The students have been exploring shapes with different numbers of sides and vertices. If your child has difficulty counting by 2's, 5's or 10's, please spend some extra time practicing with them at home.
Science - Simple Machines cont'd - The children are getting very good at naming simple machines, and recognizing that they exist to make work easier for us!
A few reminders:
Please check your child's agenda every day. There is often important reminders and sometimes homework that needs to be returned and completed. WWW books need to be signed on the weekend and returned on Mondays.
The children will be getting a large amount of treats tomorrow evening. Please try and save these treats for them to eat at home rather than in their lunches. Excessive amounts of sugar do not help children focus at school and make it difficult for them do their best learning.
From October 30 - November 3, St. Anne is having a Spirit Week in Support of United Way. This year instead of bringing in a donation every day, we are asking for one donation of School Cash Online for the whole week.
Give what you can!
Monday - Sports Day
Tuesday - Black and Orange Day (costume day for the Kinders)
Wednesday - PJ Day
Thursday - Crazy Hat or Hair Day
Friday - Favourite Movie or Book Character Day
Progress Reports are going home this Thursday, November 2nd. Interviews will be scheduled for next Thursday, November 9th.
Our Remembrance Day Liturgy will be held at 1:00 pm on Friday, November 10.
Tuesday 10 October 2017
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are well into the month of October and the students have been working extremely hard here in Grade 2. We have almost completed our Recount writing unit, and have been studying how to construct complete sentences which begin with an uppercase letter and end with punctuation. The students are working on writing more complex sentences that end with question marks and exclamation marks, rather than simply using periods.
We introduced our first set of Grade 2 Word Wall Words today. Up until now, we have been reviewing the WWW from last year and determining which ones we still need to learn. Each week, the children will copy their new words into their agenda (under the list section). Part of the students' homework responsibility is to practice spelling these words often with you at home during the week in order to help them learn the spelling. We will practice them in class in a different way from Monday - Thursday, and on Friday the students will have a quiz to see if they are able to spell them correctly.
In Math, we are completing our Numeration unit. We have been using the 200 chart to discover the patterns we see when we count by 2's, 5's, 10's and 25's. They have been excited to learn that the patterns continue the same when counting from 100 to 200 and on. This week we will continue to learn what it means to estimate, and focus on the concepts of more/less.
We are well into our Science unit on Simple Machines. The students have learned the six different types of Simple Machines (inclined plane, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley, lever and screw) and have been busy discovering their uses and constructing them in class. The children loved presenting their objects to the class today and I loved seeing them so enthusiastic! There are still a few to get through tomorrow. If your child has not brought in an object to share with the class, please remind them to do so tomorrow.
A few housekeeping details:
Monday is our library day so please try and return books on this day. The children are welcome to keep a book out for a second week if they are not done; they can simply return it on the following Monday. This week we missed our library day due to the holiday, so please just return the books by Monday, October 16th.
The October homework calendar was sent home last week. This calendar contains suggestions for activities you can do at home with your child. The activities do not need to be returned to school. A new calendar will be sent home at the beginning of each month.
Last week, I sent home the student logins and passwords for Dreambox, Raz Kids and the students' gmail accounts. Please send me a note if any of these are not working and I will investigate.
Please follow me on Twitter @liannelogan10 to see pictures of the in-the-moment activities happening in our class!
We introduced our first set of Grade 2 Word Wall Words today. Up until now, we have been reviewing the WWW from last year and determining which ones we still need to learn. Each week, the children will copy their new words into their agenda (under the list section). Part of the students' homework responsibility is to practice spelling these words often with you at home during the week in order to help them learn the spelling. We will practice them in class in a different way from Monday - Thursday, and on Friday the students will have a quiz to see if they are able to spell them correctly.
In Math, we are completing our Numeration unit. We have been using the 200 chart to discover the patterns we see when we count by 2's, 5's, 10's and 25's. They have been excited to learn that the patterns continue the same when counting from 100 to 200 and on. This week we will continue to learn what it means to estimate, and focus on the concepts of more/less.
We are well into our Science unit on Simple Machines. The students have learned the six different types of Simple Machines (inclined plane, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley, lever and screw) and have been busy discovering their uses and constructing them in class. The children loved presenting their objects to the class today and I loved seeing them so enthusiastic! There are still a few to get through tomorrow. If your child has not brought in an object to share with the class, please remind them to do so tomorrow.
A few housekeeping details:
Monday is our library day so please try and return books on this day. The children are welcome to keep a book out for a second week if they are not done; they can simply return it on the following Monday. This week we missed our library day due to the holiday, so please just return the books by Monday, October 16th.
The October homework calendar was sent home last week. This calendar contains suggestions for activities you can do at home with your child. The activities do not need to be returned to school. A new calendar will be sent home at the beginning of each month.
Last week, I sent home the student logins and passwords for Dreambox, Raz Kids and the students' gmail accounts. Please send me a note if any of these are not working and I will investigate.
Please follow me on Twitter @liannelogan10 to see pictures of the in-the-moment activities happening in our class!
Tuesday 26 September 2017
Thanksgiving Food Drive
The Kingdom Club is doing a Thanksgiving food drive to support the Kanata Food Cupboard!
Please make your donations starting on Monday, September the 25th to October the 5th.
If each student brings in 2 cans each we will have an estimated 1400 cans so please bring in any boxes, cans, and toiletries because that would be well appreciated!
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