Friday February 27th, 2020

Dear Families, 

Happy Friday!  

FYI

Scholastic orders being submitted today

Mad Science next Thursday AM

Spelling words will be posted Sunday evening. 

Poetry Party - we will be writing our own Haiku's and performing in two weeks.

Our Learning:

Today we worked on our insulation device, with the task of keeping an ice cube frozen for 3 hours.  We also started building our sugar cube igloos :).  

Students read their own poems for Poetry Party and did a fabulous job using actions and many of us Brought in props to make our performance even better.  

We had an assembly today about the opera, and at the end of the day we had a quick spelling blitz.

For Homework:

Enjoy your weekend!  

Thursday February 27th, 2020

Dear Families,

We are building our insulation devices tomorrow.  Students are allowed to bring in their own materials if they wish, but it is not required. I will have lots of things to build with.

FYI
Opera Assembly Friday (The BIG reveal!)
Poetry Party
Spelling Challenge tomorrow
Building Igloos with Sugar Cubes tomorrow
Building our Insulation Device


Our Learning:
Science/Social :
-We started our Arctic Animal research today.
-What makes a good insulator? Science Demo
-We began to design our Insulation Devices (we have to figure out how to keep an ice cube frozen for 3 hours)


For Homework:
Practice your poem, bring in props or wear a costume!

Wednesday February 26th, 2020

Dear Families,

A SEA of PINK today from our classroom and the rest of Hawkwood School!  We sure loved the song the Grade ones sang over the intercom to remind us to STAND UP against bullying and STAND UP for kindness!


FYI
-Remember to check the blog post "poems" for your child's poem.  They will be
perform Friday.  We are really working on using actions, props and having fun!
-last reminder to bring in sugar cubes.  We are building our igloos tomorrow.


Our Learning:
Today our writing prompt was "what brings you joy?"  (an ode to Pink Shirt Day as well as our learning about Inuksuks!  In math we are working on solving a tricky word problem.  Students got to try out the new Daily 5 game, Kid Charades- which we loved trying out!  In Social we built our 'rock sculptures' and dedicated the sculpture to the memory of a lost loved one or as an expression of joy.  We started to dig into arctic animals and how they insulate themselves.


For Homework:
Discuss what brings you joy!

Tuesday February 25th, 2020

Dear Parents,

I sure am impressed with the artistic skills of the Grade 2s!  You won't BELIEVE how amazing their watercolor paintings turned out! We are so excited to show you at Student led Conferences next month.
I am also impressed with student self advocating and letting me know when they feel ready to switch reading levels, or even spelling levels!  Woo hoo! This is a major part of being in Grade 2- becoming a self directed learner. 

As readers, we are working hard on fluency, volume, and reading with expression.

For tips on how to be an AMAZING reader-
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2019-08-15/five-steps-to-becoming-a-read-out-loud-book-hero


FYI
-PINK SHIRT DAY tomorrow 
-Bring in sugar cubes if you haven't done so laready
-We still need 2L Milk/Juice Cartons for our ice sculpture 
-If anyone has extra 'stones' or 'rocks' that are small in size to donate, please do! Thank you!


Our Learning:
"I liked going on the website CBC kids about Inuksuks."-Kolby
"I liked doing Buddy Reading in Daily 5."-Gabby
"I liked doing the new unit in gym called Belly Ball."-Emmett
"I LOOOOVVVEEEDDD Belly Ball."-Sydney
"1. I like the new website, 2. I put in a lot of effort."-Joey
"I am excited for Pink Shirt Day."-Hope
"I am excited about Pink Shirt Day too."-Aengus
"I liked doing Daily 5, I liked writing about how we remember people."-Malik
"I liked doing Daily 5.   I liked doing the listen to reading."-Alex
"I liked Daily 5 because I went to the library!"-Charlotte
"I loved everything, especially snack.  I brought grapes for my rainbow food!"-Debbie

For Homework:
Show your parents the website:
CBC Kids, Do You Know What an Inukshuk Is?

What are some cool facts about Inuksuks?  Share a WOW fact tomorrow during circle!

Class Poems for Poetry Party Friday Feb. 28th

The Beach in Hawaii 
by Emmett

The sand feels soft and warm
on my feet.
I like to make sand sculptures.
I dip my hands in the water
if sand is on them
when it gets late
we go back to the hotel.


Arctic Cod
By Jaxon

In the salty water
fish make their home
the fish are cold blooded
it makes me want to eat them.

Arctic Glaciers
By Amara

I felt cold and it was windy
very bright and shiny
big blocks of ice
floating in the water.

Sandcastles
By Gabriella

Sable colored sand
like a blanket under my toes,
Madison and I build sand castles
as tall as the sky
we never want to say goodbye.

Iceberg
By Wyatt

I see ice bergs floating on water
I wish it was hotter
except the one I'm on
cuz' I might drown in the water,
or meet up with an otter!

Polar Bear
By Aengus

Only, lonely polar bear
creamy white fur
giant grippy paws
soon he will tear
through the frozen ice.

Ziplines in Summer
By Malik

I love to zipline
my mom takes pictures
as I zip
fast as the rapid river
see how fast I rip!

Blue Ocean
By Leina

I love swimming in the ocean,
I'm getting pushed by waves in motion,
it's like being attacked by a giant,
the wind stops,
and the sea is saved.

The Beach
by Michelle

The beach is hot like fire
the water as warm as your lunch
when you come out of the water
you are freezing like an ice cube.

The Fisherman
By Beckett

Once there was a fisherman
he liked to swim and climb
he lived on top of a mountain
but he wasn't sure how high.

Hockey Fun
By Aahana

Playing hockey is so much fun!
After hockey I can eat a bun!
hurry, hurry, no time to wait!
hurry, hurry, I might be late!

Summer
By Sydney

The sun burns like a stove,
it shimmers like diamonds bright-
I love the beach,
the sand is the color of peach.
I wish I could stay all day and night!

The Polar Bear
By Nora

Polar bear is playing in the snow
looking like a marshmallow,
one polar bear's name is Tim,
and I'd love to go and touch him.

In the Arctic
By Alex

The Arctic's freezing cold
Arctic is -50 degrees BRRRRR!
it is cold like gold.
I don't want to melt the ice,
or I fear that I may drown!

Fishing
By Ibraheem

I'd like to fish
in a blue lake
a shiny black fishing rod
I'd catch halibut, mackerel or cod.

Shark
By Kolby

I feel sharp teeth
I see great big eyes
I feel the smooth skin
I sure hope I survive!

Floating Glacier
By Hope

I want to be a polar bear
swimming in the Atlantic Ocean
id gobble up a resting walrus
laying on a floating glacier-
I hope he doesn't make a fuss!

Ice Fishing Shacks
By James

Tiny empty house,
under the white sky
on frozen flat land.

Fun in the Summer
By Debbie

Summer is fun,
Playing with a watergun,
while the flies buzz by,
I'm catching the water,
but its evaporating -
thats because its getting hotter!

Fish
By Mahanoor

Fish have scales
and fish have tails
if I had a wish
I would catch
a great big fish!

The Soccer Game
By Joey

Kids race for the ball
the ref calls a new match
one player called Mall
was on Team Claw,
the team gives a hand shake.

The Plants
By Jacob
We play with the ball
in the park until it dark.
We jump in the lake
when its too deep
and we pick vegetables
from the garden
we build a big fence and
put water.

Monday February 24th, 2020

Dear Families,
Grade 2's love sharing their 'rainbow' colored snacks and lunches!  We know how important a variety of fruits, veggies, proteins, and such are to helping us do our very best each day!  We loved Malik's beautiful pineapple pieces, Aahana's oranges, Sydney's raspberries and so many more beautiful snacks!
Thank you to Ibraheem for sharing some delicious birthday cookies at lunch today!

FYI
Poems:  Ms. Heagy will be posting a page with student poems on blogger.
Fun Lunch was today (Subway)
Wednesday Pink Shirt Day

Our Learning:
Again... the bell went before we could share on blog.  Ask your student about today's learning:
-Literacy:  How do people remember those they have lost?
-Math: adding and subtracting using friendly numbers (breaking apart numbers); making codes!
-Social: Nunavut flag and symbols of the Arctic - Inuksuit.

For Homework:
What is an Inuksuk?
Bring in rocks to build your own symbolic creation using rock balancing techniques

Spelling Words Feb. 24-28

Spelling Pattern:  Bossy 'R' 

Not even Magic e can help u say it's own name! 

ur    .... as in fur, burr

ure......as in sure, pure, lure

ur-e...... as in nurse, curse

Friday, February 21st, 2020

Dear Families,

We truly enjoyed the Pink Shirt Day assembly put on by Ms. Pearson & the grade sixes.  We learned about the origin of Pink Shirt Day & got to see an awesome dance put on by Harry the Hawk and his Grade 6 dance team.

Shout Outs:
Happy Birthday Ibraheem!
Congrats to Debbie who was chosen for a part in the Opera!

FYI
Fun Lunch Monday
Pink Shirt Day Wednesday
Assembly Friday (about the opera)
Spelling Test & Poetry Party Friday

Our Day:

Friday's are always jam packed full, and today was no exception!  We hoped to have our poems done to send home for the weekend, but with many absences due to some pretty nasty bugs out there- along with the challenge of this task.... well.... looks like Monday will be the day they come home!

Students did pretty great on their Spelling Tests, woohoo!  Our new words of the week will be posted Sunday.

For Homework:
Tell your family about Pink Shirt Day!

Thursday February 20th, 2020

Dear Parents,
Tomorrow is our Pink Shirt Day assembly, Hawkwood school will wear pink on Wednesday February 26th to stand up for kindness, and help each other stand up against bullies.


FYI
assembly Friday
spelling test Friday


Our Learning:
"I liked finishing our art projects."-Maha
"I liked getting my book order, and I liked science."-Beckett
"I learned about melting and cooking, freezing and burning."-Sydney
"I learned that there is a furnace in our School."-Hope
"I learned about hot and cold."-Charlotte
"I liked going upstairs to look at the furnace."-Wyatt


For Homework;
Practice your spelling words

Wednesday Feb.19

Dear Parents, 
Whew!  What a busy day.  We got soooooo busy, that we didn't even have time to blog together, except for Maha's contribution where she said she "liked painting our Ted Harrison paintings."
Thanks to Sydney for sharing her Grandmothers book, "Soul Art" with beautiful paintings accompanied by a variety of poems.   "Fun fact, one of my grandmother's favorite artists is Ted Harrison!".  Well, we sure are loving learning about him too!

FYI
Assembly this Friday
Pink Shirt Day Feb 26, wear pink!
bring in sugar cubes if you haven't already done so
bring in 2L wax cartons


Our Learning:

Literacy:
-Our poems for Poetry Party (..... should be done by the end of the week!).  We will recite these poems next Friday to give us time to memorize, practice and have some awesome props ready!
-studying rhyming poems and patterns
-our spelling lists with the /ar/ sound pattern
-reading with fluency, volume, expression, and intonation
-responding to art

Math:
-mastering ways to make ten
-practicing 'breaking apart' numbers to make them friendlier (i.e. 12 is 10+2)
-applying mental math strategies when solving word problems
-using math pictures to prove our answers
-using a word sentence to answer word problems

Science:
Hot and Cold experiments
-we still need more 2L cartons to make our colorful arctic outdoor art
-bring in sugarcubes to build our very own igloo

Social:
Learning about the arctic and Inuit people through various artists, musicians, stories and notable events.
"Did you know that fish are cold blooded?"  - Mahanoor

Art:
Watercolor techniques
- using 'strokes' , 'grabbing paint', 'color gradients'
-using contrasting colors, warm and cool
-creating interesting movement through paint
-appreciating the beauty of nature
-selecting appropriately sized paintbrushes for the job
-using materials properly and respectfully
-following directions
-responding to artists

For Homework:
Tell your parents about Ted Harrison's art: what makes this artist unique? what does he do different than many other artists? how does his art make you feel? what does his art make you think about?

Wednesday February 12, 2020

Dear Families,


We had a blast celebrating Valentine's Day today!  Grade 2's were thrilled to pass out their carefully labelled valentines to one another.  Thank you for the delicious treats we enjoyed while watching Despicable 3.  We were challenged with a "Valentine's Mystery....." solving math puzzles and clues that would lead us to a hidden key.  Congrats to Joey who unlocked the box and shared prizes with the class!
Enjoy the long weekend; Thursday and Friday is Teacher's Convention, and Monday is Family Day.

The spelling words will extend over to next week, and our finished poems should be ready to come home by the end of Tuesday to practice for Friday's Poetry Party.

Have a great break!

Tuesday February 11th, 2020

Dear Parents,
We had a blast this afternoon designing our Valentine's Day envelopes to receive our Valentines from our friends tomorrow!  The exchange is optional!
Students are welcome to wear PJ's, bring a stuffy, and if you want to bring a snack to share for our afternoon Valentine's Day party then we are happy to eat it!

FYI
Valentine's Exchange Wed. afternoon
PJ Day with stuffies (optional)
Bring in Sugar Cubes if you haven't done so already(for a science project)
Bring in 2L milk/juice cartons for our outdoor rainbow igloo next week
Fun Lunch tomorrow
Home Reading- some of us have requested to have Home Reading.  Make sure you record the book you take, and return daily.  If you want to begin Home Reading and haven't yet, just ask!
**spelling list.   A parent made a good catch! I accidentally put "stare" twice for the yellow list.  The word is suppose to be "share" ... it has been changed on blog.


Our Learning:
"I liked making our art designs on our Valentine's envelopes."-Maha
"remember we can make a valentines' box at home if we want."-Leina
"I liked making our Valentines envelopes!"-Charlotte

We worked on our seasonal activity poems today! It sure is tough... but we will get there!  Some poetry patterns we looked at ... AABB, AABBCC, AB, ABC
.... and the easiest is ABCB:
roses are red,        (A)
violets are blue,    (B)
sugar is sweet,     (C)
and so are you!    (B)

In math we are working on our mental math skills, we got to try out "one more, two more... and one less, two less strategy with the 'referent' of 10.
10.....
one less    10-1=9
two less. 10-2=8
one more 10+1=11
two more 10+12

Because this is a strategy we know pretty well, we began to use it when adding and subtracting numbers to 100.

We tried:
10+10, 10+11, 10+12

20+10, 20+11, 20+12

30+10, 30+11, 30+12

..... all the way up to 100! And back down again.....

Mental Math is AWESOME!

During Daily 5 we worked on our writing, and practiced our spelling words in Literacy Centers.   We ran out of time do do Science... we will be looking at artist Ted Harrison & reflecting on how he portrays the vast Arctic landscape using hot and cool colors, simple lines, and beautiful northern lights.

For Homework

Teach your family how to use the one more/two more, one less/two less mental math strategy with the following:
10+2
10+1
10-1
10-2
20+2
20-1
30+10
30+11
30+12
40+11
60-10
60-11
80+10
80+11
90+10
90-10
90-11

*Remember:  If I know how to skip count by tens, then I can add or subtract using the one more/one less strategy!

Strategies:
If I know how to skip count by 10s, forwards and backwards then 11 is only one more, and 12 is only 2 more!
If I struggle to remember, I can use a hundreds chart to refresh my memory!
I can also use a number line to show the 'neighbor' numbers.

Monday February 10, 2020

Dear Parents,
Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a good weekend.


FYI
Please bring 2L milk carton and box of sugar cubes
Fun Lunch - Wednesday
No School Thursday & Friday

Our Learning:

"I liked learning about states of matter."-Beckett
"I learned that when you mix snow around for a long time it will turn to water.-Maha
...
whoops we ran out of time!   Today we got our new words, and had some time in Daily 5.  In Math, we worked on addition and subtraction.  In the afternoon we had music, then a bit of a break. For Science we did an experiment to see how to melt snow.



For Homework:
Tell your family about our experiment!  What are the three states of matter?   What ways did snow melt the fastest?  Why did the snow in the beaker covered in plastic not melt as fast as the one that was uncovered?

Spelling Words February 10-13

Spelling Pattern: February 10-February 20^th

BOSSY ‘R’ :    /ar/    /are/  /air/ 

-CVC words with /ar/ sound like a pirate saying “arrrrr” as in “car” “far”

-CVCe words with /are/ make a sounds like “air” as in “care” “bare” 

CVVC Tricky spelling:  sometimes /ea/ and /ai/ with a BOSSY ‘R’ make the /air/ sound as in: “bear” “pair”

*remembering which words are homophones will help to distinguish between the spellings.  Example: bear/bare,pair/pear, fair/fare 

*The homophonesare usually the “oddball” words, with the exception of “where” because it has the /air/ sound, but spelled with ‘ere’ 

Green

far	*bare
are	*bear
dark	hard
park	yard
care	large

* homophones bare/bear  which sound the same, but have different spellings and different meanings

bear: "The diet of the black bear mainly consists of berries." 

bare: "The tree branches were bare in the winter, and full of green leaves in the summer."

Sort: 

CVC short sound: /ar/ "r" sound 

CVCe long sound: /are/ "air" sound 

Sight word: are

Challenge word: large has soft g, with silent e at the end (which is often a rule) 

Yellow

share	carve
careful	party
arch	where
**March	*stare
starve	*stair

*Homophones "stare/stair" sound the same, but have different spellings and different meanings.

**Homonym: March (noun: as in "The month of March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb.") and march (verb: as in the action, "The band will march on."

Oddball/Sight word: where (rhymes with stare) 

Sort: short /ar/ sound as in "car" verses long sound /air/ as in "careful" "stare" "stair" 

Purple

startle	February
sharpen	carefully
*heart	carriage
*airtight	marriage
squared	charming

 *Oddballs: 

heart (has 'ar' sound, preceding e does not say it's own name typical of /ea/ words due to the bossy r). "carriage and marriage" can be considered oddball words - despite the /ar/ spelling it has an /air/ sound even though it is not a CVCe word.  

 "airtight" is an oddball because it is not an /ar/ word, but it sounds the same as CVCe words like care.

Valentine's Day

Hope

Michelle

Jacob

Joey

James

Emmett

Ibraheem

Kolby

Sydney

Aengus

Deborah

Alexander

Aahana

Mahanoor

Amara

Leina

Beckett

Wyatt

Yusuf

Gabriella

Charlotte

Nora

Jaxon

Malik

Friday February 7th, 2020

Dear Parents,
What a great turn out at Math Night!  Hawkwood enjoyed the opportunity to share with families a variety of ways to bring math into the home using common, everyday materials.
Over the next few weeks we will be doing many different science activities and experiments.  Each student will need to bring a empty/clean milk carton, a box of sugar cubes, and beginning next week we are collecting supplies to build an insulation device.  A letter will be sent home next week.

FYI
-Valentine's activity sent home, please return Monday
-Please bring empty and clean 2L milk cartons/juice cartons on Monday
-Please bring a box of sugar cubes for your child
-Wednesday Fun Lunch Jugo Juice & Kernels
-Thursday & Friday No School (Teacher's Convention)
-No Spelling Test or Poetry Party next week.


Our Learning:
We did catch up today with our math and literacy, had a great break outdoors, and watched part of an Arctic documentary.


For Homework:
Bring the supplies listed above :)
Complete your Valentine's Day activity and bring Monday

Thursday February 6th, 2020

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to seeing you at math night tonight!

FYI
Math night 6:30-8
Spelling test tomorrow
Bring in 2L Milk cartons (or juice) for science



Our Learning:
"I liked Daily 5 and gym. I am excited of math night!"-Hope
"I am really excited for Math Night.  I liked Daily 5."-Gabriella
"I liked doing our sick people."-Jacob
"I liked doing our sick people and learning about temperature on the smartboard."-Beckett
"I liked learning about the sun this morning."-Jaxon
"I liked daily 5 because I did raz kids."-Ibraheem


Homework:
Come see us at math night!
Practice spelling words

Wednesday February 5th, 2020

Dear Parents, 

We are so excited to show our buddies our special 'heart tree' full of all the reasons we love our buddies!

FYI
Math family night Thursday
Spelling Test Friday
Please return the pictures and words for our poetry if you haven't done so already.


Our Learning:

"I liked making our valentine hearts for our buddies!"-Mahanoor
"I also liked doing the craft.  I liked Daily 5."-Nora
"I liked gym and daily 5."-Hope
"I liked doing the mountain pose today."-Charlotte
"I liked doing social and learning about how Regina and Iqaluit people live in the past."-Aahanna
"I liked making hearts and also doing math."-Amara
"I liked win morning work and am learning how to draw better."-Joey
"I liked gym, it was a lot of fun."-Malik
"I liked doing our hearts for our buddies."-Aengus
"I liked gym and playing games."-Leina
"I liked volleyball in gym"-Alex
"I liked math and I also liked doing the heart tree for our buddies."-Beckett
"I liked making the heart tree and playing volleyball."-Ibraheem
"I liked doing the hearts for buddies."-Jaxon

For Homework:

Solve the word problem. Make sure you use an equation, a math picture and words to answer the question.

Alex wants to make Valentines for his classroom friends. He has 14 boys in his class, and 9 girls.  How many Valentines will Alex have to make?

Tuesday February 4th, 2020

Dear Parents,
Students will be taking home a picture of an activity/season that they need your help with! Details below.
Next week we will begin building an insulation device.  If anyone is able to send extra 'building supplies' (list is below) that would be great!

FYI:
Family Math Games evening Thursday Feb. 6 6:30-8:00PM


We look forward to seeing you Thursday evening!

Our Learning:
-Further work on equalities/inequalities in math, along with missing number as well as 'greater than' 'less than'  'equal to' and 'not equal'.
-problem solving skills
-in Literacy we worked with our new words, and will be focused on how to 'research' using a variety of sources.
-in Science we began an activity about body temperature which will be continued tomorrow.

For Homework:
A black and white picture was sent home with the theme 'outdoor activities and seasons'.  The picture will be inspiration for students to write their own poem this week- which will be performed during poetry party next week (or the following week depending on how students find this task)!

0Students do not have to use the picture that was sent home, and are allowed to print off their own pictures.)

Task:
Part 1
Come up with as many words as you can to describe your picture.  Make sure to use descriptive details (i.e. yellow plastic bucket instead of 'bucket'.   Parents, siblings, etc. can help!
Return the picture with the words you have written around the picture.

In Class....
We will continue to work on creating our 'word list' to make sure we have lots of 'juicy' descriptive words to use. We will also use the internet, text books, non fiction books to record as much vocabulary as we can! In class we will delve a bit deeper into rhyming words and patterns of a rhyming poem  (AABB, or ABAB, etc.) and begin to formulate the rough copy of our own poem.

spelling words feb 3-7

Focus this week:

ir (short) and ire (long)  

(See Below)

Green: 

-consonant blend: stir 

-homophone "fir" and "fur" 

-oddball:  'fur' due to the same sound of the homophone; and 'their' which has the /air/ sound. 

Try: 

word sort with short, long and oddball words

write 3 sentences using your words 

draw a picture and write a sentence to go with the homophone words

Yellow:

-initial consonant blends: st, th, ch, wh, tw, sk 

end consonant blends:  rd, th, rt, rl, rp, st, 

silent letters in whirl, twirl, swirl

oddball: 'their' which has /air/ sound instead of 'ir' 

homophone: spelling words are not included, but good to know: their, there, they're 

Try: 

word sort by blend

write out 5 interesting sentences using your spelling words

make your own crossword puzzle!

Purple: 

compound word: birthday 

word endings: -ly, -ier, -ing

silent letters: twirling, swirling, whirling

oddball: heir (silent h, and has /air/ sound).

Try: 

write out the root words (i.e.  first + ly = firstly)

write your own story using as many spelling words as possible. 

Monday February 3rd, 2020

Dear parents, 
I am glad to hear most of us had a good week with Ms. Enns our sub last week.  Ms. Heagy is back from her holiday.


FYI
Spelling Words posted
Poetry Party tomorrow (Tuesday)
Math Night Thursday Feb. 6 6:30-8:00PM
Valentine's Day Exchange Feb. 12
No school Teacher's Convention Feb 13 & 14


Our Learning:
-During Daily 5 we did our Spelling Test from last week.  Students brought home their self-marked tests.
-We also focused on solving a few math problems and are learning how to highlight/underline important information, sort what we know from what we need to know as well as decide on the right math equation, math picture and how to write a sentence using words that answers the problem.
-In Science we are going over our vocabulary terms and exploring average temperatures during the different seasons as well reviewing what temperatures water boils at, freezes at, our body temperature and how to describe different ranges of temperatures.

For Homework:
Review and practice your new spelling words.