Virtual Snowflake

We had a great time making virtual snowflakes today! To continue making them from home click here!

Wonder of the Week: What's the best thing to do on a snow day?

We all LOVE snow days! This week students are continuing to work on expressing their opinions through writing by responding to this wonder: What's the best thing to do on a snow day? We have been learning about backing up our opinions with examples or other supporting statements. Make sure to check out your student’s blog this week see what they think the best thing to do on a snow day is!

• What is the best thing to do on a snow day?
• Why do you think this? Back up your opinion with at least two supporting details!

Example:  The best thing to do on a snow day is going sledding.  I think sledding is the best thing to do on a snow day because I love going down the hills fast.  Another reason that sledding is the best thing to do on a snow day is that all my family members go sledding together, it is great to spend time with them! Finally, going sledding is the best thing to do on a snow day because after sledding you get to drink delicious hot chocolate. This is why sledding is the best thing to do on a snow day.

Sharing Our Opinions Through Writing

This week in Writing Workshop we worked on expressing our opinions about books and characters! Students wrote letters to other readers explaining why they liked certain books or what they thought about different characters. They did an incredible job and we are all excited to continue our work next week!

Wonder of the Week - How Do People Celebrate the Winter Holidays - Wonder 78

"Come December each year, people of different faiths and cultures celebrate the winter holidays in many different ways. Let’s take a look at three holidays to see how they’re different… and what they have in common."

Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

• How do people celebrate the winter holidays in different ways?
• How do you celebrate the winter holidays?
• How are Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Advent different?
• What common element does Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Advent share?

I celebrate the winter holidays by decorating the house. I like Advent or Christmas because you get presents and you have a Christmas tree. - Addison 

I celebrate winter by playing in the snow. I know that Hanukkah has 9 days and you light candles. - Selena 

I know how Kwanzaa and Hanukkah are different. Kwanza is lighting candles for 7 days and Hanukkah is 9 days. I like setting up the Christmas tree and putting out the pot that holds the water for the tree I even have my own little tree made from branches.  - Sawyer 

Video Review of Our Week!

Scientist Case Studies

This week in nutrition we have been helping some very sick scientists.  The first scientist we helped was Dr. Penny Klieg.  Below is Dr. Klieg’s Case Study.  Students read the Case Study and then answered the following questions:

What health problem does Dr. Klieg have? (Weak bones)
What nutrient is Dr. Klieg missing? (Calcium)
What food group is Dr. Klieg not eating enough of? (Dairy)
What are three foods that you could send to Dr. Klieg to eat?

The second Case Study was focused on was  Dr. Nicholas DiCarlo.  Students again read a Case Study and answered the following questions:

What health problem does Dr.DiCarlo have? (Weak muscles)
What nutrient is Dr.DiCarlo missing? (Protein)
What food group is Dr.DiCarlo not eating enough of? (Protein)
What are three foods that you could send to Dr.DiCarlo to eat?

The last Case Study this week was on Dr. Gerald McCarthy.  Students again answered the questions to help Dr. Gerald feel better.

What health problem does Dr.McCarthy have?( bruises last and don’t heal)
What nutrient is Dr. McCarthy missing? (Vitamin C)
What food group is Dr. McCarthy not eating enough of? (Fruits and Vegetables)
What are three foods that you could send to Dr. Klieg to eat?

Hot Shot All-Star Lunch

Yesterday we had our Hot Shot All-Star lunch! Students who have earned Hot Shot All-Star awards were invited to eat lunch with Ms. Warren and enjoyed a special healthy treat!

To earn a Hot Shot All-Star award you need to be a Hot-Shot 4 weeks in a row. Students become Hot-Shots each week when they hand in their homework and go all week without taking a break.

We're hoping to have EVERYONE in our class come to the next Hot Shot All-Star Lunch!

Wonder of the Week

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! That’s what you may be singing when Old Man Winter rolls through. But as you already know, Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate...

In your blog post answer the following questions:

• Can it snow when it's not cold? 
• Two sentence response! I think... I think this because...
• What do you like to do in the snow?

I like to sled down my dad's street. It's a big hill! When it's not cold it can snow, but it will turn into rain. This is true because it is kind of hot and the snow melts. - Nick

I think that it can't snow when it's not cold because snow melts in the sun because snow is made out of water. I like to have a snowball fight in the snow. - Tucker

After reading the article on Wonderopolis we learned:

I learned that it can't snow when it's not cold because it is too hot and the snow would melt. I also learned that you can make snow our of ice if it's too warm to really snow. - Sawyer

I learned that you can make snow out of ice outside if it's too warm to snow. - Ryan

C is for Comprehension

This week in Reading Workshop we focused on Reading Comprehension Strategies. Students practiced all of the following comprehension strategies:

• Making connections between prior knowledge and events in a book 
• Predicting what would happen next in the story 
• Making mental pictures based off of the text 
• And checking for understanding while reading

It was been fun practicing these strategies while reading aloud some old and new favorite books!

Adding Doubles!

In math this week we have been reviewing different strategies for adding doubles. Check our some of these videos for help remembering the different strategies! Adding doubles videos.

A Note From Ms. Maddie

Dear PPS Parents, Guardians, and Caretakers,

The holidays and winter months are approaching, which means increased stress for families who are struggling to make ends meet. It is extremely helpful for us at school to have gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations, and perhaps toy stores around the holidays, to give to families in need. This can make a world of difference to families when money begins to run low at the end of the month, especially during the long winter months. I am also always looking for warm clothing to have on hand for kids, and am happy to take those outgrown clothes off your hands!

Again, this can mean the world to families, and is so much appreciated. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Maddie Sivo (Grandgeorge), MSW

School Services Clinician

Porters Point School

(802) 264-5918

grandgeorgem@csdvt.org

madelineg@howardcenter.org

Wonder #783

This week's wonder asks us to think about the following questions:

• Do you get enough vitamins?
• What is a vitamin?
• Why are vitamins important?

Are you a healthy eater? Your body is like a car. The fuel it runs on is the food you eat. If you eat too much of the wrong kinds of foods or not enough of the right kinds of foods, your body can break down.

You probably don’t like being stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire. In the same way, your body can leave you feeling unable to do the things you want to do, either because you’re too tired or you’re sick.

- See more information about this wonder at Wonderopolis!

Sawyer says "I think vitamins are nutrients that come from foods that are good for you. I think I get enough vitamins because I eat gummie vitamins."

Tucker says "I think vitamins are good for you because they help you run. I think I get enough vitamins because I have gummies with vitamins."

Wonder of the Week - When is sugar too much of a good thing?

This week's wonder - Wonder #388 asks us to consider the following questions:

1. When is sugar too much of a good thing?

I think that sugar is too much of a good thing when you eat too much of it. I think this because if you eat too much you will get sick. - Josh D.

I think that sugar can be too much of a good thing but that you can have one piece of candy after dinner. - Ryan

I think that sugar is too much when you eat too much candy, like after Halloween, you might get sick. - Jayden

I think sugar is too much when you eat a lot of it because it wont make you feel very good. - Kaitlyn

I think sugar is bad for you because it makes you sleepy and you don't feel good. - Nick

I think sugar is too much because once you eat it you want to eat more and more. - Thorsten

2. What is one snack you like that has maybe too much sugar?

Vermont maple syrup has 53 grams of sugar, I think that is too much sugar. - Nick

I think 'Dip n Stick' has too much sugar in it. The spoon is made of candy and you dip it in sugar. - Kaden

3. How much do you like sugar?

"Do you like sugar? Or is that just a silly question? Few, if any, people will say that they don’t like sugar. Maybe the better question would be: How much do you like sugar?

Scientists know that human tongues have special receptors that respond to sweet tastes. In fact, it seems that humans are born to like sugar. Researchers don’t know exactly why we seem to be born with a sweet tooth, but it’s a common desire that most of us seem to share.

Sugar comes in many forms. Even if you wanted to eliminate all sugar from your diet, it would be almost impossible to do so. In addition to the obvious sweet treats, sugar is in many of the things you eat. Sugar is found naturally in fruit and milk.

It’s also an ingredient in many types of foods, including yogurt, tomato sauce and salad dressing. If you look at food labels, they may not always indicate “sugar” is an ingredient.

Here are some ways sugar may be labeled:

sucrose: white “table” sugar

fructose: the sweetest form of sugar that combines with glucose to form sucrose, such as in corn syrup

glucose: a form of sugar less sweet than sucrose

lactose: milk sugar"

- See more at: Wonderopolis. 

So Many Mystery Skypes!

This week our class has had three Mystery Skypes, including our first Solo Skype! We skyped with classrooms in Oklahoma, Mississippi and Montana. Our Mystery Skypes are helping us learn map skills, researching skills and general United States geography. 

Make sure to ask your students what they have learned about each of these states!

Kicking Off Our Nutrition Unit!

We have officially begun our unit of study focusing on Nutrition! This week the students showed us what they knew by completing a pre-assessment and working with partners to answer our five anchor questions. Our essential question for this unit is "What choices can I make to be and stay healthy?"

Kindergarten Buddies

We had a great time working with our Kindergarten Buddies last week! They were nice enough to share their 'All About Me' books with us and we got the chance to help them read their work.

The next step is to help them make videos of themselves reading their books! We can't wait!

Tons of Fun Mystery Skyping!

Last week Ms. LaRose's class taught us how to Mystery Skype! We had so much fun listening to clues and researching to find their answers. We learned lots of new information about Texas and identified things that make Vermont unique!

ECHO Field Trip

We had a great trip to the ECHO Center! We had a chance to walk around the waterfront and see how the lake impacts the community and how the community impacts the lake. The turtles and frogs inside the museum were also a huge hit!

Watershed Exploration!

Today we had a very special guest, Mrs. Hickey, from the Lake Champlain Basin Program. With her we talked about all of the ways that we use the lake, things that harm or pollute the lake and ways we can help decrease or prevent water pollution. We also got to see first hand how run off and erosion impact lake health using a watershed model that Mrs. Hickey brought in.

Here are some of the ideas that the students came up with during Mrs. Hickey's lesson.

Things that we love to do with the lake:

• Fishing
• Parties on the beach
• Swimming
• Boating
• Tubing
• Ice Fishing
• Skating

Things that pollute or harm the lake:

• Oil from leaky cars
• Factories that dump into the lake
• Construction
• Farms - fertilizer and animal waste
• Run off from roads
• Pet waste

Things we can do to help the lake:

• Take care of our cars so they don't leak
• Clean up after our pets
• Be responsible with toxic waste
• Build fences to keep cows out of streams
• Don't cut down trees on the banks of rivers

Check out our student blogs to see what else we learned!!

Read to Self

Today in Second Grade we discussed what our 'Read to Self' rotation should look like and sound like as part of our Daily Five.

Students modeled how to get their book bags, find a place to read and settle in reading. We discussed how important it is to read the whole time in order to build our reading muscles! I was very impressed with the second graders today!

Internet Safety

Last week we reviewed internet safety and what it means to be safe while using all of the fun tools the internet offers. As part of this, we watched "Router's Birthday Surprise" from the NetSmartz website. This video teaches students four simple rules for being safe online:

1. Tell a trusted adult if anything makes you feel sad, scared or confused
2. Ask a trusted adult before sharing personal information like your name, address or phone number
3. Don't meet face to face with anyone from the internet
4. Always use good 'netiquette' and don't be rude or mean online

Each student signed a pledge to follow these rules that they brought home with them on Friday. The NetSmartz website offers many internet safety activities or videos that can be accessed at this link:

NetSmartz Kids Online .

Fun with Math!

This week we have officially launched our math routine! The second graders have been participating in whole group mini lessons and have had time to practice and apply their skills through a series of small group rotations. So far we have been learning about telling time, counting money and counting by fives and tens!

Today students practiced working together and addition by playing Addition Top-It with partners. Ask your second grader to teach you this game at home! All you need is a deck of cards.

A Note from Ms. Maddie

Dear PPS Parents, Guardians, Caretakers,

My name is Maddie Sivo (Ms. Maddie to the kids, and formerly Maddie Grandgeorge).  I’m the school social worker at PPS.  I work with kids and families with varying needs and challenges .  I often meet with kids during lunch in my office, and will sometimes allow them to invite a friend or two to work on social skills and help build positive friendships.  If you are not comfortable with your child being invited for these small groups, please let their teacher know, or you can contact me directly at grandgeorgem@csdvt.org or 264-5918.

Also, as cold weather approaches, it can be a challenge for some families to pull together enough warm clothing (especially with the amount of stuff kids misplace at school!).  If you have warm clothing or boots to spare, send them my way!  It is also ALWAYS helpful to have gift cards to grocery stores on hand for families who are having a hard time making ends meet.  Your generosity is much appreciated.

Thank you!

--Maddie Sivo

Memo From Mr. Marshall

Lunch Process Sept 2013 (2) by twarren11

Week 2

It's hard to believe that Week 2 is already underway! The second graders are continuing to dive into their blogging! I love how many students are working on their blogs from home!

Thank you to all of you for submitting your lunch orders online! It is a huge help and time saver for us here at PPS!

All About Me T's!

Today the students are working hard to complete their "All About Me" t-shirt posters! Here are two very proud students:

The Second Day of Second Grade!

We had another great day today in Second Grade! The students shared their favorite books with each other and we had a discussion about the various 'reading tastes' that we have in Room 7! Some common favorites were:

• Books with happy endings
• Star Wars books
• Books about dragons
• Sports books
• And so many more!

It was really great to see our community of readers start to grow as the students discussed books that they love! 

Open House

It was very exciting to meet so many of you today at Open House! Thank you for taking the time to stop in. If you were unable to make it, the forms that were handed out will be sent home with your student tomorrow. I look forward to meeting you all. 

I can't wait to see all of your students tomorrow for the big first day!!

Welcome to Second Grade!

I hope everyone is ready for the first day! Please come visit our classroom on August 27 from 8:00 - 9:00 for open house!

The only thing you need to bring for the first day of school is your favorite book. I love to read and I can't wait to see your different reading tastes!

See you soon!