Welcome to December!

"Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, too.

Celebrating different holidays, yes we do.

Remember to respect what others believe

And giving is important as what you receive." 

As always, it will be a busy month of learning with a variety of interesting projects to create and share.

Important Dates:

December 6th - Half-day for parent conferences in the afternoon and evening

December 12th - Class trip to the NYS Theater Institute at Russell Sage College to see an Asian version of "Sleeping Beauty"

***REMEMBER to send in a small "bag" snack and a lunch for that day! Our snack will be eaten at the theater during intermission and our lunch will be eaten at around 1:00 in the classroom.

December 22nd - Holiday Party from 2:00 -3:00

December 24 through Jan. 2nd - Holiday Recess

English-Language Arts

We start off the month with penguin week! Besides reading the story in our anthology, "Best Wishes, Ed" we will become fully engaged in penguin facts and activities. Lots to enjoy and learn! Wait until you see your child's handcrafted penguins.

The following week we will read the Asian folktale in our anthology: "Nine-In-One, Grr! Grr!" and then venture into other Asian folktales and fairytales before we see "Sleeping Beauty" on the 12th. Wonderful stories include: "Korean Cinderella", " "The Magic Fan", and "The Empy Pot"

After that week, we will "switch gears" and learn about "The Pony Express" of the 1800's as well as study about the pioneers who moved out west in their covered wagons.

We'll finish the month with a "Time For Kids" article about money.

ELA skills this month include:

Using context clues, cause and effect, fantasy vs. reality, synonyms, verbs, amd combining sentences with "and", "so", "but", "because".

The students will also visit the library at least two extra times to learn about how to use the enclopedia with Mrs. Martin, our librarian.

In writing workshop, we have published our "How-To" stories which helped us learn how to organize our writing using transition words.

Now, we will be writing to our new penpals in Baltimore as well as learning how to make better "word choices" (using more descriptive, specific, and interesting words) for our holiday stories and beyond.

In reading workshop, the students continue to read in small groups as well as independently or with a partner. They love to "shop for books"!

In handwriting, the students have learned seven cursive letters so far. They will learn seven more this month. Please take a few minutes each day to encourage your child to practice cursive. Look for practice sheets in the bookbag!

Math

We will be reviewing Chapter 6 with assessment the first week in December.

Our two new chapters for this month- #7 and 8 - focus on geometry: plane and solid shapes.

There will be many hands-on activities to reinforce these concepts. Please help your child study the names and characteristics of these important shapes. Look for the review sheets that will come home in the homework bags!

SCIENCE

Our new topic for the next six weeks is "Solids, Liquids, and Gases". I will be teaching this unit to all of the second graders during "Activity Days" each Tuesday.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Since mid-November during Morning Meeting time, we have begun "State of the Day". We learn facts about different states as well as where they are located on a map.

During this month, we will learn about some of the many traditions associated with December holidays and how they are celebrated in different places.

We will continue to focus on how to use and understand non-fiction books and articles with attention to: captions, headings, bold print, diagrams, maps, content pages, glossaries, and indexes.

With winter weather upon us, always make sure your child has a warm jacket, a hat, and gloves or mittens! We all go outside each day unless it is raining, snowing hard, or below 20 degrees.

Please try to spend 15-20 minutes everyday reading with or two your child. A perfect time to get cozy and cuddle up together!

May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season!

Thanks for your ongoing support and help at home.

Enjoy a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Best Holiday Wishes,

Janis Fox

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