Special Homework This Week

Room 5 is researching and writing about blue whales as a class.

California Star Test
The California Star test will be administered to all students in May. It covers all the curriculum we have studied in second grade since September. I want students to be comfortable with taking the exam, to aide them I am going to begin sending home practice sheets that have both a strategy for them to learn and a set of questions for them to practice with. This week's strategy is re-reading. Many students don't realize that if they have an exam with a reading piece, and they get to a question about that reading piece that they are unsure about, they need to re-read the story to locate the answer. There is no time limit, so speed is not a concern.

The first practice sheet I will send home will go home tomorrow. If you have any questions email me.

Writing Journal Homework
In the Writing Journal for this week I would like your students to practice their non-fiction writing. In class we have been studying Blue Whales. I would like your students to write two pieces about Blue Whales for their homework. To assist them I sent home an assignment sheet and two non-fiction articles on whales for them to reference. The assignment sheet can be found here, a hard copy went home. The articles have also been printed and sent home but can be found here and here.

Curriculum Overview

Literacy - As a class, writing a non-fiction report on blue whales. Organizing our collected notes into paragraphs of similar information with clear topic sentences.

Math - Three digit addition and subtraction.

Writing - Individually writing a non-fiction report on a wild animal. Organizing our notes into paragraphs of similar information with clear topic sentences.

Language Conventions and Word Study - the oy sound, both oy and oi

In-Class Art - Beginning a study Vincent Van Gogh