Dec. 5-Dec. 9

Looking Ahead to Next Week:
Memory: Continue to practice Advent parts
Spelling: all: hall, ball, call, stall, wall, mall, overall, rainfall, fallen, baseball

Grammar/Phonics: Linking Verbs
Reading: We will be reading a whole class novel: The True Gift
Math: We will have a test on Wednesday, and then will do centers reviewing various concepts we've learned on Thursday and Friday
Social Studies: We will finish up our factories unit that began this week, and begin a study on Christmas traditions around the world
Writing: Persuasive Writing

Important News and Information:
-We will have our Advent service next Wednesday at 10 am and at 7pm in the church sanctuary. For the evening service, please have your child meet in the church basement at 6:45. Regular school dress in the morning, and either school dress or church clothes for the evening service.
-We are collecting small plastic canisters with lids on them for our Christmas party service project. We are also collecting new or gently used gloves/mittens for Sparrow's Nest. Please send these in with your child anytime between now and Dec. 22nd

We did a STEM activity: Can you clean up polluted water?

cleaning up the polluted water

The kids discovered, it was nearly impossible to clean the polluted water

We learned how important it is to make sure we don't pollute

Mrs. Helmkamp taught our class computer coding

We played a matching game to practice our irregular past tense verbs

We are beginning a study on factories. We did an experiment where we produced a snack mix. Some kids had to do all of the steps by themselves, other kids worked together in an assembly line. We learned that assembly lines are much more efficient!

11/28-12-2

Looking Ahead to Next Week:
Memory: Advent Parts
Spelling: ing/ink: bring, sing, wing, fling, string, link, drink, pink, think, shrink
Grammar/Phonics: Irregular Past Tense Verbs
Reading: We will continue our study on Protagonist and Antagonist characters
Math: Next week we will learn about number lines, angles in a polygon, and the associative property of addition. No test next week. 
Science/Social Studies: Pollution and how it affects our natural resources/how we can prevent pollution . We will have a test on Wednesday, and a study guide will be sent home on Monday. 
Writing: Persuasive Writing


Important News and Information:
-We only have about 2 1/2 weeks left of 2nd quarter, which means that 2nd quarter AR goals need to be met soon! The last day to take AR tests for this quarter will be Tuesday 12/20
-Chapel services for the month of December begin at 10am in celebration of Advent. There are also services at 7pm if you can't make it to the 10am service.
-1st and 2nd grade will have their advent service on Wednesday, 12/14 at 10am and 7pm. Kids were given the script for our advent service.  This is a more difficult advent service than what we have done in the past. It is set up as more of a play, and so some students have longer parts than others. The speaking parts are longer, and some kids have more than one part. Please help your children practice and memorize these parts at home! We will also be practicing some in the classroom, and will have several whole group practices in the church.
PLEASE RETURN YOUR CHILD'S SCRIPT TO SCHOOL EACH DAY! 
-Book orders were sent home today. I will be placing the order next Wednesday. These make fantastic gifts! If you would like your order to be a surprise, please let me know, and I will give the books directly to you!

Making symmetry art to teach us about symmetry

Some awesome symmetrical art!

Practicing our past tense verbs with a partner

The kids looked at different examples of pollution and decided if it was land, air, or water pollution

Freddy the Fish was a very happy fish until one day when people polluted his water :(
Next week we will do a STEM activity to attempt to clean up Freddy's polluted water

11/21-11/23

Looking Ahead to Next Week:
Memory: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.  And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Spelling: oo: too, zoo, food, room, soon, boot, hoop, scoop, groom, school

Grammar/Phonics: Past Tense Verbs--We will focus on adding -ed to the end of verbs to make them past tense, the different sounds that the -ed ending makes, and on doubling the consonant letter if necessary before adding -ed.
Reading: Protagonist/Antagonist
Math: Test on Friday 12/2
Science: Natural Resources and How We Use Them
Writing: Write to Persuade, Introduction to 5 paragraph Writing

Important News and Information:
-AR point totals were sent home on Wednesday in folders. This was an updated list as of Monday, so any tests taken after that are not included in the list. Please encourage your child to read over break!
-Mark your calendars! Wednesday, Dec. 14th is the 1st and 2nd grade Advent Service. The kids will receive their Advent parts within the next couple of weeks. They will need to memorize these parts to recite during our Advent Services at 10am and at 7pm on 12/14.

We worked together to put numbers in order from least to greatest

The kids worked with a partner to read a Scholastic News Article written from either the Pilgrim or Wampanoag point of view. After reading their article, they joined with a new partner who hadn't read their article. The new pairs told each other what they had learned and then they worked together to compare and contrast the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags. 

A man in Belize who received Bibles purchased with chapel offerings

11/14-11/18

Looking Ahead to Next Week: Nov. 21-25
No memory or spelling next week
Grammar: Antonyms
Phonics: Vowel Teams Review
Reading: Point of View
Math: Test on Tuesday
Social Studies: We will be studying the first Thanksgiving, as well as the different points of views of the Pilgrims and Native Americans who were present for that first Thanksgiving feast.
Writing: What we are thankful for

Looking Even Further Ahead: Nov. 28-Dec. 2
Memory: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.  And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Spelling: oo: too, zoo, food, room, soon, boot, hoop, scoop, groom, school

Grammar/Phonics: Past Tense Verbs--We will focus on adding -ed to the end of verbs to make them past tense, the different sounds that the -ed ending makes, and on doubling the consonant letter if necessary before adding -ed.
Reading: Protagonist/Antagonist
Math: Test on Friday 12/2
Science: Natural Resources and How We Use Them
Writing: Write to Persuade

Important News and Information:
-We will dismiss at noon on Wed. 11/23 for Thanksgiving Break. School will resume on Monday, 11/28
-Mark your calendars! Wednesday, Dec. 14th is the 1st and 2nd grade Advent Service. The kids will receive their Advent parts within the next couple of weeks. They will need to memorize these parts to recite during our Advent Services at 10am and at 7pm on 12/14.

In our disucssion of natural resources, the use of gasoline was brought up. We talked about how gasoline is a nonrenewable resource. The kids decided to design a form of transportation that ran on something other than gasoline. 

This student designed a vehicle that uses a cheetah to help it move fast. That way it moves much faster than the oxen who pulled covered wagons.

We went on a hunt around the school to look for natural resources that are being used.

Playing a game with synonyms. 

Examining properties of rocks

In a comfy position during writing class. This week we wrote from a turkey's point of view. The kids had to persuade other people to eat something else besides turkey for Thanksgiving this year.

National Cup Stacking Day

We were geologists as we took apart the minerals (chocolate chips)  from the rocks (cookies), learning that rocks are made up of minerals. 

Nov. 6-11

Looking Ahead to Next Week:
Memory: But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God…” Luke 1:30

Spelling: oke/ell: broke, choke, yoke, stroke, awoke, tell, yell, shell, smell, yellow
Phonics: Vowel Teams Long U
Grammar: Synonyms and Antonyms
Reading: Point of View
Science: Ch. 6 What is a natural Resource? We will be having a short quiz after each lesson of this chapter.  Our first quiz will be on Thursday. Study guide will go home on Tuesday.
Writing: Step by Step and Descriptive Writing- planning a Thanksgiving Dinner

Important News and Information:
-Picture retake day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15. If students would like a retake, they need to bring in their original picture package.  
-World Sport Stacking Day is coming up on Nov. 17th. On this specific day people all across the world participate in Sport stacking in an attempt to set a new world record for the most people Sport Stacking on one day.  Mrs. Steinbacher is looking for parent volunteers to help the day run smoothly. If you are interested in helping, let me know and I can send your name her way!
-The Thanksgiving food drive will take place on Wednesday, 11/16 during chapel. Donated food will go to families attending the St. Louis Seminary.  2nd grade has been asked to bring boxed stuffing mixes and boxed potatoes. If you have any donations, please send them with your child on that Wednesday.
-We will dismiss at noon on Wed. 11/23 for Thanksgiving break. School will resume on Monday, 11/28

In honor of Election Day, we learned all about what an election is, voting, and spent a little bit of time discussing the job of a president. 

The kids wrote what they would do if they were president. There were some wonderful ideas:)

We made a Snapguide presentation to show what we learned about how the earth changes quickly

Mr. Debrick read us a story

A visit from 3rd graders to give our class a survey

We wrote thank you letters to Veterans. I will be mailing them to Operation Gratitude, who will then mail the letters to American Veterans all around the world. 

This week was our second faith family event.  The Chapel started out with a litany and a song, we then left the church with our faith family to have a family devotion and work on a service project.  The devotion focused on being thankful.  We are thankful for things we can see and touch like food, family, and clothing.  We also need to be grateful for things we can’t touch or see like our freedom.  We talked about those who serve our country in the military.  We then made Christmas cards that will be sent to servicemen around the world.  We returned to Chapel and celebrated baptismal birthdays and sang our theme song.  This is such a fun time to build relationships with other students centered around Christ.

10/31-11/4

Looking Ahead to Next Week:
Memory: Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. Psalm 26:8

Spelling: or/ea: according, before, more, bored, snore, eating, reading, appear, beach, cheaper

Grammar: irregular plural nouns
Phonics: long o vowel teams
Reading: We will put together all we've learned so far. We will read a different picture book everyday, then figure out the characters, setting, problem, solution, beginning, middle, and end. We will also try to make as many connections as possible to each story.
Math: No test next week. Facts are review facts along with sums of 11
Science: We will have a science test on how earth can change slowly and quickly on Friday. Study guide will go home on Wednesday. We will also be doing a project demonstrating what we've learned using Snapguide on our iPads.
Writing: We will write letters to U.S. Veterans in honor of Veteran's Day.

Important News and Information:
-No School on Tuesday 11/8 for Election Day/Teacher Inservice
-The Thanksgiving food drive will take place on Wednesday, 11/16 during chapel. Donated food will go to families attending the St. Louis Seminary.  2nd grade has been asked to bring boxed stuffing mixes and boxed potatoes. If you have any donations, please send them with your child on that Wednesday.

Making Volcanoes

Making Volcanoes

Working with a partner to figure out problems and solutions

In math, we reviewed fractions using apples. Then, tried a yellow, green, and red apple, chose our favorites, and graphed the results. 

In science, we spent the week learning about how the earth changes quickly via natural disasters. On Tuesday, we erupted our volcanoes!

Muffins for Moms

Practicing adding -s or -es to nouns to make them plural

The kids got to act out our shared reading story this week. They did a great job!