State Presentations

Here are some skills that your child used / and or learned to create these products:

Cooperative Learning (Being able to use the skills of peers to create a product, while working together to solve problems!)
Access the district server and save into personalized folders;
Download pictures to the server;
Upload pictures from the server;
Import .gifs to Microsoft PowerPoint and then export them as a .jpeg;
Toggle between Microsoft Word and the Internet;
Use of the "Ctrl" + "Prnt Scrn" to capture pictures on the screen and crop and save them as a .jpeg;

Use of the Internet for research:

http://www.50states.com/
www.flickr.com/
Discovery Education

Access Image Generators:
http://www.bighugelabs.com/
http://www.wordle.net/

Upload files to the Internet and create video:
http://www.animoto.com/

Oregon

Wyoming

Utah

Colorado

Reflections for Hanakkah & France

Spin the Dreidel

The legend has it that the game of Dreidel was developed in Eastern Europe hundreds of years ago. When the Jews were forbidden to study Torah, they used the game of Dreidel as a decoy for studying. They pretended to be playing and gambling but were actually praying and learning.

The four sides of the dreidel are decorated with the first four letters from the Hebrew phrase Nes gadol hayah sham, which means, A great miracle happened here.

Objects Needed:

• 1 dreidel


• pennies (these can be m&m's, skittles, rocks, etc.)

How to play:

• Everyone begins with 10 items.
• Before you begin to play, each student needs to put one item in the middle of your playing area.
• Each player needs to take turns spinning the dreidel.
• Follow directions based on the letter that is face – up when the dreidel stops.
• Continue to play until one player has all the items.

Nun = Take nothing from the pot.
Gimmel = Take the whole pot.
Hay = Take half the pot.
Shin = Add two items to the pot.

Session 5

1. This session puts together all four parts of the literature circle process.
   


2. Have students choose their own books to read, either independently or with partner pairings reading the same book. If necessary, use this time for a "guided reading" type small group, with all group members having their own copy of the book.
   


3. When about twenty minutes have passed, have students stop and write a sentence or two in their reading journals about the story. Let students know that they can write anything about the story, especially about the main character.
   


4. After about five minutes or so, have students finish up their writing and refer to the "directions sheet" in their reading journals. They should look at the list of questions on the back of the page. Explain that today they will be talking about the first question in their group. Read it aloud, and have them read it with you a second time.
   


5. Tell students they will take turns in their groups talking about who is in their book and what they did.
   


6. Have students get into heterogeneous groups or four or five to start work. As they talk among themselves, circulate and listen in, giving whatever support they might need. Ask questions about their books, and suggest that they ask each other questions as well.
   


7. As each group is finished, have those students do their "Second Writing Time" in their journal. Explain to them that this time, you want them to write about who the book is about and something they did in the story—the same thing they talked about in their group. If students say they already wrote about this, have them expand on their writing with additional details.
   


8. Circulate among students as they write. As they finish, they should show you their writing and read it aloud to you. Ask each student additional questions about the story they read and/or write your questions in their journals. If the writing needs clarification, have students add more detail. If they want, they can draw a picture on the same page or the back of the page to go with their writing.
   

Session 4

1. You will be rereading the same story that was read in Session One, so that students can do an additional written response in their journals. This is the guided practice session for the "Second Writing Time" part of the literature circle process.
   Gather students together in a large group for a read aloud. Tell them that you are going to read them the same story that they wrote about in their reading journals, and that they are going to be writing about the story in their journals again. Ask them to listen for the problem and solution.


2. When you have finished reading the story, ask students to respond to the story orally. First let them give whatever thoughts they have about the story, then ask a series of questions to help them reflect on the story. For some sample questions, scroll down!
   
3. After several responses, remind students they have already written a little about this story in their reading journals, and now they are going to write more. This can be left open-ended, or students can be given a prompt if they need more support or assistance.
   Make sure that students understand that they are going to write on the same page they wrote on before, continuing their writing. Draw a large picture on the board showing where they should start writing, if necessary.


4. As students write in their reading journals, circulate to read and check their work.


5. As students finish, have them read their writing to you, and then draw a picture that shows what they wrote, either on the same page (if there’s room) or on the back of the page. They should use just one journal page if possible.
   As students finish, have them tell you about their drawings. If there’s time, you might write a comment in their journal, or an additional question to answer about the story.
   Sample Questions
   What do you know about the person in the story?
   What did the character want to do?
   What do you like about this character?
   What was the problem in this story?
   What was wrong?
   How did the problem get solved?
   Who fixed it?
   Do you have a favorite part?

Session 3

1. This is the guided practice session for the "Book Sharing" part of the literature circle process. Have students choose a fiction book to read that is at their level. Students will be reading independently for about twenty minutes. If students are not yet able to sustain reading for at least fifteen minutes, read a story with them in a small group. You’ll need multiple copies of the same book for this group so that each child will have a book to hold and share in the large group. Students can also "partner read" during this time as another support strategy, with pairings of lower and higher reading level students.
   


2. Tell students that when they finish their book, they should think about the person in the story and what happened to him or her. Remind them that they are going to be writing and talking about the stories after reading time, and that you will be asking questions. Let students know that if they want to read another book, they need to keep the first one because that’s the one they are going to write about and share.
   


3. After fifteen or twenty minutes of reading independently, have the whole group gather in a circle with the book they are going to share. Have each student tell the title of the book, who was in the story, and something the character did. If a student has trouble answering, ask some leading questions, such as, "Was it a human or an animal?" or "Was it a boy or a girl?" and then, "Do you remember his or her name?"
   



4. When everyone has shared, ask if anyone has any questions about anyone else’s stories.
   


5. This may take some time, but it’s important to set the stage for sharing in complete sentences and listening to others. If you are lucky enough to have an aide in the classroom, break into two separate groups to use time more efficiently, but make sure the aide knows what to ask the students and understands that this is practice for when students will be working alone.

Session 2

1. 1. This is the guided practice session for the "Reading Time" and "First Writing Time" parts of the literature circle process. Gather students together for a read aloud story. Choose a story with an interesting character and a clear problem and solution.


2. After reading the story, ask students questions about the main character, problem, and solution.


3. Explain to students that they are going to write a sentence or two about the story in their reading journals. Instruct them to write the date first, then write the title under the date. Draw a large ‘sample page’ on the board to demonstrate, if necessary.


4. As students write independently in the journals, circulate among them to read their work. As students finish their writing, they should check it with you. When all students are finished, have volunteer students share what they wrote about the story so that students can understand that there are many ways to respond to stories. When students are finished sharing, choose one of their responses, or your own, and write it onto the chart paper sample page. Keep this large sample for Session Four.

Session 1

1. Explain to students that they are going to make reading journals. Demonstrate the procedure for making the journals by making a sample, then write the needs list for making the journals on the board for student reference.
   
2. Have students make and decorate their own journals. Write "Reading Journal" on the board for students to copy as a title.

Literature Circles w/ Primary Students Using Self-Selected Reading

Overview
For self-paced literature circles, students choose their own reading material, respond to reading in a journal, and talk about their books daily in small groups. The teacher guides the work through structured prompts and by rotating participation with the groups. Students read at their individual levels, while heterogeneous grouping provides peer support. This lesson is a structured guideline for helping students learn to think about the books they read, and to ask questions about books shared by other students. It is especially appropriate for mixed-age and upper primary classes, or for cross-grade buddy work. From Theory to Practice
Talking about books supports written responses to reading.
Sharing books orally can help students recall main plot points and details in the stories they read.
Working in heterogeneous groups provides support and modeling for students who need assistance.
Choosing their own reading materials helps students learn to read for pleasure.
Sharing thoughts about reading introduces students to a wide variety of books.Further ReadingDaniels, Harvey, and Marilyn Bizar. 1998. Methods That Matter: Six Structures for Best Practice Classrooms. York, ME: Stenhouse.Fountas, Irene C., and Gay Su Pinnell. 2001. Guiding Readers and Writers (Grades 3-6): Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

The Students Will:

• read independently for an extended time.
• write personal thoughts about stories they read.
• talk about stories in small groups, responding to given prompts.
• ask questions about shared stories.
• use details about stories they read to respond in writing to specific prompts.

Instructional Plan Resources
General classroom supplies (blank 8x11 paper for journal pages; 12x18 construction paper for covers; mimeographed directions and questions list; access to the classroom library; chart paper; markers).
A read-aloud story that has an interesting character and a clear problem and solution. Two possibilities are Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola, or Miss Nelson Is Missing by Harry Allard.

Keyboarding

Mrs. Harrell graciously searched the internet and discovered these wonderful sites to help your child with Keyboarding. I would highly recommend that your child spend some time during the week to help improve his / her typing skills!

Free Typing Game

Keyboarding Games

Typing Games

Hyper Typer

Keyboarding Games w/ Links

State Reports Research

General Internet searches:
Fifty States information at http://www.50states.com
Info Please at http://www.infoplease.com/states.html
General State Information at http://www.netstate.com/
Library Resources Information:
Start at http://www.springbranchisd.com
Look for Library Resources
Encyclopedia Britannica
User Name: springbranch
Password: libraries
ABClio (State Geography)
User Name: spring
Ebsco - Searchasaurus
User Name: springbranch
Password: libraries
Discovery Education
User Name: springbranch
Password: libraries

Casey At The Bat

This morning, we were entertained as we watched a motivational production of Casey At the Bat. The kids learned about humility and cooperation.

Fiction Lesson

Today, we had a library lesson on Fiction books. Here is what was learned:

Everybody Books Are / Have...

Made Up Stories
Characters
Illustrations (color)
Title Page w/ Author
Setting
Beginning, Middle & End (Plot)
Cover
Usually 32 Pages
Spine that States the Title
Call Number (Author's Last Name)

Fiction Books Are / Have...

Historical Fiction
Adventure
REaslistict Fiction
Fatasy - Science Fiction
Mysteries
Chapters
Table of Contents

After the lesson, the kids were given the oppotunity to select a Fiction book to check out! Please encourage your child to always use the 5 finger rule (Select a page and read it. If you come to 5 words on that page that one doesn't recognize or know, then that book is too hard!) when selecting a book!

Balance & Motion

This nine weeks, we are studying Balance and Motion. Yesterday (and today for some), we concentrated on what makes things balance. I opened the lesson by brainstorming a list of things that balanced. We spoke of Counterweights and how humans use their arms to help them counterweight their bodies. I then showed them this clip of how gymnist balance:

The class then got to make a mobile to take home and share. On the mobile, there should be 3 vocabulary words written:

Balance: when an object stays in position on its own without being held there.
Stable: it's steady - it's not falling over.
Mobile: is a system of balanced beams and objects.

Next, I poked their curiosity as we tried to figure out how rollercoasters balance and use counterweights. I have to admit, I'm a little partial to The Texas Cyclone that used to be at Astroworld!


Questions to ponder over dinner:
What do you have to do to get a mobile to balance?
What kinds of things could you use besides pictures to make a mobile?

Red Ribbon Week

Monday:
Oct. 26 “PUT A CAP ON DRUGS”
Wear your favorite hat or cap!
Tuesday:
Oct. 27 “ SOCK IT TO DRUGS”
Wear crazy socks & bring some NEW socks to donate!
Wednesday:
Oct. 28 “DRUGS ARE UNBEARABLE”
Bring your favorite bear!
Thursday:
Oct. 29 “TOO COOL TO DO DRUGS”
Wear your RCE T-shirt for the Red Ribbon Pep Rally!
Friday:
Oct. 30 “SAY BOO to DRUGS”
Wear your Halloween T-shirt!

Writing Contest

Olive Garden is offering a writing contest for grades 1 through 12. It began on Oct. 19 and ends December 11. Students respond to the following prompt: “Describe a teacher who has inspired you in school and how they have impacted your life.” The submission should be between 50 and 250 words. Entry forms are at the Olive Garden. The student can also submit online: OliveGarden.com (click on “community” than on “Pasta Tales.”)

Parodies

Today we spoke of Parodies. A parody is a literary or musical composition imitating the characteristic style of some other work in a nonsensical manner. Parodies are fun to write, read or sing. I read an example of the popular Christmas tale – ‘Twas the Night before Christmas” before asking the kids to come up with one of their own.

‘Twas the night before Halloween
And all through the school,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a ghoul
The principal’s office was locked up tight.
There was just one custodian on duty that night.

Ola’s Version:

‘Twas the night before Guinndalyn’s Birthday

She was the scary skeleton of all.
She is the one that the vampires love
Most of all.
She hates the people of that Skeleton Town
She is real I tell you….
BOO!

Michael’s Version:

She was afraid of the dark
When heard a loud bark
From the three headed dog
And there came a nasty fog.

While she was cooking her toast,
She saw that evil ghost.
She was making a sandwich
As she saw that ugly witch,
Along came a black cat
Who quickly turned into a vampire
And was set on fire!

She made a new rule,
That there would be no ghoul
There that night
And he gave her a big fright!
By the way, she survived that scary, scary night!

FLIP Cameras

I am so excited to let everyone know that our FLIP cameras have arrived. This next week, I will be putting together a schedule where the kids can "check" them out to interview parents, grandparents, etc. about specific writing topics.

Modeled Drawing

Today, we were treated with a special guest. Ricky Mikelman, our Math SIS, came in and helped the class with a "comparative" problem solver. The kids were EXCELLENT! Here is an example of one of them - without the answer statement written.

Also - here is what some of the children said when they were asked to share their solutions to the problems:

Test 2

This is a test to see if Francine gets an email stating that I posted this.

Test

This is just a test to see if I receive an email after posting this.

Ice Cream Party

Today, the class had a special treat. We were, along with Mrs. Brasher's class, the winners of the Confetti Egg Contest. The kids celebrated with vanilla ice cream and their choice of all or some of the following:

• Chocolate Syrup
• Caramel Syrup
• Sprinkles
• Whip Cream
• Cherries

It was well loved by all!

School House Rock

We had such a fantastic time at the play this morning. A huge Thank You goes out to Rummel Creek! If you are looking for some favorite songs - you can find them on all on You Tube.

Ruler Scale or Teaspoon?

Disclaimer: I have not taught this game to your child!

Skills: Measurement / Linear Measure / Weight / Capacity / Brainstorming / Categorizing

In first grade, your child learned about length, height, weight and capacity. In second grade, you child continues to work with these measures and recognizes their differences.

Make a set of playing cards, each labeled with a phrase that identifies a measure of length, height, weight, or capacity. Use the following phrases to get started and have fun brainstorming others.

Length: 15 foot giraffe, 3 inch mouse, mile-high city, 40 yard dash, 4 centimeter noodle

Weight: 20 pound watermelon, 85 gram candy bar, 103 pound porpoise, 65 pound child, 12 ounce bag of pretzels

Capacity: 12 cups of popcorn, 6 teaspoons of sugar, 2 gallons of lemonade, 7 tablespoons of flour, 1 liter of juice

Shuffle the cards and set aside face down. Put a ruler, scale and teaspoon, or a sign representing each on the table.

Sit beside your child. Alternate turns. Draw a card from the pile, read the phrase, and state whether the item is a measure of length, height, weight or capacity. Place the card directly below the ruler for length and height, the scale for weight, or the teaspoon for capacity. The game ends when all the cards have been drawn and categorized.

Time

Today we discussed time. I asked the students what they understood about Time. here is what they came up with:

• The numbers on the clock skip count by 5's.
• The large hand points to the minute.
• The little hand points to the hour.
• The clock shows the numbers 1 - 12.
• The hour hand moves when the minute hand passes 12.
• A year = 365 days.
• A week = 7 days.
• A day = 24 hours.
• An hour = 60 minutes.
• 1 Minute = 60 seconds.
• AM / PM
• Moon changes throughout the month.
• Sundial can be used to tell time.
• Sometimes, there are Roman Numerals on the face of the clock.
• Digital & Analog clocks are used to tell time.
• There are 4 seasons in a year.

For 2 tickets tomorrow, I asked the kids to research who developed the concept of time.

You could help your child at home with telling time. Just ask them to take a glance at your clock and to report the time to you. Remind them that they can also skip count by 5's to figure it out!

Imagine, Crop, & Create: Chicken Soup for the Roadrunner's Soul

I wanted to let you know that I am a proud recipient of the J. Landon Short Minigrant. This past Tuesday, I was honored at the Spring Branch Board Meeting and presented a check for $500.00. Imagine, Crop, & Create: Chicken Soup for the Roadrunner's Soul is a captivating opportunity for students to seamlessly integrate technology throughout the curriculum being taught. I will be in search of some great deals for a Flip Camera (takes video) and a Digital Camera that the students will be able to check out and use. Here is a brief synopsis of what I hope to accomplish:

The students will participate in a metamorphosis from a technological novice to an expert gaining an in depth understanding of Web 2.0 tools. By using technology, like a digital camera & software, FLIP camera, and scrapbooking supplies and techniques, students will be able to go further in depth in the writing process. This activity, which will take the year to complete, will thrive on the students’ creativity and transform it into a collaboration of memoirs that will become a timeline of their experiences during the school year. It will enhance their learning experience as they learn how to take digital photographs and manipulate them to fit their needs. They will also learn how to use a FLIP camera to capture special celebrations so that they can journal them in their scrapbook, adding detail where needed and with more descriptive words. Most of the work will be completed with our learning buddies in hopes that the use of technology will not only trickle down throughout the rest of the grade levels, but also become the “hook” into Web 2.0 skills.

Guided Reading Questions

· This (character or place or event) reminds me of… because….
· I like / dislike this part of the book because…
· A question that I have about this book is… because….
· If I were this character I would…
· If I could talk to one of the book’s characters, I would (ask or say to them)…
· I predict that… because…
· I did not understand the part of the story when…
· This book reminds me of another book I have read.
· I think the author wrote this book to…
· The author got me interested when…
· The title of this book says to me…
· The most important (word or phrase or idea or illustration) in this book is…
· The genre of this book is… because it has (name some characteristics in the book found in that genre)
· If I were the author, I would have changed the part of the story when…
· To summarize the text, I would say…

Secret Pal Gift

Thank you so much for the AWESOME bookmark and Lavender Hand and Body Lotion. I just love using both of the treats!

Spelling & Handwriting

Good Afternoon!Second grade is a transition grade where kids go from early childhood to “big kids.” More is expected of your kids this year. This is one of the first times they are getting number grades and are actually associating those grades with how hard they need to work. They are figuring it out and I promise you, most of them already have started noticing how much harder they need to work! On that note, two of the easiest areas for you to work on with your kids at home are spelling and handwriting. And it's easy to incorporate both of those areas together. If you have your kids write their spelling words, have them SLOW down and use their best handwriting to write them. Mrs. Squillante found this website a couple weeks ago when a parent had asked how their child could improve on spelling. I encourage you to read over it and use what you can!
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6192

Remember- handwriting is something that they will continue to develop as the year goes on. This is when we are asking them to take their fine motor skills to the next level. Here are two websites (recommended by Mrs. Squillante) that give some ideas on how to strengthen fine motor skills in young children.
http://kidslovelearning.blogspot.com/2008/10/improving-fine-motor-skills-part-ii.htmlhttp://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/fine-motor-skills-activities-for-children.html

Let me know if you have any other questions! The kids WILL get better at this eventually, but here are some tips to speed up the process! :)

School House Rock Fieldtrip

We have our first field trip Friday, October 9th at 9:00. We will head to Memorial High School to see their performance of the 70's/80's Saturday morning show "Schoolhouse Rock." This is a great opportunity and we are so excited! We will take a bus and be back at RCE before lunch.
The kids can wear a Rummel Creek t-shirt. We are so lucky that we got to add this field trip to our schedule! This is going to be a great opportunity for the kids! Please sign and return BOTH sides of the permission slip as it comes home today!

Why Can’t I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?

This was shared with us at the beginning of our faculty meeting tonight by Cathy Roth (Literacy SIS). I thought it was something to ponder!

Let’s figure it out—mathematically!
Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night…or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 minutes x 5 times a week = 100 minutes/week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes/week

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year.
Student A reads 3600 minutes in a school year.
Student B reads 720 minutes in a school year.

Student A practices reading, the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice. By the end of 5th grade, if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days. One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?

Wind

According to the Wikipedia, wind is the flow of air or other gases that compose an atmosphere (including that of the planet Earth).

Today, we spent some time outside observing the wind. Using bubbles, the children were able to watch the wind change direction, become more forceful, and do nothing at all.

Internet Resources

Tumblebooks
This is a webiste that offers interactive books that are read out loud. It also has games, puzzles, quizes and and much more.
Click on Library Resources:
http://library.springbranchisd.com/library-resources/
Select #7: Tumblebooks
Username: springbranch
Password: books

United Streaming
This is a website that offers movies / clips of movies streamed over the internet.
Click on Library Resources:
http://library.springbranchisd.com/library-resources/
Select # 9 Discovery Education
Username: springbranch
Password: libraries

Homework FAQ

1. What do the T and A mean on the reading log?
Title & Author

2. What do F and NF mean on the reading log?
Fiction / Non Fiction

3. Is anything he reads fine to log?
Yes

4. What are spelling cards?
We cut them out and use them sort in the student’s journal. Usually, I give the kids 2 copies on Monday. (One to manipulate first thing, and the other to take home and study.)

5. Since the math worksheet is two sided, does he turn it in on Wednesday, and then it comes back home for the Thursday homework?
One side is for Tuesday and the other side is for Thursday.

6. Can my child use a website to practice their math facts?
Yes – they can. Please share the website with us and I’ll put a link from my blog.

7. My child has mastered addition facts up to 18. In fact, he / she worked on multiplication over the summer. Can he / she do something else?
Sure! Have them move on (only if they are ready) to the multiplication and division.

Types of Non Fiction

Informational Text
Historical Facts: Things that happen in real life.
Memoirs: True stories taken from events in our life.

Biography: Story about a person’s life.
Autobiography: Story about the author’s life.

Types of Fiction

Realistic Fiction: Stories that could happen today.

Historical Fiction: Stories that use actual people and events.

Science Fiction: Stories that have supernatural events.

Fantasy: Stories that have unrealistic elements.

Traditional
· Folktales: Stories that are usually passed down from parent to child.
· Fairy Tales: Stories that are usually passed down from parent to child but have a magical twist.

Myth & / or Legend

Poetry

Why Readers Abandon Books

Today we discussed some ways in which readers abandon books. Here is the list that was generated with our class and Ms. Briggs' class:

Why We Abandon Books
Too hard Not interested in the book or genre
Too easy
Don’t like the characters
Don’t like the wording from the author
Disappointed in the sequel or series
Too scary
Too sad
Too confusing
Print is too hard to read
Boring
Not good for now – maybe later
STS (Setting the stage)
Plot confusing
Another book of interest
Reminds you of something bad in your life
Cannot make a connection to the text
Difficult vocabulary

Astronaut Ice Cream

A HUGE thank you to Elizabeth Pfeil for sharing some Astronaunt Ice Cream with us! It was simply delicious!!!

What Good Readers Do...

I spoke with the class today about some things that good readers do. When reading at home, you may wish to keep the consistency with what is being taught / learned here at school.

Before Reading
What story clues are in the title and the pictures?
Is this story real or make-believe? How do I know?
If this text is real, what will I learn?
What will the main character need or want?
Why do I want to read this story?
how do I picture the setting?

During Reading
What will happen next in the story?
How do I feel about the main character?
Why does the character act or feel a certain way?
Does the story or text make sense?
How will the story most likely end?
How does this story or text remind me of my life?

After Reading
How did the story or text make me feel?
What do I like or dislike about the story?
What is the main part of the story or text?
How have my feelings about the character changed?
How are the character's feelings or actions different at the end of the story?
What is the author trying to teach me?

Arthur Visits

BlueWillow Bookshop Presents
Caldecott Author and Illustrator
Richard Egielski and Arthur Yorinks
@
Rummel Creek Elementary
September 17th

For some interactive lessons with enrichment, please visit:
http://rceauthors.wetpaint.com/

Wind

Today, the class made anemometers. Here are some questions we used to reflect with:
How can scientist measure the temperature of the air?
How can scientist measure how fast the wind is blowing?
Tell me how your anemometer works.

At dinner tonight, I challenge you to speak with your child about his/her experiment today! They learned so much!!!

Ways We Choose Books

Easy Books
Words that you already know
Is a book that you have read before
Passes the 5 finger rule
Short book
Take a vacation with
A book that has a lot of pictures with text underneath it
A book that you can read all by yourself
Print is sometimes bigger

Just Right
A book where you can read the summary
A book where you know all the many of the words on the page
Use the 5 finger rule!
A book with some pictures

Challenge
Lots of words that you do not know
Might be a very thick book
May not be lots of pictures
A book you might read with a parent or partner
A book you might use for research
A book you have never read before

Information

Absences

The best way to contact the school or me is through email. If your child is not going to be at school, simply let me know and I will send your email to the office:
theresa.schwab-trevino@springbranchisd.com

Also, please feel free to phone the school office at: 713-251-6700 or email Christine Godin at: christine.godin@springbranchisd.com .

Another difference this year is that we will be taking attendance right at 9:40. To be counted present, your child must be in class at that time! Please remember that when you schedule doctor appointments.

When a child is absent or tardy, the parent must provide a note, which includes the following:
• Date(s) of absence
• Reason of absence
• Parent signature


Transportation

If you are having your child go home a different way than normal, the teacher and front office must have a note from you stating how they are going home. Unfortunately, we can no longer accept email as legal notification as a change of transportation.


Birthdays

Birthdays are very important and will be celebrated at the end of the day. Store bought cupcakes with plates and napkins are recommended! If you provide a cake or even a cookie cake, please have it pre-cut for easy distribution. If you need to drop off treats, please take them directly to the office. We will have them delivered / picked up at the appropriate time.

School Policies

If for any reason you need to enter the school campus, you must sign in and obtain an ID badge from the office. You will not be able to roam freely – or just “drop off” items in your child’s classroom.



Medicine

The teacher and/or child will not be allowed to distribute medicine in the classrooms. Our school nurse, Karen Schroeter, will administer all medication. For prescription medication, you will need to have the doctor fill and sign the SBISD Guidance and Health Services form.
Please remember that your child must be fever - free for 24 hours before he / she can return to school.

Conferences

Conferences will be available by appointment only. (1:15 – 2:00) Please do not come by the classroom during instruction time and expect a “quick” conference.

Schedule

Mrs. Trevino’s 2nd Grade Daily Schedule

8:15-9:30 Reading
9:30-10:30 Writing
10:30-11:00 Math Warm Up/Calendar Transition
11:00-11:30 Lunch
11:30-12:00 Recess
12:05-1:15 Math
1:15-2:00 Specials
2:00-2:55 Science/Social Studies

Specials
Monday: Music (Ms. Jones)
Tuesday: Health Fitness
Wednesday: Health Fitness
Thursday: Music (Ms. Jones)
Friday: Health Fitness

Art
Wednesday
2:00 – 2:45

Library Check-out
Thursday

Computer Lab Friday
10:25 – 11:00

Welcome!

I truly enjoyed meeting everyone this morning! I look forward to a wonderful year as we Dive Into Learning. Please feel free to contact me anytime:
theresa.schwab-trevino@springbranchisd.com
annschwab@yahoo.com (this goes straight to my blackberry)
713-973-7346 Home
713-875-6456 Cell
713-251-6741 Classroom