Mrs. Ballnik's Second Grade

Classroom News from
Mrs. Ballnik’s Class My email is ballnic@dearbornschools.org
Friday, December 8, 2017
Important Days to Remember
Music Concert WITH OUR CLASS IN IT – December 15 (2:30 P.M.)
Math Night – December 14 (5:00 pm – 6:30) Free and your child will bring home a math game!
Gym on Tuesday-Please remember to wear tennis shoes and bendable clothes (not jeans or slip on shoes).
Holiday Party- We will have a holiday party on the last day before the two week break. I will bring in a surprise to drink. Students can bring in snacks to share with the class. We will talk more as the date gets closer.
PLANNER
Please bring them every day.
FRIDAY SPELLING TESTS
Here are the words for the next spelling test. The spelling pattern is beginning consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th and tch.
The spelling words are: each, path, which, hitch, match, patch, dish, wish, with, teeth. The Dolch words are: ate, under of, some, were.
Every Friday there will be a spelling test. Please practice every day with your child so that they will do well on the Friday Spelling test. Corrected tests are sent home on Monday for you to sign and send back to show me that you know the score.
We started to put the 16th word on the spelling test to challenge the students that get the spelling test correct every week. It is just for fun and no one is required to study these extra credit words. They come home in a worksheet each week, that we go over. They are not meant to be second grade level words and we would usually learn to read them and understand them, but not spell them.

MATH MATH MATH MATH MATH
We have started Unit 4. Unit 4 has addition and subtraction number stories with 2 and 3 digit numbers. We will use number lines and different strategies to find the sums and differences.
Science
Our unit is Earth Science and covers explorations that help us learn that Earth events can occur quickly (landslides, etc.) or slowly (erosion that carves rivers, canyons, etc.) We will be making observations and discussing landforms and bodies of water. Please continue to point these out as you drive.
The water cycle is very important to landforms and bodies of water. We will are making models of this next week. The snow came and we are discussing temperature, such as, 32 degrees Farenheit, which is the temperature that water freezes at.
Social Studies- .
Our unit is on Geography and is called Communities Where we Live. We are using maps in this unit. I am still accepting maps that students make of their rooms or houses for extra credit.

Writing
We are writing narratives, now. The characters start to have dialogue and more details to them, The plot will have a moral or lesson learned.
Reading- Read, Read, Read!
BOOK BAGS! Please observe how your child does with these books. Every book at level 18 (the level for second grade entry) for example, may not be read easily depending on the words. Please ask your child to write a list of the words that they do not know, so you can work on them.
Please keep them in the bag and count the books, so they do not get lost. I will trade out the books every other week or so. Students should reread books until they are smooth and fluent when reading. Students record on their log when they read.

BOOK IT CALENDARS
Please send in November calendars for a pizza hut coupon. New December calendars have come home.

We are out of tissues. Please send in some, if you can.
Please send in pencils for your child.

Congratulations to Gasem Almuresi for being the Star of the Week!

Have a great weekend with your wonderful child!

p.s. Ask about the sign language and song that your child has learned this week for our reading them of celebrating differences!