Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! Enjoy the break and we will see each other in 2017!

Marissa Wilhelm

Week of December 12th

Thursday's snow day was exciting! The snow really does make it feel like Christmas time. Thank you to Mrs. Orr for the wonderful Holiday Program. The children sounded and looked fantastic.

Even with the missed day, we will still be taking our Topic 6 Assessment next Tuesday, Reviews are due back on Monday. Our Wonder's essential question for the week was How can people help out their community? In the stories which were nonfiction, we learned about providing solar power to villages and taking books to those with no access to libraries. We also had good discussions on how we can be some one who can hep out in our own community. Our next How To... writing is about making a snowman which many students practiced yesterday! We had a synonym snowball fight to practice words that have similar meanings. Students are researching and gathering information for their Wax Museum presentation. The final project will include a paragraph of important information from their lives and a chronological timeline. 

3 days next week. Monday & Tuesday will be "routine" as we wrap up projects across the curriculum. But there is a lot happening on Wednesday. Here is what you need to know.

1. It is pajama day so students can wear there pjs to school. They may also bring slippers but must have shoes as well.

2. Because of our hard work on MAP testing and taking our time, students earned a popcorn/movie/stuffed animal celebration so students can bring in ONE stuffed animal. Any size within reason and parent judgement!

3. Our class party is at 11. All are invited. Please have your child bring in a $5 gift for a gift exchange. 

I will be enjoying all of the delicious cookies from the Cookie walk,

Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of December 5th

Thank you for those that were able to help out at this week's Snowflake Shop. The students loving having their shopping lists and money to spend! It is one of my favorite holiday traditions at Redwood. A few weeks ago, a reporter contacted us and asked if we could ask Santa one question, what would it be? HERE is the article. We also wrote letters to Santa. Most of the students through they have been nice at least at school! 

Despite the busy schedule, we are continuing on with Topic 6. We learned a few rhymes to help us know when and when not to regroup. They go like this... More on the floor, go next store and get 10 more. More on the top, no need to stop! The plan is to assess this topic before the break. By earlier next week, I will let you know if that is still the plan! We are getting there but if we have to wait until after the break, then we will wait. 

This week, we read about the sky including what is looks like in the day and night. We discussed constellations and how clouds can take on the shapes of animal and objects. Our How To... writing is in full swing. This is the perfect time of year to practice the step by step writing. Our first piece was how to decorate a Christmas tree. Then, we made hot chocolate and then wrote out the steps that we followed. It was delicious! Next, students will be writing about how to make a snowman. In grammar, we have started learning about verbs. Verbs, verbs, the action words!

Students worked hard on their winter MAP benchmark. They earned a movie & popcorn celebration because of their hard work. Holiday Program is Wednesday, December 14th. 2nd grades performance starts at 1:45. 

Hope to see you at the program,

Marissa Wilhelm

Week of November 28th

This week started in November and ended in December! Our Thanksgiving breaks were exciting and busy! As we get ready for December, we wrote about what makes us grouchy like the Grinch, elf applications because Santa is hiring and a Christmas tree countdown. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year!

We have begun Unit 3 in Wonders- Live & Learn: What have you learned about the world that surprises you? Week one was The Earth's Forces. The essential question was How do the Earth's forces affect us? One story was Magnets Work! which was a review of our science unit including repelling, attracting and the poles. Our comprehension skill was author's purpose which is why an author has written the story. Author's purpose is as easy as pie... P for persuade, I for inform and E for entertain. Our vocabulary included true, speed, proved and amazing. 

Topic 5 is complete. Topic 6 is a continuation of 2 digit subtraction. Next week, we will be learning borrowing. We will get through and assess this topic before the winter break. Students worked extremely hard on their math MAP assessments. We will take the reading assessment on Thursday. Students are reading their biography books and additional information will come home next week. You have plenty of time  for costumes that are not needed until the new year but you may want to borrow something from family members or friends you see over the break. 

December Activities: 

* Snowflake Shop is on Wednesday. Information came home this week including shopping list, labels and money bag. 

* Christmas Programs are on Wednesday, December 14th. The 2nd grade performance is from 1:45 to 2:15. 

* Our Christmas class celebration will be on Wednesday, December 21st. More information will follow. 

Keep warm! It is starting to feel like winter!

Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of November 14th

We completed Unit 2 in Wonders with the essential question: What do we love about animals? We found the answer to this question using the genre of poetry. Poems have rhyming and rhythm. Our poems were about beetles, camels, bats and a gray goose. Possessive nouns were our grammar topic for the week. With the two days next week, we will wait to start Unit 3- The Earth's Forces.

Topic 5 in Envisions has been using strategies we learned to add to subtract like 100's chart, open number line and break-apart. We will take the Topic 5 Assessment after the break. We will also be completing the review sheet in school and sending it home then to review any missed skills/questions. Topic 6 is a continuation of subtraction so we will continue to practice and review 2 digit subtraction with and without borrowing.

Our biography unit is here to STAY! Students had time to explore many different famous Americans. Hopefully next week, we will be choosing the individuals that students will be researching and presenting at February's Wax Museum. All of the research and writing will happen at school! But I will let you know who your child has chosen. This week, we learned about Rosa Parks and completed a timeline of her life. Students will be making a timeline to go along with their person.

A technology skill that we have been practicing in the classroom and computer lab is Google Docs. The students are LOVING it! Next week, we will have a class set of Chrome books to use in the morning which we are excited for!

Upcoming Events:

* Student Council is still collecting items for Kisses From Heaven. HERE is some more information.

* Marco Pizza Night is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, November 29th. This is 2nd-4th grade pizza night so pizza orders will come in boxes decorated by the students. So by Tuesday, you will be sick of leftovers but still not want to have to cook! Pizza it is!

* Just 2 days next week! Thanksgiving break is from Wednesday, November 23rd to Sunday, November 27th. I am very thankful for you and your children.

Thanks to the moms, grandmas and aunts who were able to be a part of the Muffins with Moms! and support the Scholastic Book Fair!

Marissa Wilhelm

Week of November 7th

We took advantage of the election and spoke about the role and responsibilities of being the president. We had our own election. The candidates were an Oreo and a sugar cookie! The winner by a landslide was the sugar cookie! In social studies, we were introduced to biographies. Students will be choosing an individual to research and present at the Wax Museum in February. This is a large assignment so we are getting a head start now. We also took a few minutes to remember veterans and the sacrifices that they and their families have made. 

Topic 4 is complete and we are beginning Topic 5- Subtracting Within 100 Using Strategies. These will include breaking apart numbers, using a hundred chart, and an open number line. Also, we will also analyze information to model and solve one and two-step word problems. 

In E.L.A., we learned How are offspring like their parents? We read Eagles & Eaglets and Baby Bears. We also looked at a life cycle of both plants and animals. Our new FUNdations unit is the vowel-consonant-e syllable like words like froze, ride and shake. We made a sneaky bandit e who likes to sneak up and pinch the first vowel. When he does that, the vowel yells his name!

Next Week:

* Muffins with Mom is next week. Last names A-M is on Wednesday and Last names N-Z is on Thursday.

* Scholastic Book Fair is all week- We will be previewing it on Tuesday and making our wishlists.

Thanks!

Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of October 31st

We started the week off with our Halloween party & parade. Thank you for those who were able to come and those who sent in supplies. We had some spooky, scary, strong, sporty and nerdy costumes! Everyone was a bit tired on Tuesday!! For Fire Safety Month, an Avon Lake fireman came and talked to us about how to be safe at home and school. Just like we practice a plan at school, students were encouraged to have a safety and evacuation plan at home.

This week's Reading essential questions was What are features of different animal habitats? The three habitats that we read about were a prairie, the ocean and the river. Each habitat provides a home for plants and animals. Their needs including food and shelter are met in their habitats. In the prairie, prairie dogs build burrows as a form of shelter. The burrows have rooms just like a house! We built a large burrow on a classroom wall to illustrate the habitat. 

Students are bringing home the Topic 4 Review today. Please return in on Monday so we can review and take the assessment Tuesday. Here is the Answer Key :) 

Upcoming Events:

* Muffins With Moms On November 16th & 17th
PTA will be providing muffins and juice for you to enjoy as you spend time with your child. Please RSVP here. 

* Book Fair

The hours are:

Tuesday, November 15 3:20pm-5:30 pm
Wednesday, November 16 8:00-9:00 am and 3:20-7:00 pm
Thursday, November 17 8;00-9:00 am and 3:20-7:00 pm

You can shop the Book Fair online too. 

Thanks,
Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of October 24th

Today is the end of the 1st Quarter! We have accomplished so much already this school year! Thank you to those friends & family members who were able to join us for our final Walk On Wednesday. We loved having you all! While chilly, it was great that every Wednesday this month were able to walk together outside. We will miss this next month. Thank you to those who also donated shoes.

In Wonders, our essential question for this week was What can animals in stories teach us? Our genre for the week was Fables which always ended with a lesson or moral. Both stories this week had the man character of a wolf, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and Wolf! Wolf!. Wolf! Wolf! is a Chinese version of the Boy Who Cried Wolf in which the wolf decides to trick the boy. We also read different versions of Cinderella from around the world like Egypt and Native American version. In all of the versions, there was a poor girl, a magical shoe/slipper and falling in love with a prince. Our strategy for the week was identifying the problem and solutions within a story. The problem is most often found in the beginning with the steps to solution in the middle. The story always ends with a solution which we discussed is not always a happy ending. We are continuing to learn more about nouns. This week we learned that nouns can be singular or plural. The trick words for this week were against, knew and know. 

We are moving through Topic 4 in math- Fluently Adding Within 100. This week, we learned traditional addition with columns and regrouping. Students are doing SO WELL! Ask your child how do we know if we need to regroup? The answer should be: If the ones is greater than 10! And if you have to regroup, you get to put a number in the magic box in the tens place. We will finish up Topic 4 next week so be on the look out for a review at the end of next week. I will email to confirm the due date later next week.

We discussed different types of motion including spinning, rolling and zig-zag in science. You will start to see students bringing home Time For Kids magazines which we will be using to teach Scien & Social Studies standards. Next quarter, we will switch back to social studies. With it being an election year, we will complete some activities based around the election and start our biography unit. This unit will culminate in February with the Wax Museum.

Halloween party and parade on Monday. Please have students WEAR their costumes to school. Students will need to have a set of clothes to change into after the parade. No fake weapons are permitted. All are invited and welcomed to attend. We will start the festivities right at 8:50 and join in with the parade when it arrives to us probably around 9:20ish.

Happy Halloween!
Marissa Wilhelm

Week of October 17th

I hope that everyone is having a enjoyable, fall weekend. Hopefully, you were able to attended the Pumpkin festival as I know the raffle prizes were AMAZING!

As one student said, we had a Black Friday as we lost electricity at the end of the day. But the windows provided enough light that we finished the week strong. And our dismissal felt like a well lit airport runway!

Topic 3 is complete. Overall, students have been successful with adding 2 2-digit numbers. Everyone found a strategy that they preferred and practiced. Topic 4 continues addition with 2 digit numbers and becoming fluent using place value, properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction. Strategies include partial sums and regrouping (traditional addition with columns and carrying like you learned addition!)

The 2nd Unit of Wonders is Animal Discoveries with the essential question- How do animals play a part in the world around us? This week we discussed How do animals survive? We learned about how animals must adapt to their climate. Ths included stories about a boy visiting his grandma in a desert, a girl learning to be a musher and taking her first run with her snow dogs and a nonfiction comparison of a husky and a fox. We have started our next writing piece of a Personal Narrative with the initial graphic organizer that listed in one sentence or less the beginning, middle and end. Next week, we will take the sentence and stretch it out to expanded the events of the story so the end result will be a 3 paragraph writing piece. Our next Fundations unit is Unit 5 with multi-syllabic words with prefixes and suffixes. This will be a 2 week unit.

Next Week:

* Wednesday will be our final Walk On Wednesday. The theme has two parts. The first is the donation of any used tennis shoes in good condition. Also, it is walk with a friend so if you or a family member are available we would love to have you join us and walk. We start around 9:15 and walk for about 15 minutes. 

* Halloween party is on Monday, October 31st. We will start the party right at 8:50 with the parade starting at around 9. We will party until the parade reaches us and finish up after the parade. All are welcome! Please have students wear their costumes to school and have a change of clothes for after. We do have gym after the parade!

If we talked at conferences about additional resources, I am working to gather them and will have them to you this week.

Thanks,

Marissa Wilhelm

Week of October 10th

Thank you for coming in for conferences. It is exciting to reflect the growth already made this year. We have accomplished a lot and I am excited for all that we still have a head.

Here are a few things to wrap up last week and start this week!

I sent home the Topic 3 Math Review with students over the long weekend. It is due back tomorrow. Here is the answer key if you need it!

I have added two new sites added to the Resource Tab of the blog.
* Spelling City- I have created a classroom page were students can practice 2 skills. The first is the FUNdations skills so your child can go on and practice spelling words for the current unit. Next week, we will be completing Unit 4- Suffixes. There are also sight word lists were students can practice reading and writing the trick words both current and previous words. There is no log-in information needed. Just follow the link. I will continue to add current lists throughout the year.

* Compass/Odyssey- This site matches with student's MAP scores. So based on where they scored both in reading and math, activities at their individual learning level are available. This can be used in place of RAZ-Kids for reading if you so choose. Students do need a log-in and password. These can be found in their planners on the back folder with the other information from the beginning of the year.

* Wednesday is our 3rd W.O,W.. The theme is Cleveland Sports Team.

* Pumpkin Festival is on Saturday. We still need more volunteers. Sign- up HERE.

Thanks,
Marissa Wilhelm

Week of October 3rd

This week was busy with Spirit week, our first Walk On Wednesday and our field trip. We learned a lot about Force and Motion from Mrs. Leigh at the A.L.P.L. Many students had the opportunity to volunteer and participate in experiments. Some of our favorites were dancing cereal, bending water, floating donut magnets and pulling a cloth from under a set dinner spot. In the classroom, we explored with bar and donut magnets learning that not all metals are magnetic.

In Envisions, we learned two new strategies for adding to 100- an open number line and break-apart. With open number line, big jumps count for 10 and little jumps are worth one. Break-apart is becoming a class favorite. If the equation was 25 + 63, break 25 into 20 and 5. Then break 63 into 60 and 3. So 20 + 60 is 80 and 5 + 3 is 8. The sum is 80 + 8 = 88.

We ended  Unit 1- Friends & Families in Wonders with the essential question- How do families work together? This included a lot of conversations about economics including consumers and producers. Both stories were nonfiction so we spent some time learning about nonfiction text features. These features including photographs, captions, charts and maps often contain information not found in the text.  In FUNdations, we started suffixes including s, es, ed, ing, er and est.  We will be working on these for a few weeks. Suffixes are marked by underlining the base word and circling the suffix. In grammar, quotation marks were introduced. Once these are taught, they become very popular and show up "everywhere!"

Next week is a short one! No school for students on Thursday, October 13th and Friday, October 14th. I will see you all at conferences on Thursday. I look forward to seeing you!

Have a good weekend,
Marissa Wilhelm

Week of September 26th

Students did very well on their Topic 2 Assessments. Arrays are always a crowd-pleaser! Topic 3 is learning to Add Within 100 using various strategies. One strategy we learned was using a hundreds chart. You would start at a number and as you move down from the number, the number increases by 10. As you move to the right from the number, the number increases by 1.

Our stories this week were about Caring for Animals. In one story, Jack had to care for a horse on his farm. The care included waking up at 5 a.m. to feed the horse, cleaning the stalls and coming back in the afternoon after homework to give the horse a snack. In Lola & Tiva, Tiva really wanted a pet dog but instead she got a pet rhino! Lola was in need of a friend as her mother was blind and unable to keep her safe from predators. Tiva became that friend and meet her needs including feeding her 5 1-gallon bottles a day and teaching her to wallow in the mud.

We finished up our Friendly Letters and will start to talk about Personal Narratives next week. In FUNdations the next two weeks, we will be working on suffixes including -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er and -est. Also for grammar, we will practice using quotation marks. Once quotation marks are taught, student use them "EVERYWHERE".

We have finished up our Social Studies Government unit for now. Next, we will start the Science unit of Force & Motion. We have already brainstormed what force and motion is. A lot of Star Wars examples:) We also tried using our play-doh to determine the best shapes to make objects move. We will have a field trip to the library to learn more next week.

A few items...
* We have a field trip to the library on Wednesday, October 5th at 9 a.m. If you are interested in going, we have a few spots for adults. Just email me and let me know. If you are driving with us, we will leave at 8:50 and be back around 10:30 or you can just meet us there at 9. Either way, let me know!

* We will miss the W.O.W. walking on Wednesday due to our field trip but will walk at some point during the day. I will also pass out the W.O.W. shirt after the field trip.

* To celebrate Homecoming, next week is Spirit Week. Here are the daily themes:
Monday: Hat Day
Tuesday: Favorite Sports Team- Any team from professional, college to your own team:)
Wednesday: W.O.W. Shirt- I will be handing this out after our field trip
Thursday: Beach Day- Wear summer wear like sunglasses, flip-flops, etc.
Friday: Avon Lake Day- Wear Shoremen or Gold/Maroon

* If you haven't, please sign-up for conferences.

Thanks,
Marissa Wilhelm

Week of September 19th

Our "egg pets" activity was very fun and a bit smelly! Our reading essential question of the week was How can a pet be an important friend? During the day, we had to ensure we cared for our pets including sharing our snacks and including them in our learning. When it was time to go, some shed tears but the pet have been given to an "animal shelter"! In Finding Cal, a boy writes in a diary all of his thoughts and feelings about getting a new dog. In Not Norman, a boy had a pet fish who he feels is not a great pet so he decides to trade him in for a better pet. But before he gets the chance he realizes that Norman is a good friend who listens to him, protects him and makes him laugh. All character traits you look for in a friend! Our friendly letters are one step closer to being ready to be mailed! Final copies next week!

In math, we will be taking Topic 2 Assessment on Tuesday, September 27th. This weekend students will bringing home the Practice Assessment which they took independently and has been graded. So this weekend, if you could look over the assessment with your child and and review the missed questions. For those students who need additional help, I attached a blank copy that I would suggest completing together using the original corrected one as an answer key. Monday will be another day of review before we test on Tuesday.

MAP testing is complete. I was very impressed with how hard students work and that they took their time. These scores will be shared at conferences. Conferences are on Thursday, October 13th. Click HERE to sign-up. If you need more information, click HERE.

Next Week...
* Marcos Pizza Night is Tuesday, September 27th. Go to www.marcos.com to place your order. Don't forget to click on Redwood Elementary under "Fundraisers". Redwood earns money back on each ONLINE order and we have the possibility to win the school challenge and a grant of $10,000!

* Picture Day is on Wednesday, September 28th. The ID Number for online purchases/orders is WP066055Y0.

Thanks,
Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of September 12th

Students worked extremely hard this week on their Math MAP assessments! This year we took them in the classroom using Chrome books. Every student worked hard and took there time to ensure they were doing their best. Next Thursday, we will complete the Reading MAP assessment and I am expecting the same work ethic!

We have completed our first math assessment of 2nd grade! Thank you all for completing the review sheet with your child. All-in-all, we did well on the assessment. We will review question 2 together as a whole group to better understand the answer. I will also pull students to review a few other key questions that they will continue to see and need to be able to understand and answer. The assessment came/will come home with students on Friday. Even with the Topic Assessment and MAP Math test, we jumped right into Topic 2. Topic 2 is Working With Equal Groups. The essential questions for the topic are How can you show even and odd numbers? How do arrays relate to repeated addition facts? The first two lessons are on even and odd numbers. While most students can identify or state an even or odd number, we are working to understand why they are even or odd. We made a street with even houses on one side (these houses all look the same and are equal to each other) and odd houses on the other (these houses are all different and some look out of place!). Next week, we will continue on with arrays and repeated addition. This is a quick, quick chapter so look for information next week about the Topic 2 assessment. We may be doing somethings a bit different but I will let you know.

Our Wonders Reading essential question of the week was How are families around the world the same and different? We read two realistic fiction stories about this topic: Maria Visits Brazil and The Red Lollipop. We had some great conversations about The Red Lollipop as in the story the girl must take her baby sister to a friend's birthday party. Some students said that they would have NONE of that! Also, the mother held the girl responsible when her SISTER took her sucker and she reacted in angry. So far I have really enjoyed the lessons hidden in the stories and how the students discuss and react.Vocabulary in the stories included language, invited, scurry, aside and plead. We demonstrated our best pleading. No wonder pleading can get you somewhere sometimes! In Maria Visits Brazil, Maria dances in a parade. Students visualized what they thought the dances would look like and then demonstrated some of their moves! We ended with a non-fiction story that provided 4 examples of items that ALL families have: homes, food, language and celebrations. While all families have these, they look different in every family.

We are continuing on our friendly letter. Slowly but surely. Friday, we celebrated Constitution Day by learning and remembering the document that laid the foundation for our country. We are also completing a Civics packet where we have learned the 5 W's of being a citizen including EVERYBODY can be a good citizen who tries to make people happy in the community, school and home either by themselves or with others. We learned to even be a good citizen if you think nobody is watching. Topic 2 Of FUNdations is Bonus Letters which is doubling the letters f, l or s if they are the last letter of a one syllable closed work like ball, mess and puff.

Important Information:

* Students should be doing these activities for homework:
   1. Read for 15 minutes weekly and initial in the front of planner
   2. Raz-Kids for 30 minutes a week (can be part of above reading)
   3. 3 assignments on Xtramath a week
* If you have not yet, please make sure to send in a check for $38 for school fees.
* Reading MAP test will be this Thursday, September 22nd. 

Thanks,

Marissa Wilhelm

Week of September 5th

While Labor Day on Monday may have been the unofficial day of summer, we had some summer weather temperatures this week! Yet we worked hard and accomplished a lot in 4 days! Friday morning we took a few moments to remember September 11th and all of those who were lost and affected by the tragedy. We have much to be grateful for!

In Wonders, we continued with our essential question of How do friends depend on each other? In one story we learned about Little Flap depending on his friends to encourage him and support him. He may have been scared but with his friends by his side, he became brave and tried something new! Our second story of the week, Help! A Story of Friendship taught us a good lesson about gossip and how what others tell us can make us think things we shouldn't! Also a poem Crayons taught us that a broken crayon can be great so you can share with a friend:) Our writing is tied throughout the reading program as we focused this week of writing traits and using text evidence from the illustrations and words. We are also working on a friendly letter which when we are complete, we hope to send in the mail!

I sent an email earlier today that we have completed Topic One in math. Students are bringing home a review that must be completed by Tuesday, September 13th. We will review Monday and Tuesday and take the test on Wednesday. Topic 2 is a fun and short topic where we will learn about using arrays for multiplication!

Social studies continued this week as we learned more about rules and responsibilities. We learned about different responsibilities of individuals at school. Next Friday, we will be celebrating Constitution Day. We wrapped up our FUNdations unit on digraphs. This is a review of a 1st grade skill. Next week, we will continue to review Bonus Letters and Glued Sounds. Did your child tell you that we had some fun and played tic-tac-toe on our desks using dry erase markers?!?

A Few items:

* We have Math MAP assessments on Thursday, September 15th so make sure students have a good night sleep and a good breakfast. This year we will be testing in our rooms using Chrome books.

* Picture Day is Wednesday, September 28th. Order forms and information is coming home with students today.

* If you are looking for a safe snack to share for a birthday, click here.

* Walk On Wednesdays will be back in the month of October! More information will be coming but here are the days and themes:

        * 10/5 – Wear new WOW shirt

* 10/12 – Crazy Hat

* 10/19 – Cleveland Sports Day

* 10/26 – Invite a friend and donate a pair of lightly used shoes

Thanks so much,

Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of August 29th

First full 5 day week complete with a 3 day weekend to recover!

We finished our Wonders Start Smart program with the Meet the Artist story which was a nonfiction story about 2nd graders who had special talents that were celebrated with a Arts Festival at school. We then compared this story with Lion and the Mouse. While the stories were very different, a common theme was that everyone can have special talents. On Friday, we started Unit One: Friends and Family- How do families and friends learn, grow, and help one another? Next week, we will continue with the story of Little Flap Learns to Fly. Our target skills will be visualize and key details.

We have officially started learning about writing a friendly. We started by seeing some letters and reading some books with letters in them. Then we learned the 5 parts of a friendly letter- heading, greeting, body, closing and signature. We practiced writing our first names in cursive for our signature. After, that is was brainstorming time with a graphic organizer. Next week, we will start first draft.

In math, we learned 4 strategies to help with learning our addition facts. They are
1. Flip Flop Facts (5+4=9, 4+5=9)
2. Doubles and Near Doubles (If 6+6=12 then 7+6= 13)
3. Make a Ten
4. Addition Facts Patterns (1+9=10, 2 +8=10, 3+7=10)

Vocabulary that we worked on included : an equation, addends- the parts of the addition of equation and sum- the answer to an addition equation. The next few lessons of the unit are subtraction strategies. As of now, next Friday students will be bringing home a review for the Topic One test. Look for more information next week.

In social studies we continued to discuss rules and responsibilities. The class rules that we have created are:
1. Listen when others are talking
2. Follow directions quickly
3. Show respect to others and our school
4. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself
5. Work quietly and safely
We discussed how we have different rules and responsibilities in different places too.

Things to Know:

* Next Friday, September 9th is Red, White and Blue Day as we remember September 11th.

* Here is a Color Copy of the Spirit Wear- Items and Form

It was a BUSY week so enjoy the long weekend and we will see you on Tuesday!
Marissa Wilhelm 

1st Week Complete!

We survived the first week of second grade! That is a big accomplishment. Especially with Thursday and Friday being HOT, HOT, HOT! Even so we are off to a great start. Our class is made up of loving, caring, funny, hardworking kids! I look forward to all that we will accomplish this year!

These week and next will continue to be practicing routines and rules. In the classroom, we have to know how to work on our own, with a partner and in a group. We read the book Peanut and Cupcake which taught us how we may be different but we can still fit and work together like peanut butter and jelly! Together we brainstormed what a good classmate does, says and does NOT do so we know what kind of classmate we want to be! Another book we read was What If Everybody Did It? which should use that one person can make a change and we should never do something just because somebody else is doing it. A lot of good discussions and making a plan for what we want out class to be! Students also wrote about their fears and what things the are good at. We have some good sports players, gymnasts, scientist, readers, mathematicians, cleansers and friends in our class!

In math, we took some time to explore our math tools and manipulatives like linking cubes, pattern blocks and place-value blocks. We learned the math game War where students compare numbers and determine the greatest value. In a similar version, the player turns 2 cards and must add them together and then compare. We took a placement test which will just allow me to see their current level of understanding. On Monday we will start Topic 1 which is Fluently Add and Subtract Within 20. 

Before we jump into our first Wonders story, we are completing the Start Smart portion of the curriculum that teaches again the routines and parts of the program. We did use the fable The Lion and the Mouse to practice genre, visualizing, summarizing, fluency and high frequency words. We also did a bit of writing about the text and writing about what makes us special.

That is a lot to have done in only 4 days!!!!

A few notes...
* Homework with "officially" start the week September 5th. This will include 3 parts:
1. Reading for 15 minutes or more
2. 3 assignments on Xtramath.org
3. 30 minutes of Raz-Kids a week

* This weekend I will be working to have log-in information for both Raz-Kids and Xtramath. I am hoping to get the info on a label that I can just stick to their binders. I will send out a Monday so you know where and what to look for.

* Students can be reading now! Don't forget to initial on the calendar at the front of their planner. I will check these on Fridays.

* Some students are still in need of headphones and/or an art shirt.

* Next Week is The SOURer Bowl Food Drive to gather and donate for the CRS. Click here for the brochure.

Thanks again for all of your support as we start the school year. Rest up this weekend and here is to a complete 5 day week next week!

Marissa Wilhelm

Open House

Open House is on Thursday, August 18th at 6:15. I will be sharing important curriculum and information for the upcoming school year. I realize that this time slot is also for 3rd & 4th grade so stop by when you can. If you are unable to attend, I will make sure to get you the needed information.

If you would like (but you don't have to), you may bring your child's supplies to Open House. We will sort through them on the first few days of school but feel free to bring them in so there is less for students to carry on the first day. Please make sure to label the folders and notebooks with your child's name. Here is the 2nd Grade Supply List if you need it.

While it is always hard to say good-bye to summer, I am excited for this school year! I have great hopes and goals for our class. I look forward to meeting with you and building a strong home-to-school connection.

Marissa Wilhelm

A New School Year!

I am so glad to have you as a part of our class! 

My name is Marissa Wilhelm and I will be your child's 2nd grade teacher. This is my 11th year as an educator and my 6th year at Redwood. I know many of the students as I was previously the Intervention Specialist. I am also excited to get to know those students who I don't know. I think that 2nd grade is a special, unique year as students really start to learn and grow as individuals. They start as babes and grow into young ladies and gentlemen! I remember my own 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Roenn and the impact she had on my education so I am blessed to have the opportunity to encourage and impact this group of 2nd grade students. 

School is right around the corner! The first day is Tuesday, August 23rd. Parents, Open House is on Thursday, August 18th at 6:15. More information will be available in another post.

Enjoy the last days of summer! I will see you soon!

Miss Wilhelm

End of a Fantastic Year!

The last few days of the year were bittersweet. There were smiles, laughs, tears, good-byes,  and see-you-soons. This year is a year that I will never forget. Your children have become my children too! They will always have a special place in my heart. Their picture books are just a small gathering of the fun and learning we did together this year. Hopefully, these memories and lessons learned will last a lifetime. 

I am grateful for all of the tokens of appreciation. The out pouring of love, support and affection was overwhelming. It was truly a privilege to be a part of your child's learning and growing. We started the year as friends and end as family. We love and appreciated what made everyone unique and special.

I would love to stay in touch with the students so please email or mail me about your summer adventures. Also, let me know summer events and sports and I will try and stop by.

Love,

Marissa Wilhelm

Week of May 16th

7 more days of 2nd grade! Oh, my! 

The 3 graphs that we have learned about and created this topic are : line plots, bar graphs & picture graphs. Students are bringing home Topic 14- Data & Graph practice assessment. Please have it back on Monday, May 23rd so we can take the test on Tuesday. 

Our Scholastic News for this week was about A Lego Mystery as a cargo ship spilled millions and millions of Legos into the ocean where they are turning up on the beaches of Texas, England and Australia. We designed our own Lego Men & Woman and practiced multiplication by making some arrays with Legos. We continued to learn about weather by reading the books Weather & Weather All Around. We discussed tornadoes and learned that there is something called a Firenado! To make weather come alive, we watched some videos and had some discussions regarding clouds, rain cycle and weather tools. 

On Wednesday, we went down to visit a 3rd grade class. This allowed us a sneak peek into what a third grade class looks and sounds like. Third graders shared with us some of what they do throughout the year (multiplication, division, area, answering questions, testing!) and we asked some questions (How much homework do you have? Answer: Some but not too much, Do you get a second recess? Answer: Not usually :(, Do you love 3rd grade? Answer: YES!!) Then we wrote in our journals about how we feel about being a 3rd grader. While some are sad to go, there many adventures awaiting them!

I love the memory books! One page was about what your favorite books was from this year and together we were able to brainstorm over 30 books we read this year! What a great way to write and remember all of the wonderful memories we have created this school year. 

I am working on creating and gathering summer work activities. All students have grown academically this year and to ensure growth continues and students are prepared for 3rd grade, skills must be reinforced throughout the summer. I will send home an email the day this is coming home so you can look for it and it not get lost in the year-end shuffle. 

We got to watch the fourth grade vs. staff volleyball game. There were some close games and the wind was a factor but the teachers prevailed! 

Please read and note the important dates & events for next week:

Bike to School Week: All Week Long- May 23rd to May 27th 
Next week is Bike To School Week. Students in all grade-levels are allowed to ride their bikes to school. Students in grades K-2 should not ride alone to school. Their should be an adult or a group of students riding together. Be safe and wear a helmet. At an assembly last week, we learned about the importance of bike safety. To maintain safety, Avon Lake Police, Fire and Municipal Departments will be stationed around the city. 

Book Swap: PTA is sponsoring Redwood's Annual Book Swap on Wednesday, May 25th. Students can bring in gently used book to swap with donated books. Every student that donates a book will receive a "new" book. There is a 10 book maximum.  

Pizza Party: Wednesday p.m.
Our class had the most Marco orders for the last pizza box night so we earned a class party! We will be having this on Wednesday, May 25th. Students will have their normal recess/lunchtime at 12 with the celebration in the afternoon. During the celebration, we will be watching Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and comparing the movie with the book. 

Field Day: Friday from 9:25 to 10:40
We will be starting at activity #2- Disc Golf.

No School Monday for Memorial Day and then the final 2 days: Tuesday, May 31st & Tuesday, June 2nd! 

Thanks,
Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of May 9th

Our story of the week (and a part of next week) was Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. What a cute, silly story! This is tied into our Science weather unit but it has been a while since we have worked with a fiction text so we reviewed the story elements including setting, character, problem and solution. Some students did not see massive amounts of food as a problem at all. In science, we discussed clouds and learned about the 4 groups of clouds which we made with cotton balls. We also wrote our spelling words in clouds... also known as shaving cream! Several types of severe weather were discussed  including a monsoon.

We are working hard on our Memory Books. This is a great time for us to reflect and remember all that we have learned and accomplished this year. While we are writing, we listen to music and boy, do some students LOVE to sing and dance!! Our spelling pattern for this week was -le words with double consonants. Students illustrated words like pebble, puzzle, dribble and apple,  Next week, we will continue to work with -le patterns with no double consonants but there will be NO more spelling tests this year:)

We complete Topic 13- Adding & Subtracting Measurement and took the assessment. The remainder of the year we will be working on Topic 14- Graphs & Data. Our first graph was a Line Plot. But we also learned that all data must start with a question, then gathering of data that is organized into a table. All of those steps before a graph can be created! Students are working through these steps to create their own graph.

While next week, we will be in only single digits until the end of the year, we will have a "normal" week as we still have many important skills to learn and practice as we prepare for 3rd grade!

Next Week:
     Wednesday, May 18th- Student Council's Wacky Wednesday- Students pay $1 to dress wacky including socks, shirt, hats, glasses, etc. All proceeds will be given to Jeremy's Cares (http://www.jeremycares.org/)

Thanks,
Marissa Wilhelm

Week of May 2nd

Thank you so much for your showing of appreciation this week. I am lucky to have such an amazing class with students and parents who are loving, caring and supportive! I am no so lucky with the lottery tickets though... I won $12!!! This time of the school year is always bitter sweet as students are growing, learning and maturing which means that they are ready to move on! I am cherishing these last days with the students.  

We still have some math curriculum to get through so we are moving! This week, we took the Topic 12- Measurement Assessment. The next topic is Adding & Subtracting Measurement and it only has 4 lessons in it! So by next week, we will have a short Topic 13 Assessment in class with no at home review :) This will then give us the remainder of the year for Topic 14- Data & Graphs. This is one of my favorite topics to teach. We will learn about line plots, bar graphs and picture graphs. Students will also be making their own graphs for which they will have to create a question, survey the class and then compile their data into a graph. 

With Cinco De Mayo this week, we took the week to discuss culture. Students brainstormed that culture includes food, language, dress, beliefs, traditions, music and art.We learned about the Mexican culture and how their traditions have become part of our own traditions. Our story of the week was Friends Around The World. Students compared and contrasted themselves to children from Russia, Australia, Tanzania and Canada. While we are all different, we learned that all kids like to PLAY! We also started our final Science/E.L.A. unit for the year on weather. The remainder of the year we will be reading and completing experiments with weather including energy of weather, severe weather, clouds and temperature. We are almost officially done with our habitat reports, we shared them with Mrs. Contreras's 3rd grade class his week and will share them with Mrs. Matyi's Kindergarten class next week.

This week we are also starting our memory books. This will be an ongoing writing project for the remainder of the year as we reflect back on the 2015-2016 school year. 

Field Day: I know this is a day that you may want to be a part of so I wanted you to know that 2nd Grade will be in the morning session from 9:25-10:40 on Friday, May 27th. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!,

Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of April 25th

How is it almost May and we are only about 1 month away from the end of the school year?!?

We are enjoying Topic 12- Measurement in math. We have been completing a variety of activities around the classroom to reinforce measurement skills. Tools we have used include a ruler, yardstick, tape measure and meter stick. We also learned that a human foot may not be equal to a "foot" as we traced our feet and measured the width and length using inches. Students have learned both the customary and metric units of measurement. Next Thursday, we will take the topic assessment. Students will bring home a review Monday which will be due back on Wednesday. Topic 13 is a continuation of measuring with adding and subtracting of units. 

Our final science habitat book for the unit was What is a Biome? This book reviewed all habitats including the plants and animals found there. All habitat PowerPoints are complete! The student's hard work has paid off! We practiced presenting them this week and will share them with classes next week. Our Scholastic News  for the week was about blue honey. It was blue because the bees were taking syrup from a M & M factory in France. Even bees love chocolate! Students used nonfiction text features in both texts to answer and support their comprehension. 

We completed our Me On A Map packet with a map of our country, continent and planet. We had fun playing a game where we tried to list names of cities, states and countries! On the ride to the field trip last week, some students thought they were seeing the Pacific Ocean out their windows so we also reviewed the oceans of the world!

Our music field trip to the high school was thrilling! The Chamber Orchestra and Symphonic Band were fantastic! We heard music from Pirates of the Caribbean and the Little Mermaid. Our favorite song was Remote Control were the musicians were magically controlled to change the speed, volume and song selection. Students were excited to see and hear all of the instruments they have learned! One student asked how the tuba musicians practiced the tuba when they were younger. Their answer... Standing on books! Thanks Mrs. Orr! We also got to see Mrs. Orr's son Caleb perform. They have music in their blood!

We had the most pizza orders last week so we earned a class pizza party! Once we have it scheduled, I will let you know! Thanks for supporting Redwood.

I am grateful for all of your support throughout the year!

Marissa Wilhelm

Week of April 11th

We found out that Redwood has been named a 2016 OAESA Hall of Fame School! We are very excited and proud of this accomplishment. It was because of a school community with a pride-filled student body, a committed staff, involved parents and a tireless principal invested in meeting the social and academic needs of students. 

Our story of the week was the nonfiction book Coral Reefs. Students were surprised to learn that coral reefs were groups of tiny animals called polyps! We also read about the 3 different types of reefs: fringing, barrier and atolls. An activity we did this week that combined the areas of reading, math & science was coral reef dioramas. Students worked in groups to make a coral reef come alive with a box, colored paper and crayons. They had to ensure that their coral reefs were busy with animals, plants and COLOR! 

We started and are already finishing Topic 11 Subtraction to 1,000. The 3 strategies we are using and liking the best are number line, place value blocks and columns. With this topic, we have also spent some time practicing how to check subtraction by adding. We will take the test one day next week. I am not 100% sure yet with the field trip on Monday. Students are bringing home the Topic 11 review this weekend. It is do next Tuesday, April 19th. 

We read 2 books that went along with our Social Studies Geography Unit- Me on the Map & Mapping Penny's World. Mrs. Speier, our guidance counselor was in this week to continue to instruct us on how to be cooperative at school, home and in the community.  

On Monday, we have our field trip to the History Museum. We leave right at 9 so please make sure students are on time to school. Also, we will eating lunch at the museum so students must have a lunch. Please ensure that all items are disposable. They weather forecast looks to be warm and sunny so dress accordingly. Part of our time will be spent in their outside facilities. While there is a museum store, we ask that no students or parents make purchases during our trip. 

Don't forget the Glow Walk is this coming FRIDAY, April 22nd from 7 to 9.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Marissa Wilhelm 

Week of April 4th

1st week back from vacation can always feels a little longer as we get back into our "normal" routines. We had started the Geometry Topic 15 before the break and finished it up this week. So after reviewing, I could tell the students were ready for the assessment which we took on Friday. Now, we will be going back to Topic 11 which is on Subtracting Within 1,000.

The different strategies will include counting back and adding up on an open number line, and subtracting mentally, using compensation. They will also learn to model three-digit subtraction using tools. This week we also took our year-end (because it really is just around the corner!) Math MAP online assessment. We will take the final Reading MAP assessment next Wednesday.

In Language Arts, our story of the week was Desert Giant. This book had facts and the importance of the saguaro cactus. This plant provides shelter and food for many different animals and humans. Even after it dies, animals use it for shelter. It was an interesting read! In writing, we heard about a dessert animal, the iguana. In the story, I want an Iguana, Alex writes letters to his mom in an attempt to persuade her to allow him to get a pet iguana. So I apologize in advance... Students are working on their own persuasive letter to get their own pets! I tried to keep the pets realistic like no hippos, elephants or wolves! The students sure do know what to say when it is something they want! There are a lot of promises about clean rooms and doing more chores! 

We are still wrapping up our habitat reports and making sure to be prepared for our field trip on the 18th. That week we will also have a habitat presentation here at school. Our final habitat activity will be for the students to present their reports in the classroom to each other. In social studies, we have started a unit on maps. Students started with a map of their bedrooms. Others maps we will be making will be our homes, neighborhood, state and world! 

There is a lot of events between now and the end-of the year. Here is what is happening next week- 

Upcoming Events:

* Sunday, April 10th from 12 to 2: Redwood's Barnes & Noble Bookfair! Events include student artwork, scavenger hunt, choir concert and story time with Biscuit the Dog. Thanks Mrs. Schneider for all of your hard work! 

* Monday, April 11 to Friday, April 15th: Pennies for Patients- K-Kids and Redwood are supporting Pennies (Or any coin, bill or check) for Patients, a national drive for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Students are bringing home a paper box piggy bank to collect money. We have a classroom container that they can empty theirs into throughout the week. Thanks in advance!

* Wednesday, April 13th from 4 to 8: Redwood's First Annual Arts Festival! Each of our students will have art displayed, along with 3 dimensional art from different grade levels. The Choir Concert will be that evening starting at 7 pm in the gym! 

Thanks,
Marissa Wilhelm