Wednesday, November 22, 2006

2nd Grade Activities: Week 14

Monday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about the saint of the day.
2. Reading/Spelling: IM with Dad and cousins.
3. Math: matching and addition games; "What is 24 + 24? What is 24 + 24 + 24? What is 24 + 24 + 24 + 24? What is 24 + 24 + 24 + 24 + 24?" "5 days (120 hrs). That's how long adults take to make up their minds about something." :)
4. Phonics: long vowel words with silent e, Explode the Code 3.
5. Read Aloud: The Adventures of Tintin: The Broken Ear, Herge; The Journey That Saved Curious George, Borden.
6. Reading: words in read-alouds, signs, book titles, environment; one page from Black Beauty.
7. Art: make a weaving; make a paper plate lion mask.

Tuesday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Reading/Spelling: online games of homophones and word families; IM with Dad; read some dialogue in Tintin.
3. Math: put non-consecutive numbers in order from highest to lowest and lowest to highest; figure out which object (out of 3 objects) being weighed on scales in a diagram is the largest and which is the smallest; ask what 3 + 3 + 3 is because the Tintin series contains 3 stories per volume and we have ordered 3 volumes (how many stories will that be?)
4. Phonics: read, spell, and write words with a long vowel and silent e (Explode the Code); make sentences from magnetic words.
5. Art: art and California history class: present artwork to the class; discuss tattoos of the Mojave indians; study a clay doll of a mother and child made by the Mojave people in the early 20th century; make a clay coil pot and a clay doll; make and play a native American stick game.
6. Handwriting: copy information about the Mojave doll artwork into art notebook; write answers to Explode the Code worksheet.
7. Read Aloud: The Adventures of Tintin: The Black Island, Herge.
8. P.E.: park time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 17, 2006

2nd Grade Activities: Week 13

Monday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about the saint of the day; read and discuss "Becoming a Child of God", Faith and Life 2.
2. Math: simple addition and money problems.
3. Reading: read Monopoly board and cards.
4. Handwriting: practice letter formation of some uppercase and lowercase letters by repetition, filling a blank page.
5. Art: make small paper dolls in primary colors for math manipulatives; sort by color.
6. Music: listen to Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 12 "Choral", Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
7. Read Aloud: from The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey, Louise Borden.

Tuesday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Language Arts: learn two Greek root words and two Latin root words from English from the Roots Up, Joegil K. Lundquist.
3. Art: draw five favorite animals; make Pokemon cards; color green and red borders for Greek and Latin root cards.
4. Science/Technology: use chat tool to converse with Dad.
5. Writing: make sign for a play store; write notes to Dad.

Wednesday
1. Religion: daily prayer; Girls' group.
2. Art: make a weaving on simple loom; paper panther at Spanish story time.
3. Library time.
3. P.E.: park time.
4. Read Aloud: from The Journey That Saved Curious George, Louise Borden.

Thursday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about Saint Catherine Laboure, and the virtue of obedience (handout from Girls' group).
2. Math: math facts flash cards (addition and subtraction to 12); some workbook pages -- color by number, dot-to-dot, fill in missing numbers in sequence, write the previous number, write the next number.
3. History: read and discuss Introduction, the first nomads and farmers, and the story of Romulus and Remus from The Story of the World 1, Susan Wise Bauer.
4. Art: make another weaving (hot pad).
5. Library: meet a children's author, Susan Elya: listen to stories and participate in a puppet show.
6. Science/Technology: IM with Daddy and cousins.
7. Cooking: grate cheese and help make bean burritos.

Friday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Math: simple addition and subtraction problems; write numbers that are one more, one less, and in between numbers shown.
3. Language Arts: correct sentences with errors; fill in missing letters at the beginning, middle, or end of short words; identify words to go with pictures (Scholastic Success With Tests reading workbook).
4. Reading: Silly Mummy, Silly Daddy, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick; Monopoly board and cards.
5. Music: theory review: recognizes whole notes, half notes, quarter notes. the number of lines and spaces on a staff, middle C, colored the bunnies :) (Rabbit Man's Music Books 1-2).
6. Read Aloud: from The Journey That Saved Curious George, Louise Borden, and The Adventures of Buffalo Bill, Col. William F. Cody.
7. Science/Technology: IM with Dad.
8. P.E.: soccer.

2nd Grade Activities: Week 12


Monday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about the saint of the day; read and discuss the chapters, "God Made Us" and "God Is Offended", Faith and Life 2.
2. Math: build models of numbers with base ten blocks: 222, 777, 110, 121, 255; look at Montessori bead frame that represents numbers up to 100,000,000; arrange the Montessori number cards of 1-9 (units), 10-90 (tens), 100-900 (100s), 1000-9000 (1000s) to show the numbers 1111, 2222, 3333, 4444, 5555, 6666, 7777, 8888, 9999.
3. Language Arts: study sandpaper lowercase letters of the alphabet; write a few letters.
4. Geography: draw a rough map of the United States in the sand.
5. Science/Technology/Nature: compose and send an email to a friend; observe seagulls and squirrels.
6. Art: create computer art in Photoshop to go with an email; finish acrylic painting in art class; make a stuffed manatee toy from a blue sock.
7. Reading: read a Sunday comic strip.
8. Read Aloud: from The Adventures of Tintin: Cigars of the Pharaoh, Herge; and Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain.

Tuesday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about the saint of the day.
2. Math: simple addition and money problems.
3. Language Arts: read and spell words with long vowels, some with silent e (Explode the Code 3); spell words with long vowel sounds using tactile letters.
4. Read Aloud: from The Adventures of Tintin: Cigars of the Pharaoh, Herge; and Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain.
5. Reading: read some words in The Adventures of Tintin; read property, Chance and Community Chest cards in Monopoly.
6. Art: art and California history class: study a painting by William Hahn: Sacramento Railroad Station (1874); talk about the gold rush; do some sand painting.

Wednesday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Math: "Mom, what is 1/4 of an hour plus 1 minute?", "3/4 of an hour plus 1 minute?".
3. P.E.: watch Play Like a Soccer Legend video; park time.
4. Read Aloud: Ruby's Wish, Shirin Rim Bridges about a child's life in China in the late 19th century.
5. Science/Nature: care of snails and fish.
6. Music: sing made up song about snails.
7. Spanish: story time at the library.

Thursday
1. Religion: daily prayers.
2. Math: simple addition and money problems; assessment test.
3. Reading: assessment test, read instructions and questions; Monopoly board and cards.
4. Art: present artwork and projects to teacher; do pencil and pen drawings.
5. P.E.: park time.
6. Music: attend choir rehearsal.
7. Read Aloud: from The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus, Herge.

Friday
(Veterans Day holiday)

Monday, November 06, 2006

2nd Grade Activities: Week 11

Monday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about the saint of the day.
2. Math: solve story problems involving shapes, skip counting, counting equal groups, place value, two-digit addition, measuring in non-standard units, and telling time to the hour (Houghton Mifflin Mathematics, grade 2); count to 100 following a 100 chart; review the fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 with fraction circles and squares.
3. Language Arts: reading, phonics, spelling: words with final lf, lp, nd, nk, and initial and final consonant blend review (Explode the Code 2).
4. Music: learn the notes C, D, E, F, and G on the keyboard; learn the note values of quarter and half notes, and play some simple songs in 4/4 time with mom (Progressive Keyboard, book 1).
5. Art: acrylic painting class; make a rabbit from modeling clay; illustrate a story book about squirrels.
6. Handwriting: write the numbers 1-20 to number the pages of a book.
7. Read Aloud: from Cowboy Sam and the Indians, Chandler.

Tuesday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about the saint of the day.
2. Language Arts: reading, phonics, spelling: short vowels and consonant blends in Explode the Code 2.
3. Math: subtraction with the help of a number line; write numbers in reverse order according to a pattern (skip counting) (Miquon); dot-to-dot pictures up to 100 (Kumon: My Book of Number Games 1-150).
4. Science/Nature: watch Eyewitness Weather video.
5. Handwriting: practice some of lowercase letters: a, c, h, m, y, etc. (Kumon books).
6. Read Aloud: finish Cowboy Sam and the Indians, Chandler.
7. Art: decorate a Halloween bag with ghost, bat, cat, etc. drawings.

Wednesday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about saints of the day, Mass attendance.
2. Language Arts: read action (verb) cards and perform the actions (jump, skip, etc.); also review spelling of the past tense and -ing form of each verb (discussing doubling of some consonants, and removing silent e before adding ing, where applicable).
3. Math: solve addition and money problems; and "How many seconds are there in a day, Mom?" (watch demonstration of how to solve the problem).
4. Art: create a shipwreck scene; make a paper duck puppet.
5. Spanish: story time at the library.
6. P.E.: park time; run and splash in puddles.
7. Music: listen to Tomás Luis de Victoria: Missa O quam gloriosum.

Thursday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about the saint of the day.
2. Language Arts: review the vowel sounds in Latin, and the short and long vowel sounds in English, looking at a sample word for each sound.
3. Read Aloud: from The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America, Herge; and Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain.
4. Math: make a colored stair of Cuisenaire rods from 1 to 35; count the stairs; count backwards from 35 to 1; do single digit subtraction equations (Learn on the Go workbook); watch demonstration of subtraction on a number line.
5. Art: drawings in a book.

Friday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Read Aloud: finish The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America, Herge.
3. Music: theory: review 4/4 time signature and note values of whole, half, quarter, eighth notes in 4/4 time. Draw staves and measure bars. Write two songs in the key of C with notes from middle C to high G, using whole, half, dotted half, quarter, eighth notes, and a quarter rest. Mom played the songs on the keyboard. Review where middle C is and where the other Cs are located on the keyboard. Play a song with one note (middle C). Play one with Mom with 2 notes (C and D) (Keyboard Method for Young Beginners 1). Noodle around on the keyboard.
4. Spanish: do activities on Help Me 2 Learn Spanish 1a DVD: weather, colors, numbers, days of the week.
5. Science/Nature: watch Really Wild Animals: Deep Sea Dive, National Geographic DVD.
6. Art: draw panda, monkeys, bananas, penguins; make Thanksgiving decorations.
7. P.E.: soccer.

[Since music can help reinforce math concepts, and studying foreign languages can help with English vocabulary, spelling and grammar, one day a week we will try replacing Math with music theory and practice, and Language Arts with foreign language study.]

Thursday, November 02, 2006

2nd Grade Activities: Week 10

Monday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Math: 100 board: roll dice. First one to 100 wins. 100 board: use like battleship game board, guessing opponent's location. Basketball scorecard: 2 teams. Calculate spread between scores, exchanging 10 bars for unit cubes as necessary to calculate (2-digit subtraction), also look at the written version of the equations with borrowing indicated; count by 20s.
3. Language Arts: Explode the Code 2: short vowel words with consonant blend endings; write words on flash cards with consonants in blue and vowels in red for spelling vocabulary.
4. Art: art class: sketch a scene in pencil on canvas in prep. for acrylic painting; twist tie and clay creations; sew a stuffed horse: tie a knot, thread a needle, stitch all around the felt horse (running stitch), fill with wool stuffing, check off step by step directions on the pattern; make a paper scarecrow.
5. Read Aloud: from Cowboy Sam and the Rustlers, Edna Walker Chandler.

Tuesday
1. Religion: daily prayer; read about St. John Capistrano and St. Anthony Claret; read Bible readings for the day; read chapters 1 and 2 of Faith and Life, Grade 2: Our Heavenly Father, and The Blessed Trinity.
2. Language Arts: read "What Letters Are" from The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering, Goudy; read and distinguish final consonant blends: ft, lt, nt (Explode the Code 2); review spelling words on flash cards.
3. Math: make up and solve seven subtraction problems using base ten materials: calculate the difference between the scores of 2 basketball teams, exchange ten bars for units as necessary.
4. Read Aloud: read from Cowboy Sam, and Cowboy Sam and Freddy, Chandler.
5. Science: watch Get Scientific videos about recycling, ice fishing, the farm, sign language, science camp, ski jumping, ice skating, kayaking, cycling, and space camp. Do an experiment to find out whether items sink or float.
6. Handwriting: make a list of items that floated and items that sank.

Wednesday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Handwriting: watch the printing of all the lowercase letters on a chalkboard, and also all the lowercase letters written in cursive; write numbers to answer math problems.
3. Math: money problems: calculate the total for each row of nickels, single digit addition problems with sums greater than 10, color a house using a number/color key (chosen by which digits were in the tens and ones places) (Learn on the Go Addition and Subtraction workbook).
4. Language Arts: read and distinguish words ending in lf, lp, nd, nk (Explode the Code); read flashcards made from words studied in Explode the Code book; identify complete vs. incomplete sentences (Macmillan English Skills Practice Book); begin narrative writing exercise.
5. Read Aloud: Cowboy Sam and the Rustlers, Chandler.
6. Science/Nature: watch Eyewitness videos: Weather and Survival.
7. Sign Language: watch the video, Say It by Signing: Conversing in American Sign Language, Dr. Elaine Costello.
8. Art: make a flamingo from modeling clay; draw a squirrel in a garden scene (abstract style).

Thursday
1. Religion: pray; read about the saint of the day; read and answer questions from the chapter, "God the Creator", Jesus Our Life (Faith and Life 2).
2. Math: simple addition with sums over 10 (demonstrate the concept of regrouping to make 10); two digit subtraction with base ten materials (exchanging 10s for 10 ones as necessary).
3. Language Arts: spell words with short vowels and consonant blends; spell CVC words with tactile letters; make short sentences; make a book of sentences.
4. History: watch The Renaissance (Just the Facts Learning Series video).
5. Science/Nature: observe and draw squirrels and scenery.
6. Music: attend choir rehearsal.
7. Read Aloud: from Cowboy Sam and the Rodeo, Chandler.
8. Art: make ghost and bat Halloween decorations from a craft book.

Friday
1. Religion: pray; read about the saint of the day; read and discuss the chapter, "God Made Us", Faith and Life 2.
2. Science/Nature: observe and draw more squirrels and scenery (the come right up to the screen door).
3. Music: theory review: staff has 5 lines and 4 spaces, treble and bass cleffs, notes on lines and spaces, high notes, low notes, SATB parts, whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes (Rabbit Man's Music Books 1 and 2); write some notes on the staff (a pretend song for the squirrels); color the rabbits :) ; look at some homemade flash cards.
4. Spanish: color and learn words in Spanish alphabet coloring book; listen to names of the letters of the Spanish alphabet on Help Me 2 Learn Spanish DVD*.
5. Read Aloud: from Cowboy Sam and the Rodeo, Chandler.
6. Sign Language: review sign language alphabet.