Monday, January 29, 2007

2nd Grade Activities: Week 21


MATH: Flip Over Math: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division: read word problems and solve using various math manipulatives; write the problems worked out; online math games: count by 2s, 3s 5s, solve dot-to-dot puzzle to 70; addition drill with FlashMaster.

PHONICS: work in Explode the Code 3: oa and ow.

RELIGION: daily prayer; study Good Shepherd Catholic Catechism in preparation for 1st Communion; attend Mass.

READING: read signs, book and video covers, text on blogs and websites; read homemade book to ES; read some picture books.

READING/SPELLING: IM with relatives; reading in Catechism, Phonics, and Math books,

HANDWRITING: write one-word answers in Explode the Code workbook and Catechism book.

SCIENCE/NATURE: Zoo trip: observe koala, flamingos, monkeys, birds, kangaroos; squirrels; observe ants with magnifying glass; look at ants and penguins on Academy of Sciences website; watch Wild about Animals: Animals of the Jungle, Steve Rotfeld Productions video.

HISTORY: read from Story of the World I: Ancient Egypt and the first writing; draw an American indian family; attend Art and history Museum field trip.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: count in Spanish.

ART: color in Catechism workbook; draw American indians, monkey; add to chalk drawing museum mural; present and explain projects to teacher; pose and photograph twist-tie family; coloring: dogs, cats, squirrels, ponies.

MUSIC: listen to classical (Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Liszt, Chopin) and contemporary music; follow text and musical notes to sing at Mass; field trip: Asian music, dance, and storytelling performance.

P.E.: attend softball practices; park time.

READ ALOUD: read from The Swiss Family Robinson, Johann Wyss.

Monday, January 22, 2007

2nd Grade Activities: Week 20

RELIGION: daily prayer; study Good Shepherd Catholic Catechism in preparation for 1st Communion; attend Mass.

MATH: Flip Over Math: multiplication, addition, and subtraction with plastic coins (word problems); addition and subtraction drill with Flashmaster for learning math tables; Flip Over Math: multiplication and division with connecting rods and connecting people.

PHONICS: work in Explode the Code 3 with vowel diagraphs ee, ea, ai, and ay.

READING: read signs, book and video covers, text on blogs and websites, comic books and comic strips.

READING/SPELLING: read titles and comments on family photo blogs; IM with Grandma; reading in Catechism, Phonics, and Math books.

HANDWRITING: write one-word answers in Explode the Code workbook and Catechism book; write labels, lists, and notes.

SCIENCE/NATURE: watch National Geographic Kids: Cain the Coyote, and Cara the Sea Turtle videos. Draw a family of ducks. Observe habits and characteristics of betta fish; point out some differences between the male and female betta fish: different shaped fins and tails. Watch Discovery: Mother Nature Tales of Discovery: Babes In The Woods video. Sort and play with a large collection of sea shells.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Spanish: apply stickers to the First Thousand Words in Spanish Sticker Book (Usborne). Braille coding with slate and stylus.

ART: make a hedgehog out of air-dry clay; color in Catechism workbook; artwork in Photoshop; drawings of animals on paper and computer.

MUSIC: attend choir rehearsals, and Masses in Latin and English; listen to classical and contemporary music; read along and sing some music during Mass.

P.E.: attend softball practices and clinic; park time.

READ ALOUD: The Adventures of Tintin: Explorers on the Moon, Herge; read from The Swiss Family Robinson, Johann Wyss.

2nd Grade Activities: Week 19

RELIGION: daily prayer; study Good Shepherd Catholic Catechism in preparation for 1st Communion; attend Mass.

MATH: budgeting with a $20 gift card, deciding and calculating what craft supplies to purchase with it; Flip Over Math: addition, subtraction, and multiplication exercises including addition with nickels and dimes; online games: addition, subtraction, sequential numbers. Look at Montessori bead material for multiplication, and make large numbers with the thousand, hundred, tens, and unit cards.

PHONICS: work in Explode the Code 3 with the consonant blends th, wh, ch, tch, ng, ck, and long vowel words with silent e; watch Fran Allison's Easy Phonics video:

WRITING: write a book: Book 1 of Sentences for Kids.

READING: read Book 1 of Sentences for Kids. Read signs, book and video covers, text on blogs and websites, comic books and comic strips.

READING/SPELLING: IM with Dad; send him Chinese characters cut and pasted from an internet translation site:
http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/ime.html
Choose and add words to a Rolodex spelling list. Reading in Catechism, Phonics, and Math books.

HANDWRITING: write one-word answers in Explode the Code workbook and Catechism book; make a list of relatives to send notes to.

SCIENCE/NATURE: look for kids' news sites; find an article about a fish trained to play soccer :)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/kids/2006/02/trainfish.html
Observe two betta fish; make fish from modeling clay; watch Popular Mechanics for Kids: Gators & Dragons and Other Wild Beasts.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Japanese: copy Japanese characters from a video. Chinese: Listen to the CD Sing 'n Learn Chinese while following along in the book; copy the Chinese characters for mango, starfruits, pear, biscuits, ice cream, and fish from flash cards. Spanish: attend Spanish story time; watch cartoons in Spanish; look up words from Spanish newspaper [which came as packing material in a purse] to find the newspaper's website and look for items of interest to kids.

ART: color an unfinished birdhouse with Sharpie pens; draw cartoon characters; make cartoon characters and a bird from modeling clay; make a sports banner and posters for bedroom wall.

MUSIC: attend choir rehearsals and Chant Masses; listen to classical and contemporary music; read some music during Mass.

P.E.: attend softball team meeting and softball practices; park time.

READ ALOUD: The Adventures of Tintin: Desitnation Moon, and Explorers on the Moon, Herge; read from The Swiss Family Robinson, Johann Wyss.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



Duccio di Buoninsegna
The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel , 1308/1311. Detail.

Christmas Vacation
During vacation there has been plenty of drawing, crafts, singing, reading, and nature study.

For lots of Christmas ideas, see:
O Night Divine

Adoration of the Magi



Adoration of the Magi
Antonio Allegri Correggio (1489–1534)

2nd Grade Activities: Week 18



Monday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Math: solve story problems in Flip Over Math; watch video about money and saving.
3. Art: draw animals from the video: Animals in the Bible.
4. Read Aloud: The Adventures of Tintin: The Shooting Star, Herge.
5. Reading: a story from McGuffey reader 2.

Tuesday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Language Arts: read and write a little Morse code.
3. Art: art and California history class: build a model of Mission Santa Barbara.
4. P.E.: outside play.
5. Music: listen to acappella Christmas music:
http://www.live365.com/stations/loran2005
6. Math: do 31 mazes (Kumon: Amazing Mazes).

Wednesday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Math: connect and color dot-to-dot Christmas tree, (numbers to 50).
3. Spanish: story time at the library.
4. Science/Nature: read some of The Home Planet, ed. Kevin W. Kelley, and look at the photographs of various parts of the earth from space.
The Association of Space Explorers
Reviews
5. Art: color the scene after solving a maze puzzle.
6. Language Arts: work on Morse code:
Morse code translator
7. P.E.: park time

Thursday
1. Religion: daily prayer.
2. Science/Nature: care of fish; bury fish; observe baby tooth under a magnifying glass.
3. Reading: Back Pack Books: This Little Cow; This Little Pig; This Little Lamb; This Little Hen.
4. Math: listen to explanation for use of odd/even numbers in book pagination.
5. Music: listen to acappella Christmas music.
6. Handwriting: write letters (words) and both arabic and roman numerals.
7. Art: draw betta fish; color unfinished wooden nutcrackers with Sharpie markers.

Friday
1. Religion: daily prayer; Mass attendance.
2. Music: listen to Christmas choral music.
3. Reading: read Christmas song lyrics to sing carols.
4. Art: drawing and coloring: make a book; make and wrap Christmas presents.
5. Math: money story problems, addition, subtraction, and multiplication with nickels, dimes, and pennies (Flip Over Math).