2nd Grade Activities: Week 33

RELIGION: daily prayer; attend Mass.

MATH: solve 14 simple addition problems online:
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/addition_regular.php
Solve 2- to 4-digit addition and subtraction problems; simple multiplication; solve and illustrate word problems; a few mental math problems, such as 6+7, 13+13; work on regrouping 10s. Watch Reading Rainbow: How Much is a Million video.

PHONICS: Explode the Code 4: read and identify 2-syllable words; learn where to break 2-syllable words ending in -le, and where to break those with vc/cv. Watch Between the Lions videos: Out in Outer Space, Too Cool, Hay Day. Spell some words orally; make word families with online spelling/phonics tool:
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Games/mag/spelling.html

READING: reading in Phonics and Math study; read signs, comics, websites, books; IM and email with relatives; retell a fable about the sun and the wind; look up items in tables of contents and dictionaries.

HANDWRITING: writing in math and phonics exercises; write items on a grocery list; write titles and number pages of homemade book; write titles on art compositions; compose a cardboard headstone for some little pets that died;

SCIENCE/NATURE: Observation and care of fish, ants; draw a lot of animals; ; look for familiar animals in the picture guide: The Nature of California: An Introduction to Common Plants and Animals and Natural Attractions, James Kavanagh.

Watch nature videos: Eyewitness: Butterfly and Moth, Fish; Mother Nature Tales of Discovery: Castaways of Galapagos; Animal Safari: A Learning Journey, vol. 1: Wild World Habitats; Reading Rainbow: Bugs; Kids Explore America's National Parks.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Chinese class: review Pinyin tones and pronunciation; practice speaking and writing Chinese characters; make a book with drawings of various fruits with the accompanying Chinese characters and Pinyin pronunciations; make another book with parts of the head; attend Spanish story time: learn about opposites; learn about GSL (gorilla sign language) in the video: A Conversation with Koko.

ART: attend great artists class: study Auguste Renoir's paintings and make an impressionistic painting of a floral boquet in a vase; coloring and pasting; butterfly coloring projects; make scenes with flower and animal stickers; draw a dolphin, a cat with kittens, elephant, mice and other animals from the video Eyewitness: Mammal.

MUSIC: listen to classical and contemporary music; sing made-up songs.

P.E.: park time; softball; play with dogs at the dog park.

READ ALOUD: folk tales, fairy tales, and fables from A Child's Book of Stories: Best-Known and Best-Loved Tales from Around the World, Children's Classics, Random House;
The Brass Ring, Nancy Tafuri;
If I Were a Lion, Sarah Weeks;
Smiley Shark, Ruth Galloway;
Rabbit Pirates: A Tale of the Spinach Main, Judy Cox;
Chicago and the Cat, Robin Michal Koontz;
Baa Baa Black Sheep, Iza Trapani;

GEOGRAPHY: look at an Atlas to follow the ocean-to-river route salmon travel to get to Salmon, Idaho.

2nd Grade Activities: Week 32

RELIGION: daily prayer; review questions, prayers, 10 Commandments, and attend class in preparation for 1st Communion; attend Mass.

MATH: 1- and 2-digit addition and subtraction, word problems; purchase items with a gift card: do simple addition to keep within budget; take standardized test; do exercises in Kumon: My Book of Telling Time: Lerning about Minutes.

PHONICS: Explode the Code 4: read and answer questions containing two and three-syllable words; learn rules about breaking 2-syllable words.

READING/SPELLING: reading in Phonics and Math study; read signs, comics, websites, books; IM and email with Dad.

READING/COMPREHENSION: take standardized test; online reading: A Apple Pie, Kate Greenaway.

HANDWRITING: write items on a grocery list; write titles and number pages of homemade books.

CREATIVE WRITING: make another book about Super Squirrel.

SCIENCE/NATURE: Observation and care of fish, ants, caterpillars; study a gopher snake; collect leaves, rocks, flowers, petals; watch Eyewitness: Mammal video.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Chinese class: review Pinyin tones and pronunciation; practice speaking and writing Chinese characters and phrases; sing Chinese songs. Attend Spanish story time.

ART: learn about 3-dimensional shapes and sculpture, create clay sculptures: cat; dog; and birds, eggs, baby birds in a nest -- in discovery in art class; make miniature food out of modeling clay -- carrots, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, pumpkins -- for a miniature garden for little Easter bunnies.

MUSIC: listen to classical and contemporary music; sing made-up songs.

P.E.: park time; softball; play with dogs at the dog park.

READ ALOUD: folk tales, fairy tales, and fables from A Child's Book of Stories: Best-Known and Best-Loved Tales from Around the World, Children's Classics, Random House; finish The Cobble Street Cousins: In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, Cynthia Rylant.

2nd Grade Activities: Week 31

(Some of these activities took place during vacation.)

RELIGION: daily prayer; review questions and prayers in preparation for 1st Communion; attend Mass.

MATH: mental math, simple addition, word problems; read and solve problems with tally chart; number pages in books.

PHONICS: Explode the Code 4: read and answer questions containing two and three-syllable words and vowel diagraphs; learn rules about breaking syllables.

READING/SPELLING: reading in Phonics, and Math study; read signs, comics, websites, books; IM and email with Dad.

READING: read Indian fables (Jataka tales) from the Baldwin Project:

HANDWRITING: write grocery lists, forms, number pages in books, write answers in math book.

CREATIVE WRITING: plan to write a book about ancient Greek characters going on a long boat journey; make a list of characters; work on development of the story line.

SCIENCE/NATURE: Observation and care of fish, ants; collect leaves and flowers; watch nature videos; illustrate folk tale books with animals.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Chinese class: review Pinyin tones and pronunciation; practice speaking and writing Chinese characters; learn about and look at photos of the Great Wall of China; attend Spanish story time, watch cartoons in Spanish.

ART: attend discoveries in art class, cut assorted paper in various shapes and make a collage; attend egg decorating class; draw and color; color small wooden birds with markers; make and illustrate 4 books, each containing a short Indian fable printed from the Baldwin Project; make a marshmallow bunny; illustrate the book: Super Squirrel (no words); draw favorite animals and mythological characters from Fantasia.

MUSIC: listen to classical and contemporary music; attend choral services for Holy Week and Easter; follow and sing some chant; sing made-up songs; play on the keyboard.

P.E.: park and back yard time; play with dogs at the dog park.

READ ALOUD: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl; The Cobble Street Cousins: In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, Cynthia Rylant.

HISTORY: Read from The Story of the World I: Ancient India: the good emperor Asoka and Jakata tales; Chinese calligraphy; the first Chinese emperor and the Great Wall: look up pictures of the Clay warriors of China found in the tomb of Shi Huangdi:
http://www.anniebees.com/China/China_42.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01780/chinese-carving/terracotta.htm
http://www.romartraveler.com/RomarPages/XIAN.html

Read about: Confucius; Julius Caesar; Augustus Caesar; Jesus and Christianity; Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem; Nero; Christians in the Roman empire; Constantine; Barbarians and the fall of Rome; the significance of the Roman empire.

GEOGRAPHY: locate the various places we read about in The Story of the World and nature videos on map/globe; look through the Eyewitness Book: Ancient China.

Happy Easter!

Art from Byzantine Images

During vacation there was plenty of drawing, crafts, reading, writing, and nature study.

2nd Grade Activities: Week 30

RELIGION: daily prayer; prayers in preparation for 1st Communion; attend Mass.

MATH: one and 2-digit addition and subtraction; compare 2 numbers, choose >, <, or = for each; more addition with 1 and 2-digit numbers.

PHONICS: Explode the Code 4: read and answer questions containing two and three-syllable words; learn about open (cv) and closed (cvc) syllables; learn some rules for breaking syllables.

READING/SPELLING: reading in Phonics, and Math study; read signs, comics, websites, early readers, picture books, and chapter books; IM with Dad.

READING: some chapters from Betsy - Tacy and Tib;
My Brother, Ant, Betsy Byars;
National Geographic: Little Kids magazine: Panda Grows Up;
Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery, David A. Adler;
A Tiger Cub Grows Up, Joan Hewett.

HANDWRITING: practice a page of upper case and lower case H's and also a page of A's in Modern Manuscript:
http://www.janbrett.com/coloring_alphabet/alphabet_coloring_tracers_main.htm

SCIENCE/NATURE: Observation and care of fish, ants, and worms;
explore Eyewitness Books: Whale: Discover the world of marine mammals -- from whales and dolphins to seals and walruses.

Watch National Geographic: SuperCroc, a 40-foot ancient crocodile, whose fossil remains were found in the Sahara; and Really Wild Animals: Wonders Down Under: animals of Australia, and Monkey Business and Other Family Fun; Eyewitness videos: Seashore, Sight, Trees, Insect.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Chinese class: review Pinyin tones and pronunciation; practice speaking and writing Chinese characters; attend Spanish story time; watch cartoons in Spanish.

ART: attend great artists class; look at pictures of Auguste Rodin's sculptures; make clay sculptures: horse and porcupine; mix clay of primary colors to make new colors; make tiny toy food for twist-tie dolls out of modeling clay; draw, color, make twist-tie and clay creations; make a paper wolf mask.

MUSIC: listen to classical and contemporary music; sing made-up songs; follow some music at Mass.

P.E.: softball game; park time; play at the dog park.

READ ALOUD: The Tale of Thomas Mead, Pat Hutchins;
Teeny Tiny, Jill Bennett;
Mrs. Brice's Mice, Syd Hoff;
Lionel at School, Stephen Krensky;
Rub-a-Dub-Dub, What's in the Tub, mary Blocksma.

HISTORY: Read from The Story of the World I: Early people of the Americas: Nazca, Olmecs, Ancient tribes of North America; Rome: conquerors, builders, government, gods, gladiators, wars; India: people of the Indus and Ganges Rivers, the castes, Siddhartha and Buddhism.

GEOGRAPHY: locate the various places we read about in The Story of the World and nature videos on map/globe; explore our neighborhood and other places with Google Earth.