Check out my tree!

Merry Christmas! I hope you are all enjoying the holidays! Remember I promised to upload a picture of my Christmas tree? Here it is! I hope that Santa was good to all of you and that you have all been enjoying time with family and friends!

I have posted a few fun links for you to check out:

Elf School

Elf Holiday Sing-a-long

Elf Theater

Have fun!

Ms. I

Merry Christmas!

Dear Grade 2's,

We have had a wonderful first term, and I have really enjoyed working with all of you! I feel that this term was a very successful one, and I'm really looking forward to helping you all learn lots of new and interesting things in our second term of school. I hope that you are all looking forward to it too!

I have assigned your book report to be done over the holidays. I really hope that you choose a great book to report on. They will be due your first day back. If you're not sure of what book to pick, have a look at some of the recommendations made by your friends on the blog. There are lots of great choices! Remember:

• Setting: Where the story takes place.
• Plot: What happens in the story from beginning to the middle to the end.
  
• Protagonist: The hero in the story.
  
• Antagonist: The bad person in the story.
  

I mailed our letters to Santa a while ago, but I also sent him a card myself to tell him what a wonderful class I have. Santa ended up sending me a video response that I want to share with all of you:

Santa's Video Response

I was so excited when I received it! I really hope you enjoy his video!

I also just wanted to send you a special Christmas card. Wishing you all a wonderful and safe Christmas with your family and friends! Please enjoy this card and make sure your speakers are turned up! I'll make a few posts over the holidays and I might even show you a picture of my Christmas tree :)

Ms. Iogna's Christmas Card

See you in 2011, and don't forget to feed Paschal!

Ms. I

Social Studies Homework Reminder...

This is just a reminder for your social studies homework due this Thursday.

You need to pick two of the following places and write how you would adapt to the environment. You also need to draw a picture of yourself adapting to the environment:

1. Arctic Region
2. Desert
3. Rain forest
   
4. Mountains

Also, just a reminder that only a few of you have given me book recommendations on the blog. It would be great if we could have everyone recommend a book, that way you could check out some of the favourite books of your friends over the Christmas break. You might even want to use one of the recommendations for your book report.

What a Dramatic Day!

Our drama workshop was fantastic! We really had lots of fun dancing and pretending to be all kinds of animals as we performed Little Red Riding Hood. I really hope that you all enjoyed each activity!

We will be continuing our unit on place value into the new year, so make sure you check the website over the holidays so that you're ready in January. For now, make sure you play with some of the place value links I posted previously.

I will be assigning a book report over the break for you to work on. We'll be discussing parts of a book report next week, and I'll hand out your booklets next Friday. Now would be a great time to start thinking of a book you might like to read for your report. For now, have a look at the Starfall library to read about different folk tales, explore comics, and read plays.

Starfall Library

We will still be looking at communities for our social studies unit. For our test, we focused on mapping and communities, but for next week and more into the new year we'll focusing more on actual communities. I will have the social studies tests marked and ready to hand back by early to mid week next week.

I would also like to ask that each of you bring in one box of tissue for the new year. We're already down to our last one, so please remember to bring one in next week.

Remember to check out the links on the left hand side for math and language, and also check out this fun interactive advent calendar:

Advent Calendar

That's all for now!

Ms. I

A New Story Bird!

Today we worked on a new story bird called A Christmas Tale. You can view it by clicking on the link here, or on the left side of your screen under Story Birds.

A Christmas Tale

Great Math Links!

Hi everyone!

I was recently doing a search online for more awesome math games and I found these great place value links for you to check out. They're great practice for the unit we are working on now.

Place Value Penguins

Different ways of writing numbers

Base Ten Bear

Base Ten Blocks

Shark Pool Place Value

Have fun exploring!

Ms. I

Christmas is just around the corner...

There's only two more weeks of school left before we break for one of my favourite holidays! I'm very excited about Christmas, and I hope you are too! We've been working on our letters to Santa in our writing books, and I hope to have all of the good copies done in class by Tuesday so that we can send them to the North Pole.

Speaking of the North Pole, we will be having our social studies test on Thursday December 9th. You need to know the following to do well on the test:

• Locate all 7 continents on a map (North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and Antarctica).
  
• Parts of the globe (North Pole, South Pole, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere)
• Locating places on a map and using a map (Picture Map)
  

If you review the social studies links from my post last week, you should be just fine for the test. I will send a review sheet home the day before to help you prepare.

For math, we have started our unit on place value and have looked at the place value for 10's and 1's. Have a look at some of these links to help you better understand place value:

10's and 1's

Up to 100's

Value of underlined numbers 1o's

Value of underlined numbers 100's

If you really feel like a challenge, try these links that look at place value up to 1000!

1000's

1000's again

Which place value?

As for language, have a look at the lovin' literacy links on the left side. There are lots of great games you can play to help you develop strong reading and writing skills.

In regards to skating, our first trip to the arena will be in the new year. I will post skating dates on the calendar. If there are any parents who would like to accompany us, we would be more than happy to have you.

That's all for now! Have a great weekend!

Ms. I

Pioneer Village was Awesome!

Our trip to Pioneer Village was great! It was so interesting to see all of the different kinds of toys and traditions of the time. Thank you again to our parent volunteers! You were both a great help!

For this weekend, try and think about how pioneer communities are similar or different from your own community. Talk with your parents and share your ideas. When you're done that, make sure you know the parts of the globe that we studied:

• Hemisphere


• Northern Hemisphere
  
• Southern Hemisphere


• North Pole


• South Pole


• Equator

Make sure you also know your continents and where they are on a map too:

• North America


• South America


• Europe


• Antarctica


• Australia


• Asia


• Africa

Here's a map with all of the continents in different colours. Try and figure out which ones are which.

Our math test on measurement will be on Monday. Since we arrived back at school a little early, I had you complete your math review at school for extra studying time. I hope you all remembered to bring home your sheets so that you could study on the weekend as well. Here are a couple of links to measurement games we have already played in class. You can use these to help you study too:

Measuring Centimetres

Adam Ant

Remember, you need to know the following to do well on your math test:

• When we should use centimetres and when we should use metres.


• How to measure centimetres using a ruler (remember to start at zero).


• How to find the perimeter of a shape (add up all of the sides).

If you know how to do all of these things, then you will be just fine on Monday.

For language we are still working on determining important ideas in a text. Try reading your favourite book at home with your parents and figure out what the main idea is (what is the author trying to teach you).

That's all for now! Have a great weekend!

Ms. I

What great parents you all have!

It was great meeting all of your parents over the last few days. I thought all of the interviews went very well, and you are all so lucky to have such fantastic moms and dads!

In regards to math, we are still exploring our unit on measurement. Make sure you know how to use metres and centimetres. Try measuring the height of your mom, dad, brother or sister to see how tall they are in both units of measurment. For now you can explore these links for measurement.

Measurement Word Problems

I have already given you this link to look at, but after this week I think we should all review what things are easier to measure with centimetres, and what things are easier to measure with metres.

Which unit of measurment is appropriate?

For our social studies unit on communities, we will continue to look at what makes up a community within our own neighbourhood and the world. We have alread reviewed lots of great terms. Make sure you know all of these:

• Northern Hemisphere
• Southern Hemisphere
• North Pole
• South Pole
• Equator
• Hemisphere
• Compass

We haven't started our mapping unit yet, but I thought this would be a great link to help you start to understand how we can use maps to help us find certain places and things in our communities. Have a look:

Mapping

The following link is another great activity for you to look at about finding directions using a compass:

Using a compass

For language, we are working on reading different texts and trying to determine what the main idea is (what the author is trying to tell/teach us). Listen to some of these fantastic stories and see if you can figure out what the main idea/lesson is:

Stories

Remember to explore the language links on the left side of the screen too! Here's one of my favourites:

Kung Fu Sentences

Have a great weekend!

Ms. I

What great weather!

So far the weather has been wonderful this week! Lets hope that it stays lovely for the rest of November!

We just finished our math unit on addition and subtracton strategies today. I will be sending home the math tests by Monday next week. Our new math unit will be on measurement. Please have a look at the following links to prepare you for next week:

Measurement 1

Measurement 2

For our social studies unit, we have started looking at Communities. We have moved the Traditions and Celebrations unit to later on in the school year. For now, have a look at this picture dictionary of people in your community.

Look for the baker and the doctor.

Write how they both help to make your community a great place.

Picture Dictionary

Have fun over the weekend, and enjoy the weather while it lasts!

Ms. I

Thinking about Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is only a few days away. Now is the time for us to think about everything we are appreciative for, and how many people have sacrificed to provide us with such wonderful lives. This week we created poppies that will be displayed in the gym for our Remembrance Day Mass next week. You all did a fantastic job!

For math we will be continuing our unit on addition and subtraction. Our math test will be sometime next week, but because we have a few catch-up days to do, I haven't set a final date yet. I will send home a review sheet the day before so that you are all prepared.

Here are the math links:

Math 1

Math 2

Our science unit on matter is finished, but there are still some students who have not completed the test yet, so I will send the tests home to be signed on Monday. Our next unit will be a social studies unit on Traditions and Celebrations that we will be starting on Tuesday. Over the weekend, I would like you to talk to your parents about some celebrations and traditions your family practices. On Tuesday we will be sharing how we all have different ways of celebrating different holidays in class.

That's all for now. Have a fantastic weekend! Don't eat too much Halloween candy!

Ms. I

Happy Halloween!

Today was a day full of dancing and snacking! I hope you all had lots of fun!

Our science test was moved to next Thursday because I was unable to hand out the reviews the day before. Have a look at some of the science links we reviewed this week, and make sure you know the difference bewteen evaporation and condensation.

For this weekend, I have decided to give you some time off so that you can all enjoy Halloween and trick-or-treating!

Have fun, and please be safe.

Ms. I

Haunted House - Canned Foods

This is just a reminder to:

• Bring in one canned food so you can go to the Haunted House tomorrow.
• Bring in your permission forms (Tomorrow is the absolute last day).

Thanks! :)

Our First Story Bird

Today we created our first online story as a class using a website called www.storybird.com.

To see our work, just click on the following link and click on the cover page:

A Halloween Tale

Hope you enjoy our spooky tale!

I will add a link on the side of the screen for all of the story birds we will create this year.

October is almost over!

We're almost at the end of October which means, the Halloween Dance-a-thon is coming up soon! I hope that you have all been raising lots of money, and that you have your costumes ready for the big day! Remember to bring your sponsor sheets in next week.

We had our math test this week on data managment. A lot of us had difficulty with the test, so we did a REDO test as a class so that we would all be able to understand the concepts being taught. For students who did not do so well on the first test, I will record the average between the two test marks for your final mark. I will also do the same for those who did well. Please remember to have your parents sign both tests.

Our next unit in math will be Addition and Subtraction Strategies. Here are a few cool links for you to check out over the weekend:

Addtion & Subtraction

Addition & Subtraction 2

Our science unit on matter will be ending next week, so be prepared for a unit test on Thursday. I will provide a review sheet next week for students to take home as preparation for the test. For now, try and think about all of the things you know about solids, liquids and gases. Can they mix? What can you use them for? Try and think back to the video we watched on Thursday.

That's all for now :)

Have a great weekend!

Ms. I

Halloween is fast approaching!

I'm very excited that it's finally October because I LOVE Halloween! I hope you have all been working hard to raise money for the Halloween Dance-a Thon! It's going to be lots of fun!

We are still working on graphing, so please review all of the different types of graphs we've been looking at. Our math Test will be Wednesday next week, so I will make sure to send home a review sheet for you to study. For now, you can check out this link:

Graphing 1

Our science unit on Matter will probably go until the end of October. We recently looked at how we can mix liquids with solids. Our next experiment will look at mixing different liquids with liquids. Try mixing olive oil and water in a glass at home with your parents. What happens?

We've slowly been building our book recommendations section on the website. Have a look at the favourite books of some of your classmates.

Have a great weekend!

Ms. I

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week has been another busy one, so I just wanted to thank all of my lovely students for being so patient and hard working with the supply teacher we had.

We have just started our math unit on graphing. We have talked about all different kinds of graphs, but not into depth yet. Have a look at some of these links to learn more about the different types of graphs we will be studying:

Pictographs

Create Pictographs

Bar Graphs

Coordinates

For science, we will be continuing with our matter unit on solids, liquids and gases. We did an experiment in class on Tuesday looking at different kinds of liquids and how we can use words to describe their difference. Over the weekend, look at some interesting liquids around your house and try to write down words to describe them. You might find a lot of gravy, cranberry sauce, or even apple cider. Remember, just like what we talked about in class, never EVER drink a liquid unless you have poured it yourself from a labeled container!

Keep exploring the Lovin' Literacy links on the left side of the screen. There are lots of great online books for you to check out. You can check out one of my favourite sites where you can have books read to you by celebrities! Make sure you turn your speakers up!

Read me a story!

Hope you enjoy all of these links!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a lovely weekend!

Ms. I

The 100 Most Frequently Used Words!

Students, please make sure your parents have a look at this post. By the end of grade 2, students should be able to spell all of these words without difficulty and know how to use them properly in a sentence. If you click on the picture, you can print off a larger version for students to study with at home. Practice writing out words 5 times, or using each word in a sentence. Students can even attempt to use as many words as they can in one paragraph!

I will post a link on the side bar under "Lovin' Literacy" for you to access this chart on a regular basis.

Have fun!

What a Week!

This week was one busy week! I'm so surprised at how fast the time has flown by! It's already October and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

We will be wrapping up our math unit on numbers 1-100 on Monday and will be having our math test on Tuesday. I will send home a review sheet for students Monday night. For now, you can explore these links to help you practice for the test:

IXL Math 1

IXL Math 2

For science, we are still exploring states of matter. The following link will allow you to look at different types of matter and how it can change:

Science Link

This link is a great link for language. You can read books online and also play great reading games. Have a look at the online book shelf and read comics, fiction stories and fables:

Language Link

There's lots of fun stuff here for you to do, so I hope you enjoy it!

Have a great weekend!

Ms. I

Welcome Autumn!

We can finally officially say that we are in the Fall season! It's my favourite time of year!

This week was a very busy one. We have started our library schedule, and will be visiting for book exchanges beginning September 30th. Everyone has been looking forward to checking out books, so I'm glad that we will finally be able to.

Our math test was delayed until today (Friday), as a result of our busy week. I'm sure that you all did a fantastic job. I will be sending marked tests home by the middle of next week.

Our new math chapter has to do with exploring numbers 1-100. Students should be able to count up to 100 and backwards from 100, so please try to practice this at home. The following links are a great interactive game to help you practice counting:

IXL Math

IXL Math 2

IXL Math 3

For our science unit, we continue to explore the three states of matter: solids, liquids and gases. The follow in a game that you can play to see how water can be transformed from a liquid to a solid to a gas! Check it out:



If you have trouble viewing the science link on the blog, just click here :)

Have a great weekend!

Another Fantastic Week

Time seems to be flying by! I hope that you are all having lots of fun!

We have begun our math unit on Sorting and Patterning. We have been exploring patterns with pictures and will now look into more number patterns. The following are great links for students to explore patterning, and are all topics we have covered in class:

http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-2-repeating-patterns

http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-2-growing-patterns

http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-2-describe-patterns

Math vocabulary includes:

• Attributes: describes and object (i.e. round, blue).
• Pattern Core: the part of the pattern that repeats.

Our Sorting and Patterning MATH TEST will be on Thursday September 23rd.

For science, we have just started our unit on Matter by exploring Liquids and Solids. Students can explore the following link to learn more about what happens to liquids and solids when exposed to different temperatures:

http://fossweb.com/modulesK-2/SolidsandLiquids/index.html

Have fun exploring and enjoy your weekend!

Ms. I

What a Great Week!

This first week of school has been awesome!

I have had so much fun reading your "All About Me" books and getting to know how unique you all are. I feel that this school year will definitely be a great one!

I will start posting lots of fun and educational links next Friday once we begin our math unit on patterning and science unit on matter.

I have also posted the spelling words for September 17th. We will begin studying them on Monday, but you're welcome to start practicing them over the weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Ms. I

Welcome to Grade Two!

My name is Ms. Iogna and I am very excited to be your grade two teacher!

I can't wait to get to know all of you, and I look forward to sharing with you lots of fun activities I have planned for this year.

I made this blog as a way of helping you stay on track with what we learn in school, and to let you share with your parents all of the great things you will be learning in my class.

Please have a look around. You will notice that on the right side of the screen I will be posting the Weekly Words for our spelling tests and a Student of the Week. In this middle section of the blog, I will be posting fun and interesting links corresponding to what we will be covering for the upcoming week. I will only be posting to this blog on Fridays.

Hope you have had a great summer, and once again, welcome to grade 2!

Ms. I