Mrs. Barton's Class

Monday, April 30, 2012

Spring is here! The children are enjoying this beautiful weather, during recess. In class, we are busy sorting items ( math ), reading and understanding non-fiction text, studying the life cycle of a butterfly ( our 4 caterpillars are now in the pupa stage ), and learning about the water cycle ( today we talked about uses of water and ways to conserve - perhaps the children will share their great thoughts on conservation). Our class is participating in a Masconomet student's 7th grade project. He is collecting letters to send to soldiers. We will be writing letters to soldiers, tomorrow, in computer lab. The children can write additional letters, at home, if they choose to. The letters should be addressed: Dear Soldier, and they should be upbeat. If your child writes letters at home, they need to be returned by next Wednesday ( May 9th).

There is still time to be a Mystery Reader. Please e mail me at: abarton@boxfordschools.org , if you would like to participate in this fun activity.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Read In

Our Gem Party/ Read In was fun for all. Enjoy these pictures.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Class Update

It was nice to meet with parents last week to review each student's progress. We are now entering the final stretch of Second Grade and it is sure to be a very busy, fun, and educational time.

This week, we will be working on the following:

Reading Comprehension: Making inferences

Phonics: Suffixes and consonant -le

Spelling: Unit 21

Math: We are finishing up double digit addition and moving onto to double digit subtraction. The class has done a great job mastering their math facts and this is evident in the ease that they are mastering more complex skills.

Writing: Our focus is on the trait of Sentence Fluency. We are specifically identifying the subjects and predicates of sentences. Last week the children enjoyed writing about what it would be like to live in China and only have a bicycle as a mode of transportation ( we were studying Asia). The children also wrote great stories on "Why Silent e was Invented". This followed a math activity where we investigated why zero was invented.

Social Studies: The children are fascinated by our continents and oceans. Each week in the computer lab, using Pixie, they make a page about the continent that we just studied in class. They are also making a "hand drawn" page for each continent in our classroom. Their enthusiasm for this project is wonderful. We have 2 more continents to study.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Class Update

It was great to gather as a class last week after winter vacation. The children were rested and eager to learn. We enjoyed a wonderful field trip to The Peabody Essex Museum, last Wednesday. Each child, brought home a family pass to the museum for your family to enjoy.

Report cards will be going home, next Monday. I look forward to meeting with parents next week to discuss their child's progress. Conferences are scheduled in 20 minute intervals. Please remember, when reviewing your child's report card, that benchmarks have changed (risen) since the first semester. This pertains to both the academic and social/behavior part of the report card.

Here's what we are working on in class:
Reading: Making inferences
Phonics: Adding suffixes
Math: Ways of adding larger numbers
Writing: Sentence Fluency
Social Studies: Continents and Oceans

Monday, February 13, 2012

Getting Ready

Waiting to line up

We did it! 18 amazing boys and girls.

Today our class ran 100 laps around the gym. This is a wonderful accomplishment. Most importantly, we accomplished this as a team. I am, so very, proud of these amazing 18 children. Congratulations to them.