Saturday, July 23, 2016

November Plans for Second Grade

November is going to be a bit of a mixed up month. We'll spend a week with Thornton Burgess animal stories, a week on St. Martin and Martinmas (a really beautiful festival about helping those in need), another week on Thornton Burgess stories, and then a week for Thanksgiving.



Circle Time


Pledge of Allegiance
You’re a Grand Old Flag
Saint Martin  from Autumn Songs by Jodie Mesler
Over the River and through the Woods
November
The loud winds are calling,
The ripe nuts are falling,
The squirrel now gathers his store.
The bears homeward creeping
Will soon all be sleeping

So snugly till winter is o’er.

Spanish
This month we will be focusing on Peru. November 3rd is the celebration of Cuencan Independence Day.
Here is the outline of the story I'll tell. this is just an outline. Embellish, get into it, but this just helps me remember the words and how we'll learn them. I don't know how to add accents and markings like that when I type, so I apologize in advance.

Ernesto wakes up and says Buenos dias to his animals. Perro, gato, pez. Then he opens the window (abre la ventana) and asks Que tiempo hace hoy? Have children tell the weather in Spanish. Today Ernesto is visiting his friend Daniela. She is from Peru and her family is celebrating Independence Day for their home city of Cuenca. When Ernesto gets to Daniela’s casa, her mama was still in la cocina cooking up a storm. Her padre was in el bano, getting ready, and her hermano was in his dormitorio, reading un libro. Daniela and Ernesto decide to ir a caminar (go on a walk). They walk through the bosque (forest) behind Daniela’s casa. There are many arboles (trees) and their hojas (leaves) are falling to the ground. (Review some color words here. Rojo, anaranjado, marron, Amarillo). While they are walking they see many pajaritos (little birds) and even a buho (owl). So they sing, El Cucu. http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=1315

When they get back to Daniela’s casa, her mama has just finished making tortitas de Manteca (shortbread cookies.) So Daniela and Ernesto play a hand clapping game.  Tortitas de Manteca. http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2082

Before Ernesto leaves he makes sure to say gracias to Daniela and her familia.


Music
Recorder lessons 5 and 6 in Living Music From the Heart volume 2 by Jodie Mesler

Handwork
Jane will be knitting a scarf to give as a gift that uses the pattern k2, p2.

Science
We're learning about Sea Otters this month to go along with our main lesson. I have some books (fiction and nonfiction) and our aquarium has a great otter exhibit that we'll visit.

Spelling
k12reader.com lists for grade 2. Weeks 9-11.

Main Lesson
Week 1 - Two Thornton Burgess stories about Buster Bear and Joe Otter. One day on parts of speech (nouns and verbs).
Week 2 - Story of St. Martin. Retell and summarize with nouns and verbs highlighted, write out a St. Martin verse for practice
Week 3 - More Buster Bear and Joe Otter stories, one day on parts of speech and another verse for writing practice.
Week 4 - Mostly break for Thanksgiving, but hopefully some Math lessons/practice. We'll see.

All Main Lessons are accompanied by an art lesson, either painting, block crayon drawing, or beeswax modeling.

Service
Week 1 - None, because of Halloween on Monday throwing off our groove.
Week 2 - Tie a blanket and give it away.
Week 3 - Donate to the Food Bank
Week 4 - none

On Celebrating Martinmas
During the week of Martinmas, we'll be making these wet felted lanterns. I would also like to have some friends over to make lanterns with tissue paper and mason jars, eat a yummy fall stew, and go on a lantern walk after dark. To do this, you just light your lantern, go outside and walk around your neighborhood and sing songs about fall and the coming winter, darkness and light. This is also probably when we'll tie blankets to give away.


Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Book List for Fall

Books for September



           





Books For October

            A chapter book written by a dear friend about a classroom full of quirky students with a hilarious narrator who relates their adventures to classic fables. I'm trying to convince her to self publish it. It's wonderful. :)

Books for November

           I know this is a different St. Martin, but it looked really good. :)