Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Meaningful Lines and Colours


Bonjour mon petit Picassos!

Today in art class we learned about different types of lines:
1) zigzag
2) dashed
3) perpendicular
4) wavy
5) curly
6) crisscross
7) squiggly
8) parallel
9) thick
10) thin

After we demonstrated our knowledge by drawing them all on one sheet of paper and coloured them in with different colours, we talked about how some of the lines made us think or feel. Here are some of our responses:

“Curly lines make me feel happy.”
“Zigzag lines look angry.”
“Wavy lines remind me of swimming and make me feel calm.”
“Crisscrossed lines look like they’re saying stop!”

As you can see, different types of lines make us think and feel different things. Did you know that colours can do that too? Some colours can make us happy, some colours can make us sad, while there are colours that can capture our attention a lot quicker than others.

Warm
colours are colours that tend to make us happy, while cool colours tend to make us sad. If you would like to learn about warm and cool colours, try the Learn Warm & Cool Colours game. Once you know your warm and cool colours, you can practise your colour knowledge with the Practise Warm & Cool Colours game.

I hope you have fun sorting colours!

Ms. Tu

States of Matter Scavenger Hunt!

Hello Grade 2 Scientists!

This week we have been learning about the three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. Click here to review the differences between the three states of matter or watch this video clip.

As you already know, your mission tonight is to search at home and find two examples each of different types of solids, liquids and gases. Please record your findings in your science notebook, in the same 3-column chart labelled SOLIDS, LIQUIDS and GASES we began in class today.

Once you have completed your lists, see if you can find items that are currently in one state, but can be changed into another. Need a hint? Take a look at this online solids and liquids activity that demonstrates how a liquid can be changed into a solid and how a solid can be changed into a liquid. Remember to make note of what helps change the matter from one state to the other so you can share your findings with the rest of the class!

Good luck!

Ms. Tu

The Giving Tree: A true friend to the end


Good afternoon boys and girls,

In class today, you did a wonderful job retelling Shel Silverstein’s story The Giving Tree using story grammar prompts and identifying the main characters and setting. I have posted a picture so you can share your hard work with your family.

Today’s story taught us about selflessness and unconditional love which we will spend some more time discussing in class tomorrow. In preparation for class, I would like you to think about when you acted like a Giving Tree. Please review the definitions below and brainstorm with your parents/guardian an example of when you demonstrated selflessness or unconditional love.

Selflessness: putting other’s needs, interests or wishes before your own
Unconditional Love: to love with no limits or conditions attached

I look forward to hearing your stories tomorrow morning!

Ms. Tu

P.S. See if you can find some time in the next few days to visit Shel Silverstein’s website. You can send an e-card from his site! Using The Giving Tree e-card, put yourself in the shoes of the boy and think of a message the boy could have sent the Giving Tree during one of the times he was away for a long time. Email it to our class email address and we will read all our e-cards in class on Friday!

Steps to send an e-card:
2) Select a bandwidth
3) Go to Let’s Have Some Fun!
4) Select Send an e-card!
5) Click on The Giving Tree
6) Type your message where it says Include a note
7) Enter our class email address where it says Enter your friend’s E-mail: ms.tu.grade2@hotmail.com
8) Send the e-card by clicking on Click Here


Tick-tock! Time to Read the Clock!

 
Hello boys and girls,

I hope you all had fun playing the Clock Game in class today. You have all been doing a fabulous job demonstrating how to tell time on the hour and to the half hour. I encourage you to try Room 108’s Time Clock Game and show your family and friends what we’ve learned in class the past couple of days!

This game will help you practise your time telling skills. The game presents you a time in digital form and you have to arrange the hands of the analogue clock to show the time presented. For each correct answer, you receive 1 point. For each incorrect answer you lose 1 point. Once you reach 10 points, you proceed to the next level! There are several levels in this game:

Level 1: provides questions with a time to the hour (yesterday’s lesson)
Level 2: provides questions with a time to the half hour (today’s lesson)
Level 3: provides questions with a time to the hour or to the half hour (a mixture of yesterday’s and today’s lessons)
Level 4: provides questions with a time to the minute (we will learn this in class on Friday)

Below are a few of our vocabulary words that will help you tell time. Don’t forget to review them before you start the game.

Long Hand: shows the minutes
Short Hand: shows the hours
Analogue Clock: represents time by position on a dial
Digital Clock: displays time with numbers
1 hour: equals 60 minutes
1 minute: equals 60 seconds
1 day: equals 24 hours

I hope you enjoy the game and don’t forget to let me know what level you reach in math class tomorrow!

Have a great evening,

Ms. Tu

Welcome Students, Parents/Guardians and Friends


Hello students and parents/guardians,

Welcome to my Grade 2 virtual classroom! This is an online resource that will help you remain connected to our classroom throughout the entire school year, keeping you informed about homework assignments and classroom and school events. It is a great place to find helpful links, supplementary activities and resources to assist you with homework and provide you with additional support.

Grade 2 is a year full of exciting learning opportunities and I look forward to working with you to make this year as fun and successful as possible. I believe that ongoing communication is crucial for continued success and hope to use this site as another way to communicate with you outside of our classroom. I also invite you to post any ideas, questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you for visiting my virtual classroom and I encourage you to come back soon and frequently!

I look forward to seeing you soon,

Ms. Tu