Turkey Tom & Pilgrim Pete

Petey and Tommy wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, too!

Pilgrim Petey

Turkey Tommy

A Time to Give Thanks

I am so proud of your children for their performance of "A Time to Give Thanks." They did an excellent job! Last week, we talked about the First Thanksgiving and the things we are thankful for. I am always reminded, especially on Thanksgiving, of all the things I have to be thankful for. Your children are all blessings in my life. They make my job exciting and enjoyable every day. They surprise me and fascinate me constantly. What a special group of kids they are! I am also blessed that they all have such great, supportive parents! Thank you for all you do!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Below are a few pictures from "A Time to Give Thanks."

For the last couple weeks, the Second Graders have been learning about Native Americans. They learned about several tribes: Sioux, Makah, Mohawk, and Anasazi. They used social studies books to research information about each tribe.

The Third Graders read a great story called Molly's Pilgrim. Molly is a modern day pilgrim and her classmates learn the true meaning of Thanksgiving when she shares her Thanksgiving project with them. After reading the book together, the Third Graders worked on some comprehension and vocabulary activities related to the story.

The Third Graders also finished reading Sacajawea and wrote three paragraph essays about her life. They did a fabulous job! Their work is on display in the hallway.

Alan participate in this year's Science Fair. His project was called "The Electrophorus." Way to go, Alan!

Katie was the Virtual Field Trip Planner. She took us on a trip to Minnesota. Katie made a book to show the things we would be doing and seeing on the trip.

Danielle was the Star of the Week. This is her acrostic poem. Next week, she will ask the class her survey question.

What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for the beautiful fall weather we enjoyed last week. I am thankful that I have such hard working and enthusiastic students. The Second Graders are learning about Native Americans and the Third Graders are studying the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Third Graders also are exploring inventors and inventions in science. Each third grader chose one invention to research. The students found out who invented the invention, when it was invented, and thought about how life is different with the invention. Researching inventions also reminds me of all of the great things we have to be thankful for!

Ashley researched the light bulb. Can you imagine your life without life bulbs?!

Dan learned about the invention of the airplane. Joey researched bubble gum.

Alan researched the invention of paper. I can't imagine life without paper!
Nicholas researched the invention of the globe.

Kaitlyn learned about the invention of band-aids. We go through lots and lots of band aids in Peterson's Planetarium! I'm thankful for band aids!!

Nick researched the light bulb.

Katie studied the invention of Silly Putty.

Luke found out about the invention of bubble gum. Yum!

Alexa researched the thermometer. Isn't it great to know the temperature before you venture outside!?

Kayla looked up information about Life Savers.

Amber learned about the invention of the Ferris Wheel.

Last week, the Second and Third Graders spent time working on writing about an outdoor adventure and a fantasy trip. With their partners, they worked on editing their writing and adding details.

During the Daily 4, some students chose to do Word Work. Below, Ashley is working on stamping out her spelling words.

As part of the Second Graders Native American unit, they listened to the story The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie DePaola. Later, they painted their own Indian Sunsets.

Aren't the paintings beautiful?

The Third Graders have been reading Who Was Sacagawea ? together each morning. They have learned a lot about Sacagawea and her adventures with Lewis and Clark.

With our Fourth Grade Buddies, we made turkeys using our hands as feathers. Each feather lists one thing we are thankful for. What are you thankful for?

Kaitlyn was our Star of the Week. She wanted to know which breakfast food her classmates preferred: Pop tarts or Waffles.

In November...

This week, the Second and Third Graders learned how to add sensory details into their writing. After listening to two stories, Hello Ocean and In November, the students wrote their own pieces about months of the year using descriptions of what they hear, sound, taste, feel, and see.

On Wednesday, our Pen Pal letters arrived! Everyone was excited to see what their pen pal had written and what they look like (they included pictures in their letters). That afternoon, the Second and Third Graders wrote friendly letters to their pen pals. The Second Graders learned about verbs. Verbs are action words. Can your child name some verbs?

The Third Graders tried a new Spelling Challenge last week. If they spelled their words correctly on our spelling pretest, they could make up new words in the place of the other words. On Friday, pairs of Third Graders gave spelling tests to each other.

The Second Graders used milk cartons and construction paper to build a community of houses. They wrote their address neatly on the base of their houses. Their cute little neighborhood is on display in our book corner.

In Third Grade social studies, America's symbols were the focus. The Third Graders read a book about the symbols of our country and answered questions about what they read. They used a highlighter to go back into the text to find the answers. They also learned the history and meaning of The Pledge of Allegiance.

Edison was the Star of the Week. He wanted to know what his classmates' favorite T.V. show was. Look below for the results!

Nick planned the Virtual Field Trip. He took us to Washington, D.C. His presentation fit in perfectly to Third Grade social studies!