Grade Two November News

2014

Congratulations to the winners of our Community

Gospel Values certificate this month (Reid M., Claire
Y., Sofia C., Nolan T., Madison Q., Manni H., Matthew
M., Elly O.). The Gospel Value for the month of
November is Justice and 2 more winners from each
class will be awarded certificates at our assembly in
December.
Book orders for November have gone home and
December book orders will be sent home in the next
couple of weeks to ensure delivery before
Christmas. If you would like to purchase books or
items for Christmas gifts, please write a note on
your order form to let us know and we will keep
those items for pick up.
Thank you for continuing to check and sign agendas
each evening and for your on-going support and cooperation.

Religion/Family Life
The focus in Religion this month is
Lets Treasure Gods Word. In
Family Life, we will be focusing on
signs of love in the family, feelings
and forgiveness.

Language
Our on-line Raz-kids reading program is up and
running and seems to be a big hit. Students
should be reading for at least 10 minutes a night
and this is a great way to get those minutes in.
We continue to make connections to what we
read. Good readers make connections when they
read to deepen their understanding and bring
meaning to what they have read.
Later this month we will begin using a Shape Go
Map to help us retell and examine the elements of
a story. This includes the beginning (main
characters, setting, problem), the middle (main
events) and the end (solution to the problem).
The Shape Go Map is a comprehension tool that
is used to help your child effectively retell a
story in their own words. After reading a book at
home you could discuss what happened in the
beginning, the middle and the end. Here is an
example of a Shape Go Map.

Important Dates to Remember

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Tues. Nov. 4th Parent Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

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Wed. Nov. 5th Parent Interviews

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Thurs. Nov. 6th health nurse visits grade 2 to

review handwashing and how to prevent the spread
of germs.
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Fri. Nov. 7th Pyjama Day (donations being collected

to benefit the United Way)
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Tues. Nov. 11th Remembrance Day Liturgy 10:45 a.m.

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Bullying Awareness Week November 17
17 21
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Fri. Nov. 21st P.D.

P.D. Day No School
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Sun. Nov. 23rd Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade

5:30
5:30 p.m.
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Fri. Nov. 28th Mustache Day bring in a donation

to purchase a peel & stick mustache

In writing, we are continuing to learn how to write

a recount of a past event using a planner and a
checklist. We are also learning how to use
teacher and peer feedback to improve our own
writing.

Science
We are continuing our unit on Air and Water in the environment. This month we will
be investigating the importance of each for human life and how we have an impact
on the quality of air and water. We will also learn about the water cycle and ways
we can conserve water and what we can do to help keep our water and air clean.

Math
Students are strongly encouraged to practice addition and subtraction facts to 20 on a regular basis so
they can master these very important facts. Now, and for the rest of the school year, we will be
completing activities that encourage students to use mental math strategies to help them learn and
remember basic facts. For example, students will think about how knowing the fact 9 + 9 = 18 can help
them to figure out the answer to the question 18 9 = ___. Or they can use their knowledge of making 10
facts to help them add and subtract. Look for opportunities at home to pose simple addition and
subtraction problems for your child to practice. For example, when setting the table, you might ask how
many plates altogether would be needed if you had 5 guests joining your family for dinner.
This month we will start our unit on Patterning.
Patterning The big ideas for this unit are identifying, describing,
extending, and creating different types of patterns (repeating, growing and shrinking). Some of the
things we will be learning/doing in class are:
looking at growing and shrinking patterns created by repeated addition or subtraction of numbers
identifying repeating, growing, and shrinking patterns found in real-life contexts (e.g., a geometric
pattern on wallpaper, a rhythm pattern in music, a number pattern when counting dimes)
representing a given growing or shrinking pattern in a variety of ways (e.g., using pictures, actions,
numbers, letters,)
creating growing and shrinking patterns
creating a repeating pattern by combining two attributes (e.g., colour and shape; colour and size)
demonstrating an understanding that a pattern results from repeating an operation (e.g., addition,
subtraction) or making a repeated change to an attribute (e.g., colour orientation)
At home you can help your child by encouraging them to find patterns in nature or around the house
(e.g. rugs, tiles, clothing etc.) Ask them to represent or name the pattern using words and/or letters
(AB) and numbers (1,2). Create growing and shrinking number patterns and ask them to finish and state
the rule (e.g. 3, 5, 7, _____, _____ adding two each time).
Try completing this growing pattern at home:

The ships smoke stacks puff each time

the horn is blown. What pattern do you
see in the picture? What do you think will
happen at the 4th and 5th horn blow?