May 10 - 14, 2010
Lifeskill or Life-long Guideline of the week: Common Sense
Math
2nd – We are continuing to look at graphs (pictographs
and bar graphs) this week. We are taking data on
different topics and building graphs as a class and as a
tribe. We are also are looking at the graphs and making
conclusion based on the data recorded. We will also be
practicing how to answer TAKS style graph questions by
proving out work. Next week, Geometry! 
Remember to have students study their Mad
Minute facts for 5 MINUTES each night. Quizzes are on
Wednesday and Friday.
3rd - This week we are beginning to learn how to multiply
two-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. Don’t forget,
multiplication mad minutes are continuing every
Wednesday and Friday. Please help your child study for
at least 5 minutes each night. This becomes even
more and more important as we move into double
digit multiplication and your child moves into 4th
grade. Please help them be successful by
encouraging them and helping them study.
Texas Hill Country Animal Research
Come take a peek at our Hill
Country Ecosystem! We have
concluded our research of the
Texas Hill Country Ecosystem
and students have made a
display in the 300 hallway
between rooms 309/311.
They have also made flip books about their animals and
have displayed them next to their life size animal!
To Infinity…and Beyond!!
We are beginning our unit on our solar system
this week. Ask your child to
tell you the pneumonic they
learned to help them
remember the order of the
planets in our solar system!
We will be studying the
characteristics of each
planet as well as some of
our dwarf planets, comets
and asteroids. Check out www.kidsastronomy.com for
some fun interactive solar system activities and
information!
Writer’s Workshop
Students are working hard publishing their ABC
books. We have a wide range of topics from animals to
elements of the periodic table! We will have a gallery
walk to read all of our published ABC books.
Collective Animal Nouns
After learning about many different groups of
animals, students are picking their favorites and creating
an animal group book with matching illustrations. We
have had so much fun learning about all of the
interesting names of froups of animals!
Important Notes & Dates
*We will take our End of Year Writing Benchmarks on
Wednesday, May 12th.
*We will be making our last trip to the Nursing and Retirement
Center next week on Wednesday, May 12th. We will be leaving
Brentwood at 10:00am and returning about 11:30am. If you
would like to join us please be in our room by 9:50am. See
you then!
*Our last field trip of the year will be to the
UT campus on Tuesday, May 18th. For
more information see the permission slip
that was sent home in your child’s planner.
Story Book Parade
*We WILL be participating in the Storybook Character Parade!
Both our second and third graders will be
able to participate on May 14th. Your child
may dress up as a character from a book
and those choosing to participate will parade
through the school!
*Check out this great spelling site: www.spellingcity.com
There are lots of great games to play to make creative spelling
even more fun  All your child has to do is type in their
spelling words in the “batch entry” option, and games, lessons,
and practice tests are made up for your words!
Please Check the Calendar Weekly!
http://mahlstadtsvrcek2-3class.wikispaces.com/Calendar