Week 25 — Printable Lesson Packet

Mathematics

Objective: Students will measure the lengths of household objects to the nearest inch and record the data in a table to prepare for a line plot (2.MD.D.9).

1. 10 min — Warm-Up: Spiral from Week 24: set out 3 quarters, 2 dimes, and 4 pennies and ask, 'How much money is this?' (99 cents). Then ask, 'What tool did we use last unit to measure length?' and have your child find the ruler.
2. 15 min — Mini-Lesson: Explain that today you are collecting data, which means information we gather to answer a question. Ask the question, 'How long are the spoons in our kitchen?' Model measuring one spoon to the nearest inch, saying 'The end is closest to the 6, so I record 6 inches.'
3. 15 min — Practice: Your child measures 10 spoons, forks, and knives from the drawer to the nearest inch and records each in a two-column table labeled Object and Length in inches. Check that each measurement starts at zero on the ruler.
4. 5 min — Wrap-Up: Ask, 'What was the shortest length you found? The longest? Did any lengths repeat?' Circle the repeated lengths in the table to set up tomorrow.

Materials: ruler with inches, 10 spoons, forks, and knives, paper, pencil, coins

English Language Arts

Objective: Students will agree on three conversation rules and use them to discuss how CJ's feelings change during the bus ride in 'Last Stop on Market Street' (SL.2.1a, RL.2.3).

1. 15 min — Read-Aloud: Last Stop on Market Street: Say: 'Last week we tracked how characters respond to what happens to them. Today watch CJ.' Read 'Last Stop on Market Street' by Matt de la Pena straight through, stopping three times: when CJ asks why they do not have a car, when he closes his eyes to listen to the guitar man, and on the last page. Each time ask, 'How does CJ feel right now, and which words tell you?'
2. 10 min — Mini-Lesson: Our Talking Together Rules: On chart paper write 'Talking Together' and three rules: eyes on the speaker, one voice at a time, stay on the topic. Act out breaking each rule (interrupt, look at your phone, change the subject to lunch) and have your child catch you and name the rule you broke. Let your child add a fourth rule and sign the chart.
3. 15 min — Guided Reading: A Two-Person Conversation: Reread the page where Nana tells CJ that when you are surrounded by dirt you are a better witness for what is beautiful. Hold a conversation using the rules on this question: 'What does Nana mean, and where in the book do we see it come true?' Each of you speaks at least twice, and your child puts a tally mark on a sticky note each time someone follows all three rules.
4. 15 min — Writing Workshop: Choosing One Real Event: Explain that this week and in Week 27 your child will write a recount, a true story about one event that really happened, like CJ's bus ride. Brainstorm a list of five real events (a bus or car ride, a visit to someone, a first time doing something, a day something went wrong) and star the one with the most to say. Your child tells the event aloud in one minute, then writes a first sentence that names who, where, and when.
5. 10 min — Phonics: Vowel Teams ai and ay: Write these twelve words on index cards: rain, paint, wait, train, chain, mail, play, stay, day, tray, gray, away. Your child reads each word, sorts into an 'ai' pile and an 'ay' pile, and notices that 'ai' sits in the middle of a word while 'ay' sits at the end. Your child writes three words from each pile in the notebook.

Materials: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, chart paper or a large sheet, marker, sticky notes, writing notebook, pencil, index cards

Science

Objective: Students will observe and record the variety of living things in one small outdoor area and explain that biodiversity means 'many different kinds of life' (2-LS4-1).

1. 5 min — Science Question of the Week: Ask: 'How many different kinds of living things can we find in one square of our yard or park?' Remind your child that last week's Earth's Systems review was about where water and land are; this unit is about who lives there. Write the word 'biodiversity' on an index card and explain: bio means life, diversity means many different kinds.
2. 20 min — Investigation: One-Square-Meter Survey: Outside, lay four pieces of string or a hula hoop on the grass, a sidewalk edge, or a garden bed to mark one square. Kneel and hunt for 5 full minutes: grass, clover, dandelion, moss, ants, a beetle, a worm, a bird overhead, a spider web all count. Your child draws each different kind in a notebook and makes a tally mark each time it appears again. Support: you spot, your child draws. Stretch: your child sorts the finds into 'plant' and 'animal' columns and counts each column.
3. 5 min — Wrap-Up: Count the number of different kinds found (most yards give 6 to 12). Say: 'That number is the biodiversity of our square. On Wednesday we will test a different square and see if the number changes.'

Materials: string or hula hoop, notebook, pencil, index card, magnifying glass (optional)

Mathematics

Objective: Students will build a line plot from their utensil measurements, using a horizontal number line and one X for each measurement (2.MD.D.9).

1. 10 min — Warm-Up: Read yesterday's table aloud together. Ask, 'How many objects were 7 inches long?' and have your child count the table rows to answer. Point out that counting rows is slow and a picture would be faster.
2. 15 min — Mini-Lesson: Draw a number line from the shortest to the longest length in the table, for example 4 to 9, with a tick for every whole inch. Say, 'This is a line plot. Every object gets one X above its length.' Model placing the first three Xs, stacking any repeats straight up.
3. 15 min — Practice: Your child places the rest of the Xs for all 10 utensils, then adds a title, 'Lengths of Our Utensils,' and the label 'Inches' under the line. Have them count the Xs to confirm all 10 are on the plot.
4. 5 min — Wrap-Up: Ask, 'Which length has the tallest stack of Xs? What does that tell us?' Have your child say one sentence that starts 'Most of our utensils are...'

Materials: yesterday's data table, ruler for drawing a straight line, paper, pencil

English Language Arts

Objective: Students will take on the roles of Speaker, Listener, and Questioner during a conversation about why Nana wants CJ to look for beauty everywhere (SL.2.1a, SL.2.3).

1. 15 min — Shared Reading: Voices on the Bus: Reread the bus pages: Mr. Dennis and his coin trick, the blind man who says he likes to watch with his ears, and the man with the guitar. Read the adults' lines yourself and have your child read every line CJ says, matching CJ's mood (grumbling, then curious, then amazed). Ask: 'Who on the bus surprises CJ the most?'
2. 10 min — Mini-Lesson: Three Conversation Roles: Write three role cards: Speaker (shares an idea with 'I think ... because ...'), Listener (repeats back with 'I heard you say ...'), and Questioner (asks 'Why do you think that?' or 'Can you tell me more?'). Practice with a silly topic, the best pizza topping, and rotate the cards after each round so your child tries all three roles.
3. 15 min — Guided Reading: Roles at Work: Hold a conversation with the role cards on this question: 'Why does Nana want CJ to look for beauty everywhere?' Your child must point to two pages as evidence (the guitar man, the rainbow over the soup kitchen) before the Questioner may ask a new question. Support: keep only two roles, Speaker and Listener, and you hold the Questioner card. Stretch: your child holds two cards at once and must both repeat back and ask a question.
4. 15 min — Writing Workshop: Storyboard the Event: Fold a paper into three boxes labeled Beginning, Middle, End and have your child draw a quick sketch in each for the starred event. Under each box your child writes one sentence. Then point to the middle box and ask CJ's questions: 'What did you see? What did you hear?' and your child adds those two details in the margin.
5. 10 min — Phonics: Vowel Teams ee and ea: Word list: seed, feet, green, sleep, street, three, leaf, beach, teach, dream, seat, clean. Your child reads the cards, sorts by 'ee' and 'ea', and then hunts through 'Last Stop on Market Street' for 'street' and 'seat' in the text. Write four words in the notebook and underline the vowel team.

Materials: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, index cards, marker, plain paper, pencil, crayons, writing notebook

Social Studies

Objective: Students will sort items into needs (things people must have to live) and wants (things people would like to have) and explain the difference (D2.Eco.1.K-2).

1. 10 min — Read-Aloud and Discussion: Read 'Those Shoes' by Maribeth Boelts. Stop when Jeremy sees the shoes in the store window and ask, 'Does Jeremy need those shoes or want them?' At the end ask, 'What did Jeremy actually need for winter?' Introduce the definitions: a need is something you must have to stay alive and healthy (food, water, shelter, clothing); a want is something nice to have.
2. 15 min — Hands-On Activity: Two-Basket Sort: Label two baskets or paper bags NEEDS and WANTS. Gather 12 household items or pictures: an apple, a cup of water, a coat, a toothbrush, a toy car, a candy bar, a video game, a blanket, a book, a bandage, stickers, a pair of socks. Your child places each item and says one sentence why. Discuss the tricky ones together: a book is a want, but school books can be a need; shoes are a need, but a fourth pair is a want.
3. 5 min — Quick Write: Your child completes two sentence frames: 'One thing my family needs is ___ because ___.' and 'One thing I want is ___ because ___.' Keep this page; it starts a Needs and Wants booklet for the unit.

Materials: Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts (library), two baskets or paper bags, 12 household items or magazine pictures, marker, paper, pencil

Mathematics

Objective: Students will collect a second measurement data set, build a line plot independently, and answer how-many questions about it (2.MD.D.9).

1. 10 min — Warm-Up: Show yesterday's line plot and ask three fast questions: 'How many Xs are above 6? How many objects are longer than 7 inches? How many objects did we measure in all?'
2. 15 min — Mini-Lesson: Pose a new question: 'How long are the books on one shelf?' Model measuring the height of one book to the nearest inch and recording it. Remind your child that the number line must start at the smallest measurement and include every whole inch up to the largest.
3. 15 min — Practice: Your child measures 12 books to the nearest inch, records them in a table, and builds a line plot with a title and unit label without help. Support: pre-draw the number line with ticks from 5 to 12 and have them add only the Xs. Stretch: ask them to also measure the books to the nearest centimeter and make a second line plot, then explain why the two plots look different.
4. 5 min — Wrap-Up: Ask, 'How many books are 8 inches or taller?' and have your child show which Xs they counted. Praise stacks that are neat and evenly spaced.

Materials: ruler with inches and centimeters, 12 books from one shelf, paper, pencil

English Language Arts

Objective: Students will recount key ideas from 'Those Shoes' and ask who, why, and what-if questions about it in a conversation with roles (SL.2.2, SL.2.3, RL.2.3).

1. 15 min — Read-Aloud: Those Shoes: Connect to social studies: 'Yesterday you sorted needs and wants. Jeremy in this book wants something badly.' Read 'Those Shoes' by Maribeth Boelts, stopping when Grandma says there is no room for want, only need, and again when Jeremy squeezes into the too-small thrift store shoes. Ask: 'What does Jeremy need? What does he want? What does he finally choose to do?'
2. 10 min — Mini-Lesson: Three Kinds of Questions: Show three question cards: Who or What questions (What did Jeremy buy?), Why questions (Why did he give the shoes to Antonio?), and What-If questions (What if Grandma had bought the shoes?). Model asking one of each about the book, then your child writes one of each on sticky notes.
3. 15 min — Guided Reading: CJ and Jeremy: Make a T-chart labeled CJ and Jeremy with three rows: What he wants, Who helps him see differently, What he decides. Using Speaker, Listener, and Questioner cards, fill each row together with a page as evidence. End with the Questioner's What-If question and let your child answer in full sentences.
4. 15 min — Writing Workshop: Drafting the Beginning and Middle: Post three time words, First, Next, Then, and have your child write the beginning and middle of the recount from the storyboard, using each word once. Model a feeling detail from the book ('my heart thumped' when Jeremy sees the shoes) and ask your child to add one sentence that tells how they felt in the middle of the event.
5. 10 min — Phonics: Vowel Teams oa and ow: Word list: boat, road, coat, soap, toast, float, snow, grow, slow, show, yellow, window. Sort by team and read each pile in a whisper, then a shout. Warn that 'ow' can also say the sound in 'cow' and 'how', so readers try the long o sound first and switch if the word does not make sense.

Materials: Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts, Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, index cards, sticky notes, paper, pencil, writing notebook, marker

Science

Objective: Students will compare the biodiversity of two different areas and use their data to explain why one area has more kinds of living things (2-LS4-1).

1. 5 min — Review: Look at Monday's tally page and reread the count. Ask: 'Do you think a sidewalk crack, a pile of leaves, or a flower bed would have more kinds of living things than our grass square? Why?' Write the prediction.
2. 20 min — Deeper Investigation: Compare Two Squares: Mark a second square in a very different spot (paved driveway edge, under a bush, a compost or leaf pile, a shady corner). Survey for 5 minutes exactly as on Monday, drawing and tallying. Then gently lift a rock or a handful of leaves and look underneath for pill bugs, worms, or centipedes, and add those. Wash hands afterward.
3. 5 min — Data Discussion: Make a simple two-bar chart: Square 1 kinds and Square 2 kinds. Ask, 'Which square had more biodiversity? What did that square have that the other did not?' Guide toward shade, moisture, soil, hiding places, and plants that feed insects.

Materials: string or hula hoop, notebook, pencil, paper, crayons, magnifying glass (optional)

Mathematics

Objective: Students will use a line plot to solve comparison and put-together problems about measurement data (2.MD.D.9, 2.MD.B.5).

1. 10 min — Warm-Up: Have your child measure the hand span of each person at home, thumb tip to pinky tip, to the nearest inch, and record the numbers. Include stuffed animals or dolls if you need more than 4 data points.
2. 15 min — Mini-Lesson: Build a line plot of the hand spans together. Then model one problem: 'The longest hand span is 8 inches and the shortest is 5 inches. How much longer is the longest?' Write 8 - 5 = 3 and say 'The line plot helps us find the numbers we need.'
3. 15 min — Practice: Your child answers four written questions using the book line plot from Wednesday: 'How many more books are 8 inches than 10 inches? If you stacked the two shortest books, how tall would the stack be? How many books are shorter than 9 inches? How many Xs are on the plot in all?' They write an equation for each.
4. 5 min — Wrap-Up: Ask your child to write one question of their own about the hand span plot and answer it. Read it back and check that the answer matches the Xs.

Materials: ruler with inches, Wednesday's book line plot, paper, pencil

English Language Arts

Objective: Students will explain what the illustrations add to the words in 'Last Stop on Market Street' and tell about a book in complete sentences with details (RL.2.7, SL.2.4, SL.2.6).

1. 15 min — Shared Reading: Picture Walk: Take a slow picture walk through Christian Robinson's illustrations without reading the words: find the bus, the man with tattoos, the butterflies in the jar, the rainbow over the last stop. Ask on each page, 'What does the picture tell you that the words did not say?' Your child names at least three things (colors of the city, who is smiling, what CJ is looking at).
2. 10 min — Mini-Lesson: Speaking in Complete Sentences: Play 'No One-Word Answers.' Ask quick questions (What did CJ hear? Who drove the bus?) and your child must answer with a full sentence using a stem: 'I think ... because ...' or 'One example is ...'. If a one-word answer slips out, your child restarts with the stem.
3. 15 min — Independent Reading and Book Talk: Your child reads a self-chosen book for ten minutes. Then your child takes the Speaker card and tells you about it in at least three complete sentences (who, what happened, favorite part), and you take the Questioner card and ask two questions.
4. 15 min — Writing Workshop: The Ending and Elaboration: Your child writes the ending of the recount using 'Finally' or 'At last.' Then reread the whole draft together and pick two plain sentences to elaborate: for each, add what your child saw, heard, or felt. Model with the book: 'The bus lurched forward' becomes 'The bus lurched forward with a hiss and a squeal.'
5. 10 min — Phonics: Mixed Vowel Team Sort: Shuffle eighteen cards: rain, gray, feet, leaf, boat, snow, chain, stay, sleep, beach, road, slow, paint, tray, green, dream, toast, yellow. Time your child sorting into three columns (ai/ay, ee/ea, oa/ow), then read each column aloud. Write the fastest time to beat tomorrow.

Materials: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, sentence stem cards, library book, role cards, writing notebook, pencil, index cards, timer

Social Studies

Objective: Students will identify the basic needs all people share (food, water, shelter, clothing) and explain that wants differ from person to person (D2.Eco.1.K-2).

1. 10 min — Review and Extend: Empty Tuesday's baskets and re-sort them quickly as a game, 30 seconds on a timer. Then ask a new question: 'Do all people have the same needs?' Talk through a person in a cold place and a hot place; both need clothing and shelter, but the kinds differ. Then ask, 'Do all people have the same wants?' Compare your own want with your child's.
2. 15 min — Project Work: Needs and Wants Booklet: Fold two sheets of paper into a booklet. Page 1 title: 'What I Need and What I Want.' Pages 2 and 3: your child draws and labels the four basic needs (food, water, shelter, clothing) with one example of each from your home. Page 4: 'My Wants' with three drawings. Support: you write labels, your child draws. Stretch: your child adds a page titled 'A want that feels like a need' and explains.
3. 5 min — Share Progress: Your child reads the booklet aloud to a family member. Ask the listener to name one want of their own to add to a family wants list on the fridge.

Materials: Tuesday's items, timer, paper, stapler, crayons, pencil

Mathematics

Objective: Students will demonstrate that they can create a line plot from measurement data and answer questions about the data (2.MD.D.9).

1. 10 min — Warm-Up: Quick review: draw a blank number line from 3 to 8 and call out these lengths: 5, 6, 5, 4, 7, 5, 6, 3. Your child places an X for each while you say them. Ask, 'Which length is most common?'
2. 15 min — Review Mini-Lesson: Go over the three parts of a line plot together: a number line with every whole unit marked, one X per measurement stacked evenly, and a title with the unit. Have your child check this week's plots against the list and fix anything missing.
3. 15 min — Weekly Assessment: Give your child 8 crayons or pencils of different lengths. They measure each to the nearest inch, record the data, build a line plot with a title and unit label, and answer three written questions: 'Which length is most common? How many crayons are longer than 4 inches? How many crayons did you measure?'
4. 5 min — Wrap-Up: Reflect on the week: 'What is one thing a line plot shows faster than a table?' Preview next week by saying you will make graphs that use pictures and bars instead of Xs.

Materials: ruler with inches, 8 crayons or pencils of different lengths, paper, pencil

Assessment: Create a line plot from measurement data; answer questions about the data

English Language Arts

Objective: Students will write a reading response using evidence from words and pictures, share a recount draft in the author's chair, and spell vowel-team words in dictation (RL.2.1, RL.2.7, W.2.3, RF.2.3b).

1. 10 min — Reading Celebration: Your child picks a favorite page from 'Last Stop on Market Street' and reads it aloud with expression. Ask: 'Last week's story taught a lesson too. How is CJ's lesson the same or different?' and let your child answer with a stem.
2. 15 min — Reading Response: Your child writes three to four sentences answering: 'What does CJ learn on the bus ride? Use one detail from the words and one detail from the pictures.' Check that each detail names a page or a picture.
3. 15 min — Publishing and Author's Chair: Your child reads the recount draft aloud from a chair while you (and any sibling) hold the Listener and Questioner cards; your child answers two questions. Your child adds one sentence based on a question asked, then puts the draft in a folder labeled 'Revise in Week 27.'
4. 10 min — Phonics Check: Vowel Teams: Dictate eight words: train, play, green, leaf, road, slow, stay, teach. Then dictate the sentence 'We wait for the gray boat.' Your child checks each word against the cards and fixes any miss.
5. 15 min — Independent Reading: Your child reads a library book of choice for fifteen minutes and ends with a three-sentence retell that starts with 'First,' 'Then,' and 'Finally.'

Materials: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, writing notebook, pencil, recount draft, role cards, folder, index cards, library book

Assessment: Observed use of the Talking Together rules (eyes on speaker, one voice, stay on topic) and roles across the week; written reading response with one text detail and one picture detail; dictation of eight vowel-team words and one sentence.

Science

Objective: Students will draw a conclusion about what makes a place rich in living things and create a field guide page for one organism found this week (2-LS4-1).

1. 10 min — Drawing Conclusions: Review both survey pages and the bar chart. Your child completes the sentence: 'The place with more kinds of living things had ___, ___, and ___.' Then write the big idea together: 'Different places have different kinds of living things. More hiding spots, water, and plants usually mean more biodiversity.'
2. 15 min — Art Connection: Field Guide Page: Your child picks one living thing from the week (a clover, a pill bug, a robin) and makes a field guide page: a large careful drawing in colored pencil, its name, where it was found (Square 1 or 2), and two things noticed about it (six legs, curls into a ball). Look it up in a library book such as 'National Geographic Kids Readers: Ants' or a field guide if you want the real name.
3. 5 min — Week Reflection: Ask: 'What surprised you most about how many living things share our yard?' Preview next week: 'We will figure out how scientists sort all these living things into groups.'

Materials: survey notebook, pencil, paper, colored pencils, library book or field guide (optional)