All Souls' Day

ALL SOULS’ DAY
November 2


There are many beautiful, funny, and even some sad celebrations throughout Mexico and Central America. Early in November in Mexico and Central America, the holidays All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day are celebrated. Although these are traditional Catholic holidays, they also coincide with an old Aztec celebration of death.
Part of an early Aztec ritual involved placing food on the graves of the departed. The dead loved one was believed to go on a journey, but stayed close to his or her dear ones. It was believed that the dead came to their graves no November 2 to feast on their favorite foods. It was said that the spirits of the dead only came to take back the fragrance of the food, not the substance, which was later eaten by the living. Tamales were among the delicacies, then as now. Other rites pertaining to death and burial, such as placing flowers on graves, took place in those early times over a period of three days.
With the coming of the Spanish, old Native-American customs mingled with the new. The result was a holiday with absolute uniqueness in arts and crafts, foods, fiestas, and more.
Mexican and Central Americans celebrate All Souls’ Day by making ofrendas (little shrines) to place in their homes and in churchyards to honor their loved ones who have died. Families work lovingly to make the ofrendas beautiful. Often, incense and rich yellow or somber black candles are burned. It is believed that the dead love beauty and peek into the living rooms of their families during “holy times” to see the candle and shrines.
Throughout Mexico, where many cultures flow together, death is both respected and feared. Death is common and loved ones are lost frequently. The personalities of the dead loved ones are believed to go on throughout eternity.
There is a particularly beautiful sense among the country people in Mexico and Central America in their communal with the dead. Death is no considered a part of any specific religion. All Souls’ Day provides opportunity for the people to honor their departed loved ones.

Information taken from the book titled, "Fiesta! Mexico and Central America" A Global Awareness Program for Children in Grades 2-5 Written by Barbara Linse and Dick Judd

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The week of October 29, I will start teaching the unit on the Day of the Dead. We will be reading some literature and putting up an ofrenda. The literature books that we will be reading are: El dia de los muertos by Mary Dodson Wade, Calavera Abecedario Day of the Dead Alphabet Book by Jeanette Winter, I remember Abuelito by Janice Leby and Pablo Remembers by George Ancona. The children can participate in putting up the ofrenda by bringing flowers, fruit, nuts or pictures.
I know that some parents because of religious believes do not want their child to participate in putting up the ofrenda. I respect your believes. Just send me a note stating that your child cannot participate in this activity.
On Thursday November 8th , we are going to the Mexican Fine Arts Museum to see the ofrendas. The ofrendas are made by people from the Pilsen community and other places.

Homework Help

The Oak Park Library has a web site to help students with their homework.

http://www.opplteen.org/homework-help

SCIENCE:Rocks, Soil, and Fossils

Rocks, Soil, and Fossils is our first science unit. Our class will be studying the materials that make up the Earth's surface. We will explore what rocks are made of and learn how soil forms. We will grow seeds in different types of soil and observe one of soil's most visible inhabitants, the earthworm. Students will also examine fossils.

MAP Sites

The students can go to these sites to practice the skill for the MAP test. Just click on your score.

MAP site for Math
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/

MAP site for Reading
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/Pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm

Homework

In second grade students have homework four days a week. The students get the homework on Mondays. A homework letter is posted on the blog. The letter explains the assignments and informs the students which assignment needs to be done each day. All homework is due on Friday.

If there is a special circumstance, and the student does not finish the homework during the week, the student must return the homework the following Monday.

2nd Grade Themes

Spanish Language Arts: Tesoros

English Reading: Treasures

Unit 1 - Friends and Family
Unit 2 - Community Heroes
Unit 3 - Let's Create
Unit 4 - Better Together
Unit 5 - Growing and Changing
Unit 6 - The World Around Us

Science:

Soil, Rocks and Fossils- 80% in Spanish
The Life Cycle of Butterflies-80% in Spanish
Sink or Float- 80% in Spanish

Social Studies:

Unit 1- People and Places
Unit 2 -Places Near and Far
Unit 3- Ways of Living
Unit 4 -People at Work
Unit 5 -America' Past
Unit 6 -America's Government

Mathematics:Everyday Math--80% in Spanish

Students journals are in Spanish

Number Sense
Operation and Computation
Algebraic Thinking
Geometry
Estimation and Measurement
Data and Probability

What is a blog?

The term "blog" is short for web log. So, a blog is actually a running list
of information, with the newest information always displayed at the top of
the page. Of course, this means events and news will not always be displayed chronologically.

The purpose of this blog is to help students learn proper Internet etiquette, and communicate online safely. This blog is closely monitored by Ms. Arreola.