Mrs. Samantha Applegate » Home

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Welcome to 2nd Grade with Mrs. Applegate!
 
 
My name is Samantha Applegate. I grew up in central Indiana and graduated with my degree in Elementary Education from Ball State University in 2017. My husband and I relocated to the Chicagoland area in 2019 where I spent the first three years teaching Kindergarten. This will be my seventh year teaching and my fourth year teaching at St. Joe's. 
 
When I'm not teaching, you can find me spending time at the lake and watching college football. I also enjoy concerts, reading, and spending time with my friends and family. Some of my favorites include Diet Coke, Starbucks, and trips to Target.
 

Posts

ABC Countdown starts on Tuesday!

 

A

Tues, 4/28

Art

Complete a fun art project with your class.

B

Wed, 4/29

Bingo & Birthdays

Play Bingo with your class. Students with June, July, and August birthdays may dress down.

C

Thurs, 4/30

Camp Read-a-Lot

Bring your towel, flashlight, and pillow and curl up with some good books.

D

Fri, 5/1

Dance Day

Enjoy a dance party in the hallway during morning arrival, and enjoy dance breaks all throughout the school day!

Week at a Glance 04.27.26-05.01.26

Important Reminders:
  • Eucharist Prayer Service - Thursday, 4/30 5pm
    • Intended for 2nd grade students and their parents (no siblings or extended family, as we have limited space)
  • Godparents Day Prayer Service - Friday, 5/1 12:30 pm
    • Intended for 2nd grade students and their godparents (or substitutes) only. Thank you for understanding.
    • Please remind the godparents to bring their letter for their godchildren.
  • First Communion - Saturday, 5/2 10:00 am
    • Please review the information about the class photo beforehand.
    • Please bring your banner to hang on the end of the pew.
    • Please plan to arrive early to allow for parking, etc.
    • Family and friends who do not fit in your assigned pew can sit in any remaining pews that are unassigned. There will be plenty of space, as this is a small group!
  • Tuesday 4/28 - Phonics Assessment
  • Thursday 4/30 - Math Assessment
 

Phonics

We will wrap up our unit on long /oo/ spelling patterns this week. Students should continue practicing the vowel teams oo, ou, ue, and ew. We will take an assessment on Tuesday 4/28, so make sure to review Unit 15 trick words: January, February, July, special, enough, and December. On Wednesday, we will start learning the au and aw spelling patterns (as in August and saw). Our new trick words will be August, laugh, and daughter.

Reading/Writing

We will continue working through Module 3 of Wit and Wisdom. Students will take a closer look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, focusing on the vocabulary he used and the deeper meaning of his message. We will also practice identifying adverbs and adjectives in books and work on using these parts of speech in our own writing.

Math

We will finish our short unit on coins. Students will practice solving word problems involving money and explore different ways to combine coins to make $1.00. We will also spend time reviewing key concepts in preparation for a quiz on Thursday 4/30. You can view the review sheet here. A hard copy will also be sent home on Monday. Next week, we will continue building on these skills by learning how to find change and count amounts greater than one dollar.

Religion

This week in Religion, students will continue preparing for their First Communion. They will learn about the importance of getting ready for a special journey and make connections between the disciples’ journey with Jesus and our own encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. Students will also talk about why receiving Holy Communion is such an important and special moment in our faith.

Science

In science this week, students will explore how the structure of seeds helps them move to new places, especially seeds that use animals to travel. In the activity Seed Travelers, students will create a model of a furry animal called a "fluffadoo" and test how well different seed models stick to it and how far they can travel. This hands-on activity helps students understand how seed design supports plant growth in new locations.

 

Thursday 04.23.26

Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics:
  • Keep practicing words with ue, ew, oo, ou, u, u-e
  • Practice trick words: January, February, July, December, special, enough
3. Math: 8.3 Homework Page - Count Coins
 
4. Handwriting: Uppercase cursive M and H practice page

Wednesday 04.22.26

Please check your child's home folder for your pew assignment for First Communion. (Aside from the students who are readers, the assignments were randomly generated. We will have signage on the pews the day of First Communion.) Let me know if you have any questions.
 
Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics: missing letters practice page
  • Keep practicing words with ue, ew, oo, ou, u, u-e
  • Practice trick words: January, February, July, December, special, enough
3. Math: 8.2 Homework Page - Quarters
 
 
Reminders:
  • Library Books are due Friday.
  • Important Dates:
    • Eucharist Prayer Service - Thursday, 4/30 5pm
      • Intended for 2nd grade students and their parents (no siblings or extended family, as we have limited space)
    • Godparents Day Prayer Service - Friday, 5/1 12:30 pm
      • Intended for 2nd grade students and their godparents (or substitutes) only. Thank you for understanding.
      • Please remind the godparents to bring their letter for their godchildren.
    • First Communion - Saturday, 5/2 10:00 am
      • Please review the information about the class photo beforehand.
      • Please bring your banner to hang on the end of the pew.
      • Please plan to arrive early to allow for parking, etc.
      • Family and friends who do not fit in your assigned pew can sit in any remaining pews that are unassigned. There will be plenty of space, as this is a small group!

Tuesday 04.21.26

*Please see your child's Home Folder for this year's ABC Countdown. (This countdown is for 1J, 2A, and 2M - 1S will be doing a countdown too, but theirs might differ slightly.)*
 
Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics:
  • Practice words with ou, oo, ue, ew
  • Practice trick words: January, February, July
3. Math: 8.1 Homework Page - Pennies, Nickels, and Dimes
 
4. Handwriting: Uppercase Cursive N Practice Page

Monday 04.20.26

**Please check your child's Home folder for an order form for a class photo which will be taken at First Communion.**
 
**Please make sure to fill out the Google Doc about Godparents' Day. Mrs. Hein sent a reminder (it came from Mrs. Macdonald's email address) on Sunday.
 
Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics:
  • Practice words with ou, oo, ue, ew
  • Practice trick words: January, February, July
3. Math: Coin ID page
 
4. Handwriting: uppercase cursive E practice page

Week at a Glance 04.20.26-04.24.26

 

Phonics

Students will continue to focus on reading and spelling words with the long /oo/ sound spelled with ue, ew, oo, and ou. They will use their knowledge of word parts, like prefixes, suffixes, and root words, to help figure out the meanings of unknown words they encounter. Students will also learn and practice new trick words, including enough, special, and December.

Reading/Writing

Students will work with the text I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They will compare the audio version to the written version to explore how each format conveys meaning. Students will also describe a chain of events in this nonfiction text, define the characteristics of a speech, and examine the point of view presented. Additionally, they will explore the deeper meaning of I Have a Dream to gain a better understanding of its powerful message and purpose.

Math

We will begin our new chapter on money. Students will learn to identify and understand the value of different coins, including pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. They will also practice skip counting by 1s, 5s, 10s, and 25s to help them add and count money more easily.

Religion

Students will learn how to reverently receive the Eucharist and understand the prayers that make up the Communion Rite. They will also practice responding with “Amen” when receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, recognizing it as a meaningful expression of their faith.

Science

Students will explore the mystery of the koa tree, which grows in only two places on opposite sides of the world. During the activity, they will create three different physical models of seed structures to see how the design of a seed helps it travel away from the tree. Using their observations, students will then decide whether koa seeds are most likely spread by wind, water, or animals.

Thursday 04.16.26

Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics:
Practice words with long /oo/ sounds: ue, ew, oo, ou
Practice new trick words: January, February, July
 
3. Math: none
 
4. Handwriting: uppercase cursive C practice page
 
Library books are due tomorrow!

Wednesday 04.15.26

Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics:
Practice words with long /oo/ sounds: ue, ew, oo, ou
Practice new trick words: January, February, July
 
3. Math: No Math homework the rest of this week
 
Additional Reminders:
 
Library books are due Friday!

Tuesday 04.14.26

Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics: none - Unit 15 packet will go home tomorrow
 
3. Math: No written math homework for the remainder of this week as we wrap up our chapter on data collection
 
4. Handwriting: cursive uppercase cursive D practice page

Monday 04.13.26

Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics: Unit 14 Assessment is tomorrow, Tuesday 4/14
  • practice words with ou (e.g. trout), ow (e.g., plow)
  • trick words Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
 
3. Math: 9.8 homework page - analyze line plots
 
4. Handwriting: cursive uppercase O practice page

Week at a Glance 04.13.26-04.17.26

 

Phonics

Students will continue practicing reading and spelling words with the ou and ow vowel teams. The Unit 14 assessment will take place on Tuesday, April 14th. On Wednesday, we will begin Unit 15, which introduces more vowel teams such as oo (as in school and book), ou (as in soup), ue (as in blue and rescue), and ew (as in chew).

Reading/Writing

This week in Wit and Wisdom, students will continue to learn about Civil Rights Movement heroes. They will analyze historical photographs to help determine the essential meaning of an informational text. Using information from two sources, students will write an informative paragraph and work to answer the question, “What injustices did people face before the Civil Rights Act of 1964?”

Math

We will finish our chapter on data by learning how to read and analyze line plots. Students will also complete a data project where they will come up with a question, collect their own data, and represent it in different ways, including a bar graph, pictograph, tally chart, and line plot.

Religion

During religion, students will learn about the Presentation of the Gifts at Mass and how we offer our own gifts to God. They will reflect on the greatest gift of all, Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and remember the story of the Last Supper. Additionally, students will explore the significance of the Eucharist as our spiritual food and consider how it nurtures and strengthens us.

Social Studies

Students will continue to explore the question, "What do communities share?" They will learn how communities work together to meet their economic needs and wants, and identify something special about their own community. Students will also practice locating places on a political map and analyze community celebrations to understand how people share pride in our country.

 
Reminders:
  • Phonics Unit 14 Assessment - Tuesday, 4/14
  • Math Data project (no traditional assessment) - Wednesday and Thursday, 4/15 and 4/16
  • Please read the Godparents Day email from Mrs. Hein sent earlier this month and be sure to sign up on the Google Form.
  • Save the Dates:
    • Eucharist Prayer Service - Thursday, April 30th 5-5:30pm
    • Godparents' Day Prayer Service - Friday, May 1st (during school) 
    • First Communion - Saturday, May 2nd 10am

Thursday 04.09.26

Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics:
  • practice words with ou (e.g. trout), ow (e.g., plow)
  • trick words Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
 
3. Math: 9.7 homework page - line plots
 
4. Handwriting: cursive uppercase A practice page

Wednesday 04.08.26

Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics: ou, ow word match
  • practice words with ou (e.g. trout), ow (e.g., plow)
  • trick words Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
 
3. Math: 9.6 homework page - problem solving

Tuesday 04.07.26

Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.
 
Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Phonics:
  • practice words with ou (e.g. trout), ow (e.g., plow)
  • trick words Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
 
3. Math: 9.5 homework page - analyze bar graphs
 
4. Handwriting: cursive letter z practice page
 
Reminders:
  • Food Pantry Collection - tomorrow, Wednesday 4/8
    • 2nd graders should bring baked beans!
  • Library books are due Friday