ur class pet has a name! The students wrote persuasive pieces convincing the students to select the name they wanted, and after two rounds of voting... Yoda is name of our fish. We already have our first Yoda joke- right after the vote, one student came up and asked, "Why did Yoda cross the tank? To get to the dark side!" Another example of why Second Grade is such a great age!
This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- What do heroes do? While reading, we will practice the sound /ew/ as in moon. This week we will go back to the skills of sequencing events and summarizing a story. This week in math we will switch gears from addition to subtraction. Students will use base 10 blocks to subtract larger numbers. By having to trade in 10's for 1's when subtracting, we are laying the foundation for the traditional subtraction algorithm, trade-first. At this age, students still need a concrete representation of the skill (using the base 10 blocks) before they move to the abstract version of the skill (traditional algorithm). We continue to explore persuasive writing. This week students will complete an independent opinion piece that I will score. We have reviewed our rubrics for scoring, and shared multiple pieces of work, so I can't wait to see what they come up with. If you did not receive an invitation email from signup genius for parent teacher conferences, start by checking your junk or spam folder. If you still don't see the email, let me know and I can help you select a conference time. Upcoming dates: 3/28 School Board Meeting
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Our class pet has arrived. I am happy to report that we have a baby Beta fish in our classroom, that is doing well in our aqua farm tank. We have plants already sprouting and are excited to see our fish change in size and color over the next few months.
This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- How do people get along? While reading, we will practice diphthongs oi and oy. As well, we will continue to review the theme of the story and look at the authors point of view. This week in math we will learn a new addition strategy called partial sums. This may be an unfamiliar strategy for many of you, but it is quite simple. It builds upon the base 10 work we have been doing, asking students to first add the tens together, then add the ones together, before finally combining the two. Here is a quick read to give you an overview: http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/teaching-topics/computation/add-partial-sums/ We continue to explore persuasive writing. The students have been introduced to a thesaurus and are working to add "spicy" words when they write. As well, we are working on combining sentences to make our writing flow. Upcoming dates: 3/21 SAU Fingerprinting Session, Mrs. Flanagan’s Room, 5:30-7:00 3/21 School Board Meeting, Mrs. Wilmoth’s Room, 6:30 3/21 PTA Meeting, Art Room, 7:00 We had a wonderful time during our read-a-thon and camping day. As well, the kiddos enjoyed their ice cream party on Friday. They have come together nicely as a community and are hitting their stride as a group.
With the weather disruption this past week, a few learning activities have been bumped. We will complete our Erosion STEAM project this week and take a day to catch up in Math. As well, we will set up our fish tank for our new class pet. We have an aquafarm tank, that allows us to recycle the fish waste and use it as fertilizer to grow plants. I am excited to see how it goes! This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- What do good citizens do? This entire reading unit will explore the idea of how one person can make an impact on the world. While reading, we will again practice diphthongs ou and ow. While reading, we will continue to find the theme of the story but will also begin to look at the authors point of view. This week in math we will continue to work with number stories. As we do so, students are working to use the strategies they have learned to date. In some cases, they find number lines helpful, other times they may draw in base 10. As we work, we continue to share our strategies with one another, learning that we all may use different approaches to solve math problems. We continue to explore persuasive writing. The students have begun to plan their own opinion pieces and are working to add voice to their writing. While we all focused on the same prompt for our first writing piece, in their next piece the students will have the opportunity to chose a topic they feel strongly about! Just a reminder that Tuesday, March 13th is voting day, and school will not be in session for students. I hope everyone had a healthy and restful February Break. I am excited to see the kiddos tomorrow!
This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- What excites us about nature? While reading, we will again practice the spelling pattern of bossy r. We will work on identifying the theme, such as friendship, as we read this week. This week in math we will dive into our next Math unit. Unit six will focus on data and comparing numbers. This week, students will work to collect, graph, and interpret data. In Second Grade, we expect students to be able to draw a bar graph and a picture graph. As well, they will learn how to compare two items and find the mathematical difference between them. We will continue with our opinion writing this week, even attempting a free verse opinion poem to tie into our Wonders story. We will wrap up our erosion unit this week with an engineering challenge. Students will be asked to model a solution that will slow erosion. They will have constraints to work within and will have the change to test their designs.
February 23rd: Famous Person Dress Up Day March 6-9th: Book Fair at school- shop from 7:45-2:30 March 6th: We will browse the Book Fair March 8th: Read-a-thon, students can dress in pajamas or as their favorite book character March 9th: Campout afternoon in our classroom (possible ice cream party) 5:30 – Free showing of Wonder in the school gym This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- What can folk tales teach us? While reading, we will again practice the spelling pattern of bossy r. We will keep up our classroom practice with this spelling pattern, although I am quite proud of how well the kiddos are doing with this phonics skill! We will continue to compare and contrast characters and settings this week as we read.
This week in math we will wrap up our fifth unit of mathematics. By now students should be able to use strategies to add numbers within 100. They can use open number lines, base 10 shorthand, part-part-total diagrams, or change diagrams. We will take our unit assessment at the end of this week. We have studied book reviews this week as we explore persuasive writing. We read aloud the book Jumanji, and looked at how the review included an opinion, reasons and explanations. The students will complete their own Jumanji book review before writing an original persuasive piece. We have been busy learning about erosion in class. We started by learning that
Wednesday, February 23rd - Character Dress-Up Day This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- How are kids around the world different? While reading, we will continue to practice the spelling pattern of bossy r. We will continue to do quite a bit of practice in class this week with our spelling pattern, as it is a tricky one! We will compare and contrast characters and settings this week as we read.
This week in math we will work on open number lines as we practice change number stories. Students will apply their learning of addition and subtraction techniques while solving number story problems. They will continue to practice adding and subtracting using an open number line, as well as using change diagrams (part/part/total and change to more). I have included a link to information about these diagrams below. With the snow day this week, we are a bit behind on our persuasive writing. We will continue to work on this writing genre, and get to the activity where we tie an organizational strategy to one of my favorite cookies....oreos! Students will learn to organize their reasoning and provide examples in their writing. The class list for Valentines will come home in your child's learning wheel folder this week. Please make a Valentines Box for them to bring to school on Wednesday. We will not have a formal party. Instead, I have some fun activities planned! Upcoming Dates: Wednesday, February 14th- Send in Valentines and Valentine Boxes This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- How does the Earth change? While reading, we will review the spelling pattern of bossy r. We will do quite a bit of practice in class this week with our spelling pattern, as it is a tricky one! We will learn about cause and effect this week as we read.
This week in math we will continue counting money, and review adding 10 and 100 to a number (with a focus on moving this to a mental adding strategy). Again, please continue to count coins with your child at home (especially quarters). Counting and organizing mixed coins is an important second grade skill, and one we continue to work on throughout the year. We will continue to work on persuasive writing this week, tying an organizational strategy to one of my favorite cookies....oreos! Students will learn to organize their reasoning and provide examples in their writing. Report Cards came home on Friday. Please keep the report card, but sign and return the envelope. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. As a reminder, I will formally schedule conferences for the Spring (third quarter) but am happy to meet at any time to discuss your child's progress. As a reminder, please dress children for the cold weather. We will be outside for recess whenever the temperature is above 17 (factoring in wind chill). Upcoming Dates: Tuesday, February 6th – School Deliberative Session This week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- What makes different parts of the world different? While reading, we will review the spelling pattern of silent letters. We will revisit the strategy of rereading and work to compare and contrast while reading.
This week in math we will revisit counting money. The students did an excellent job on their math assessments last week, and are ready to apply their strategies when counting money. Please continue to count coins with your child at home (especially quarters). Counting and organizing mixed coins is an important second grade skill, and one we continue to work on throughout the year. I have provided a website link to a game that allows your child to practice this skill at home: http://mrnussbaum.com/cashd/ We are taking a break away from our informational writing over the next few weeks to introduce persuasive writing. Students will learn to state an opinion and connect it to persuasive reasoning. It is always one of my favorite writing units! The second half of this year will see a greater focus on Science. In the upcoming months we will explore fast and slow changes to Earth, the properties of matter (solid, liquids, and gasses) and the survival of plants. Look for report cards to come home on Friday, and please let me know if you have any questions. I will formally schedule conferences for the Spring (third quarter) but am happy to meet at any time to discuss your child's progress. As a reminder, please dress children for the cold weather. We will be outside for recess whenever the temperature is above 17 (factoring in wind chill). Upcoming Dates: Friday, February 2nd – Report cards go home Next week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- How do we express ourselves? This is a perfectly timed question to explore! While reading, we will review the spelling pattern of long u. We will continue to focus on asking questions while reading, and look for key details in the story.
Next week in math we will explore traditional measurement, as we work with the foot, inch, and centimeter. We will review measuring tools, reasons why we measure, lining up our measuring tools, and practice measuring tons of items around our classroom. Here is a link to a website that lists 3 fun measurement activities you can do at home with your child: http://spaghettiboxkids.com/blog/kids-science-measure-stuff/ Measurement really is all about practice. The more opportunity your child has to practice measuring items, the better they will get!This is a great time to show students measurement tools that you may use around the house, such as tape measures, rulers, and even measuring cups! The students are self-editing their informational writing this week, and have been hard at work with their research. The groups have so many interesting facts to share about the class pet they have been researching. I will give the students examples of how they can present their information, and I look forward to seeing them create their presentations. As a reminder, please dress children for the cold weather. We will be outside for recess whenever the temperature is above 17 (factoring in wind chill). Upcoming Dates: Wednesday, January 17th - PTA Meeting 7:00 pm Next week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- How does weather affect us? This is a perfectly timed question to explore! While reading, we will review the spelling pattern of long e. As well, we will work to review common high frequency words and learn new vocabulary words. Our strategy focus this week will be questioning while we read.
Next week in math we will use place value to compare numbers, further exploring thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones. I will teach the students a game they can play with place value, and you will have a chance to play it at home with them this week. This work lays the foundation for adding multi-digit numbers in the near future. As well, we will wrap up our How To writing pieces, and move on to informational writing. We hope to research a class pet everyday this next week, and begin to build our research presentations. A very exciting time! Next week students will also be taking the Reading portion of the AIMSweb assessment. This is an online, nationally normed reading assessment. We will take it in a few small sessions across our WIN (small group reading time) this week. As a reminder, please dress children for the cold weather. We will be outside for recess whenever the temperature is above 17 (factoring in wind chill). Upcoming Dates: Wednesday, January 10th – Budget Hearing 6:30 pm Thursday, January 11th- Band/Strings Concert Monday, January 15th- No School, MLK Day |
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