Week 3

 Dear Parents,

       In math this week we focused on Base Ten Relationships to 120. We started Money Monday. This is our practice on counting money. Please start counting coins with your children. We always start with the coin with the largest value and go to the coins that have the smallest value. If a quarter, three pennies, a dime and two nickels were on a desk, we would line them up in this order: 1 quarter, 1dime, 2 nickels, 3 pennies. We would count up underneath the coins by adding the next amount to each coin. Example 25, 35, 40, 45, 46, 47, 48. Those coins equal 48 cents. This skill takes time to master for some students and your help is appreciated. We also started Time Tuesday. On this day we practice reading time. Right now we are only doing time to the hour and the half hour. We also kept practicing writing our numbers in standard form, model, expanded form and word form. I am so proud of my second graders!

       In writing we focused on finishing our beginning, middle and end three sentence writing. We began our first book using authors as mentors. We looked at books written by David Shannon, Mo Willems, Lois Ehlert, and Steven Kellogg. We are very excited about our books.

      In reading we learned about setting as time and place and connected it to why the setting is important to the story. We read Clark the Shark and took a comprehension check. We read a scholastic News about manners. We began a Manner’s Poster. We learned about internal and external traits of characters.. We read Violet the Piolet and talked about her character traits. We filled out a graphic organizer with the story details: characters, title, author, setting, beginning, middle and end.

        In science we learned about what engineers do and why they do them. We talked about the difference between a scientist and an engineer. We practiced our science vocabulary cards and took our unit checkpoint. We set up our second unit in our science notebooks. We also took a BOY science assessment to see what your child remembers from first grade.

        We went to the Library on Thursday. This will be our weekly day to go. Please have Library books back in your child’s backpack each Thursday so they can check out new books.

          I will give your child 3 new books on his/ her level on Tuesday. On holidays your child will not need to fill out the reading log. Our beginning of year testing should conclude by the end of next week. We then will begin reading Groups the following weeks. Books will not come home until after we have read them in group and had lessons over decoding the words. I will leave three books in the bookbag at all times. These should be used for the reading logs for children reading books that are levels 12 or 18. This will reinforce our group lessons and ensure their progress in reading. The level on the books is usually on the back of the book in the top corner. Students reading leveled books 28 or 30 can choose a book from home or read the books I provide. Lease make sure these book bags stay in your child’s backpack. They will bring them back to school every day.

Week 2

 Dear Parents,

            This week in math we focused on the place values of tens and ones. We used coins and place value blocks to build numbers. We then learned to draw the pictures of coins and place value blocks to represent two digit numbers. We had our first graded quiz over this skill. We then used what we learned to solve word problems drawing coins or place value blocks. On Friday we learned how to fill in our number grid. We will do one of these forms every Friday.  This form helps the children represent numbers in standard form, word form, expanded form and model it with blocks. The place values of the numbers we put on it will increase as the year progresses. In second grade, we do numbers up to 1,200.

             In reading we began learning how to be independent during guided reading groups. Right now we have not begun groups as I am conducting individualized testing. Your child may go to the classroom library to bring books home until we begin reading groups and they have on level books. The entire class took their reading and math istation tests. We continued reading and learning about good citizenship as we read Good Citizens from our reading book. We read Our Class is a Family and created a book about our class family.

             In writing we learned the steps of the writing process. We brainstormed ideas, read books to get ideas, and wrote topics that were close to our heart. I introduced our spelling dictionaries that will be used to help with our writing. We are learning to think it, picture it and put it on paper!

             In science we learned what scientists do and who they are. Ask about our fun rotation from class to class learning about a geologist, a zoologist, and an ichthyologist. We finished writing about what scientist we may grow up to be. We also learned about our science safety rules. A paper went home about those rule. Please read this over with your child, both of you sign it and return it to school by Monday. If I haven’t received your child’s back, I will put another form in his/her blue folder. On Friday we took our science safety quiz.

               We had our 2^nd grade parent orientation last night. It was great seeing so many of you there. If you were unable to come, you can find a copy of a packet of information about 2^nd grade in your child’s Coyote Folder. You may also use the link Below to watch the presentation:

 

2^nd Grade Parent Orientation

 

I hope you all have a restful weekend with you families! Remember, no question is too small. If I can help you in any way, please let me know.

Week 1

 Dear Parents,

        What a great first week we had.  I absolutely adore your children. It is going to be a fantastic year. I look forward to partnering with you to help your child be well prepared for third grade. Please make sure your child brings a snack and a water bottle to school every day. If they forget a snack I do have a bin where they can get Goldfish or Cheezits. We do have nut allergies in our room, so if you donate any snacks, please check that they are nut free. I will be asking for donations when I run out of snacks. I bought over 100 snacks so they should last a while. We also had two parents donate snacks. Thank you Ashley Pugh and Jennifer Speer! You are making children happy in our room!

         In math we set up our notebooks and learned about intentional problem solving. We talked about what questions we ask each other as well as how to figure out what the problem is asking. We learned about our math boxes and the manipulatives we can use to help us solve problems. We also learned about using number lines, part/part/whole boxes and number sentences. Next week’s math is going to focus on counting groups of coins. Please practice with your child at home this weekend and all next week as that will be our math focus. This can be a difficult skill for second graders.

         In writing we compared the writing process to creating a playdo sculpture with brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. We set up our writer’s notebook and wrote about our first day of school. We also brainstormed ideas that are close to our heart that we could use as topics for other writings. We copied a poem to show our handwriting at the beginning of the year. They grow so much in this area. And , yes- after winter break we learn cursive.

          In reading/social studies we learned about our gathering spot, how to turn and talk with a partner as well as good listening expectations. We created a class treatment agreement about how we as a class should treat one another. We talked about good manners and completed a matching sheet. We worked on our reading stamina and quiet independent reading while staying focused on our book. 

         On Monday we will begin our reading log. The students are to read 15 minutes every night , Monday-Thursday and mark it on the sheet found in their blue folder, behind their sticker chart. I check them each Friday.  For now they can read any books you have at home or take a book home from my classroom library. After assess their reading on istation and a few other district tests, I will put them in reading groups and leveled books will be coming home. I usually allow them to keep 3 books in their book bags before collecting one. Rereading books that they have already read is invaluable and builds confidence. These book bags will start going home on Monday. Please make sure the book bags stay in your child’s backpack so they come back to school every day. Your child should just take a book out to read it and then put it back in the book bag. Last, they fill out the chart in the blue folder. This blue folder should also stay in their backpack to come back to school every day.

        In science  we learned about what scientists do and who scientists are. We set up our notebooks and wrote about which scientist we’d like to be.

      

* There is a digital copy of our second grade newsletter attached to my weekly e-mail to you. I also gave you the Enrichment rotation. Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes on PE days. We are the green special each day. Additionally this week you can look below for general school information.

Please contact me with any questions. We will work together this year to help your child GLOW!