Friday, January 27, 2012

 

As always, it was another fabulous week to be in 2^nd grade!

Reader’s Workshop:

During Workshop this week we took an in-depth look at “wonderings”. We practiced making “I wonder” statements and generated a huge list of “Questioning” words such as: who, how, where, if, etc. Our readers’ then had an opportunity to make their own wonderings about their books as well as our stories during Making Meaning, our interactive read-aloud time. Then we took a look this week at “LOL” (laugh out loud) moments we can find within our books. We enjoyed smiling and laughing at the finds of our classmates! I continued to do independent reading assessments this week and am proud to see the growth our readers’ have been making this year!

Writer’s Workshop:

It has been a busy week in Writer’s Workshop this week as our Writers’ transitioned from storyboard illustrations of a “Small Moment” into working on good leads for their narrative. Using several Mentor Texts our students were introduced to good leads that used: dialogue, a sound or an action. We are encouraging our Writers’ to think about their audience and find a way to HOOK them like authors E.B. White, Judy Blume, Julie Dannenberg and more did in the texts we shared!

Math Workshop:

We began a new unit this week in Math while also spending time reviewing subtraction involving “borrowing”! The kids spent time this week practicing counting patterns on their calculators as well as on number grids. They had time to play two different games, one called “Hit the Target” where they had to use compliments of 10 to reach a target number and another called “Basketball Addition” where they were able to practice adding multiple numbers together. Your child can practice “Basketball Addition” on www.everydaymathonline.com as it is one of the available 2^nd grade games! If you need help logging on at home, please let me know. We ended the week with Math Stations reviewing newly taught concepts!

Word Study:

Sort – Game – Sort… that pretty much sums up Word Study this week! First the kids worked on a two-way sort with consonants that make two different sounds (‘g’ in good vs. ‘g’ in gem). Then we played a Concentration game where matches were made by finding words with the same consonant that made a different sounds (g’s, c’s and th’s). Last we did a sort that took a look at the double “oo” in words (moon vs. look).

Science:

This week the students acted and sang a song called Parts of a Plant.  What amazing singers!  We are completing our investigation journal, we have observed many interesting changes with the plants.  Some garlic grew like crazy, while others did nothing.  The potato in a cup of water is growing many roots, while the potatoes in soil have shown no growth.   Our plant unit is coming to an end.  The plant test will be this Tuesday, January 31^st.  Please help your child study.

Social Studies:

This week in Social Studies we completed a culminating activity to end our Local Geography unit.  Mr.Schiller (Chloe's dad) contacted the Kroger's manager on Union Lake Road who agreed to provide paper bags for our "Environmental Awareness Community Project".  Our second graders created slogans to remind the community members of White Lake the importance of taking care of our local environment.  Along with their slogans, students illustrated the grocery bags.  Look for them to be displayed in the 2nd grade hallway in the near future.  The bags will go back to the Union Lake Kroger to be reused to pack groceries for the shoppers.  The students were very excited to spread such an important message to the community!  A special thank you to Mr. Schiller and Union Lake Kroger for making this activity possible.

Special News and Reminders:

·      Thursday, February 2^nd- Report cards available on line

·      Friday, February 3^rd-             Milk carton prepped and returned to school

·      Saturday, February 4^th- Dublin PTA All Day Crop Fundraiser-10:00 am – 8:00 pm (Doors will open at 9:30 am)

·      Tuesday, February 14^th- Valentine’s Party from 2:30-3:30.

·      February – Outdoor Center Fieldtrip money ($10) and permission slip due. Also don’t forget to bring in a fuzzy sock!

·      February 20^th- 24^th-             Mid-Winter Break:  NO SCHOOL

Update on Donor's Choose:
I am still missing a few signed permission slips for this great opportunity. If you do not wish to sign the permission slip, please make sure to send me an email. I am working on obtaining grant money from www.donorschoose.org to fund 2 Apple iPod Touches and protective cases for us to use in the room for a variety of enrichment and differentiation in our curriculum, not to mention ALL of the ways the kids could use the cameras and video cameras for different projects! Thank you for your help!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Science

Our scientists have been very busy this past week.  We made the final observations on our plant cuttings.  We harvested seeds from our brassica seed pods and talked about the life cycle of a plant.  Next week we will be reviewing for our end of the unit assessment by completing a study guide together.  Look for the study guide to come home with your child next week.  Please use this to study for our New Plants test which will be Tuesday, January 31^st.

Social Studies

This week in Social Studies we took our Unit 2 test. We reviewed map skills prior to this and then answered questions on the test about the uses of maps, the importance of using a map and human and natural features of land. I was very impressed with how well the second graders did on this assessment!  They are wonderful cartographers!  Please look for their test in next week’s Friday Packet.

Math Workshop

Math, math and more math!  This week, our mathematicians were introduced to division.  We had a division party and divided manipulatives equally to each party member.  We also reviewed and took the Benchmark Assessment; the Benchmark Progress Report will come home with your child later next week.  Most students did a super job! Our week ended with our Unit 6 assessment and we had a fun Friday filled with math games!

Reader’s Workshop

This week in Workshop, your child practiced their prereading strategies with the “just right” books that they shopped for earlier in the week.  Students also reviewed and practiced the importance of being “Wow” readers during independent and partner reading.  My time was spent continuing the reading assessments.  I’m very impressed with the progress that they have made as readers this year.  I will continue with the assessments next week.

Writer’s Workshop

Our writers spent most of the week selecting a seed idea (blowing out candles on their birthday cake) from their watermelon story ideas (my 6^th birthday) and using a graphic organizer to s-t-r-e-t-c-h their seed idea into a personal narrative.  Next, we used a storyboard to sketch a detailed drawing of the beginning, middle and end of their seed idea (making sure that they stuck to one moment).  This concept proved to be difficult for some of our second graders.  They needed to be reminded to stick to one small moment.

Word Study

This week in Word Study we did several things! First we took a look at contractions once more. We reviewed the rule for making contractions and then we played a concentration game where the kids had to match the two words with their contraction. Then we looked at similar patterns in words- the same beginnings or endings! Last we took a look at consonant digraphs and did a sort for words with -sh, -ch, -th and -wh.

Winter Month Expectations

    The winter months are very important to academic growth, so please make sure that your child is getting to bed on time and reading every day.  These are often the months when we see your child’s reading and writing skills really “take-off”!

    Expectations are higher for second graders as we approach the second half of the year.  For example, your child should be putting capitals at the beginning of sentences along with the correct punctuation at the end.  Basic sight words should be spelled correctly and your child should be forming their letters correctly.  Do they know their basic addition and subtraction facts?

    My expectations for quality work and social skills have also increased.  I know your child pretty well by know and know what they are capable of in order to produce their “personal best”.  I also know that they are all capable of being respectful listeners.

   I ask for your support in encouraging these higher expectations for your child and practicing with them at home.

Special News/Reminders:

·      Friday, January 20^th - End of 2nd marking period

·      Thursday, February 2^nd- Report cards available on line

·      Friday, February 3^rd-             Milk carton prepped and returned to school

·      Saturday, February 4^th- Dublin PTA All Day Crop Fundraiser-10:00 am – 8:00 pm (Doors will open at 9:30 am)

·      Tuesday, February 14^th- Valentine’s Party from 2:30-3:30.

·      February – Outdoor Center Fieldtrip money ($10) and permission slip due. Also don’t forget to bring in a fuzzy sock!

·      February 20^th- 24^th-             Mid-Winter Break:  NO SCHOOL

Friday, January 13th

Happy Long Weekend 2nd Grade Families!

It’s been another fantastically busy (and short) week in 2nd grade…

Reader’s Workshop:
This week in Workshop we took a look back at the different styles of dialogue within a text. We then did some pre-reading work where the kids were given a copy of the book, Pinky and Rex and the Spelling Bee without any of the text. Using predictions, inferences, wonderings and even connections, our students worked as a team to predict and write about the story, in their own words. I also started doing individualized reading assessments this week which will help to re-structure and re-align our current guided reading groups and partner reading assignments.

Writer’s Workshop:
In Workshop this week we took a look at our “Seed Lists” and chose one small event to take through the writing process. Our writers were given a graphic organizer that they could use next to plan for the beginning, middle and ending of their Small Moment. It has been neat to see how excited they are to write and tell about their narrative!

Word Study:
This week in Word Study we were focusing on three different areas. We took a look at contractions, how we combine two words into one (i.e. I am -> I’m). Next we spent time with high-frequency words and played a concentration game matching words with similar beginning or ending consonant clusters. Last we, took a look at synonyms and antonyms and played a LOTTO game to review similarities and differences amongst the meaning of words.

Math:
We have done A LOT in math this week! Subtraction with borrowing seems to be a difficult concept. Please make sure to review this thoroughly at home before our Math Benchmark next week on Thursday, January 19th! We have also spent time this week learning to multiply! Using arrays or equal groups, the kids have been practicing multiplying different numbers. They are VERY excited about this new skill!

Science:
The botanists observed that our potato plant started growing roots- students realized potatoes use their roots like straws to drink water and nutrients from the ground. We talked about how some things grow underground like potatoes and carrots, but still need sunlight to shine on the vines to grow. Many of the plant cuttings have finally begun to sprout roots too. Ask your child about wheat and what wheat is made into… flour. Be on the lookout for a science study guide in the next few weeks.

Social Studies:
This week in Social Studies we learned about absolute location (the exact location of a place or landmark). Students practiced absolute location by finding coordinates on a grid. We also learned a fun Tic-Tac-Toe game with a twist called Absolute Location Tic-Tac-Toe. Ask your child to play a few rounds with you! Our week ended by reviewing for our end of the unit assessment which will be on Tuesday, January 17th.

Important Upcoming Dates:
• Friday, January 13 and Monday, January 16: NO SCHOOL
• Thursday, January 19: Math Benchmark Test
• Friday, January 20: End of 2nd Marking Period/Skyward Closed

Have a wonderful and safe long weekend! We’ll see you on Tuesday!! Mrs. Weckstein and Miss Mossoian



Friday, January 6th

Happy 2012! I hope that you enjoyed spending time with your family and friends over the holidays. Our week may have been short, but we jam-packed our days with a lot of learning!


Reader’s Workshop
In Reader’s Workshop our students took a closer look at the different types of punctuation. We focused on what the punctuation mark looked like and how to use it properly. Students were given their own punctuation chart to find examples of the different types of punctuation in their “just right” books. The punctuation marks that we focused on this week were: period, comma, quotation marks, exclamation mark, ellipses, hyphen, apostrophe and question mark.
Writer’s Workshop
We started our Small Moments Unit of Study in Writer’s Workshop this week. Students began by brainstorming big watermelon ideas and then broke down their big idea into smaller seed ideas about their small moments. Next, they picked one seed idea that they thought they could write about and practiced organizing their thoughts on a story map (graphic organizer). On the story map, students included important details from the beginning, middle, and end of their stories in bullet point form.

Math Workshop
Our mathematicians have been doing all sorts of things this week! We worked with addition and subtraction strategies for number stories and adding three numbers together. Then we worked with data as we collected information about our favorite foods and created a bar graph. A study guide for our next Math BA was sent home with your child on Thursday. Please set a little time aside each night to practice the math concepts in the study guide. Our Math BA will be on Thursday, January 19th.
Science
Our garlic and plant cuttings have finally begun to grow: however, we noticed that some plants grew at different rates. We just harvested our brassica seeds, when they dry out we’ll replant them to see what happens. Students are making many observations in their science journal, they are amazing botanists!

Social Studies
The past week in Social Studies has been busy! We’ve been looking at ways our community can change and have been learning about good changes and bad changes that can happen in a community, as well as environmental challenges we face! We read the Wartville Wizard and responded to some writing prompts such as: How would you feel about swimming in a lake covered with oil? or What would our community be like if all the trees were cut down?
Word Study
In Word Study this week we worked with three different rules. First, we took a look at the pattern in words that uses a vowel-consonant-silent e and practiced creating words with such patterns (i.e. hope, globe, sore and woke). Next, we continued our look at endings but this time we used the endings -ing and -ink to play a LOTTO game! Lastly, we spent time working with double consonants at the end of words. We made words using letter tiles and once we built a word, we sorted them into categories based on a "ll", "ff", or "ss" endings.
Important News and Reminders:

Thursday, January 12th - Rollerskating at the Rolladium with Mrs. Weckstein!! 6:30pm

Friday, January 13th –Professional Development for Staff – NO SCHOOL

Monday, January 16th – Martin Luther King Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
Thursday, January 19th –Math Benchmark Assessment

Friday, January 20th –End of 2nd marking period/Family Access closed

Please start saving empty and washed 1 gallon milk jugs! We will be using them for a Valentine’s Day project. Please do not send any jugs in yet. A note telling you how to prep the jugs for our project will be sent home in the near future.

Our December night at the Rolladium... what a blast!

A Special New Part of 204!

Happy 2012 Weckie Families!

It's with much excitement and anticipation that I introduce you to a new part of our 204 family for the next 10 weeks. Below you will find a letter and photo from our new Student Teacher who will be doing her internship at Dublin from Central Michigan University... If you happen to stop by the classroom this week, be sure to welcome Danielle Mossoian!

:-) Mrs. Weckstein :-)

Dear Second Grade Families,

                  Welcome back from the holiday break!  As we get back into the groove of things I would like to start off by introducing myself.  My name is Ms. Mossoian, and I will be student teaching in your son/daughters second grade classroom. I am an Early Childhood Education major at Central Michigan University. This opportunity is my last step before receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.

Some of my favorite hobbies are to watch Disney movies, read children’s books, scrapbooking, snowmobiling, swimming and spending time with my family. I love spending time with kids, and spend a lot of time babysitting.  I really enjoy working with children and am really excited about this semester. I feel as though all my training and experience has prepared me for this journey.  I am looking forward to be a part of this classroom, and I hope that the children learn from me, as much as I am going to learn from them.

I am very excited to be here at Dublin Elementary, and to be working with your son/daughter. I am thrilled to have your child in the class, and look forward to getting to know you and your child in the upcoming weeks. We will have many experiences to learn and grow in the days ahead. I will be working closely with Mrs. Weckstein in the classroom. She and I will be working together to give your child the best experience possible.

I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to work with your child. Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns. You can contact me by phone at (248)956-3864 or by email at mosso1dr@yahoo.com.

I look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,

Ms. Mossoian