A word about our Second Graders:
Expectations
are higher for second graders as we approach the end of the year. We need to make sure that they are ready for
third grade. 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. 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 now and am
aware of what they are capable of in order for them to produce their “personal
best”. I also know that they are all
capable of being respectful listeners.
Second graders should also be able to
come to the classroom unassisted by an adult.
Backpacks, lunches and Everyday folders should be taken care of by the
student, not a parent. We are trying to
instill a sense of accomplishment and responsibility in your child, and this
can’t happen if they are unable to complete these simple tasks independently. I promise you that your child will feel loads
better about themselves knowing that they are capable of doing things on their
own.
I ask
for your support in encouraging these higher expectations for your child. I
also ask that homework to be returned in a timely manner. I realize that spring is a busy time for
everyone, but school work must come first.
Together we can!
Reader’s Workshop: This week in workshop we continued
our look into “informational fiction” books as we finished reading Salamander
Rain and Wacky Plant Cycles.
As a class, we completed a Venn diagram talking about the two book’s
nonfiction text feature similarities and writing structures. Next, we talked
about nonfiction and informational books having
to either be read from “cover to cover” or as a book you can “dip in and
dip out” of as a reader. We also created questions that all good readers ask
themselves before approaching an unfamiliar nonfiction book. Students were sent off to see what questions
they asked themselves before reading a “just right” nonfiction text of their
own.
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| Our comparison of two different Informational Fiction books! |
Writer’s
Workshop This week we took all of our bird research
and transferred the collected information into a newspaper article format.
Students spent time making the facts that they collected “interesting” for
their readers as well as making sure that their facts were put into complete
sentences. We worked on our physical description, habitat and nesting, food and
three interesting facts for the birds. Our week ended by crafting an
interesting lead that will “hook” our readers.
We are VERY excited about birds! Look for a note coming home about
helping type out your child’s writing.
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| An example of one piece we shared where facts were turned into interesting sentences for a magazine article! |
Math Workshop: We continued to review different
strategies for multiplication and division by solving story problems. The students were pretty excited to be
learning these new facts. A student set
of multiplication/division fact triangles will come home soon. Please keep these triangles handy when
reviewing multiplication and division facts this summer.
Word
Study: This week we have
been forming plurals for words ending in –f, -lf, -fe as we learned to change
the ‘f’ to ‘v’ and add ‘es’. Next we learned how to form comparatives by adding
–er and –est to words. Students then had
to draw pictures to show their comparatives:
tall, taller, tallest.
Social Studies: This week we have spent time learning about the economy in our community by introducing the terms opportunity cost and choice and scarcity. Opportunity cost is the value of the next best choice that one gives up when making a decision. Scarcity is when there is not enough of something that everyone wants. Students had to select two items that they would like to have such as their favorite food. If they selected the first choice, then their opportunity cost would be their second choice. Students ended the week by taking a closer look at different types of careers that are available to them. They were assigned a homework assignment where they needed to interview an adult about their career. Next week students will decide upon a career that they would like to pursue and complete their very first resume!
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| Can you guess which career each Weckie was for our sample careers? |
A glimpse at our hallway if you haven't been by lately...
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| Our cloud poems from our Air and Weather Unit in Science! |
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| A giant list of ways we can help save the Earth for Earth Day! |
Important
Dates/News:
Tuesday,
May 8th: PTA Meeting @ 7:00pm
Friday,
May 11th: Mom’s and
Muffins @ 8:30am, Dublin Spring Clean-Up 4-6pm
Friday, May 18th : Field Day
Monday, May 14th: Items that are due:
-MVP
person selection form
-2 different pictures of your child and their MVP (no computer
printed copies please)
-A digital copy of those photographs emailed to my school email.
-$5.00 to cover the cost of
the project and celebration
-Please also note that the
MVP Celebration is strictly for 2nd graders and their MVP. Please make other arrangements for any
younger siblings during this special event.
Friday, May 18th : Field Day
Thursday, May 24th: MVP Celebration @ 2:30-3:30 pm in Old Gym
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