Happy 100's Day!!

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Friday, February 1st

BRRRR!  It sure has been a cold week!  Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for the cold weather.  They have stayed inside a lot this week, but we ask that you pay careful attention to the changing weather as it seems to be different hourly. Remember, if the wind chill is below zero degrees we will have indoor recess. This can fluctuate during the day, so if it is below zero before school but warms up during the day, we will go outside for recess!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Rolladium for January's Dublin Skate Night!
We sure did have an awesome time skating!

Share Time during Writer's Workshop this week. After seeing Mrs. Weckstein
in a Writing Conference, this is a mandatory (but rather exciting) bonus
for our writer's... a chance to share their Good Leads!

These Weckies spent their Responsibility time decorating the Woods,
and boy were they proud of their hard work taking care of our classroom!

Reader’s Workshop:

Our readers have been busy the past few weeks with making wonderings about the books that they read.  We talked about the difference between a “thin” or a “thick” wondering and the need to s-t-r-e-t-c-h their thinking a bit when they are reading.  As a class, we practiced making wonderings together as we read the books: Galimoto  and The Paper Crane.  Next, students read from their “just right” books and made wonderings on their own.  This is a very important comprehension strategy that your child should be comfortable using in order to have a deeper understanding of the books that they read.  We also took some time to revisit the different type of dialogue styles and highlighted our noticings as a class.  Next, we created a list of strategies that help us read dialogue.  Students were asked to practice using these strategies when reading independently during workshop. They were amazed at how many strategies that they used when reading their books and shared these noticings with their reading partners.

Reading Goal Bags - NEW!!

You will notice something NEW with your child! Each child has been asked to set a goal for their reading based on their progress on their latest Reading Assessment. Each child has a specific goal so that they can improve on one area of focus. I ask that you spend time with them and use the books that come home for a couple of nights, not just one night. These are familiar books that they have selected from our classroom library. If you receive a FLUENCY book bag, there is a laminated card giving you ideas for building your child’s fluency with their books – meaning you will want to read the books several times, helping them to build their speed and expression. If you receive a COMPREHENSION book bag with a laminated “Book in a Day” paper, laminated means your child needs to practice orally retelling the different components on that paper. If you receive a COMPREHENSION book bag with a “Book in a Day” paper that is not laminated, your child should complete and return the paper. If you receive a VOCABULAR book bag, your child is simply keeping a running list of new words they have learned on their mini-word wall paper. Please keep your book for approximately a week and return when ready. As I notice growth and progress with your child’s reading, new goals will be set and the contents in the bag will reflect this change.

Writer’s Workshop:

Our writers continued to create watermelon ideas and break them down into smaller seed ideas.  Next, students selected one of their seed ideas and learned how to draft a story board with illustrations from the beginning, middle and end of their small moment.  We talked about the importance of adding details to their illustrations in order for their stories to be juicier.  It was very difficult for some second graders to stick to one moment.  Next we learned about "Good Leads" in our writing as a way to hook our reader. We learned how to craft a: dialogue lead, an action/sound lead and a question/wondering lead. Next week, we will be selecting a piece to start drafting our personal narrative.

Math Workshop:

Assessments, assessments, assessments!  That’s what we’ve been doing in math these past few weeks.  You should have received benchmark feedback in your child's folder this past week. We also started unit 7 which focuses on patterns and rules.  Students learned how to extend to multiples of tens by playing a game called “Hit the Target”.  They also explored the concepts of estimation, weight, patterning and division through some interactive math stations.  Lastly we worked on measurement - using both centimeters and inches to measure a standing long jump as well as the arm span of each child. We created tables and graphs of our data after finding the median value for each.

Word Study:

This week our students reviewed some high frequency words by sorting them by: beginning vowel sounds, middle sounds and first letters in a word.  They also completed a contraction sort with a partner.

Science:

Our botanists have spent a lot of time finishing up their observations of the new plants that they started to grow during this unit.  We completed labeling the parts of a brassica plant, put the finishing touches on our table of contents and jotted down some of our new learning.  Students also completed a flow chart about the growth of grass. Then we spent time reviewing for our end of the unit test which will be on  Monday, February 4^th.

Important Dates/Reminders:

Monday, February 4^th:  New Plants Science Test

Wednesday, February 6^th:  PTA DAIRY QUEEN FUNDRAISER on Union Lake Road from 4:00-8:00 PM.  We will receive 15% of the profits that night. The money raised will go for new technology for our school. Second Grade Teachers will be there from 6-7pm on Wednesday night!