Update for September 19th

We had a great first full week in Second Grade! A few of our highlights were:

• Beginning our Apple Economics unit 
• Continuing to learn the components of Daily Five including "Listening to Reading"
• Building our reading stamina
• Discussing CAFE (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary) strategies 
• Reading more books by our author study-Kevin Henkes

Reminder that Monday, September 19th is Curriculum Night from 7:00-7:45. This is a night for parents only as we will spend time sharing the second grade curriculum and routines. If you're unable to make it, I will send home a folder with all the handouts on Tuesday with your child. 

I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Weekly Update 9/12

Week two was another great week here in second grade.  I hope your child enjoyed it as much as I did!  We accomplished all that we had set out to, including introducing one Daily 5 choice, beginning our new science unit, and getting writing and math routines going.

In the past I have used my BLOG to update you on what's to come in the following week.  However, starting this week I am going to use this forum to inform you of what we've already done in the classroom.  This will give me an opportunity to share photos of our classroom and students, as well as get the kids involved in helping me write the BLOG updates.  I hope you will find these types of updates informative and fun.

On that note, here are some photos from this past week I'd like to share:

We kicked off Daily 5 by introducing and practicing the "Read to Self" component.  The kids did a great job, increasing their "stamina" to stay on task and read quietly for up to 12 minutes by the end of the week!

The first science unit, Plant and Animal Survival, kicked off with some great discussion and a chance to take a nature walk to observe plants and animals around Robinson School.  Despite the heat, we were able to see quite a variety of living things.

"Star of the Week" was introduced to the children on Friday.  Each week one child will be chosen to be our "Star" for the week.  That child gets to bring in photos and other special items that tell about themselves.  We will display those items for the entire week, and the child will get to present their items to the class on Fridays.  This week I got to be the 'Star"!!  It was a fun way to demonstrate what "Star of the Week" might look and sound like.

**Second Grade Homework starts this week!  Please check your child's folder daily for homework assignments, beginning Monday, September 12th.  We will start with only the Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe and Reading Log. Your child will be expected to practice their spelling words at least three nights per week. The Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe sheet will have a variety of choices for your child to pick from in order to practice their words. Also, second graders are expected to read for at least 15 minutes per night. Your child will record what book they read and the number of minutes they read on their weekly Reading Log. There is also a place for parent initials. Both the Reading Log and Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe sheets should remain in your child's Take Home Folder all week and will be passed in on Fridays. Thank you for your help and support on homework.

**Just a reminder that Curriculum Night for 2nd Grade Parents will be on September 19th from 7:00-7:45pm.  



Have a great week.  I look forward to meeting you all very soon!

Important Date Change

There is a TIME correction for our Second Grade Curriculum Night. It will still be on Monday, September 19th but the new time is from 7:00-7:45.  Sorry for the confusion. I hope to see you all there! 

Weekly Update 9/6

It was such a pleasure meeting all of the children last week! I can already tell that it's going to be a great year! I hope you had a wonderful long weekend. We have a lot to look forward to this week. Here is a glance into what will be happening in your child's second grade classroom this week. Along with continuing to get to know one another, we will also begin establishing routines in many of our academic areas. 

We will spend most of our reading blocks reviewing the Daily Five structure. For those new to Robinson or those unfamiliar with Daily Five it is a literacy structure that allows for differentiation in the classroom and provides consistency. It is an integrated literacy instruction and classroom management system that is used during our literacy block. While I am working with small groups for Guided Reading, the other children have literacy “tasks” that include: Work on Words, Work on Writing, Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Listen to Reading. It takes a few weeks for me to assess all of the children and to determine their reading levels and while I am doing that, the children will build their stamina in each of the "task" areas. 

In math we will be continuing with Unit 1, which we began last week. This unit does a lot of review of concepts learned in first grade and allows time for us to establish math routines in the classroom. We will focus on number scrolls and number grids this week as tools to help us solve addition problems. 

I will also be assessing the children on the 100-second grade high frequency words. This is done periodically throughout the year to see what words your child needs to practice. These words will become part of their weekly spelling words that they will practice at school and home. 

This week we will begin our first science unit, which is "Plant and Animal Survival." The first lesson will focus on living and nonliving. The students will have an opportunity to take a nature walk and to classify and graph the items they see during our walk. 

Finally, we will also begin our first social studies unit on "Apple Economics." In the first lesson, the students will learn about the apple tree and the "goods" that come from the tree. 

As you can see, it's going to be a busy week!! :) 

Upcoming Dates:

September 5th- No School for Labor Day

Week of September 12th- Homework begins

September 19th- Curriculum Night 6:00-6:45 for Second Grade parents