Second Grade News - January 8, 2014

Things to Note:

Fun Fitness Friday Dates: 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/17 and 2/14 for a rain date.

No School: 1/20 and 1/21

Book Orders Due: 1/17

Math:  

 Students are diving into subtraction!  All second graders will be working on knowing subtraction facts fluently as well as developing skills to subtract numbers into the double digits.  This week we have been thinking about how addition connects to subtraction and how our knowledge of addition facts will help us learn our subtraction facts.  

 During our math time we continue to develop our skills around reading and setting clocks as well as our knowledge of coins.  Students are expected to know all coin names and values as well as be able to solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies using $ and ¢ symbols correctly by the end of second grader.  Please work with your child on counting coins whenever you use them in your life.  Real life situations are the best way for the kids to see the importance of this skill.  

Literacy/Science:     

 Students have begun a unit on informational writing.  They each have chosen an animal that lives in or near North America that they will research and write a mini report book on.  Students will be asked to write about what they already know (prior knowledge), what they still wonder, and come up with at least two questions they have about their animal.  Students will be learning how to use resources to write their report, will learn how to take a few notes from a resource, and then finally how to take the notes and write their own sentences from them.  Students will be using some of their library time to find resources and will also use some of their technology skills to access World Book to research their animal!  Students seem to be really excited about this project and have even been doing some of their own research at home!  I’m so excited to see what they come up with!  

I will be assessing student’s reading skills for the next few weeks.  The data I gather from this assessment will give me valuable information on what reading skills are still needed for the class as a whole, what skills each individual student needs, and what reading level they should be working within. 

Have a Great Week! –Mrs. Raynor

The 2nd grade getting ready to watch the u-32 orchestra. 

A BIG thank you to all the 2nd graders and their families for making the season spirited! All the little gifts I received were great and seeing the kids express generosity was the best gift of all. Happy Holidays! 

Holiday Fun!

The second grade craft workshop. 

Making gifts to give at Woodridge Nursing Home. 

Getting ready to sing at Woodridge. 

Enjoying some time outside after returning from Woodridge. 

Holiday Fun

Singing holiday songs with the first graders!

Newsletter

Second Grade News                      December 6, 2013

Things to Note:

*Our first Fun Fitness Friday (FFF) is January 10, 2013. Please be sure to return paperwork pertaining to FFF to school ASAP J

 *No Homework packets for the month of December.  Students are still asked to keep track of their reading at home though. 

Science:   Our Hands on Nature lesson had students thinking about Logs and Snag.  Students were able to dissect a log and find things that live there.  The second graders really enjoyed getting their hands dirty!   Students have been learning about friction, gravity, force, and all things motion by reading and conducting experiments.  Second graders are learning how to write detailed lab reports just like scientists.

Math:   Second graders have been getting accustomed to a math block that begins with a mini lesson and then has students moving into centers that they rotate through.  The kids have told me they “LOVE” it and I’m hoping that continues.  We have looked closely at place value and have used that understanding as the starting point for our introduction to adding two digit numbers as well as review of skip counting.  We have also continued to discuss being efficient when solving problems and how to use what we know to help us solve what we don’t.  Second graders have become very skilled at talking about how they solve problems and proving it to others! 

Word Study:  Students continue to explore the difference between long vowels and short vowel s.  Second graders have learned a handful of new games to help them practice their sort words and have had fun studying and learning.   We have also had fun having a few choice days where students decide how they would like to work with their sort words; some second grade favorites include, shaving cream words, spelling battleship, dough words, and rainbow writing just to name a few. 

Literacy:  Second graders have been working hard in their reading groups.  Students have been learning how to use prior knowledge to make more meaning when they are reading and are beginning to explore what it means to infer.  What they don’t know is that they have already been doing this all along!  We are now working to label those skills and use them more intentionally when reading. 

Have a great week – Mrs. Raynor

Word study choice day!

Technology

Learning about the home row on the keyboard.