Upcoming Important Dates to Notes:
Reading Homework Expectation:
As we enter the second half of Grade 2, please help your child take ownership of their personal materials and responsibilities which include: bringing and turning in Take Home folders, taking home and practicing “Just Right” books, and keeping a nightly log of reading. Students can get a fresh log in the classroom if they need another. We expect that all second grade students are reading for a minimum of 20 minutes each night and are logging their reading themselves.
Biography History Project:
The students will begin reading a biography of an important person in history who has made a difference. We will be guiding them through the biography reading, note taking, and report writing in class during the next two weeks. During the week of February 16 - 20, the students will present their report on his/her important person in history. Next week, the students will choose their biography and we will hand out an outline with ideas they can create to help enhance their presentation. We will also send you this information so you can help your child with their biography reading, and begin thinking about his/her presentation.
Multicultural Day:
We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon experiencing many cultures from around the world. In our classroom, the students enjoyed a brief presentation from Mrs. Hansen who shared her culture and ancestral background. With her father from Haiti and her mother from Mexico, the students learned about these cultures and were delighted to try fried plantains, pan dolce, and Haitian soda. Please check our gallery for pictures.
This Week in Second Grade:
In summary, here is what we have been working on in Grade 2:
Reading/Writing/Spelling
Singapore Math
History/Social Studies
Science
Social Cognition and Toolbox
- Valentine's Day Party - Friday, February 13
- History/Biography Presentations - February 16 - 19
- After- School Parent - Teacher Conferences - Monday - Thursday, February 16 - 19
- Parent-Teacher Conferences (No Classes -PK - 4) - Friday, February 20
- Last Day of Winter Term - Friday, February 20
- Spring Break - February 23 - March 8
- First Day of Spring Term - Monday, March 9
- Zero Waste Week - March 16 - 20
- Free Dress - Friday, March 27
Reading Homework Expectation:
As we enter the second half of Grade 2, please help your child take ownership of their personal materials and responsibilities which include: bringing and turning in Take Home folders, taking home and practicing “Just Right” books, and keeping a nightly log of reading. Students can get a fresh log in the classroom if they need another. We expect that all second grade students are reading for a minimum of 20 minutes each night and are logging their reading themselves.
Biography History Project:
The students will begin reading a biography of an important person in history who has made a difference. We will be guiding them through the biography reading, note taking, and report writing in class during the next two weeks. During the week of February 16 - 20, the students will present their report on his/her important person in history. Next week, the students will choose their biography and we will hand out an outline with ideas they can create to help enhance their presentation. We will also send you this information so you can help your child with their biography reading, and begin thinking about his/her presentation.
Multicultural Day:
We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon experiencing many cultures from around the world. In our classroom, the students enjoyed a brief presentation from Mrs. Hansen who shared her culture and ancestral background. With her father from Haiti and her mother from Mexico, the students learned about these cultures and were delighted to try fried plantains, pan dolce, and Haitian soda. Please check our gallery for pictures.
This Week in Second Grade:
In summary, here is what we have been working on in Grade 2:
Reading/Writing/Spelling
- Reading Workshop/Independent Reading- reading and choosing "just right" books and practicing habits and skills of good readers: rereading, visualizing, questioning, making connections, predicting, inferring, retelling, and summarizing; comprehension and fluency check-ins; keeping a reading journal and log
- Writing Workshop: The 7 elements of a fairy tale ("Once upon a time", Royalty, 3's, 7's, 12's, Good vs. Evil, Magic, Wishes Come True, Happy Ending); using checklists to find these elements in various fairy tales;
- Envisioning, planning, and writing our own fairy tales
- Peer conferencing and edting
- Read Aloud of Cinderella Stories from Around the World: The Egyptian Cinderella
- Lexia: Computer program practice and pencil/paper skill builder practice
- Fundations: R-controlled vowels and vowel teams; R-controlled and "d" (double vowel) syllable types; tapping out sounds; marking words
- Read Aloud: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by E.B. White
Singapore Math
- Unit 6: Multiplication/Division Tables of 2 and 3: Counting by twos and threes; doubles; triples; word problems; dividing by 2 and 3
- Review of Units 1 - 6
- Fact Fluency and Mental Math practice
- Using a math journal to record rules, strategies and problems
- Math Challenges and Problem Solving
- Big Brainz - math fluency practice
- Kakooma math puzzles
- Math Tiles - Addition and Subtraction Balance Tiles; Add-A-Dot Tiles; Tens and Ones Place Value Tiles
History/Social Studies
- Introduction to biographies - "I have, who has?" activity: students were given cards with a picture of an important person with a sentence about what he/she is famous for. The students shared these cards around the circle, getting acquainted with a variety of important people in history and alive today.
- Biography book talk: previewing biography books from our library
Science
- Scientific drawing and labeling of lady bug body parts
- Identfying lady bug species: "The Lost Ladybug Project"
Social Cognition and Toolbox
- Social Thinking: revisiting the original "Unthinkables" and review the "Super Cool Five-Step Plan" to defeat them
- Practicing using our "Tools"
- Empathy Tool: Read Aloud: Somebody Loves you Mr. Hatch; Map of our hearts - "what fills you up?"; Puppet skits displaying empathy
- Feuerstein: Identifying Emotions