Weekly Update

Writing:

Every second grader finished their Valentines this week! They all worked incredibly hard to complete their Valentines, making sure each one included three sentences with correct punctuation. While that may sound simple, it is hard work for second graders!

Thank you so much to those of you who may have helped a little at home. We usually don’t run into this, but with so many snow days, it was a bit more challenging to get everything completed during school time. We truly appreciate your support!

Math:

During number corner we have been studying flags from different countries.  The second graders have been comparing and contrasting the flags and looking for patterns in the colors, stripes, and other elements. We have been also using them to talk about fractions. Each day we will be recording what fraction of the day's flag is red. It has been a fun theme for number corner so far this month.

The second grader have also been working hard on adding and subtracting coins.  A good practice to do at home would be to have your child take some coins, and add them up.  Can your child tell you what each coin is called? 

Phonics:

We finished our Vowel Manuals for the BLC company and sent them in!  The second graders worked hard to describe all the ways that to spell the long vowel sounds. Our next job for BLC is getting our Demolition Certification. We are working to show that we know how to take words apart and figure out Bigger, Longer & More Complex words!

Reading:

We are working on retelling our books.  Have your child tell you what book they are reading at school.

They should tell you the characters, the setting, the problem, and tell you the events in order from the beginning, middle, and end, and then tell you the solution.  If they haven't finished the book yet, then they should "infer" what may happen next by some of the events that are already happening.

Homework:

Have a WONDERFUL Mid-Winter Break! I hope you have lots of time to read!!

Extra Information:

February 9&10- No school!

February 13- Valentine's Day

February 27- Early Release Day

March 2 & 4- Parent Teacher Conferences

Weekly Update

The second graders filled their two 10-frames for great whole-class behavior! We decided on an extra recess in the island of the bus loop as their reward! We put out cones out and had 20 minutes in the snow all to ourselves. It was so much fun!

 

Writing:

The second graders finished their restaurant reviews on Friday! They are doing a great job of reminding their readers of the main idea all throughout the review. On Monday we will grade those restaurant reviews and start book reviews! 

Phonics:

We have just a few days left before we have to submit our Vowel Manuals to the BLC. We have been working hard on finding all the ways to spell long vowel sounds. We have gathered lots of examples and tips for spelling these trickiest parts of any word. We are hoping to wrap up our vowel manual ideas early next week.

Math:

We have been working hard on learning money! There are some second graders who need to work on identifying coins and their values which is essential to being able to count coins and tell how much money they have. Playing lots of games with coins at workplaces and having a wallet and earning coins is great practice. Counting coins at home is great practice too : )

Reading:

The second graders have been doing such a good job using their coaching skills! We read with Kinder students in Mrs Mika's class this week and coached them as they read to us. They are really learning a lot about reading! Since we have moved from learning to coach to being coaches, the second graders are helping each other with comprehension strategies. Since they are reading longer and more complex books, keeping track of characters and events can be tricky. The second graders have been practicing retelling with their partners and jotting notes to themselves so they don't forget important events.

Homework:

The two-sided math page is due February 6.

Extra Information:

 Report cards and STAR reports came home in mail on Friday. I look forward to going over them with you at Parent-Teacher Conferences in March, but if you have questions or concerns sooner please reach out! PTC scheduling info is coming from the office soon : )

 Feb 4: 100th Day of School

     Feb 9& 10: Mid-Winter Break

     Feb 27: VIP Bowling

 Feb 13: Valentine's Day Celebration

💛💙 Kids Heart Challenge is this month!

If your second grader hasn't signed up yet, here's the link: Kids Heart Challenge

Right now we are the top class for number of students registered, which is pretty cool! It doesn't cost anything to register and it doesn't mean you have to raise any money. It just helps keep track of the official number of participants!

Weekly Update

We had so much fun bowling! A big THANK YOU to the Park Parent's Club for getting us a pizza lunch too! The kids all really had a good time!

Writing:

The second graders turned in their movie reviews this past week! We will score them and start working on a restaurant review next week. The second graders are getting good at writing their opinion and then following it up with details and examples. We have also been working on the main idea of each review - which isn't exactly the same as their topic. The topic might be Culver's, but a main idea would be: Culver's has the best fast food around.

Math:

We have been adding up to 1,000 this week! The second graders are also getting into earning coins and counting their money. They have been asking when they can shop so I think we will try to do that towards the end of this week.

It was hard work counting 1,000 cubes! First we counted ones into 10s, then 10s into 100s, and finally 100s into 1,000!

Social Studies:

We studied the idea of empathy this week. The second graders learned the definition and we learned about seeing things from someone else's perspective. We watched the book Enemy Pie, which is great for perspective taking.

Reading: 

We are still working on being great reading coaches for each other (an ourselves). This week we talked about identifying the characters and their problem right away to help retell the story and stay focused on comprehension.

Phonics:

The second graders got their assignment from BLC to build a vowel manual and they have started. We collected some examples of the ways the long a sound can be spelled and we added some tips to help remember when to use which spelling. Vowels are the trickiest parts of words and the second graders are doing great work breaking down the long vowel spellings.

Homework:

With all of the snow days this week we didn't get much time to work on Valentine cards in class. We were aiming for 10 to be done by last week, but most didn't make that goal simply because we didn't have time time. I usually don't let the kids bring cards home to work on, but you may have noticed your second grader brought a few home. It was completely optional, so if you didn't see any that's ok! We will be hard at work on them this coming week.

Extra Information:

Hot lunch for Monday: Apple Cinnamon Texas Toast or Cheese Pizza

Hot lunch for Tuesday: White choice: Cheese Pizza Bites or Corn Dog

Back to normal for the rest of the week.

Jan 30: Report Cards and STAR reports come home

Feb 4: 100th Day of School

Feb 9-10: Winter Break

Feb 13: Valentine Celebration

There are still a couple things we would love to have for our celebration. If you want to see what's left on the wish list click here: Sign-Up Genius If that is full the second graders always love to decorate their cards with stickers like these from Amazon.

Feb 27: VIP Bowling

February is also the start of the Kids Heart Challenge. The students get a wristband just for signing up and there are instant prizes again this year - which are always a big deal! There was info in the Park Newsletter, but I'm adding it here too : )

Weekly Update

Writing:

We have big two writing projects going right now. As part of our writing curriculum we are writing persuasive reviews. The second graders are writing about a movie they think is worth watching. We have talked about the elements of movies that may persuade people to watch them and the second graders are getting good at using persuasive language. 

The second project we are working on is writing valentine cards. Every day when they finish their morning work the second graders have been writing individualized messages. It can be tricky to come up with three sentences for every person, but the second graders are working hard and making a dent in the number of cards they have left to write. Thank you to everyone who has sent in stickers so far! Decorating won't happen until we are farther along with writing, so it's not too late to send decorations in!

As a class we counted over 2,000
craft sticks!

 

Math:

The second graders finished the Unit 5 Screener this week and while this unit is primarily focused on working with larger numbers there is also a focus on learning coin names and values and working with money. To help the second graders get some authentic practice Mrs Hills and I started a penny economy. Each second grader designed a "wallet" and everyone got one penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. Students have been earning pennies to add to their wallet in many ways including by walking quietly in the hallway, taking care of their boots, and cleaning up after themselves. They have also been losing pennies for interrupting, being off task, or not taking care of materials. Eventually the second graders will be able to "spend" their money on things like rulers, new pencils, stickers, and trinkets. They have already been "buying" a turn at leading our line and using flexible or special seating. If your second grader has a collection of trinkets they want to donate to our store feel free to send it to school! Mr Weber already donated a whole bunch of stuffies for us to "sell"! As a special incentive this week homework that gets turned in on Monday is worth 5¢!

Phonics:

Did your second grader tell you that we were hired? We are BLC's newest Phonics Construction Team. We don't have any assignments from them yet, so we are brushing up on our phonics skills and spelling strategies while we wait. Gus, our class pet, was a little nervous that he wasn't going to be good enough, so the second graders wrote him encouraging notes.

Reading:

As the second graders are giving more and more challenging books a try they may need a little more coaching so that has been our continued focus in reading. Students have been practicing with some sentence stems and reading out loud to each other to get targeted feedback. They are doing a fantastic job coaching each other!

SEL:

We revisited our classroom charter this week and make a few updates. We added to the things we can do to help everyone feel Safe, Happy, and Calm and Relaxed. Everyone agreed those words are still a great focus for our class. This is a great group of kids and they really do make our classroom a safe, happy, and calm learning environment!

Homework:

A double-sided math page went home in Friday's mail. It is due by this coming Friday 1/23.

Extra Information:

We go bowling this Thursday 1-22 from 12-2. We will be having a pizza lunch at the bowling alley so no need to pack a lunch that day!!

Remember you don't have to buy Valentine cards but if you want to send in some stickers of other decorations we would love it! Just make sure your second grader knows what is to share with the class and what is just for their cards.

Mrs Hills made us a Sign-Up Genius for the Valentine's Day celebration we will have on February 13. It's still a little way out, but if you want to sign up the link is right here: Valentine Party Supplies

Thanks in advance!

January Specials

 

Weekly Update

We had a great first week back! The weather looks a little crazy for next week so please, please help your second grader remember to wear boots and pack shoes and snowpants. Remember you can always have your second grader leave shoes for PE at school - that's especially helpful on days they forget to pack shoes : ) The January specials calendar is on the flip side of the December one that is already in your child's yellow folder. It is also linked here: January Specials

Writing:

We did some resolution writing for the new year. The second graders brainstormed things they would like to get better at or a healthy habit they want to work on this year. Then we wrote a how or a why statement and made a yeti to go with it. They are all so "yeti" for the new year : ) Next week we will start the second half of our persuasive unit which is review writing. The second graders wrote a "review" of winter that we will be scoring with the checklist. This will give them an idea of areas to work on. Then we will start writing a movie review. 

Phonics:

We have been working on our application to BLC to join their team of Word Builders. They have a list of qualifications that we are working on in class. We can write every sound we hear efficiently and we know that every syllable has a vowel, so we are off to a good start!

Math:

The second graders finished their assessments this week. These will go home early next week. As you look them over with your second grader remember that only the standards highlighted in blue on the scoring sheet are tested to mastery for this assessment. The other standards are still in progress. Additionally if your child does end up with a 1 or 2 on their report card there will be a chance for additional instruction and reassessment.

Reading:

This unit is all about supportive partnerships and the second graders are off to a great start. Reading partners are not reading together, but reading near each other so that if one of them runs into trouble in their book they can check in with their partner. So we have been working on reading strategies to conquer the most common problems second graders run into while reading: word-solving and comprehension.

Homework:

It involves measuring so the second graders' inchworm rulers came home in Friday's mail along with the homework. The ruler does not need to come back, but the two-sided math page is due Jan 16.

Extras:

January 13: Skating Party at Tarry Hall at 6:15

January 16: Early Release

January 22: Our class goes bowling with Mr Beimers! We will leave for Hudsonville Lanes at 12 and have a Park Parents' Club sponsored pizza lunch! We will be back to school by 2:00!

February 14: Valentines Day

I know it seems far away, but I want to let you know that you do not need to buy Valentine's cards this year. In second grade we write our own! It is a fantastic authentic writing exercise and we get to practice the friendly letter format. So each second grader will be writing a card with three sentences, a greeting, and a closing for every classmate. It's a great community-building project and hopefully alleviates some of the stress around Valentines at home. We will need supplies though and stickers a second graders' favorites. So if you see some at the store and want to grab them for us that would be great! Just make sure you and your second grader decide if they are for your child's cards or for everyone. Amazon has some great rolls of fun stickers too : )

February 27: VIP Bowling

Weekly Update

The second graders earned an extra recess last week with their good behavior! We had the whole playground to ourselves. It was so much fun!

Writing:

We wrapped up the letter writing part of our persuasive unit. The second graders wrote to Mrs. Stefanich,  first grade and kindergarten teachers, as well as a kindergartener. We got a letter back from Mr Webber which was really fun! We ended the week by looking over the letters the second graders wrote to Mrs. Stefanich as a pretest. They looked over their graders and wrote new letters that we will deliver next week. Next week we will do some holiday-themed writing that uses some of those persuasive skills!

Reading:

This week we continued to review strategies for when readers run into tricky words. The second graders are really turning into great readers! We also read more stories where the main character is trying to be persuasive. 

Math:

We have been doing so much measuring in math.  The second graders have measured with feet, yards, and inches.  Next week, there will be a check point on what we have been learning. We will wrap up this unit a few days after the Holiday Break by taking our test within that first week back.

Phonics:

The second grader have been playing games and learning about some tricky troublemaker words this week. The second graders brought their words and directions for each of the games home on Friday. Hopefully they can teach you how to play the games with them at home. We will practice spelling these tricky words next week as well as doing some fun holiday related word work.

Homework:

The math page is due by December 19.

Extra Information:

Spirit Week is next week!

My last day will be December 16, but I'll be back in January! Mrs King will be filling in for me Weds-Fri next week.

December 19- Last Day Before Holiday Break! If you signed up to bring anything for our classroom festivities, THANK YOU!  You can bring items to school any time this coming week.

Christmas Sign Up Genius

January 5-First Day back!