Weekly Update

Writing:

The second graders have been working so hard on their nonfiction books!  Everyone finished and turned them in on Friday. These are books that the second graders wrote themselves, but with step-by-step guidance for each page. Next week the second graders will write mini-books all on their own, using all that they have learned. I will still, of course, be teaching lessons on how to write really great informational pieces, but the second graders will be writing their mini-books at their own pace. They will decide their topic on their own, what features to include, and how many chapters to have. I'm excited to see what they write!

Socia Studies:

We wrapped up our first two social studies units with a test and a final map drawing. The second graders have learned about citizenship, community helpers, types of communities and map features. Next week we will return to bigger phonics lessons (We have a phonics lesson every day, even when we use part of our time for social studies.) and start a mini unit on powerful word patterns. We will also be adding some of our SEL curriculum into our morning and afternoon meetings.

Math:

We finished the week by with a math test!  The test measures how well the students are doing with place vale, skip counting, adding and subtracting, and telling time. I'm planning on sending these home next week with an end-of-the-unit report, the mid-unit checkpoint, and any additional assessing attached.  

Reading:

We have been sticking with the informational genre for reading this week, and we will next week too. This week we talked about in-depth information and the content-specific vocabulary the second graders will find in their informational books. We decided using those really specific "expert words" shows that an author really knows their topic well. We also decided it would be a good idea to include expert words along with expert facts in our own writing whenever we can. 

Homework:

The math page is due by October 24. This page is an example of the math talks we have been doing this week. Solving problems with symbols and deciding which symbol to solve first encourages math problem solving and lays the groundwork for early algebraic thinking. We have been working hard on elevating our math talks by asking clarifying questions. Two favorites are "Can you tell me more about that?" and "How did you get your answer?" because even if they got the same answer, very often the second graders get there a different way. So if you have time you can do a mini math talk at home. Put that homework between you and solve puzzle while your second grader solves it on their own. Then talk about how you each solved it and see if you got the same answer. If you didn't get the same answer then you will have a really great math talk!

 

Extra Information:

The PE order is open, but closes on October 21!

Did you know that Mr Beimers maintains a Facebook page too? You can find it here: HPSParkPE/ and on the side of this blog : )