It's vacation! I know I am excited for some time with my family and friends to celebrate the winter holidays. I hope you all have special plans as well. Even though, it's coming up on vacation, it's still business as usual around here.
Few important reminders…
* Friday, the 20th, is pajama day for earning 9 baseballs. Please be sure your child is dressed warm enough for the weather outside.
* Friday, we will also be having popcorn (no nuts) with a movie. If your child needs a different snack or gluten free popcorn we have some but you need to let me know (it usually is anyways but not all boxes say it).
* School is out beginning at 3:00 Friday through Wednesday, January 1. School resumes on a regular schedule on Thursday, January 2 at 8:20.
What's been happening this week?
In literacy, I've started some assessments to see how students have been progressing so far this year. We've been working on asking questions as we read and understanding why we ask questions when we read. We also started working on asking questions before, during, and after reading. This is very important for students to be able to do as it helps build their comprehension, helps us learn new information, and we read because we're curious! In writing workshop, we've been working on some creative writing, such as what you would like, do, or say as a snowflake. The answers are great! We do lots of narrative writing and will start opinion writing after break but creative writing helps build their imaginations! In Fundations, we've been working on trick words, 2 syllable words, open and closed syllables, and suffixes such as -y (sounding like "e") and -ly.
*Ask your child why we ask questions when we read.
In math, we've been working on geometry. This week we used polygons to learn different names of shapes, sort them into different categories, and push ourselves with a mid-year test. When we return from break, we will work on quadrilaterals and later move into the unit called "The Art Show" which involves measuring in many different ways.
* Ask your child what a polygon is.
In social studies, we started Mexico! On Monday, we took off from Logan, flew over to Mexico, watched an in-flight presentation on Mexico, and landed in Mexico City. Before we could leave the airport, we had our passports stamped. The students LOVED it! We've been learning about where Mexico is located, what a child's life is like there, and what the flag represents. When we return, we will focus more on the flag and the geography.
* Ask your child if they made it through customs. :)
Finally, have a wonderful and safe break!
Mrs. DeKing
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
Weekly Update 12/13/13
I can't believe how quickly December is going! Oh my! It has certainly gone quicker than I anticipated!
A few things to keep in mind:
* With the cold weather, especially after the holiday break, please remember to send your child in with boots, snow pants, etc. to stay warm and dry at recess. Students without the right clothing will not be able to play in the snow.
* December break is Saturday, the 21 through Wednesday, January 1. We return to school on Thursday, January 2.
* If your child will not be here next week or after vacation, please let me know so I can plan accordingly.
* Next Thursday is fitness preview in PE class. Our class will be going 2:00-2:30 on that afternoon.
* Next Thursday is fitness preview in PE class. Our class will be going 2:00-2:30 on that afternoon.
* Next Friday, the 20th, will be pajama day in our class. We earned our last baseball today from Ms. McManus who complimented the class on stopping, looking, and listening, so quickly today when she stopped by to talk about recess!
* Don't forget…Heritage Bears were due today, Friday. If your child has not completed it, please complete this weekend so we can began sharing next week.
* Moon calendar is due next Friday, the 20th.
* Don't forget to check out "What did we learn this week?" on our class webpage.
* Don't forget to check out "What did we learn this week?" on our class webpage.
What's happening in room 235?
In literacy, I've begun doing some assessments for mid-year. Students are assessed on reading sight words, decodable words (Fundations words), and reading assessment. I will continue doing assessments and reading groups till they are completed. This will help me be sure they are where they are in reading groups, change groups if needed, provide more instruction in particular areas, and prepare for progress reports. We've also started focusing on questioning when we read. We've been focusing on creating "I wonder…" statements and "I learned…" statements to help us understand and learn as we read.
* Ask your child why we wonder or ask questions as we read.
We also received our pen pal letters back from NY! Students have completed their responses and now we will decorate bookmarks and I'll mail them off this coming weekend! Their letter writing skills have improved with just 2 letters! They are not only "just writing a letter", they are learning letter format, focusing on correct sentence structure and grammar, practicing writing sight words, sounding out decodable words, and learning how to answer a question correctly (not just a yes or a no) and how to ask appropriate questions. We've also been working on tiny seed stories in writing workshop and reviewing punctuation during morning work.
In math, we took the Unit 4 test and began unit 5. Unit 5 will focus on geometry. We started looking at attribute blocks and how they were similar or different. We also talked about polygons.
* Ask your child to name 2 out of the 4 attributes of the blocks we were working with.
In science, we've been finishing up our unit on Earth, Sun, and Moon. We viewed a power point of the moon, and we imagined taking off, walking on the moon, and returning to Earth. We used students to model the Earth, Sun, and Moon to understand how rotation and revolving plays into our solar system. Next week, we will begin working on our Mexico unit. On Monday, we will "fly" to Mexico and begin our study!
* Ask your child what rotates and what revolves around what.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Weekly Update 12/6/13
I hope everyone had a nice few days off and are ready for the last few weeks before the December break. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays with family and friends. We had dinner at my parent's house and my husband and Lily went to NY to visit before Thanksgiving day so we were all surrounded by family!
Important Information:
* Each week, on Friday, I will send you a reminder to check out the "What did we learn this week?" page on my website. On Thursdays and Fridays, students type what they think is the most important piece they learned this week. This will allow them some typing practice, sentence and punctuation practice, a chance to review weekly concepts, and an opportunity for you to see what students have written. Use this as a chance to start a conversation about what your child is learning or what they liked best this week.
* As the days get colder, students continue to go out for lunch recess for some running around and fresh air. Please send clothes accordingly.
* Starting next week, I will be sending home a project about Heritage Bears. This is a great chance for all of us to learn about where we all came from and what's important to our families. More info will come next week.
* We have 2 more full weeks of school before break.
* School is closed Saturday, the 21st through Thursday, January 2nd. If you will be away before that or after, please let me know.
What's been happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on non-fiction features and purposes. This past week, we've each written a book about the features of a non-fiction book. We listed the word, added an illustration or photograph, and then the purpose. Students did a great job showing each feature and creating a neat and informative book to share with you. They will be going home soon! In writing, we've been working on those books as well. We also brainstormed a few more tiny seed topics that we could write for a narrative story. Students had wonderful ideas! I look forward to seeing their writing. Next week, we will be working on writing our pen pals back and our narrative writing. When writing our narrative stories, we will again be using a checklist to be sure we are including all the pieces of writing that we've discussed so far. This helps students become more responsible for their own writing and self assessments.
In math, we've spent a good deal of time on problem solving. We're really focusing on what the question is asking us, what information do we already know, and what words or numbers are most important. Also, during our challenge work, I've been encouraging students to really try and think about the problem before running up to me. They can do it! It may be difficult at first and in the end they may need some help but I'm really working with them to build independence and to trust themselves that they can get started and try different solutions on their own. They need to believe in themselves they can get started…they need to believe they can do it…and they need to believe and trust that's it's ok to make mistakes!
In science, we have discussed the sun, the moon, day and night, and have focused on our line of learning. We write in our journals what we think or what we've learned during the lesson and then we draw a line under. After talking with a partner, we write any new information we learned under the line. Each child has something to offer and this is a great way for students to share what they know with a peer.
***We've spent lots of time lately talking about making mistakes. Many of us get stuck when we have made a mistake or with something difficult. We've been having great discussions regarding what happens when we make a mistake, is it a glitch or a huge deal, and how can we move past it? We've learned when we make mistakes, our brain grows and stretches. I've also been having them think about what happens if they never try? They'll never know they can do it!
Important Information:
* Each week, on Friday, I will send you a reminder to check out the "What did we learn this week?" page on my website. On Thursdays and Fridays, students type what they think is the most important piece they learned this week. This will allow them some typing practice, sentence and punctuation practice, a chance to review weekly concepts, and an opportunity for you to see what students have written. Use this as a chance to start a conversation about what your child is learning or what they liked best this week.
* As the days get colder, students continue to go out for lunch recess for some running around and fresh air. Please send clothes accordingly.
* Starting next week, I will be sending home a project about Heritage Bears. This is a great chance for all of us to learn about where we all came from and what's important to our families. More info will come next week.
* We have 2 more full weeks of school before break.
* School is closed Saturday, the 21st through Thursday, January 2nd. If you will be away before that or after, please let me know.
What's been happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on non-fiction features and purposes. This past week, we've each written a book about the features of a non-fiction book. We listed the word, added an illustration or photograph, and then the purpose. Students did a great job showing each feature and creating a neat and informative book to share with you. They will be going home soon! In writing, we've been working on those books as well. We also brainstormed a few more tiny seed topics that we could write for a narrative story. Students had wonderful ideas! I look forward to seeing their writing. Next week, we will be working on writing our pen pals back and our narrative writing. When writing our narrative stories, we will again be using a checklist to be sure we are including all the pieces of writing that we've discussed so far. This helps students become more responsible for their own writing and self assessments.
In math, we've spent a good deal of time on problem solving. We're really focusing on what the question is asking us, what information do we already know, and what words or numbers are most important. Also, during our challenge work, I've been encouraging students to really try and think about the problem before running up to me. They can do it! It may be difficult at first and in the end they may need some help but I'm really working with them to build independence and to trust themselves that they can get started and try different solutions on their own. They need to believe in themselves they can get started…they need to believe they can do it…and they need to believe and trust that's it's ok to make mistakes!
In science, we have discussed the sun, the moon, day and night, and have focused on our line of learning. We write in our journals what we think or what we've learned during the lesson and then we draw a line under. After talking with a partner, we write any new information we learned under the line. Each child has something to offer and this is a great way for students to share what they know with a peer.
***We've spent lots of time lately talking about making mistakes. Many of us get stuck when we have made a mistake or with something difficult. We've been having great discussions regarding what happens when we make a mistake, is it a glitch or a huge deal, and how can we move past it? We've learned when we make mistakes, our brain grows and stretches. I've also been having them think about what happens if they never try? They'll never know they can do it!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Weekly Update 11/22/13
This week went by so quickly! Thank you so much to everyone who made it to math morning! We had a great turn out and the students were so happy to teach you how to play the games. They are working so hard on their math skills and it's great to see them excited to share with you!
Important information:
Tomorrow, Friday, November 22 is an all school pajama day run by the student council.
Wednesday, the 27th, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00.
There is no school on Thursday, the 28th, or Friday, the 29th.
There will be no reading response next week as it's a very short week.
In literacy this week, we've started focusing on non-fiction books, their features and purposes. It's been great to change to non-fiction and focus on real life topics that the students really enjoy. We've read about butterflies, the Earth, Martin Luther King Jr, and the rain forest. We've been using sticky notes to keep track of our thinking during reading time. Students might use a sticky note to show something they learned, a question they still have, or an important fact. We will continue with non-fiction for the next few weeks. In writing workshop, we've switched from narrative writing to more creative writing. We've wrote about who in the whole world we would invite for dinner, if we could have any balloon in the Macy's parade which one it would be, and tomorrow we're going to write about how to catch a plum turkey! It's great to see their creative sides and imagination come out!
In math, we're still focusing on place value but working on addition and subtraction strategies as well. We will continue this next week as we focus more on story problems and the steps to explain their mathematical thinking.
In science, we've started the Earth, Sun, and Moon unit and so far the students love it! We've been using our background knowledge to share what we think we already know about the sun and then asking questions that we want answers too. We're also sharing our line of learning. This is when we write our thoughts and then underneath write something we learned from a peer. This helps create conversations and sharing of ideas around science topics.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday mini-break and enjoys time with family and friends.
Mrs. DeKing
Important information:
Tomorrow, Friday, November 22 is an all school pajama day run by the student council.
Wednesday, the 27th, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00.
There is no school on Thursday, the 28th, or Friday, the 29th.
There will be no reading response next week as it's a very short week.
In literacy this week, we've started focusing on non-fiction books, their features and purposes. It's been great to change to non-fiction and focus on real life topics that the students really enjoy. We've read about butterflies, the Earth, Martin Luther King Jr, and the rain forest. We've been using sticky notes to keep track of our thinking during reading time. Students might use a sticky note to show something they learned, a question they still have, or an important fact. We will continue with non-fiction for the next few weeks. In writing workshop, we've switched from narrative writing to more creative writing. We've wrote about who in the whole world we would invite for dinner, if we could have any balloon in the Macy's parade which one it would be, and tomorrow we're going to write about how to catch a plum turkey! It's great to see their creative sides and imagination come out!
In math, we're still focusing on place value but working on addition and subtraction strategies as well. We will continue this next week as we focus more on story problems and the steps to explain their mathematical thinking.
In science, we've started the Earth, Sun, and Moon unit and so far the students love it! We've been using our background knowledge to share what we think we already know about the sun and then asking questions that we want answers too. We're also sharing our line of learning. This is when we write our thoughts and then underneath write something we learned from a peer. This helps create conversations and sharing of ideas around science topics.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday mini-break and enjoys time with family and friends.
Mrs. DeKing
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Weekly Update 11/15/13
Hi Families,
**Next week on Thursday is math morning. You will hear a presentation from 8:30 - 9:00 in the auditorium before heading to our classroom for math activities where your child will be the teacher form 9:00 - 9:9:30. If you can join us form 8:30 - 9:30 that would be wonderful. If you can't, no worries, just let me know and I will be sure your child is matched with another student or staff.
**Thanksgiving week: Wednesday is a half day with dismissal at 12:00. There is no school on that Thursday or Friday.
Can you believe we saw our first sight of winter this week? I know many of you love the snow! Me? Not so much and I'd prefer it stay far away! It's been a short week but we've been busy. In literacy, we focused on reader's theater with George and Martha stories. Reader's theater helps students work on their fluency skills by reading a skit and using emotion and their voice to bring the story across. We switched with some students in other classes so it was good to see other how each class worked so hard! We also finished up our James Marshall unit. Students are writing book recommendations to help a friend choose which James Marshall book they should pick. Next week, we'll be focusing more on nonfiction text features and their purpose. In writing, we shared our stories with our buddies on Tuesday to celebrate the end of the narrative unit. On Thursday, we wrote our piece the same way we did our first one, we did a pre-assessment in September and now we completed the post-assessment. I have not scored it yet, but just by walking around, I can see the hard work they are doing and how much they've strengthened their writing skills. I can't wait to read them! We also finished up Unit 3 in math, focusing on place value and making change. Our next unit will be focusing on more difficult money problems, story problems for addition and subtraction, and more clock work. We completed our work on the United States and next week we will be looking at our next science unit of Earth, Moon, and Sun. Students usually love this unit and I look forward to getting started!
Have a great weekend!
**Next week on Thursday is math morning. You will hear a presentation from 8:30 - 9:00 in the auditorium before heading to our classroom for math activities where your child will be the teacher form 9:00 - 9:9:30. If you can join us form 8:30 - 9:30 that would be wonderful. If you can't, no worries, just let me know and I will be sure your child is matched with another student or staff.
**Thanksgiving week: Wednesday is a half day with dismissal at 12:00. There is no school on that Thursday or Friday.
Can you believe we saw our first sight of winter this week? I know many of you love the snow! Me? Not so much and I'd prefer it stay far away! It's been a short week but we've been busy. In literacy, we focused on reader's theater with George and Martha stories. Reader's theater helps students work on their fluency skills by reading a skit and using emotion and their voice to bring the story across. We switched with some students in other classes so it was good to see other how each class worked so hard! We also finished up our James Marshall unit. Students are writing book recommendations to help a friend choose which James Marshall book they should pick. Next week, we'll be focusing more on nonfiction text features and their purpose. In writing, we shared our stories with our buddies on Tuesday to celebrate the end of the narrative unit. On Thursday, we wrote our piece the same way we did our first one, we did a pre-assessment in September and now we completed the post-assessment. I have not scored it yet, but just by walking around, I can see the hard work they are doing and how much they've strengthened their writing skills. I can't wait to read them! We also finished up Unit 3 in math, focusing on place value and making change. Our next unit will be focusing on more difficult money problems, story problems for addition and subtraction, and more clock work. We completed our work on the United States and next week we will be looking at our next science unit of Earth, Moon, and Sun. Students usually love this unit and I look forward to getting started!
Have a great weekend!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Weekly Update 11/8/13
I'm very proud of our whole class this week! We've had our new student join us and as you may have heard, she does not speak much English. Student have been wonderful being respectful, kind, and helpful. They welcomed her so well and you should be proud of your children!
Important information:
*No school on Monday 11/11/13 for Veteran's Day.
*Math morning is scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 8:30-9:30. At the beginning you will meet in the auditorium with the math coach and then proceed to our classroom for a variety of math activities. As it gets closer, please let me know if you can't make it so I can buddy students up with families if necessary.
*For future planning...On Wednesday, November 27, there is an early release day at 12:00 (not 12:30 as usual).
*Thank you everyone for coming in for conferences. The students were proud to share their work and it's so important for us to touch base and discuss the progress made and the work we still have to do.
*Since we have all met for conferences and we've discussed math and Fundations tests, I will begin sending copies of the tests home for you to view as well. Please keep in mind that the Fundations tests are not always an accurate representation of what I see in in the classroom. I am watching the tests, but also students' everyday writing, practice Fundations work with letter tiles or the white board, and their writing workshop work.
What's happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on our James Marshall author study. We're looking at cause and effect, problem and solution, character traits, and writing our opinion on books and what makes a good friend. In Fundations, we've been working on syllables and trick words: against, knew, know, always, often, and once. During writing workshop, we have been working on completing and publishing our narrative books. I am very impressed. Each student showed growth during this writing unit and the work they've done to fancy up and expand their stories has been great! Next week, we will be meeting with our 3rd grade buddies to share our stories celebrate their hard work!
In math, we've been working on place value. Understanding how to write numbers and make them with cubes to show hundreds, tens, and ones is an important skill that much of our math builds on for later this year. We played a game "Race to 100" and "Race to zero" with partners. We've also been reviewing how to tell time and different ways to show amounts of money. We will take unit 3 test at the end of next week.
In social studies, we've been learning about jazz music, the 4th of July, and rural/urban/suburban areas. We will finish the United States unit early next week and then begin science (Earth, Moon, and Sun).
Important information:
*No school on Monday 11/11/13 for Veteran's Day.
*Math morning is scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 8:30-9:30. At the beginning you will meet in the auditorium with the math coach and then proceed to our classroom for a variety of math activities. As it gets closer, please let me know if you can't make it so I can buddy students up with families if necessary.
*For future planning...On Wednesday, November 27, there is an early release day at 12:00 (not 12:30 as usual).
*Thank you everyone for coming in for conferences. The students were proud to share their work and it's so important for us to touch base and discuss the progress made and the work we still have to do.
*Since we have all met for conferences and we've discussed math and Fundations tests, I will begin sending copies of the tests home for you to view as well. Please keep in mind that the Fundations tests are not always an accurate representation of what I see in in the classroom. I am watching the tests, but also students' everyday writing, practice Fundations work with letter tiles or the white board, and their writing workshop work.
What's happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on our James Marshall author study. We're looking at cause and effect, problem and solution, character traits, and writing our opinion on books and what makes a good friend. In Fundations, we've been working on syllables and trick words: against, knew, know, always, often, and once. During writing workshop, we have been working on completing and publishing our narrative books. I am very impressed. Each student showed growth during this writing unit and the work they've done to fancy up and expand their stories has been great! Next week, we will be meeting with our 3rd grade buddies to share our stories celebrate their hard work!
In math, we've been working on place value. Understanding how to write numbers and make them with cubes to show hundreds, tens, and ones is an important skill that much of our math builds on for later this year. We played a game "Race to 100" and "Race to zero" with partners. We've also been reviewing how to tell time and different ways to show amounts of money. We will take unit 3 test at the end of next week.
In social studies, we've been learning about jazz music, the 4th of July, and rural/urban/suburban areas. We will finish the United States unit early next week and then begin science (Earth, Moon, and Sun).
Friday, November 1, 2013
Nuts and Pumpkins
Just a reminder to families that we're trying to keep a nut free classroom due to the number of nut allergies. We want to keep all students safe so thank you for your cooperation with this.
Also, thank you so much for sending in the pumpkins and sharpies! The students loved decorating the pumpkins and were so creative!
Also, thank you so much for sending in the pumpkins and sharpies! The students loved decorating the pumpkins and were so creative!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Weekly Update 11/1/13
I can't believe it's November already! The weather is starting to feel that way. Please be sure you send your child into school with appropriate clothing for outside recess.
Important dates:
*Thursday, November 7 is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30.
* Monday, November 11, there is no school.
* Wednesday, November 27, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00. Please note the different dismissal time.
* Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29, there is no school for the Thanksgiving break.
* Homework expectations: reading nightly, Xtramath at least 2 times a week, reading response 1x a week on the computer, and Fundations and math worksheet for practice.
What's been happening in room 235?
It's been a busy week getting ready for conferences!
In writing, we've been working hard to edit/revise and rewrite our narrative stories to share with you when we meet.
In literacy, we worked on finding the problem and solution to the story. In small groups, we've also started working on character traits. Character traits are words to describe a character's personality or qualities...versus describing what they look like or what they like to do. We also started an author study on James Marshall. We will be looking at story elements, characters, and writing opinion pieces.
In math, we've been working with different Kathy Richardson activities to focus on place value. We've also started working on describing tens and ones within larger numbers. We also counted the pumpkin seeds we scooped out last week. We used our estimation skills to determine how many we thought were in there. Then we counted by 10s as a class and adjusted our thinking as we counted higher and higher!
In social studies, we've focused on U.S. landmarks and landforms.
In science, we observed our moldy pumpkin! It was very gross and the students LOVED it!
Ask your child to name 1 landmark and 1 landform from the United States.
Ask your child to tell you 1 way to make a narrative story more exciting!
Ask your child what cheer words are and if they remember the cheer for "again" or "sure".
Ask your child how many pumpkin seeds there really were. You'd be amazed!
Important dates:
*Thursday, November 7 is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30.
* Monday, November 11, there is no school.
* Wednesday, November 27, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00. Please note the different dismissal time.
* Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29, there is no school for the Thanksgiving break.
* Homework expectations: reading nightly, Xtramath at least 2 times a week, reading response 1x a week on the computer, and Fundations and math worksheet for practice.
What's been happening in room 235?
It's been a busy week getting ready for conferences!
In writing, we've been working hard to edit/revise and rewrite our narrative stories to share with you when we meet.
In literacy, we worked on finding the problem and solution to the story. In small groups, we've also started working on character traits. Character traits are words to describe a character's personality or qualities...versus describing what they look like or what they like to do. We also started an author study on James Marshall. We will be looking at story elements, characters, and writing opinion pieces.
In math, we've been working with different Kathy Richardson activities to focus on place value. We've also started working on describing tens and ones within larger numbers. We also counted the pumpkin seeds we scooped out last week. We used our estimation skills to determine how many we thought were in there. Then we counted by 10s as a class and adjusted our thinking as we counted higher and higher!
In social studies, we've focused on U.S. landmarks and landforms.
In science, we observed our moldy pumpkin! It was very gross and the students LOVED it!
Ask your child to name 1 landmark and 1 landform from the United States.
Ask your child to tell you 1 way to make a narrative story more exciting!
Ask your child what cheer words are and if they remember the cheer for "again" or "sure".
Ask your child how many pumpkin seeds there really were. You'd be amazed!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Birthday Guest Reader
A child's birthday is so important...especially in 2nd grade! We have had no birthdays yet in the classroom but starting next month, we have many coming up! Although we do not have parties with food, etc., I always encourage parents to come in and read on the morning or end of day of their child's birthday. The reader can be a parent, family member, sibling in another class, etc. The students love this and I usually ask parents to keep it a surprise! Choose a favorite book that you and your child love and read it to the class to start their birthday off right!
When your child's birthday is coming up, please send me an email and set up a time to come in read!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Weekly Update 10/25/13
Can you believe October will be over in a week? We'll be in November before we know it!
* Conferences begin next week and continue into the following week! I'm really looking forward to it and don't forget that your child be attending as well. They are very proud of their work and want to share it with you. If your conference is scheduled after 3:15, you may need to wait till conference time before coming in as the door will be locked. I will walk the previous conference out and then I can let you in. Thank you for your cooperation.
* Homework is going really well overall! Students are working on the work and completing it fully. Many students are completing Xtramath twice a week and that is great! If you're not doing Xtramath, please be sure to be practicing facts in another way (such as flashcards, using dominoes, etc.). Also, the reading log is to be completed 1x a week online. Please plan accordingly to have it completed. If you have difficulty for some reason, please send a response in an email instead. The students are told each week what the prompt is and should be able to do it in an email. The prompt will be posted and students should complete the prompt Monday-Thursday based on the book they are reading that day.
In literacy, we've been working on identifying the problem and solution of the story (we read Lon Po Po, a Chinese fairy tale) and we also focused on comparing characters and describing them (Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, an African Cinderella story). In Fundations, we've worked on the sound of /ed/ and suffixes. Next week, we'll focus on unit 4 trick words. You can find these trick words on my website. The more practice the better! We've also been working on our conference reflections during reading and writing times. It's so important for students to be able to reflect on what they've been working hard on and what they still need help with. In writing, we continue to look at our stories, revise and add details, and focus on what we really want to the reader to read and understand about our small moment story. They're just about ready to be shared with you at conferences! We will be meeting with our buddies in a few weeks to share with them as well. The students are truly becoming wonderful writers! We have also been writing to our pen pals! It's very exciting and I will be mailing them all this weekend! Hopefully, we'll receive letters from them by Thanksgiving.
In math, we continue to focus on number stories, addition and subtraction strategies, as well as doing hands on activities that help reinforce these skills. On Friday, we took the unit 2 math test and we will look at it altogether during conferences. Next week, we'll begin unit 3 focusing on place value. We continue to do "Plus Time" during our RTI blocks. Students are working in groups that are right where they are with numbers. Students are switching classes and working with other students as well as other teachers. So far it's going great and we're all excited about it!
In social studies, we completed the "Me on the Map" project and are moving into the United States, landmarks, and landforms. For science, we observed a pumpkin focusing on describing words and detailed illustrations, estimated the number of seeds, and we will count them next week to see if we're right.
I hope everyone enjoys the last weekend in October!
Any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know!
* Conferences begin next week and continue into the following week! I'm really looking forward to it and don't forget that your child be attending as well. They are very proud of their work and want to share it with you. If your conference is scheduled after 3:15, you may need to wait till conference time before coming in as the door will be locked. I will walk the previous conference out and then I can let you in. Thank you for your cooperation.
* Homework is going really well overall! Students are working on the work and completing it fully. Many students are completing Xtramath twice a week and that is great! If you're not doing Xtramath, please be sure to be practicing facts in another way (such as flashcards, using dominoes, etc.). Also, the reading log is to be completed 1x a week online. Please plan accordingly to have it completed. If you have difficulty for some reason, please send a response in an email instead. The students are told each week what the prompt is and should be able to do it in an email. The prompt will be posted and students should complete the prompt Monday-Thursday based on the book they are reading that day.
In literacy, we've been working on identifying the problem and solution of the story (we read Lon Po Po, a Chinese fairy tale) and we also focused on comparing characters and describing them (Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, an African Cinderella story). In Fundations, we've worked on the sound of /ed/ and suffixes. Next week, we'll focus on unit 4 trick words. You can find these trick words on my website. The more practice the better! We've also been working on our conference reflections during reading and writing times. It's so important for students to be able to reflect on what they've been working hard on and what they still need help with. In writing, we continue to look at our stories, revise and add details, and focus on what we really want to the reader to read and understand about our small moment story. They're just about ready to be shared with you at conferences! We will be meeting with our buddies in a few weeks to share with them as well. The students are truly becoming wonderful writers! We have also been writing to our pen pals! It's very exciting and I will be mailing them all this weekend! Hopefully, we'll receive letters from them by Thanksgiving.
In math, we continue to focus on number stories, addition and subtraction strategies, as well as doing hands on activities that help reinforce these skills. On Friday, we took the unit 2 math test and we will look at it altogether during conferences. Next week, we'll begin unit 3 focusing on place value. We continue to do "Plus Time" during our RTI blocks. Students are working in groups that are right where they are with numbers. Students are switching classes and working with other students as well as other teachers. So far it's going great and we're all excited about it!
In social studies, we completed the "Me on the Map" project and are moving into the United States, landmarks, and landforms. For science, we observed a pumpkin focusing on describing words and detailed illustrations, estimated the number of seeds, and we will count them next week to see if we're right.
I hope everyone enjoys the last weekend in October!
Any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Scholastic Book Orders
Hi Families,
Going home today are 2 flyers for Scholastic book orders. They make great gifts for the holidays the students love getting new books! They are affordable and appropriate for 2nd graders. You can also choose from any catalogue online. If you'd like to order you can do so at scholastic.com/reading club and then books will ship to me when I submit the order. Our classroom activation code is: H6JBB. When parents buy books, we get points which I then use to buy more books for the classroom.
The closing date is Thursday, October 31.
Going home today are 2 flyers for Scholastic book orders. They make great gifts for the holidays the students love getting new books! They are affordable and appropriate for 2nd graders. You can also choose from any catalogue online. If you'd like to order you can do so at scholastic.com/reading club and then books will ship to me when I submit the order. Our classroom activation code is: H6JBB. When parents buy books, we get points which I then use to buy more books for the classroom.
The closing date is Thursday, October 31.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Weekly Update 10/18/13
I hope everyone had a nice long weekend! We enjoyed the weekend by walking the neighborhood and enjoying the nice weather, visiting with friends, and making homemade applesauce. It was a great fall weekend. Many of your children had wonderful stories to tell as well!
*Important information:
Homework has been going well...students have been doing great with the reading response online! I'm so impressed and told them so! I know it can take awhile having them type or tell you what to type but by the end of the year they become pros at both responding and using the online format! Continue monitoring your child's homework and assisting if needed. However, if you do help, please write a note to let me know so I can review it again during the school day.
What's been happening this week?
In literacy, we've been working on making predictions as we read. Making predictions before and during reading helps us understand the story line and characters better because we're thinking more about the text and what could happen next. We've made predictions and evaluated whether they came true and why or why not. During writing workshop, we've been working on editing and adding more. We used Jane Yolen's book Owl Moon, to observe writing skills she used to make the reader become engaged in the story and tried some of it in our own books.
Ask your child what "Thinking, talking, and feeling" means.
In math, we've been working on addition and subtraction fact families. The better we know number combinations that go together, the more easier we can solve addition and subtraction equations. The fact triangles that came home this week are a great way to practice!
Ask your child what the fact family for 4, 6, and 10 would be.
In social studies, we worked more on the continents and oceans and began a "Me on the Map" project.
On Friday, we started writing to our NY pen pals! We are all very excited about this new adventure! In the past, the students have been very engaged and really enjoyed this activity over the year. They love learning about their pen pals and writing about themselves and what we're doing in our classroom!
Have a great weekend!
*Important information:
Homework has been going well...students have been doing great with the reading response online! I'm so impressed and told them so! I know it can take awhile having them type or tell you what to type but by the end of the year they become pros at both responding and using the online format! Continue monitoring your child's homework and assisting if needed. However, if you do help, please write a note to let me know so I can review it again during the school day.
What's been happening this week?
In literacy, we've been working on making predictions as we read. Making predictions before and during reading helps us understand the story line and characters better because we're thinking more about the text and what could happen next. We've made predictions and evaluated whether they came true and why or why not. During writing workshop, we've been working on editing and adding more. We used Jane Yolen's book Owl Moon, to observe writing skills she used to make the reader become engaged in the story and tried some of it in our own books.
Ask your child what "Thinking, talking, and feeling" means.
In math, we've been working on addition and subtraction fact families. The better we know number combinations that go together, the more easier we can solve addition and subtraction equations. The fact triangles that came home this week are a great way to practice!
Ask your child what the fact family for 4, 6, and 10 would be.
In social studies, we worked more on the continents and oceans and began a "Me on the Map" project.
On Friday, we started writing to our NY pen pals! We are all very excited about this new adventure! In the past, the students have been very engaged and really enjoyed this activity over the year. They love learning about their pen pals and writing about themselves and what we're doing in our classroom!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Weekly Update 10/11/13
Even with a half day this week...we've been very busy! We met our buddies for the all school assembly, started math groups, and had pajama day!
* There is no school on Monday, October 14, for Columbus Day.
* Students should be working on Xtramath ( or other fact practice) 2x a week, read 20 minutes, and write an online reading response 1x a week. I check these at the end of the week to see the students' progress.
* Starting next week, students will have 1 math sheet and 1 Fundations (phonics) sheet for homework. These should be review and your child should be able to complete them independently. If they have a great deal of difficulty, please write a note at the top so I am aware. If you help them, add a note as well.
What's been happening in room 235?
Literacy - We've been working on making meaningful connections to stories we hear and read independently. We have been using our own just right books to make connections that help us understand how the characters are feeling or why they did something, to make predictions, and understand the information we read. In Fundations, we've worked on glued sounds, trick words (done, goes, and pretty), and vowel teams. In writing workshop, we began using a student narrative checklist to help us focus our work. Students completed the checklist based on their stories as they are right now and after they've edited their work, they will complete the checklist again. This helps students have goals for their writing and helps lead them in the right direction for a strong narrative.
**Ask your child what a meaningful connection is.
Math - Doubles, doubles, doubles! We've worked quite a bit with doubles facts this week. The better students know their doubles, the better they can use those facts to solve others (ex. doubles plus 1 or doubles minus 1). We also began story problems and made sure we had equations and labels for each problem. Next week, we'll be working on fact families. The better students know the fact family, the easier addition and subtraction will be.
** Ask your child some doubles facts and see how quick they can be.
Math groups have started and it's very exciting for everyone! Two times a week, students among all four 2nd grades, are getting extra math practice in each of our rooms. Students will work with one of the 2nd grade teachers or Ms. Paollilo (our math interventionist) on various math skills. Mixing the students up in each classroom allows students to work with others who are focused on the same math need or number. We're going to try this for awhile and see how it goes. So far, students are excited about switching and the benefit for them will be great!
Social Studies - "Me on the Map" has been our focus this week. We learned about continents and oceans and where we are on the map. We talked about cities, counties, states, countries, continents, and planets. The students have been very interested in geography and I'm thrilled we're off to a great start with the social studies unit.
**Ask your child what continent, state, and city we live in.
* There is no school on Monday, October 14, for Columbus Day.
* Students should be working on Xtramath ( or other fact practice) 2x a week, read 20 minutes, and write an online reading response 1x a week. I check these at the end of the week to see the students' progress.
* Starting next week, students will have 1 math sheet and 1 Fundations (phonics) sheet for homework. These should be review and your child should be able to complete them independently. If they have a great deal of difficulty, please write a note at the top so I am aware. If you help them, add a note as well.
What's been happening in room 235?
Literacy - We've been working on making meaningful connections to stories we hear and read independently. We have been using our own just right books to make connections that help us understand how the characters are feeling or why they did something, to make predictions, and understand the information we read. In Fundations, we've worked on glued sounds, trick words (done, goes, and pretty), and vowel teams. In writing workshop, we began using a student narrative checklist to help us focus our work. Students completed the checklist based on their stories as they are right now and after they've edited their work, they will complete the checklist again. This helps students have goals for their writing and helps lead them in the right direction for a strong narrative.
**Ask your child what a meaningful connection is.
Math - Doubles, doubles, doubles! We've worked quite a bit with doubles facts this week. The better students know their doubles, the better they can use those facts to solve others (ex. doubles plus 1 or doubles minus 1). We also began story problems and made sure we had equations and labels for each problem. Next week, we'll be working on fact families. The better students know the fact family, the easier addition and subtraction will be.
** Ask your child some doubles facts and see how quick they can be.
Math groups have started and it's very exciting for everyone! Two times a week, students among all four 2nd grades, are getting extra math practice in each of our rooms. Students will work with one of the 2nd grade teachers or Ms. Paollilo (our math interventionist) on various math skills. Mixing the students up in each classroom allows students to work with others who are focused on the same math need or number. We're going to try this for awhile and see how it goes. So far, students are excited about switching and the benefit for them will be great!
Social Studies - "Me on the Map" has been our focus this week. We learned about continents and oceans and where we are on the map. We talked about cities, counties, states, countries, continents, and planets. The students have been very interested in geography and I'm thrilled we're off to a great start with the social studies unit.
**Ask your child what continent, state, and city we live in.
Reading Response Update
Dear Families,
I checked tonight the reading responses that are complete. Please be sure to complete the reading response. The reading response online is tied directly to the skill we are working on in class. It is due for tomorrow and each Friday. Students have all week to complete it and if there is technical difficulties, please let me know.
Directions are in a post below if needed.
Thanks for your cooperation with this!
I checked tonight the reading responses that are complete. Please be sure to complete the reading response. The reading response online is tied directly to the skill we are working on in class. It is due for tomorrow and each Friday. Students have all week to complete it and if there is technical difficulties, please let me know.
Directions are in a post below if needed.
Thanks for your cooperation with this!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Don't forget to sign up for Fall conferences! This will be a conference for you and your child so please schedule a time that both of you can attend. The students are very proud of their work and want to share it with you!
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0A4EA8A928A20-deking
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0A4EA8A928A20-deking
Friday, October 4, 2013
Weekly Update 10/4/13
**Fall conference sign up is ready to go on SignUp Genius. Please see other post for more information.
**Homework this week has been Xtramath (or other fact practice) at least 2x a week and reading for 20 minutes or more each night. Starting next week, students will be doing Xtramath, reading 10 minutes, and completing a reading response online 1 night during the week. Please see the other post as well for more information.
**Next Thursday, October 10, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30. This is a teacher professional development training in writing.
**ASCA starts next week. If your child is taking ASCA classes, please send a note in to let me know. I do receive a list but like to double check parent information to be sure. Also, if there is a time your child will not be going to ASCA as planned, please send a note in as well.
What's been happening this week?
In literacy, we've gotten reading groups up and running and started focusing on activating our schema/background knowledge on topics to help us understand the story. If we know a lot about butterflies...reading a non-fiction book will be easier for us. If we've taken a long ride in a car vacation, we can use our schema to help us understand how the characters are feeling when they are taking a long trip. We will continue our work next week and learn about making meaningful connections to the stories. We focused on bonus letters and glued sounds in Fundations. In writing, we've been focusing on grammar areas such as complete thoughts/sentences, punctuation, and asking versus telling sentences. We also worked on adding to our stories by writing about our five senses. We also began using a checklist to be sure our work has everything needed to be a GREAT story! The checklists will help guide my teaching as well as their growth as writers, particularly during writing conferences.
In math, we've been learning how to complete Xtramath on the computer, use doubles facts to solve addition problems, work with cubes to find number combinations to numbers 6 through 10, and solved number stories. We also took an addition fact test to see where we are. Students will take this a few times this year to see their growth.
In social studies, we've been learning the names of the continents and oceans. Some first questions were "What is a continent?" and "How many oceans are there?" We have a lot of work to do around this and will continue learning about map skills and begin the United States next week. One morning message, asked students to list places they've been out of the country...I was amazed the number of fantastic places we've been!
We met with our 3rd grade buddies today too! Students talked about what they had in common and what was different. We will sit with our buddies at the all school meeting next week.
Ask you child...
* How does schema help you understand the story?
* What is a meaningful connection versus a regular connection?
* How can you make your story more interesting to the reader?
* What is a doubles fact?
* Who is their buddy and what do they have in common?
Fall Conferences
November will be coming up fairly fast! To make things as easy as possible, I have created an online conference sign up through SignUp Genius. If you haven't used the website before and have any questions or concerns about signing up, please let me know! I can walk you through it step by step if needed. This will be a conference for you and your child so please schedule a time that both of you can attend. The students are very proud of their work and want to share it with you!
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0A4EA8A928A20-deking
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0A4EA8A928A20-deking
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Reading Response
Dear families,
We'll be starting something new as part of the nightly reading. I am expecting students to write a response 1 time a week on the computer.
* One night they will read and write their response on my web page for to read.
* The response question may differ week to week depending on what we are learning about in reading workshop. Please read the response before reading as students may need to respond before reading (ex. making a prediction).
* On the night they read and respond online, they will type their answers. This may be very slow at first and you may help them in the beginning, but I assure you...as time goes on they get very quick!
* You may choose which night to complete the response (at least 1 night but students can do as many as they'd like).
* As part of the Common Core standards, students are expected to respond more in writing and with guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing.
* This will be something that I will check each week. I love seeing what they come up with!
* We will start this the week of October 8th.
Start at my website...
http://www2.newton.k12.ma.us/~megan_deking/?OpenItemURL=S03FBB287
*Click on 'Reading Response Form' and be sure to click submit when done.
Let me know if you have any questions!
If you have trouble accessing technology, please let me know and we'll make other arrangements.
We'll be starting something new as part of the nightly reading. I am expecting students to write a response 1 time a week on the computer.
* One night they will read and write their response on my web page for to read.
* The response question may differ week to week depending on what we are learning about in reading workshop. Please read the response before reading as students may need to respond before reading (ex. making a prediction).
* On the night they read and respond online, they will type their answers. This may be very slow at first and you may help them in the beginning, but I assure you...as time goes on they get very quick!
* You may choose which night to complete the response (at least 1 night but students can do as many as they'd like).
* As part of the Common Core standards, students are expected to respond more in writing and with guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing.
* This will be something that I will check each week. I love seeing what they come up with!
* We will start this the week of October 8th.
Start at my website...
http://www2.newton.k12.ma.us/~megan_deking/?OpenItemURL=S03FBB287
*Click on 'Reading Response Form' and be sure to click submit when done.
Let me know if you have any questions!
If you have trouble accessing technology, please let me know and we'll make other arrangements.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Week of 9/23-9/27
*Things have been going great! We've been practicing many routines and have really dived into the curriculum. A lot has been review but now we're moving on and I look forward to see how we do!
*Blog: Each Friday at the end of a full week, I will add a note to the blog to let you know what we've been working on and what's coming up. Please check it for important information as well as use it as a tool to start a conversation about school. I'm trying to figure out a way to have it come directly to your email if there is a new post...when I know, I'll let you know.
*I'll be sending the book order in tomorrow am, so if you haven't ordered and would like to...please go ahead and do it tonight. If you need the information, see the post below.
*Next week we will begin talking about homework...2nd grade will be expecting students to read for 20 minutes every night next week. After that, we will begin doing 1 reading response online and the following week will be reading nightly, 1 night a response online, as well as a Fundations or math worksheet. More info will come later.
What's been happening in room 235?
Literacy: We've finished assessments and have started reading groups. We're off to a good start...we've been reading and responding to our reading in our notebooks. We've also been focusing on using post-it notes to help keep track of our thinking. Ask you child how they would mark something they questioned or their favorite part. In writing, we've started brainstorming stories and practiced telling across all 5 fingers to make sure we're stretching it out. Using our 5 senses is another way we stretch out our story by adding specific details. We also started some basic grammar review. Ask your child what punctuation goes with an asking or telling sentence. Next week, we'll focus more on making connections to the stories we read and hear and using our schema (what we already know about a topic or idea) to help us understand what we're reading. In Fundations, we finished unit 1, a review of 1st grade, and have moved on to unit 2 which is a review of bonus letters as well as the letters pairs that make the 'r' sound (ex. -er, -ar, etc.). We also started using Tumblebooks on the laptops to hear stories which helps our own fluency.
Math: We took the first unit test and overall students did very well. We talked a lot about not understanding something and making careless mistakes. I will be sending them home next week. We worked on adding combinations by playing some Kathy Richardson games and we started using the laptops during math to do Xtramath. Next week, we'll keep working on adding and subtraction combinations as well as reviewing easy number facts and doubles.
Science/Social Studies: We finished up our mini-unit on plants where we observed seeds, let them germinate, and then observed them again once the root began to grow. We also talked about how seeds travel. Ask your child 1 way seeds can travel. We will be starting social studies and will begin with continents and oceans. We will begin learning where our place in the world is and where Newton is located in the U.S.A.
If you have any questions...don't hesitate to ask!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Xtramath
Hello Families,
Going home today is the paper sign up for XtraMath. This is an online math program that helps students build their addition skills. Students sign on and practice their addition skills by doing pre-assessments, activities such as "Race the Teacher", and practice. This has been successful for many students in the past. I am expecting students to do this at least 2 days a week and I will be monitoring progress through the program. Students should be able to add within 20 by the end of the year. It only takes about 10 minutes at the most each time. You can sign up using the code given to your child on the information sheet sent home today. If your child has already started it in 1st grade, they will enter their code and it should pick up where they left off.
If you are unable to get on the Internet or after a few weeks, XtraMath is not working well for your child, please let me know. There are many other ways to practice math facts such as flashcards, addition top-it with a friend, or simply writing down facts and learning fact families.
Going home today is the paper sign up for XtraMath. This is an online math program that helps students build their addition skills. Students sign on and practice their addition skills by doing pre-assessments, activities such as "Race the Teacher", and practice. This has been successful for many students in the past. I am expecting students to do this at least 2 days a week and I will be monitoring progress through the program. Students should be able to add within 20 by the end of the year. It only takes about 10 minutes at the most each time. You can sign up using the code given to your child on the information sheet sent home today. If your child has already started it in 1st grade, they will enter their code and it should pick up where they left off.
If you are unable to get on the Internet or after a few weeks, XtraMath is not working well for your child, please let me know. There are many other ways to practice math facts such as flashcards, addition top-it with a friend, or simply writing down facts and learning fact families.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
September 2013 Newsletter
Welcome to 2nd grade in room 235! I'm so looking forward to a great year!
Important Information:
**School begins at 8:25 and doors open at 8:20. We will begin shortly after the 8:25 bell so the sooner your child is at school the better.
**Dismissal is at 3:00 on M, W, TH, and F. Please allow us space to get out the door at the end of the hallway. We usually exit the door and walk towards the edge of the school to wait for parents so please meet us there. It's very congested during dismissal! Dismissal is at 12:30 on Tuesdays.
**There is no school on Thursday, September 5.
**Open house is scheduled for Thursday, September 12 at night. More info to follow. An email was sent earlier this week to families with attachments for library sign up and Open House schedule.
Each month, usually by the 1st of the month, there will be a new newsletter posted. Each newsletter will have important information/dates for the month that you should make note of, curriculum information regarding what we worked on so far and what is to come in the next month, and information about activities or projects going on in class. This is a great way to engage in a good conversation with your child about what's happening in school. Instead of hearing "Nothing." when asked what we're working on in writing workshop, you can ask specific questions about their information or narrative book.
I hope you find the monthly newsletters very helpful and informative.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)