Week Ending 10/23/17

Hello families!
It's been starting to feel a little bit like Fall these days!  I hope you've all had a chance to enjoy some of the wonderful Fall activities such as apple picking, pumpkin picking, and leaf jumping.

Important information:

• Thursday, November 2, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30.  
• Friday, November 10, there is no school.

3, 2, 1 things you should know about our room...

3 reading strategies we've worked on this week were visualizing, making predictions, and identifying character traits.  *Ask your child which character they chose from the story, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, either Manyara and Nyasha, and which character traits they chose.  

2 math skills we finished up our second math unit and focused on number facts and solving doubles and doubles plus 1 quickly.  

1 writing workshop skill we worked on was using precise words when writing.  For example, instead of using "happy", we brainstormed a list of more exciting words, such as "thrilled".  

Week Ending 10/13/17

Hi Families,
We had a busy week last week in second grade!
Important information:

• Be sure you have signed up for a conference, if you have not done so yet.  
• If you'd like to donate books to the classroom, you can check out our Amazon wish list right here:  Amazon Wish List
• A big thank you to those of you that have donated already...the students are so excited and I very much appreciate it!
• Please remember that Thursday is our library day.  It's really important for books to be returned then, so students can choose new books as well.

3, 2, 1 things happening in Room 250...

3 read aloud we listened to during literacy to practice  making connections were When the Relatives Came, Knuffle Bunny, and Matthew and Tilly.  The more students can make connections to their books, the deeper their comprehension will be. 

*As your child is reading with you, be sure to ask them if they can make a connection to their life or to another book.  

2 math skills we worked on were addition with in 20 and learning an easier way to add 9.  

*Practicing math facts daily (in the car on the way to school, while making dinner, etc) will help your child gain automaticity. 

1 fun activity for the end of the week was with Ben L.'s mom who came in to math puzzles with us!  The students loved in!  Thank you for coming in!

Week Ending 10/6/17

Hello families!
We've started Fall though this week has felt wonderful like late summer.  It's been beautiful out and I love seeing all the students play and enjoy themselves at recess!

Important Information:

• If you have not signed up for conferences yet, please do so.  Here is the Sign Up Genius Link: Conference Sign Up
• Tuesday, October 10th is picture day.  Forms were sent home the same day as Open House.
• Reminder...please have your child keep toys or cards of any kind at home.  They can be a distraction, be lost, or damaged.  For their safety, keep them home.  Thanks!

3, 2, 1 things you should know...

3 math skills we've been working on this week were number combinations to 10 when we played the game Build a Floor, number facts with doubles and doubles +/- 1 when we played Doubles More or Less, and addition number stories.  * Ask your child to share with you an addition number story.  

2 read aloud books we heard this week were Sheila Rae the Brave and When Vera Was Sick to focus on making connections to our own lives.  We think about what happened in the story and what that reminds us of in our own experiences.  * As you read with your child each night, ask them if they've thought of any connections.  This helps to deepen their comprehension of their book.  

1 science concept we learned about was How Seeds Travel.  * Ask your child to tell you 2 ways that seeds travel.  

We also learned about bike safety today during our assembly.  * Ask your child to tell you 1 thing they learned.