Week ending 12/23/16

Hi families!  This is the last post for this 2016 year!  Amazing how far we've come this year so far and how much more we have to go!  Friday is our 73rd day in school.

3, 2, 1 things you should know...
3 read aloud we read during the week were Animal's Santa, Potato Latkes, and Kwanza.  We know that many of the students are celebrating this upcoming week.  As a class, we've talked about what the holidays have in common and how they may be different.  This is not done in a religious way, but light is a theme through each holiday as well as joining with family and friends.
We know some students will be celebrating holidays in January as well and we look forward to sharing what that looks like then!
**Ask your child what they're most looking forward to over the winter break!

2 social studies activities we worked on were Luis on the Map (comparing Luis's story to our Me on the Map story) and watching a DVD on the geography of Mexico.
**Ask your child about 1 item they saw in the video today that stuck with them.

1 writing workshop unit we have started is writing an informational book on their own chosen topic.  We started with brainstorming, moved on to writing a table of contents to help us think of chapters, and then we began the writing.  They are very proud of their work so far as they are the experts in these topics and will be able to share with the class when complete.
**Ask your child which topic they have decided to write about and to tell you two chapters they've decided on.

I hope everyone has a wonderful break and enjoys their holiday if you are celebrating!
Rest, relax, enjoy this time with family and friends and cherish the memories.
Mrs. DeKing

Week ending 12/9/16

Hi Families!
Only 2 more weeks left before the holiday break!  I'm sure everyone is looking forward to it!
This has been a busy week and we've been involved in finishing up our Social Studies unit and beginning our reading unit of determining what's really important when we read.

Important Information:

• Don't forget to start sending in the warm clothes and perhaps extra pants and socks for when we get out during lunch, and sometimes snack, in case they get wet.  
• We will continue to be in school through December 23rd.  If you're child will be out, please let us know.  Thanks in advance. 
• The Heritage Bears look fantastic!  I can't wait to start hearing about each child's bear next week as they start to share with the class.  
• Please visit this sign up to help us collect materials for a winter project we'll be working on before vacation.
• Link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4ea8a928a20-2ndgrade

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

3 non-fiction reading skills we've been working on this week are determining what's important versus interesting, paraphrasing important information into our own words, and identifying what we've learned, still question, and think were "WOW!" parts of the text when reading.  * Ask your child, when they're reading with you, if they still have any questions.  Asking questions after we read is a great strategy to help readers retain what they've read, think beyond the text that's right in front of them, and to help them predict what will happen next.

2 math addition strategies we've been working with in this unit are adding 10 on an open number line and splitting numbers.  * Ask your child to add 34+57 = ?  Encourage them to solve it by splitting numbers and ask them to explain how they solved it.  Explaining their thought process and steps, helps to solidify their learning of this skill.

1 new thing we started today was "Stump Mr. DeKing'!  We call and ask him a question based on what we've been learning this week and see if he can answer it.  We like to challenge him!  

Today we asked him "What does the landform "plains" look like?  *Ask you child that questions or better yet, have them ask you! ;)

Week ending 12/2/16

Hello Families!
I hope everyone enjoyed their longer weekend last week and it's back to business in our classroom!

Important information:

• Thursday, December 8, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30.  
• Heritage Bears are due on Friday, December 9.  
• We continue to go out at recess so please be sure your child has a jacket and anything else necessary for the weather. 
• As the 2nd grade team begins to think about field trips in the Spring, we want to let you know that to even be considered for a field trip, you must be CORI'd and have a current one on file.  This is very important but easy to do.  You can do this by seeing Ms. Sheehan in the office.  Please do this month if you need to.

3, 2, 1 things we've worked on this week.  

3 social studies activities we worked on were brainstorming and sharing what we thought we knew about the United States of America and what we wanted to learn about, learned about important landmarks in our country, and began to learn a little bit about our Constitution.  

2 reading workshop activities we worked on were completing our writing of our own book about non-fiction features and then sharing the books with our peers.  Ask your child to tell you two non-fiction features and their purpose. 

1 homework we've sent home is Heritage Bears.  Here's the scoop...

As part of our Social Studies curriculum, we will soon embark on a journey to learn more about a few of the many countries and cultures that make up our world.  The Heritage Bear Project is designed to help students reflect on their own cultural heritage and help them make connections to the world cultures we will study for the remainder of the year.  The project also helps us celebrate the diverse cultures that make up our classrooms.
Templates for the heritage bear project went home this week.  Please work with your child to cut out and "dress" the bear template in a way that reflects the traditional clothing of your child's heritage.  Be creative.  Use scraps of fabric, ribbon, or paper to collage together an outfit if you can. You should only dress the front of the bear.  Please help your child to complete the bear's fact card which also went home.  Thank you!

Here's some pics of us working on our new math unit, Measuring for the Art Show. We've measured paper with cubes but today we worked on using our ten strips we made and measured with that.  It's important we work as a team when measuring and that we remember our strategies for measuring carefully.  This unit will help us build on our knowledge of place value and we will use an open number line to show our addition strategies.

Week ending 11/18/16

Hello families,
We've been pretty busy this week and I know we all look forward to next week to spend time with family and friends.

Important information:

• Wednesday, November 22, is a 12:00 dismissal.  Please plan accordingly and let me know if there are any changes.  There is no extended day or In School Creative Arts that afternoon.  
• If your child will be away before or after the Thanksgiving break, please let me know.  
• Next Wednesday, please send your child in with a special snack and a not to them answering this question: "Why are you thankful for them?"  Please do not tell them about the special snack and note...a little bit of a surprise.  :)  

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

3 math skills we worked on were counting change when paying for items at a vegetable stand, reading bar graphs, and making our own tally charts and pictographs.  *When you need to decide where to eat out for dinner...have you child ask each member of the family and make a chart of the results.  

2 activities we completed during reading workshop were sorting books based on whether they were fiction or non-fiction and listening to a biography read aloud.  *Next time you go to the library, ask your child who they'd like to learn about and look for a biography for them to read about that person. We always read better and are more engaged when it's a topic we're interested in!

1 special activity we had this week was a visit from author/illustrator Ralph Masiello.  He was fantastic as always and the students really enjoyed the visit.  

Here's a few pics below:

Week ending 11/11

Hello families!  I hope you all enjoy this long weekend and take advantage of all that Fall has to offer.
Important information:

• Thank you SO much to the families who donated books to the classroom!  We have received a bunch of new chapter books and read aloud!  We already started reading some today...we read The Cookie Fiasco and Enemy Pie.  I can't wait to read the others as well.  Thank you for your generosity.
• On Thursday, we had a school wide visit from the Tanglewood Marionette company.  They are always so engaging and interesting!
• Wednesday, November 23rd, is early dismissal.  Dismissal is at 12:00 (not 12:30). Please plan accordingly.  
• Thursday and Friday, November 24 and 25th, there is no school.  

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

3 features of non-fiction we have been working on identifying this week are diagram, captions, and glossaries.  * Ask you child about the other non-fiction text features we've covered and their purpose.  

2 math skills we've been working on are telling time to the half hour consistently and accurately and sharing ideas on why we need to learn how to tell time on an analog clock. * Ask your child why we need to know how to tell time on an analog clock.  

1 writing skill we continue to work on is editing and revising our work.  Many of us have finished our first pieces of writing by adding more talking, thinking, feelings, details, and describing words.  Many have started writing a final copy.  * Ask your child which story they are going to publish?  

Last week's blog for weeks ending 11/4/16

We had a very busy week last week and I apologize for getting this blog to you a few days late!
Last week was full of Fall activities and starting new math units!

Important information:

• There is no school on Friday, November 10.  Enjoy the long weekend.
• We are attending the book fair on Thursday morning at 9 am.  If you would like to join us for our 30 minute slot, you may. If you'd like to send money for the book fair, please do in an envelope with your child's name on it.  You may also attend the book fair night on Wednesday and do your shopping then if you'd like.  Please keep in mind that we are not allowing students to buy games or toys at the book fair.  If you'd like them to get those items, please go Wednesday night.  Thank you!
• Homework is coming home again tonight but is due back on Thursday this week.  

3, 2, 1 skills we worked on last week...

In math, we worked on cooperative team work, estimating, and counting in groups as we worked on counting out all our pumpkin seeds!  

Here's our estimates and our actual total!

 

*Whenever you have a lot of items at home such as cheerios, crayons, toy cars, etc...ask them what they estimate the number to be and then have them check by grouping items.

2 reading comprehension strategies we worked on were identifying the problem and solution of the story and the setting (paying attention to not just where the story takes place but also when).  *When your child is reading at home, have them share these 2 parts with you as a way to check their understanding.

1 math skill we've been work on through games is sorting, regrouping, and understanding place value.  We've learned the games Race to 100 and Race to 0. 

Week ending 10/28/16

Hello Families!  We've had another busy and productive week in room 250!  In case you haven't had a chance to check out the new playground...please do!  Many have parents have been working each day to help get this up and ready for the students!  Our class is very excited about playing and exploring and we thank all of you for helping out, whether it was time or a donation!

This blog entry is a bit different as I want to be sure you have all the information regarding the homework which is starting this week.

This past week we practiced homework expectations in the classroom.  We reviewed what homework should look like, learned classroom routines for collecting and passing in homework each week, and we discussed where and when homework should be completed at home, Extended Day, or elsewhere. 

On Monday, October 31st, students will receive a homework packet that will start to come home each week on Mondays. It will be due back in the classroom on Friday, November 4^th.  Our homework routine will continue like this, with new weekly packets on Monday to be returned each Friday.

Monday's homework will be completed in class.  This exception is in place so that those families that celebrate Halloween may do so without the added stress of homework. The first official night of at-home homework assignments will be Tuesday, November 1st.

Other Things to Know:

• Homework should be completed nightly.
• Students complete only the assigned homework, as scheduled on the cover sheet and noted at the bottom of each page in the packet.
• Students check off assignments on the cover sheet as they are completed.
• Students record what they've read at home in the space provided on the cover sheet.
• In class we talked about the different places students may do their homework and where they thought they could work the best.  We also talked about when to do the homework, from right after school with a snack, to after an activity, and also doing the practice after school and reading at bedtime.  

• Families may help students as needed.  An adult must help with the Thursday night word study homework.

• Reading may be done in many ways: independently, with an adult, with a sibling or friend, from a book, from a Nook, etc.  Reading should be enjoyable.

• Our grade level expectation for time spent on homework is 30 minutes per night.  This time should be spent demonstrating best effort.

Please let us know if you have any questions.  Thank you.

- Your Second Grade Team

Week ending 10/21/16

Hi Families!  I hope you've all been enjoying this beautiful weather we've been having!  I know this weekend will be a change but it's been nice while it's lasted!  Our new playground is starting to come together!  The students are so excited and have been watching the crew do a little bit every day!  There have been many parents that have been able to help out already and there is a community build tomorrow morning, Saturday for those that can come help build it.
Important information:

• Conferences start on the 25th, next Tuesday and continue through the 4th of November.  If you have not signed up, please see the Sign Up Genius in a previous post to sign up.  Please remember this is a time for you and your child to attend. They are excited to share their work with you.
• Thursday, November 3rd is a half day with dismissal at 12:30. 
• Homework will begin on October 31 with the first days homework being completed in class that day.  We will also be practicing homework next week in the classroom so students know what is expected.  To prepare for homework, a good tip is to work with your child to determine when homework will be completed every day and where the homework will be done.  Create a homework space for your child to work at each day. 

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

3 math skill we've been working on are showing our work while solving number story problems in math, using fact families to help us identify which facts we know and an easier way to solve the ones we don't, and "What's My Rule?" which helps us use our number sense to solve problems in a different way of thinking.  *Have some fun with math by asking your child to make up story problems for you to solve by showing your work and writing a complete number sentence.  

2 read aloud we listened to were William's Doll and Amazing Grace.  We used these books to make text to text connections and share what was similar between the books.  *When your child is reading at night, ask them if their book reminds them of any other books they have read before.  Often, they will surprise themselves with the connections they can make!

1 writing activity we've been working on is writing what we are proud of ourselves for and what we're still working on.  These ideas will be shared at conference.  

Week ending 10/14/16

There's no official blog this week as I don't typically write a full one on weeks when we've missed multiple days...but...a few important pieces of information:

• Don't forget to sign up for Fall conferences.  (See the link in a previous post.)
• We will be starting homework the week of Halloween.  On Halloween, students will have homework but we will be completing in class that day as part of our "Getting ready for homework at home routine" (so they will not have any at night).  
• We are spending some time at the end of the day on Fridays to talk about social issues, feelings, respect, helping, being kind, making mistakes, stretching their brain, and many more.  We will listen to read aloud about different topics, brainstorm, work together, and learn so much about each other.  Today, we talked about kindness!  We did a kindness brainstorm where students shared their ideas of kindness with the class.  We also watched the video again that was shown at the all school meeting last week about kindness.  Here is the video link if you'd like it: https://youtu.be/nwAYpLVyeFU

Here's a picture of our brainstorm so far...it's still a work in progress. :)

Have a great weekend!

Megan

Week ending 10/7/16

Hello families!
What a beautiful week it has been!  The weather has been great and it's been so nice to enjoy recess during the day.

Important information:

• Next Monday, the 10th, and Wednesday, the 12th there is no school.  
• Don't forget Friday is our library day so please send the books back in then so your child can choose new books. 
• Conferences will begin the end of the month.  Here is a link to the sign up for you AND your child to attend. 
• http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4ea8a928a20-deking3

3, 2, 1 things you should know…

3 writing workshop skills we've been working on are magnifying the details in our small moment stories, focusing on a beginning that grabs the readers attention, and writing across multiple pages.  

2 activities we completed in science were observing a germinating seed and talking how seeds travel.  Ask your child three different ways seeds travel. 

1 math activity we've been working on is the "Parking Activity".  Going home today is your child's work and a sheet showing our work as a whole class.  Students really stretch their brains with this activity and I am amazed how fabulous they shared their math thinking and the math process!  I'm very proud of them!

Enjoy the beautiful weekend!