Week ending 12/7

Hello families!  
We've had a great first week of December and accomplished quite bit!    We only have 2 more full breaks until the first Winter break.  

Important information:

• We are still collecting coats for the coat drive so I encourage you to browse through your closets and donate!
• If your child will be away at all between now and break or right after break, please let us know. 
• Our art morning is going great!  We've done it two times now and I'd love to begin giving students more options with materials.  We will do water color and paint, but I'm also interested in trying oil pastels.  If you would like to donate a box to the class to be used this year,  we would greatly appreciate it (6 sets is ideal)!  Here's a link to an example: 
• Oil Pastels

3, 2, 1 things you need to know about this week:

This was Inclusion Week and we spent lots of time talking and sharing ideas about how to help our friends who struggle in different learning areas, how to be a good friend and be kind, how we could welcome a new student if they joined our class, and also taking time to recognize how we are each unique and special and sharing with others to learn how we are the same and different.  Here are 3 book titles we read this week: The Invisible Boy, Tom's Special Talent, and A Walk with Vanessa.  *Ask your child which book this week they really enjoyed and why.

2 math activities we worked on were identifying fractions and naming them through numbers and words by creating fraction flags of our own color and denominator choice.  

1 literacy activity we worked on was Art in Reading.  This week, we focused creating a project that showed examples of friendship from the books that we read independently.  * Ask your child which book they picked and how it showed an example of friendship or being kind.  

Here's our work today...

Week ending 11/30

Hi families!
December is on our door step and we are busy busy in room 250!
Here is some important information you need to be aware of:

• Next Wednesday is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30.
• Don't forget that you can sign up for upcoming an upcoming morning meeting.  If you'd like to join us, please use this sign up: Morning Meeting Sign Up
• As we begin planning field trips (no set dates at this time), please be sure you have a current CORI on file if you'd like to volunteer to be a chaperone.  If you are unsure, please check with Ms. Sheehan in the office. 

Instead of a re-cap of this week, I wanted to share with you something amazing we started this morning!  It's called Art in Reading and students are so excited about it!  We read everyday during reading workshop and we also hear stories read aloud.  From those stories, we choose one that really stuck with us!  It could be we really liked the story theme, we made a connection to a character, or we learned some new information.  On Fridays, we're going to be sharing our thoughts on one story by creating a piece of artwork!  

Today, we focused on a non-fiction book we had read over the week and then created something to go with it to show what we learned and some non-fiction features we noticed in the text.  For example, one student read about lighthouses and created a model of the tallest lighthouse.  Another, read about supersize animals and created a model to show the difference between the biggest dog and the smallest dog.  Also, they were only allowed certain materials and that will change weekly.  Their creativity flourished and their excitement grew as they worked!  After working, we did a museum walk to see what everyone had created.  

I asked them what they felt went really well and their response was: cooperation among each other to help when one was stuck, specific compliments regarding their work they received from others, that each worked hard in their own way, and most importantly, how proud they were of their work!  

Here are some snapshots of what was created today!

Week Ending 11/16

Well November has been off to a great start!  The weather has turned chillier so please be sure your child has gloves, hats, boots, etc so they are warm for the weather at outdoor recess.

Important information:

• Wednesday, November 21, is an early release day with DISMISSAL at 12:00, NOT 12:30.
• If your child will not be here next week, or any time leading up to the December break, please let us know.  
• A notice went home on Thursday regarding the coat drive.  

3, 2, 1 things you need to know about our week...

3 math activities we worked "How Many Rectangles?" where we used 12, 18, or 24 or squares to make multiple rectangles.  Just using the same squares, gives you so many different options!  We also worked on "Describe the Rectangle" in which we created a rectangle and then gave our partner clues to make the same without looking at ours. Clues could be 4 rows of 3 squares or 2 columns and 6 rows.  We also worked on an assessment to see how much geometry we've learned so far!

2 read aloud books we read were Bessie Coleman, Queen of the Sky, where we learned about the first African American women pilot.  We brainstormed words to describe her and provided evidence from the text to prove our idea.  We also heard North America, where we tied in our social studies lessons to our literacy non-fiction unit.  We identified non-fiction features and their purpose in relation to that specific book.  

1 writing activity we completed was writing our weekly letter.  Each Friday, we focus on writing about our week.  We pay careful attention to letter format, spelling, and punctuation.  As well as expressing our ideas clearly and with detail.  By the end of the year, we'll have a whole collection of letters showing all we've accomplished in second grade.  

Brain Builders!  One new thing we just started in the morning is Brain Builders Bins!  The class is very excited about this!  These are bins that are out at each table and students work with the bin at their table and the next day is a different bin.  The activities include materials such as dominoes, letter puzzle pieces, paper cups, and more.  They can use the materials anyway they like.  Today they built cup towers, domino lines to knock down, and fit together the Pentomino pieces to make one large display.  Students worked cooperatively to create what they could, they worked on sharing materials, encouraging each other with their designs, and were respectful to each other.  This is happening first thing in the morning so being on time is really important!
Here's a look at today's activities:

Week ending 10/26

Hello families!  It is definitely starting to feel like October but the sunshine is great for recess!

Important information:

• Be sure to watch the weather and the temperatures as we're still planning on being outside for recess as much as we can.  You may decide to send in extra clothes to keep your child's locker in case they get wet at recess.  Also, our room can be hot, but other times over the weekend it may become chilly so wearing layers they can put on and off is important.  
• Thursday, November 1st is an early release day.
• Halloween is next Wednesday,  so please remember that students will not be wearing costumes to school and please refrain from sending in candy for snack or lunch. 
• We had an evacuation drill today and I'm so impressed with how quiet they were and how well they followed directions.  
• Starting Thursday, we would like to invite parents in to join us at morning meeting.  It is offered the first Thursday of each month, for three parents at a time, from 8:30-8:50.  Please use the sign up right here if you'd like to join us: Morning Meeting Sign Up

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

3 math areas we worked on this week were subtracting within number stories, identifying shapes and Geoblocks, and finding a Geoblock that fit our pieces among many choices.  We have moved into geometry and it's exciting to see the students so engaged with the Geoblocks.  

*Ask your child what they drew today for the "Draw the Geoblock" activity.  

2 read alouds were heard during reading workshop were Tuesday (focusing on predictions) and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (focusing on character traits and using evidence from the text to prove their thinking).
*Ask your child what they think was going to happen at the end of the book Tuesday.

1 10-minute math routine we're learning is Quick Images - Shapes.  A shape is quickly shown two times and students draw what they see or recall.  After shown for the third time, students can revise their drawing.  This helps the students really focus on the shape and share what they notice (four sides, straight sides, number of vertices, sides the same length, etc.).

Screentime has come up in conversation in a few conferences this past week. I wanted to share some great questions that Mrs. Uzzell also shared with her families, that you can use as well during meal times.  Having a screen free dinner, for everyone, is a great way to have some wonderful conversations with your kids about how school is going.  

Who do you look forward to seeing the most at school each day?
What's the best thing about being in Second Grade?
If you could pack you own lunch, what would you pack?
Who is someone at school who needs a friend?
What's your favorite part of the school day?
Who did you sit by at lunch today?
What's the best thing about being in Room 250?
What are you learning now in Social Studies?
Who's the friendliest person in your class?
What food did you like the most at lunch?
Who did you hang out with the most today?

Week ending 10/5/18

Hello families!
October has started off strong, I feel we have routines and expectations all in place and the whole class has begun to show me what wonderful, curious, and hard working learners they all are.

Important information:

• If you'd like to donate some paper towels to our class, we would greatly appreciate it!  Those clean up spills so well.  
• There is no school Monday, October 8...enjoy this day with your family.  
• If you have not signed up for a conference yet, please let me know and I will send you the link to do so.  Thanks!

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

3 math activities we worked on were deciding if the cubes were enough for the class, identified which subtraction facts we knew and which ones we were still working on, and we practiced our coin counting and trading skills when we played Collecting 50 cents with 2 partners.  Many students said they knew the subtraction facts so I challenged them to be speedy in saying the answer and those that weren't so speedy would be those to practice.  The students are really loving math workshop and so am I! 

2 social skill problem solving areas we've been really focusing on is cooperation (What does it look like?  How do know if we've cooperated today?  Tell about someone who showed cooperation today.) and whether something is a Glitch or Disaster.  This will help us identify what is something that might not go our way, but it's really something with a quick or easy fix and then we can move on or do we need help moving on from a teacher or a friend, and responses and strategies we can work on when we feel something is more than a glitch.

1 new piece of information for families is homework!  Each night we are expecting students to be reading for 20 minutes.  Reading can look like your child reading in their head, reading out loud, reading with a family member, taking turns reading, or even listening to a story read by you.  

Additionally, this month, students will bring home today the Heritage Bear Project.  Please read it over with your child and work on it with them by the 22nd.  This is something that you should talk about together, brainstorm together, but the final project should be something made by the students.  In class, they will present their bear and we will learn so much more about each of our classmates!

Here's a peek at what math looked like this week:

Week Ending 9/28/18

Our first month of school is over and we're moving on to October!  We've been in school for 17 days so far and we've really settled into a routine and our content area work has really picked up! It's very exciting seeing what students are interested in and what they feel is their strength.

Important Information:

• October 8, is Columbus Day and there is no school.  
• Picture Day has been rescheduled to Monday, October 15th.  
• We have a number of birthdays in October. Parents are invited to come in and read a book to our class on their child's birthday.  Please touch base with me about a week before so we can find a time that works.  Typically, readers come at morning meeting and then can head out to start their day.

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

3 reading workshop skills we focused on were determining whether a book was fiction or non-fiction, tracking our thinking WHILE reading using post-it notes to show either favorite part or new information learned, and how to BUZZ about books using a conversation bookmark to get us started.  

* Ask your child which book they chose to buzz about today at the end of reading workshop. 

2 math activities we worked on during 10-Minute Math at the beginning of our day was showing multiple addition and subtraction sentences to equal 14 and identifying what time it will be ____ minutes.  The new Investigations program is very hands on and student focused!  Math workshop is a time where students independently choose which activity to work on and when done, they move on to a different activity.  All students work on the same skill, but are showing what they know in different ways.  This has already helped create more independence in the classroom regarding their own learning!  We are just really exploring the concepts, math workshop, and 10-Minute Math, but so far I think we're all enjoying it!

1 science activity we worked on was brainstorming words used for observation and making our own observations of a shell by writing and drawing as accurately as we can like scientists do! 

Please be sure to sign up for a conference.  Fall Conference Sign Up

Have a great weekend!

Here's a few pics from math workshop today:

 

Week ending 9/21/18

Hello families! We've really been getting going in room 250 with all our subjects and it's so exciting to see what their interests are and what they feel successful in!

Important information:

• Don't forget!  All About Me bags went home earlier this week and they should come back on Monday so we can begin sharing in class. 
• Picture Day is Wednesday, September 26.
• Open House is Thursday night, September 27th, at 6:00 for K-2 students.  Please remember that this is an adult only evening.  Thanks!
• Thursday, September 27th, is also an early release day with dismissal at 12:30. 
• Please remember to send a note in with your child if there is a dismissal change.  I often have access to email but should it be down or I am out, I would not be able to access it nor would the substitute.  If you know a few days before, that's fine too.  Thank you!  
• Please check out our Amazon Wish List you can find here: Amazon Wish List

3 math skills we worked on this week were showing the number seven in multiple ways with multiple addends too, investigating whether or not the order of the numbers makes a difference with addition, and adding numbers quickly and accurately when playing 5 in a Row.  

* Ask your child to show you 3 ways to show the number 7 or any number under 10.

2 reading strategies we reviewed were what to do with a word you don't know (we listened to Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, said the Sloth to discuss being slow and careful when sounding out) and we discussed taking a book walk before reading a book so they can decide if it's just right for them.  We also talked about iPick which is a strategy for choosing books.  They have bookmarks to use them independently to help choose their own books.  

* Ask your child to share one part of iPick.  

1 writing activity we worked on was writing our weekly letter.  Every Friday, we're writing letters about one thing that happened this week.  We are learning about letter formation, sticking to one idea, adding feelings, and reviewing capitals and punctuation.  

* Ask your child who they wrote to and one thing written in their letter.  

Here's our iPick bookmark:

Week ending 9/14/18

Hello families!
Another week of school is done and it's been another enjoyable week!  I've enjoyed getting to know the students' personalities and I look forward to continue to get to know them as learners this year!

Important Information:

• Wednesday, September 19, there is no school.
• Wednesday, September 26, we have picture day.
• Thursday, September 27, there is an early dismissal at 12:30.  
• Thursday, September 27, there is Open House beginning at 6:00 in our classroom (K-2 classrooms), followed by the auditorium with our principals and PTO, and then classroom time for grades 3-5. 

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

3 math skills we've been reviewing with our new Investigations program are telling time, identifying which numbers are missing on a hundreds chart, and counting coins up to 100.

*Ask your child one activity they worked on in math this week.

2 important people in our classroom are Mrs. Ripley and Mrs. Sherman, our assistants for the classroom.  Mrs. Ripley is here Monday and Tuesday and Mrs. Sherman is here Wednesday through Friday.  They are an important part in our day to day workings of our classroom and in this room, we see us as having three teachers here for your students.  Don't be shy to say "Hello!" if you see them.

1 important writing activity we worked on was writing our hopes and dream for the school year.  It's so important for students to have a hope for the year...something they are striving to achieve!  I can't wait to see how they work on those this school year!

Week ending 9/7/18

Welcome back to school!

What a great week it's been!  I've really enjoyed getting to know your children this week and I look forward to learning even more as the weeks go on.  Thank you for your supply donations, book donations, and money.  We will be getting Raz Kids up and running soon for the students and I'm excited about that!

Important information:

• There is no school on Monday, the 10th or on Wednesday, the 19th.  
• Please remember to send in sneakers for PE on Tuesdays and Fridays.
• Please remember to send in a note with your child in the am if there are dismissal changes.  I have been able to get the emails, yet if I'm not here or there is an email issue, I may not get the message.  
• Thank you for your help with dismissal.  I am asking the students who leave with me to say "Good-bye" and high five and wait for me to say "Good-bye" back so I can continue to make the connection between student and pick up person.  Also, when picking up, please keep away from the doors so we can all exit together as it's often crowded there the first few weeks.

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

3 math activities we've already started are learning to play Guess My Number, using pattern blocks to cover shapes and then finding different ways to cover the same shape, and reviewing what coins are which.  

* Ask your child to play Guess My Number with you...they know how to play!  

2 read aloud we read and discussed were Calvin Can't Fly ( about getting immersed in a book) and Wild About Books (the zoo animals LOVE reading)!  

* Ask your child about a book they were reading today during independent reading time.

1 writing activity we worked on today was writing about five things we did in school this week.  

* It should be in your child's folder, so please ask them to see it.

Here's a snapshot of what we've been working on... All About Me...

Last Day of School

Hello families!
I just wanted to send a quick note to say thank you for sharing your children with me this year.  They have changed, grown, worked through bumps in the road, stretched themselves, and I think most importantly...believed in themselves.  I am very proud of who they are and they should be too.  We gave them flashlights today with a little note saying "You shine the most when you are _____".  Each child has a word written just for them.  I expressed to them that when they enter those doors next year in September for third grade, to remember their word, to remember they can do this, and that they are ready!

Thank you very much for the flowers and gift.  It is greatly appreciated and thoughtful.
I wish you all a wonderful summer!
-Megan DeKing