Weekly Update: September 20 – 24

Some highlights of the week:

·      We had our first all-school fire drill of the school year. The children were quiet, good listeners, and followed the directions. 
They did a great job!

·      We finished our unit on Landforms and will begin studying the history of Arlington Heights next week. There is a note in backpack mail today explaining a research/art project we will be working on to accompany this unit. We are in need of several parent volunteers in the LMC  during our library time on Friday afternoons from 12:55 – 1:25, as well as on Thursday October 7^th from 2:45 – 3:25. Please send me an email if you are available! kosullivan@sd25.org

Reading: The children learned the 4^th station of the Daily 5, Read with a Buddy. We continued to practice Read to Self, Word Work, and Listening Center. For the Read with a Buddy station, we learned that it would be helpful for our buddy if we listened carefully while they read, and suggest to them to sound out tricky words, use the picture as a clue, read around the unknown word, or back up and reread if they happened to get stuck. We were able to rotate from station to station to really set the stage for independent work time, as well as to enable me to pull reading groups this week!

Our Treasures theme this week was Fire Safety. We read a Nonfiction article about the dangers of wildfires. We practiced the comprehension strategy of Main idea and details and found it was an excellent way of retelling the important parts of the story. The students practiced safe, flames, tell, forest and heat as their new vocabulary words of the week! We completed this week's reading assessment together. The children practiced choosing the correct answer in a multiple choice scenario. They also learned how to answer an extended response question. We used the words in the question to begin our answer. Then we went back into the text to find at least two examples of evidence that support our answer. We added two of our own ideas and then wrote a closing sentence. The students will be taking their next reading test independently!

Math: We reviewed “greater than” and “less than.” The children experienced their first math homework assignments this week, and they did a nice job. They played “Addition Top-it” to build number sense and practice adding two numbers. (It is a glorified version of “War,” in which each student draws two cards and adds them together. The person with the greater sum takes the cards from that round.)  We went on to explore temperature, looking carefully at our gigantic classroom thermometer. The students looked closely at the markings in between numbers (the smaller markings counting by ones and the larger markings counting by twos) and also noticed the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius. We also noted freezing temperature, room temperature and body temperature using the thermometer. Finally the children were ready to take their Unit 1 Math test. We always review using our slates and dry erase markers before taking our math test, to refreshen our skills and remember all that we have learned how to do. The children’s tests and extended responses were graded and went home yesterday.  The extended response was completed together as a class, so the children can begin to think about how to explain their problem solving in a logical, sequential way.

We have jumped right into Unit 2 which focuses on addition and subtraction facts: solving number stories, learning and applying a range of strategies, and practicing finding the sums and differences of addition and subtraction facts up to and including 10.

Writing: The kids are currently publishing their autobiographies! They’ve worked hard to think, draw, label, and write about 4 stages of their lives. Now they are eager to polish up their writing in a neat and clean format! To celebrate the hard work they have done, we are going to have a writer’s celebration next Wednesday in our classroom. The children will have some juice and animal crackers, and listen to volunteers share their writing before we display it in the hall for others to enjoy. There is a note in backpack mail about this celebration, please let me know if you preferred that your child not participate in the juice/cracker portion of our celebration. Looking forward to the upcoming celebration is proving to be exciting and motivating as we finish up our work!

Social Studies: We have completed our studies of the 7 continents, 5 oceans, and the various landforms that can found in the world. We have been practicing the Continent Song to help remind us of the names and locations of each one. The children have also been reviewing their “4 homes!” They have learned the name of their continent, country, state, and city. They took their assessment today. Coming up next is our study of the past- including the history of our town, Arlington Heights! 

The children will be working to research a landmark that is or was of historical significance in our town. If you are available to come in to help us as we search for relevant facts and create our artwork, we’d love to have you! There is a note in today’s backpack mail asking the children to select the landmark of their choice. There is also a section for you to sign up if you are available to help out. We hope to see you!

LMC Volunteers: The LMC is looking for a few volunteers to accompany/ assist our class in the library on Friday afternoons after lunch from 12:55 – 1:40. Please contact Joanne Kenney (jkenney@sd25.org) if you are available!

Homework:  Keep up the great work with the homework! The children are completing their work carefully and completely on a consistent basis. I have also noticed how many of the children are adding post-it notes to their reading logs so they can add even MORE information! Wow!! What amazing effort! Thank you for all of the support!

Thank you for the birthday wishes and card signed by the children! What a fun surprise that was! It was a fabulous way to start my birthday. I loved all of the additional homemade cards and  little treats I received on Friday. Thank you, it was a great day!

Weekly Update! September 13-17

Highlights of our week:

•       We viewed President Obama’s speech to the children of the United States, welcoming them back to school and encouraging them to work hard this year.
•        Mrs. Patel came in to talk to the children about Ramadan and the Eid holiday and share a story. We identified similarities and differences between Eid and other holidays that are celebrated.
•       The children took both their reading and math MAP tests in the LMC this week! Results will be shared at our November conference.
•    We celebrated Constitution Day! We read a mini-book about the Constitution, and heard a fun song about it through School House Rock.

But that’s not all!

Reading: The children learned how to participate in the Listening Center  Station!  As one of their reading group rotations, the children now know how to view electronic books through the Tumblebooks link at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on our classroom computers. (see the side bar to the right, there is a link to Tumblebooks on our blog!) We know that this station is not only fun, but it will help us learn new words as we follow the story carefully, and it will model good reading fluency for us. Feel free to view this link at home, too! This week we were able to begin reading groups, and my goal is to get all groups in  beginning next week.  View the photo slide show to see the children  as they continue to build their stamina during the Read to self station!

The children and I read a fictional whole-group story this week, called "Mr. Putter and Tabby Make the Tea." We practiced the comprehension strategy of breaking down the plot, as we identified the beginning, middle, and end of the story.  New vocabulary words the children focused on were: share, company, thinning, delighted, enjoyed, and wonderful.

Math: We increased our comfort level with the hundreds chart by identifying how it works and using it as a tool during math! The children counted left and right by ones, and up and down by tens. To have fun with this concept, we completed some number grid puzzles! (these are blank boxes of varying shapes with just one or two numbers written inside. The children complete them based on the way the hundreds chart works!) We went on to learn that numbers have many different names. Ex: 10: ten, 9+1, 8+2,  89+11, 70+30, 50+40+10, 100-90, a dime, 10:00, ten tally marks,  a domino with ten dots, etc. The children went on to play the “Broken Calculator” Game, identifying several different names for given numbers, only this time a certain number was “broken,” and couldn’t be used. The students also learned how to turn their calculator into a counting machine and they practiced counting up by 2, 3, 5, 10, and more. They looked for possible patterns in the numbers they jotted down! Math homework (called Homelinks)  will begin on Monday after our lesson on ‘greater than’ and ‘less than.’

Social Studies: We have finished our study of the various landforms. The children are applying their learning in beautiful murals they are creating incorporating each one. (See the beginning stages in the photos in the slideshow) These will soon be on display in the hallway for all to see. We will discuss maps, continents and landforms this coming week.

Our unit on the history of Arlington Heights is coming up next! The field trip to the Arlington Heights Historical Museum has been scheduled for October 6^th.  We have also confirmed our walking field trip to the Arlington Heights Police Department for November 2^nd. More information about these trips will go home closer to the date of the trip, but you may get a call beforehand from our room moms as they confirm our volunteers, so I wanted you to be aware. We look forward to seeing you!

Writing: The children wrote the last portion of their autobiography this week. It was about their life this year in second grade. As always, we began with a picture full of all of the possible ideas we wanted to include in our writing. Then we went back and labeled the pictures with as many key words as we could think of. Last we connected the dots and wrote down all of our ideas about second grade using the picture and labels as background information. The children practiced “microphone reading” this week, as they read their writing to their writing buddy into a blow-up microphone. The microphone helped us keep it very clear as to whose turn it was. The children were asked to give their buddy 2 compliments and 2 suggestions. As we shared helpful suggestions, I was very impressed with the tips the children gave each other! They helped each other identify misspelled words, fill in missing punctuation, and reminded each other if they forgot to write about something that they drew in their picture! One friend suggested to go into more detail about an idea they had, because they wanted to know more about it! I was amazed at the constructive feedback that I saw and heard as I listened in to each of these small conversations. They did a great job! (See the photo slideshow to view our microphone sharing!)

Homework: The homework is coming in consistently, and the effort has strengthened! The writing is neat and careful and the children are including wonderful details, descriptions, and thoughtful information on their reading logs. I am so happy to see this! They are also proud of their work and will often run over to show it to me before turning it in. Thank you for your help and support!

Have a relaxing weekend!

Weekly Update!

Greetings from 2-2! It might have been a short week, but it was certainly full! Please note in the "Upcoming Events" that the children will be taking their Reading and Math MAP tests (...we discussed those on curriculum night...) next week. A good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast (especially for Monday and Thursday!) would get us moving in the right direction as the children take these tests for the first time! LMC will be cancelled next week due to testing.

Reading: The children continue to practice their "Daily 5" reading stations. The first station the children were introduced to last week was Read to Self.  We are building our independent reading stamina in this station each day. The children achieved 20 minutes of uninterrupted reading time this week! I am excited to see that they have built up their endurace in this area very quickly. I know they will do a great job once our reading groups start next week, as it will be important for them to stay focused and demonstrate self sufficiency for given periods of time! The children also practiced our Word Work station. They practiced working cooperatively with a buddy to write their spelling words, check them, alphabetize them, and sort them. (They also learned about the "Tower of Terror!" for misspelled words. Have them show you!) Now that we have two stations down, there are three to go! This practice is crucial to the success of our reading groups this year, and the children are doing a great job so far.

Spelling: Looking through the children's spelling tests just now, I was very pleased with the results! Lots of 100%s! Their handwriting was so neat, too! Thank you for helping your child with their spelling homework throughout the week. Their hard work is apparent. We will take a spelling pre-test of new words, following a new pattern, on Monday. 

Writing:  We continue to plug away at our autobiographies, adding labels to our pictures, details to our drawings, and additions to our writing. The children work hard during our writing time, and they are so proud of their own accomplishments each day!

Handwriting: We noticed something this week. The children's handwriting is BEAUTIFUL during our handwriting lessons. It is formed properly, sitting on the lines, nicely spaced, the works! The children sit tall in their chairs, their papers are slanted, their guide hands are holding their papers still. Once our handwriting lessons are over, however, the children are sitting on their shoes, the guide hand has disappeared, and the letters are no longer on the line and the formation is backwards and bottoms up! I no longer recognize my class! Something goes seriously wrong! We are working hard to apply the good handwriting techniques that we know all throughout the day! Especially when handwriting is over! Please help me keep an eye on this at home! :)

Math: The children reviewed grouping by tens, and then played the Money Exchange Game! They rolled dice in order to exchange $1.00, for $10.00, and $10 for $100.00 bills on a place value chart. We familiarized ourselves with our hardcover Math Reference Books. We realized that this book is like a dictionary or encyclopedia full of math terms! The children completed their first "Math Boxes" in their Math Journals. We noticed that some math boxes have MRB and then a page number at the bottom of them. We flipped to those pages in our reference books and found it was a CLUE to find the answer!  Finally, we did some work with the hundreds chart. We practiced counting up and down by ten, and back and forth by one... we noticed even and odd numbers.. the children did a great job recognizing the many patterns that can be found on the hundreds chart. Another great reference to use when completing our math lessons!

Social Studies:  In Social Studies this week the children continued to learn about the various landforms. We identified the oceans that border the United States to the east and west (ask them to tell you about my dear great grand-PA) and they also learned about the Great Lakes. They have learned the secret mnemonic device of HOMES to remember them... quiz your child to see if it worked already! We watched a video from Discovery Education online to give us real photos and images to attach to what we've been learning about! We will be applying our learning as the children create a landform "mural" next week.

Homework: The children have jumped right into our homework routine. Every night they are to complete one section of their reading log, practice their spelling words, and their math homework will begin soon. A few children have stayed in with me during recess to make some improvements on their work quality or increase their effort, but overall I have been so pleased with the work I've been seeing! Again, thank you for taking the time to check your child's work and support them with their homework. It doesn't go unnoticed!

That's it in a nutshell! Enjoy the weekend!
See you next week!

2-2 News!

Hello 2nd grade families! Thank you for visiting our blog! It was so nice to see everyone at curriculum night on Wednesday. The children are very fortunate to have such involved and supportive parents!  Read below for details about our week at school!

Book Orders:  To view the online order forms and place your Scholastic order, you will first need to create a username and password. Visit: www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs to do this. You will need to enter our class activation code, which is: GTFQ8. This code will ensure that your orders come directly to me! Make your book selections, submit your order by the morning of September 9th, and your order will come to our classroom as usual. The children get SO excited about reading when they help choose their own books! They made a wish list at school today. :)


Reading: The children and I are practicing our "Daily 5" reading stations. The first station the children were introduced to was Read to Self.  They are learning what it means to be independent readers during this time. The children are gradually building their reading stamina, as they slowly increase the amount of time they are able to focus on their good-fit books.

We also practiced how to complete our reading homework every day at school this week. The children and I read a story and then completed one box of the reading log together at school, just as they will be expected to complete it next week on their own! Please look over this reading log together, and note the complete sentences, detail, and effort your child put into the work we completed together. I will be looking for work that looks like this next week, too!

Spelling: The children took their first spelling pre-test of the year today, due to the short week next week. They will usually take their pre-test on Mondays. They will practice their words at school next week, and they will also receive homework practice pages. They will take their spelling test next Friday. Please keep those lists safe in the red home folder, so we can practice at school!

Writing:  The class learned the term autobiography this week! We have been practicing thinking, drawing, labeling, and writing about small events in our life.  The children are working on a miniature autobiography as they break down their life into 4 specific time periods: their life as a baby, as a kindergartner, as a first grader, and now as a second grader!

Handwriting: We are working on the proper formation of our printed letters. The children are reminded to sit properly in their chairs with good posture, use their guide hand to hold their paper steady, slightly slant their paper, form their letters properly and stay within the lines. The children are responding so nicely to this instruction!

Math: We have been learning about the math tools we have in our classroom, including our hundreds chart, individual clocks, and slates. The children are becoming comfortable with our math routine, as we begin with our math message each day and move into guided and independent practice. We also discussed how important partner work will be during math lessons, and we identified important behaviors that will help our partner work go smoothly!

Social Studies:  Our geography lessons have begun, as we explore the various landforms using our textbooks, glossaries, and classroom posters and online resources! Terms we will be reinforcing include: lake, valley, river, mountain, valley, hill, plain, ocean, peninsula, and island.

It has been a fantastic first week! Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend!

Here are some pictures of the children as they "coach" their neighbor during writing! One student (the coach)  is listening and offering compliments, while their  friend (the player) reads their writing from today. Both students had the opportunity to play both positions!