So sorry for not posting last week but the strep bacteria visited with me for a few days. I stayed home so as not to spread the germs.
We have been working on a few Christmas/Holiday projects. Several of the math and language arts papers we have worked on have also been holiday themed. It is fun for the children to have themed papers but they still contain significant academic learning concepts such as: abc order, contractions, graphing, writing, controlled coloring (eye/hand coordination and small muscle control) and spelling.
Those types of pages and learning experiences will continue the next week and a half as well as our regular spelling/phonics, math, reading, writing, vocabulary, P.E.and music.
Spelling
This week we are working on words with long i such as: I, i_e, and igh spellings. Their challenge words are: north, south, east, west, traditions, and reindeer.
In social studies we are working on map skills. That is the reason for some of the particular challenge words.
Vocabulary
Following our current theme of Christmas Around the World we will read the book "Everybody Cooks Rice" by Norah Dooley. The vocabulary words will be:
boarder
community
grumbling
gulped
appetizing
diversity
Our comprehension focus in the book will be to follow the changing setting.
Math
We will be doing an investigation to help the children see the reasoning behind the Commutative Property of Addition. We will work with number strings and the children will find that they can beat the calculator. The games "Close to 20" and "Beat the Calculator" in the math games concentrate on these skills.
We will revisit the Near Doubles (also called Doubles + 1 or Doubles - 1). These are the math facts such as 6 +7 which can be solved by doubling 6 which = 12 and then adding 1 more from the 7 to equal 13 or to double the 7 which = 14 and then subtracting 1, because the 6 is one less than 7, and this strategy also = 13.
We will review solving addition and subtraction story problems and related story problems. We will learn how to solve an addition problem with an unknown change such as:
"Kira had a bunch of 8 balloons. Sally gave her some more balloons. Then Kira had 11 balloons. How many balloons did Sally give to Kira?"
Though it is an addition problem 8 + __ = 11 it can be solved using subtraction. Example:
11 - __ = 8 or 11 - 8 = __
We have also really been concentrating on adding using tens and ones and have learned to draw pictures to represent base ten blocks which we can use to solve these problems. We have also related this to the 100's chart and are beginning to understand the process of using the chart as a tool for adding larger numbers.
Reading Tests
Because I was absent three days last week I am behind in my progress of testing the students on their reading skills. I am still hoping to complete that before we recess for the holidays. After the holidays I have a different reading test which will need to be done.
Thanks to those of you who are coming to share different cultures with the 2nd graders.
Reindeer grams will be sold during lunch each day this week. The child may purchase a reindeer gram for 50 cents. Their friend will receive one bag of goodies and tags wishing them a Merry Christmas from all the friends who purchased a gram for that child. The proceeds from this fun way to give gifts to friends at school will purchase a wish through the Make a Wish Foundation for a child named Zach who has leukemia.
The students have earned a reward for earning 100 points as a class. They have chosen to have a Readathon. It will be this Wednesday from 12:15 - 1:15. They may each bring a small blanket a pillow and a stuffed animal. They may bring a small healthy snack and a book or two to read if they would like. Following the readathon we will have rotations, recess and a 2nd grade song practice.
There will be no formal Christmas music program on an evening at the school this year. The children will participate in singing around the Christmas tree at 9:00 am on Wednesday December 23rd. Parents are invited to attend. You will sit in chairs around the perimiter of the gym. The students will sit in front of you and the tree will be in the center of the room. This means you probably should sit across the gym from your child's class. Each grade will present 2 musical numbers.
This week's keyword is "the Grinch".
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving... Wheeeeee... Here Comes That Holiday Feeling...
I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!!
Spelling - This week we will be concentrating on three spellings of the long A sound:
a_e as in make
ai as in mail
ay as in may
Though the children have spent an entire week on the
a (consonant) (silent e) spelling, it is difficult for many of them to differentiate between the three different spelling patterns. So, this week we present them all together so the children have to focus on which pattern to use in each word.
Vocabulary - We will be reading the book, "Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse." Our vocabulary words are:
adventure
cautiously
envy
precious
fond
transform
Math - We didn't quite get the geometry unit finished last week so we will complete that first. The children will be learning how to order rectangles from biggest to smallest. They will learn about columns and rows within a rectangle array and finish up our study of symmetry. We will then move on to some problem solving with double digit numbers using strips of 10 stickers and single stickers as a model for our problems.
Reading - I will continue giving the Fountas and Pinnell reading assessments which need to be completed before the Christmas break and as possible meeting with reading groups to firm up some skills with decoding and comprehension.
Over the next few weeks we will be learning some holiday songs, doing some art projects and also using holiday themed activities in our regular learning processes for math, reading and writing. We will also be learning some map skills and hopefully learning about holiday customs in different countries. (Please remember to volunteer to share with us if you can.)
Remember the fabric strips for the holiday project and the Christmas Around the World dolls are due on Friday December 4th. Book orders are due on Monday Nov. 30 or Tuesday Dec. 1st would be fine also.
The keyword for this week is "Holly Jolly".
Have a great week but remember to help your child read and respond every night.
Spelling - This week we will be concentrating on three spellings of the long A sound:
a_e as in make
ai as in mail
ay as in may
Though the children have spent an entire week on the
a (consonant) (silent e) spelling, it is difficult for many of them to differentiate between the three different spelling patterns. So, this week we present them all together so the children have to focus on which pattern to use in each word.
Vocabulary - We will be reading the book, "Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse." Our vocabulary words are:
adventure
cautiously
envy
precious
fond
transform
Math - We didn't quite get the geometry unit finished last week so we will complete that first. The children will be learning how to order rectangles from biggest to smallest. They will learn about columns and rows within a rectangle array and finish up our study of symmetry. We will then move on to some problem solving with double digit numbers using strips of 10 stickers and single stickers as a model for our problems.
Reading - I will continue giving the Fountas and Pinnell reading assessments which need to be completed before the Christmas break and as possible meeting with reading groups to firm up some skills with decoding and comprehension.
Over the next few weeks we will be learning some holiday songs, doing some art projects and also using holiday themed activities in our regular learning processes for math, reading and writing. We will also be learning some map skills and hopefully learning about holiday customs in different countries. (Please remember to volunteer to share with us if you can.)
Remember the fabric strips for the holiday project and the Christmas Around the World dolls are due on Friday December 4th. Book orders are due on Monday Nov. 30 or Tuesday Dec. 1st would be fine also.
The keyword for this week is "Holly Jolly".
Have a great week but remember to help your child read and respond every night.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Welcome Back On Track...
Fall or Winter... Hum...let me make up my mind...
I hope you had a fantastic fall off track time. This on track time is a little broken up with 1 and 1/2 weeks of school then Thanksgiving Holiday break, then 3 and 1/2 weeks of school before the Christmas Holiday break and finally 3 weeks of school in January before we go off track again for 3 weeks.
I am sending home several important items:
1- Your Child's School Pictures
2- Notice - If you need retakes on Pictures they on on Tuesday Nov. 17th that is this Tuesday
3- Book Order Catalogs - I am sending November and December catalogs. I would like to place the orders on Monday November 30th. This will ensure that orders arrive before Christmas. (If you want your book order to be a secret I can help facilitate that. Just place your order in an envelope and write "Mrs. Taylor SBO" on the envelope. {This is a signal to me that it is a Scholastic Book Order.} When the order arrives I will call you and let you arrange to pick up the order here at school.
4- Green Paper telling about the 2nd Grade Holiday Project. You will need to buy and cut fabric as per the instructions. It needs to be cut and put in a ziplock with your child's name on it and brought to school by Dec. 4th.
5- Blue Paper telling about guests (you or someone you know) coming to tell us about customs from another country or culture. If you want to participate please fill it out and return it ASAP.
6- Pink and White papers telling about the Doll Project. It is also due on Dec. 4th. Please send the dressed doll and the 1/4 size paper filled out about the doll.
7- The first part of the keyword is "Plymouth."
Math
This week and a half we will be doing a geometry unit. The children will be learning about 2D and 3D shapes. They will learn to describe the shapes with words such as sides, vertex, angles, right angle, faces, edges, polygon, quadralateral, rectangle, square, triangle, hexagon, parrallelogram, trapezoid, and symmetry. They will make a symmetrical turkey tail.
Spelling
The spelling lists were sent home on October 23rd. I really hope that your child practiced them some while off track. They are studying diagraphs which is when two letters form a new and distinct single sound. The diagraphs are ch, sh, th, ph, wh
There is a web site with a game about diagraphs at:
http://primarygames.com/see-n-spell/diagraphs
You may want to check it out and see if it is something you might want your child to use as a practice tool for working with diagraphs.
Vocabulary
We will use our vocabulary book, "Dear Mrs. LaRu," for not only vocabulary but also to study "story setting" and to help launch a writing unit on writing letters.
The vocabulary words are:
melodramatic
misconception
neglected
obedience
despair
persistent
Reading
I have put out my Thanksgiving books and of course the children always have access to all the books in the classroom which are on a level which they can read. I will be doing guided reading with the students but I will also be doing a District mandated reading test on each child between now and Christmas. I am hoping to test one child each day.
Please remember to help your child have access to books that are on the correct reading level. This will actually help them to improve their reading more quickly. They also need to remember to record all minutes read and to write in their Reading Response Journal each night.
Writing
Besides learning about the correct form for writing letters we will also be doing some writing about Thanksgiving. Each day the students will write a sentence about something they are thankful for in their Gratitude Journal.
Besides all these academic pursuits the children also participate in PE, Music, Computers, Library, Social Studies (Goods and Services is the topic this week.), and Art projects. We have several fun activities and projects for the children to participate in or make during the next week and a half.
The second part of the keyword is "Rock."
Remember the Spelling Test will be on Thursday morning and the Vocabulary Test will be on Friday morning.
I hope you had a fantastic fall off track time. This on track time is a little broken up with 1 and 1/2 weeks of school then Thanksgiving Holiday break, then 3 and 1/2 weeks of school before the Christmas Holiday break and finally 3 weeks of school in January before we go off track again for 3 weeks.
I am sending home several important items:
1- Your Child's School Pictures
2- Notice - If you need retakes on Pictures they on on Tuesday Nov. 17th that is this Tuesday
3- Book Order Catalogs - I am sending November and December catalogs. I would like to place the orders on Monday November 30th. This will ensure that orders arrive before Christmas. (If you want your book order to be a secret I can help facilitate that. Just place your order in an envelope and write "Mrs. Taylor SBO" on the envelope. {This is a signal to me that it is a Scholastic Book Order.} When the order arrives I will call you and let you arrange to pick up the order here at school.
4- Green Paper telling about the 2nd Grade Holiday Project. You will need to buy and cut fabric as per the instructions. It needs to be cut and put in a ziplock with your child's name on it and brought to school by Dec. 4th.
5- Blue Paper telling about guests (you or someone you know) coming to tell us about customs from another country or culture. If you want to participate please fill it out and return it ASAP.
6- Pink and White papers telling about the Doll Project. It is also due on Dec. 4th. Please send the dressed doll and the 1/4 size paper filled out about the doll.
7- The first part of the keyword is "Plymouth."
Math
This week and a half we will be doing a geometry unit. The children will be learning about 2D and 3D shapes. They will learn to describe the shapes with words such as sides, vertex, angles, right angle, faces, edges, polygon, quadralateral, rectangle, square, triangle, hexagon, parrallelogram, trapezoid, and symmetry. They will make a symmetrical turkey tail.
Spelling
The spelling lists were sent home on October 23rd. I really hope that your child practiced them some while off track. They are studying diagraphs which is when two letters form a new and distinct single sound. The diagraphs are ch, sh, th, ph, wh
There is a web site with a game about diagraphs at:
http://primarygames.com/see-n-spell/diagraphs
You may want to check it out and see if it is something you might want your child to use as a practice tool for working with diagraphs.
Vocabulary
We will use our vocabulary book, "Dear Mrs. LaRu," for not only vocabulary but also to study "story setting" and to help launch a writing unit on writing letters.
The vocabulary words are:
melodramatic
misconception
neglected
obedience
despair
persistent
Reading
I have put out my Thanksgiving books and of course the children always have access to all the books in the classroom which are on a level which they can read. I will be doing guided reading with the students but I will also be doing a District mandated reading test on each child between now and Christmas. I am hoping to test one child each day.
Please remember to help your child have access to books that are on the correct reading level. This will actually help them to improve their reading more quickly. They also need to remember to record all minutes read and to write in their Reading Response Journal each night.
Writing
Besides learning about the correct form for writing letters we will also be doing some writing about Thanksgiving. Each day the students will write a sentence about something they are thankful for in their Gratitude Journal.
Besides all these academic pursuits the children also participate in PE, Music, Computers, Library, Social Studies (Goods and Services is the topic this week.), and Art projects. We have several fun activities and projects for the children to participate in or make during the next week and a half.
The second part of the keyword is "Rock."
Remember the Spelling Test will be on Thursday morning and the Vocabulary Test will be on Friday morning.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Walking Field Trip to Wight's Fort Cemetery
Last Friday the weather for this Thursday's walking field trip looked questionable. We made a decision to move the field trip to this Tuesday the 13th. I just checked the forecast and it now looks like Tuesday will be questionable and Thursday will be the better day. LOOK FOR A FLYER TO KNOW FOR SURE WHEN WE ARE GOING. Parent volunteers we hope you can still come whenever we are able to go.
The great thing about this field trip is that is is very enjoyable but has no costs involved. We are also able to adjust as needed for the weather. We hope you will bear with us and understand.
This week's keyword is in two parts. The first part you will find here and the second part you will have to look further for.
First Part "Columbus - "
Spelling
This is the third week working on silent e words. This week's words will be with the long o sound.
As you read with your child or when you are just talking with them you could check your child's understanding of the silent e principle by asking a couple of questions:
Is this vowel long or short?
If it is long what causes it to have it's long sound?
What would the word be if we added an e to the end of the word?
What would the word be if we took the ending e away?
If you see your child write a word like "want" as "wante" - ask them what the word is? Is the vowel long or short? What does the e do to the word? Why did they put the e at the end?
Math
The next two weeks we will be working on Fact Families. (We begin this with an activity called "House and Swamp". It also teaches the difference between the = and the not equal sign.) We will be building numbers with tens and ones, making a giant 100's chart, using base ten blocks, and learn math fact strategies (these are to help them know an easy way to figure out the addition or subtraction if they haven't memorized or have forgotten, the math fact.) If we have time we will also work with number strings and see if we are faster than a calculator. I am trying to help them build some basic skills that I see many of them are lacking at this point.
Vocabulary
We will be reading the book "The Principal's New Clothes". I left the word list at school but I know two of the words are: imposter and trickster. I will post the remainder of the words later. These are some fun words to be learning just before Halloween.
I hope you have been having fun seeing how the children are learning these new vocabulary words. It is exciting to see them understanding and using the words.
Miscellaneous
This week we will be doing some activities related to Columbus Day. Then we will do some activities related to harvesting. They will write a story about a scarecrow and make a neat project representing the life cycle of a pumpkin. We may also do a fun - "Snug as a Bug in the Leaves" project.
The second part is " - 1492"
The school will be sending a note telling you how you can sign up online for your Parent Teacher Conference appointment with me on either Wed. Oct. 21st or Thurs. Oct. 22nd. I am looking forward to meeting with each and every one of you to discuss your child's progress.
I hope to see some of you for the field trip.
Have a great week.
The great thing about this field trip is that is is very enjoyable but has no costs involved. We are also able to adjust as needed for the weather. We hope you will bear with us and understand.
This week's keyword is in two parts. The first part you will find here and the second part you will have to look further for.
First Part "Columbus - "
Spelling
This is the third week working on silent e words. This week's words will be with the long o sound.
As you read with your child or when you are just talking with them you could check your child's understanding of the silent e principle by asking a couple of questions:
Is this vowel long or short?
If it is long what causes it to have it's long sound?
What would the word be if we added an e to the end of the word?
What would the word be if we took the ending e away?
If you see your child write a word like "want" as "wante" - ask them what the word is? Is the vowel long or short? What does the e do to the word? Why did they put the e at the end?
Math
The next two weeks we will be working on Fact Families. (We begin this with an activity called "House and Swamp". It also teaches the difference between the = and the not equal sign.) We will be building numbers with tens and ones, making a giant 100's chart, using base ten blocks, and learn math fact strategies (these are to help them know an easy way to figure out the addition or subtraction if they haven't memorized or have forgotten, the math fact.) If we have time we will also work with number strings and see if we are faster than a calculator. I am trying to help them build some basic skills that I see many of them are lacking at this point.
Vocabulary
We will be reading the book "The Principal's New Clothes". I left the word list at school but I know two of the words are: imposter and trickster. I will post the remainder of the words later. These are some fun words to be learning just before Halloween.
I hope you have been having fun seeing how the children are learning these new vocabulary words. It is exciting to see them understanding and using the words.
Miscellaneous
This week we will be doing some activities related to Columbus Day. Then we will do some activities related to harvesting. They will write a story about a scarecrow and make a neat project representing the life cycle of a pumpkin. We may also do a fun - "Snug as a Bug in the Leaves" project.
The second part is " - 1492"
The school will be sending a note telling you how you can sign up online for your Parent Teacher Conference appointment with me on either Wed. Oct. 21st or Thurs. Oct. 22nd. I am looking forward to meeting with each and every one of you to discuss your child's progress.
I hope to see some of you for the field trip.
Have a great week.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Great Weekend - Now Back to Work!
I hope you all had a great weekend. It is nice to take a little break.
The weather is changing, and the growing season is done but we are just beginning the learning that needs to take place during second grade.
Last week we tasted apples, painted apples, and colored apples, wrote a poem about an apple, wrote an apple story, made a graph about apples and did apple math. Since it was a short week we took a break from routine and did some learning in a variety of areas with apples being our theme.
Spelling
This week we are back to working on hearing, reading, writing and spelling sometimes with short vowels and sometimes with long vowels that have been changed because a magic silent e has been added to the end of the word. This weeks words have long or short i. Please keep practicing the spelling words but even more importantly talk about and practice looking for when the silent e is there and when it isn't there. This concept is extremely important.
Vocabulary
This week we will be reading a book called "Possum's Harvest Moon". The vocabulary words we will focus on are:
autumn
creature
harvest
snug
accomplished
conclude
Please try to use these in your discussions and see if the children pick up on hearing the words and can tell you what they mean.
Math
The students have been practicing using the following strategies:
"Counting on" which is to only be used when adding 1, 2, or 3
"Combinations of 10" - knowing any two numbers that will equal 10
"Doubles" - such as 2+2, 6+6, 9+9, etc. Ask them to tell you the story about the magic pot.
Students needs to be studying their math facts that include these strategies. To show their competency they need to be able to answer each math fact in 3 seconds. At school the children have cards with these math facts on them. They also have two ziplock bags. One is labeled - "Got It!" and the other is labeled - "Still Working". If they can't give the answer to the fact within the 3 seconds it goes in the pile for the "Still Working" bag. If they can answer that quickly it goes in the "Got It!" bag.
Another great practice task is skip counting. They should be able to skip count by 10's, 5's, 3's and 2's. At school we have songs for the 3's. It is sung to the tune of "Are You Sleeping". 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33.
This week the students will be writing their own Magic Pot Riddles and filling out function papers with doubling as the function.
Writing
I will be having a personal interview with each child in the next week or two to discuss strengths and weaknesses in their writing. With many of the students handwriting improvement is a great beginning to becoming a better writer.
For your information when I score the children's writing I am looking for 5 basics right now. They are:
Does the sentence or the story MAKE SENSE?
Is there HANDWRITING legible and improving?
Are there CAPITALS only in the correct places?
Are the words SPELLED CORRECTLY?
Is there CORRECT PUNCTUATION?
Homework
Thank you for helping your child make sure to read 15-20 minutes each night and to respond in their RRJ.
I hope you are enjoying playing the Math Games with your child. Please try to play the game several times during the week but only write in the Journal one time. Please help your child return the game on Thursday.
Keep up the good work on Spelling Practice and now please add Math Facts Practice as often as possible.
Thank you for helping to get the Math homework returned the following day after it is sent home.
(Several students have had classwork that has been sent home to COMPLETE AND RETURN. This is generally because your child is not staying on task to complete the work when assigned. Thank you for helping them learn responsibility and getting it back ASAP.)
Misc.
This week will be Red Ribbon Week where we learn about staying away from drugs and alcohol. Also a reminder that next week - Thursday the 15th will be the walking field trip to Wight's Fort Cemetery. And finally this weeks keyword is -"Harvest"
Have a Great Week!
The weather is changing, and the growing season is done but we are just beginning the learning that needs to take place during second grade.
Last week we tasted apples, painted apples, and colored apples, wrote a poem about an apple, wrote an apple story, made a graph about apples and did apple math. Since it was a short week we took a break from routine and did some learning in a variety of areas with apples being our theme.
Spelling
This week we are back to working on hearing, reading, writing and spelling sometimes with short vowels and sometimes with long vowels that have been changed because a magic silent e has been added to the end of the word. This weeks words have long or short i. Please keep practicing the spelling words but even more importantly talk about and practice looking for when the silent e is there and when it isn't there. This concept is extremely important.
Vocabulary
This week we will be reading a book called "Possum's Harvest Moon". The vocabulary words we will focus on are:
autumn
creature
harvest
snug
accomplished
conclude
Please try to use these in your discussions and see if the children pick up on hearing the words and can tell you what they mean.
Math
The students have been practicing using the following strategies:
"Counting on" which is to only be used when adding 1, 2, or 3
"Combinations of 10" - knowing any two numbers that will equal 10
"Doubles" - such as 2+2, 6+6, 9+9, etc. Ask them to tell you the story about the magic pot.
Students needs to be studying their math facts that include these strategies. To show their competency they need to be able to answer each math fact in 3 seconds. At school the children have cards with these math facts on them. They also have two ziplock bags. One is labeled - "Got It!" and the other is labeled - "Still Working". If they can't give the answer to the fact within the 3 seconds it goes in the pile for the "Still Working" bag. If they can answer that quickly it goes in the "Got It!" bag.
Another great practice task is skip counting. They should be able to skip count by 10's, 5's, 3's and 2's. At school we have songs for the 3's. It is sung to the tune of "Are You Sleeping". 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33.
This week the students will be writing their own Magic Pot Riddles and filling out function papers with doubling as the function.
Writing
I will be having a personal interview with each child in the next week or two to discuss strengths and weaknesses in their writing. With many of the students handwriting improvement is a great beginning to becoming a better writer.
For your information when I score the children's writing I am looking for 5 basics right now. They are:
Does the sentence or the story MAKE SENSE?
Is there HANDWRITING legible and improving?
Are there CAPITALS only in the correct places?
Are the words SPELLED CORRECTLY?
Is there CORRECT PUNCTUATION?
Homework
Thank you for helping your child make sure to read 15-20 minutes each night and to respond in their RRJ.
I hope you are enjoying playing the Math Games with your child. Please try to play the game several times during the week but only write in the Journal one time. Please help your child return the game on Thursday.
Keep up the good work on Spelling Practice and now please add Math Facts Practice as often as possible.
Thank you for helping to get the Math homework returned the following day after it is sent home.
(Several students have had classwork that has been sent home to COMPLETE AND RETURN. This is generally because your child is not staying on task to complete the work when assigned. Thank you for helping them learn responsibility and getting it back ASAP.)
Misc.
This week will be Red Ribbon Week where we learn about staying away from drugs and alcohol. Also a reminder that next week - Thursday the 15th will be the walking field trip to Wight's Fort Cemetery. And finally this weeks keyword is -"Harvest"
Have a Great Week!
Monday, September 21, 2009
It feels like fall
Let's talk about independent reading at home. Each student should be reading for 15 - 20 minutes each night. This reading should be reading aloud to a parent or if needed to an older sibling. This one nightly activity will help increase your child's reading ability more than anything else you can do.
Our school district uses the Fountas and Pinnell "Guided Reading Levels". It is a way to rate books as to their difficulty. They are rated from A to Z with A being the easiest. During 2nd grade students should be reading on levels H to M. The goal is to have all 2nd graders reading on an L or M level by the end of the year. ( Right now our class has students reading on levels from A to N.) I have given you two links to lists of leveled books.
We talk about reading on three different levels. First is the child's Independent Reading Level. That is the level at which they can read independently with very few mistakes or struggles. At school I teach them the 5 finger rule, which means that a good way to see if a book is a "just right book" is to read one page - if you struggle with or miss 5 words or more it is too difficult for you. This is how easy their home reading books should be.
The second reading level is their Instructional Reading Level. This is the level at which I work with them as I am instructing them on learning to improve their reading.
The third level is their Frustrational Reading Level. This is the level at which the child gets frustrated because the text is too difficult for them. Too often this is the level at which children are trying to read at home. This causes them to become frustrated with reading and even say that they "hate reading."
Please help your child read at their Independent level when reading at home.
To help your child reach this goal you need to set a specific time and place where they read each day. When they have difficulty with reading you can help them best not by telling them the word but by reminding them of two or three clues they are being taught in class that will help them decode or figure out the word on their own. Some of these clues are: What would make sense in the story? Look at the picture. Does that give you a clue what the word might be? What sound does it start with? Are there any little words you know in the bigger word? Think again, what would make sense in the story that starts with that sound? Only give about 3 prompts then if they really can't figure it out tell them the word.
Vocabulary
Today we read a cute story called "Mice Make Trouble" by Becky Bloom. It is about a little boy who uses his sister's magical colored pencils and draws 6 wierd mice and a hedgehog on the wall. These creatures come alive and behave very badly. Our vocabulary words for the week are:
assortment
civilized
contributed
inappropriate
concoct
orderly
The children are to be listening for these words at home, either in their family conversation or in the media. They will be tested on these words on Friday.
Spelling
We will be working with Magic Silent e for the next 4 weeks. This is an extremely important concept for children to learn to help them be good spellers. This week we are working on silent e words that have a long a sound. Today I found that many of the children are having difficulty hearing and knowing the difference between the short and long sounds of the vowels. This is something you can work on at home. Of course the long vowels say their names a, e, i, o, u. The short sounds are the a as in apple, e as in elephant, i as in igloo, o as in octopus and u as in umbrella.
Today they were to sort their spelling words into columns of short vowels, long vowels and other. Tomorrow they will take words such as pal and change it to pale, can becomes cane, mad becomes made, hat becomes hate, cap becomes cape etc. You could ask them to spell made and mad and see if they know how to properly use the magic silent e.
Math
The children have learned to play "Collect 25 cents" and many went on to play "Collect 50 cents" and "Collect One Dollar."
They have also learned to play "+1 or +2 Bingo." This is helping them learn that in adding a great strategy is to count on if you are adding 1, 2 or 3 but if you are adding more than 3 there is a better strategy to use for that fact. They should be memorizing their doubles facts. 1+1, 2+2, 3+3, 4+4 etc. up to at least 11 + 11. Many can go further than that and it would be great if they learned doubles up to 20 + 20.
Tomorrow we will be having our first pocket day where they determine how many pockets are in the classroom. We are moving into comparison of numbers and more about combinations of numbers that will equal 10. They have played "Tens Go Fish" and "Concentrating on Tens". They will also start looking for more that two numbers to make ten.
Writing
They are finishing up a writing project based on the book "Quick As A Cricket." They are also learning about choosing a good, clear topic to write about.
Handwriting
We have some students with very good handwriting and some with very poor handwriting. Please encourage your child to really try to do their best work at all times. Doing your work well is more important than doing it fast and poorly.
I hope you all have a great week. The keyword for this week is: "Cooler Weather"
Our school district uses the Fountas and Pinnell "Guided Reading Levels". It is a way to rate books as to their difficulty. They are rated from A to Z with A being the easiest. During 2nd grade students should be reading on levels H to M. The goal is to have all 2nd graders reading on an L or M level by the end of the year. ( Right now our class has students reading on levels from A to N.) I have given you two links to lists of leveled books.
We talk about reading on three different levels. First is the child's Independent Reading Level. That is the level at which they can read independently with very few mistakes or struggles. At school I teach them the 5 finger rule, which means that a good way to see if a book is a "just right book" is to read one page - if you struggle with or miss 5 words or more it is too difficult for you. This is how easy their home reading books should be.
The second reading level is their Instructional Reading Level. This is the level at which I work with them as I am instructing them on learning to improve their reading.
The third level is their Frustrational Reading Level. This is the level at which the child gets frustrated because the text is too difficult for them. Too often this is the level at which children are trying to read at home. This causes them to become frustrated with reading and even say that they "hate reading."
Please help your child read at their Independent level when reading at home.
To help your child reach this goal you need to set a specific time and place where they read each day. When they have difficulty with reading you can help them best not by telling them the word but by reminding them of two or three clues they are being taught in class that will help them decode or figure out the word on their own. Some of these clues are: What would make sense in the story? Look at the picture. Does that give you a clue what the word might be? What sound does it start with? Are there any little words you know in the bigger word? Think again, what would make sense in the story that starts with that sound? Only give about 3 prompts then if they really can't figure it out tell them the word.
Vocabulary
Today we read a cute story called "Mice Make Trouble" by Becky Bloom. It is about a little boy who uses his sister's magical colored pencils and draws 6 wierd mice and a hedgehog on the wall. These creatures come alive and behave very badly. Our vocabulary words for the week are:
assortment
civilized
contributed
inappropriate
concoct
orderly
The children are to be listening for these words at home, either in their family conversation or in the media. They will be tested on these words on Friday.
Spelling
We will be working with Magic Silent e for the next 4 weeks. This is an extremely important concept for children to learn to help them be good spellers. This week we are working on silent e words that have a long a sound. Today I found that many of the children are having difficulty hearing and knowing the difference between the short and long sounds of the vowels. This is something you can work on at home. Of course the long vowels say their names a, e, i, o, u. The short sounds are the a as in apple, e as in elephant, i as in igloo, o as in octopus and u as in umbrella.
Today they were to sort their spelling words into columns of short vowels, long vowels and other. Tomorrow they will take words such as pal and change it to pale, can becomes cane, mad becomes made, hat becomes hate, cap becomes cape etc. You could ask them to spell made and mad and see if they know how to properly use the magic silent e.
Math
The children have learned to play "Collect 25 cents" and many went on to play "Collect 50 cents" and "Collect One Dollar."
They have also learned to play "+1 or +2 Bingo." This is helping them learn that in adding a great strategy is to count on if you are adding 1, 2 or 3 but if you are adding more than 3 there is a better strategy to use for that fact. They should be memorizing their doubles facts. 1+1, 2+2, 3+3, 4+4 etc. up to at least 11 + 11. Many can go further than that and it would be great if they learned doubles up to 20 + 20.
Tomorrow we will be having our first pocket day where they determine how many pockets are in the classroom. We are moving into comparison of numbers and more about combinations of numbers that will equal 10. They have played "Tens Go Fish" and "Concentrating on Tens". They will also start looking for more that two numbers to make ten.
Writing
They are finishing up a writing project based on the book "Quick As A Cricket." They are also learning about choosing a good, clear topic to write about.
Handwriting
We have some students with very good handwriting and some with very poor handwriting. Please encourage your child to really try to do their best work at all times. Doing your work well is more important than doing it fast and poorly.
I hope you all have a great week. The keyword for this week is: "Cooler Weather"
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
They are starting to get it -
Sorry to be so slow in posting this week, "Life Happens!"
The first few weeks of school are partly for teaching routines: what we do, how we do it and when we do it. Some of the students are starting to get the routines. Yea! This is a good beginning. Some students are still struggling but if they keep trying they will not only get the routines but become great students.
Tuesday Sept. 8th, we made it through the whole day without having to move any students to lonely street (off by themselves) because of too much talking. I hope this is a trend.
Vocabulary
We are working on words from a book called, " Just Plain Fancy" by Patricia Palocco. It is about a peacock egg that got mixed up with the chicken eggs. The words we will focus on for vocabulary are:
peer
shun
exotic
gossiping
constantly
simplicity
The students mostly did very well on the last test.
We will take our time on this book and the test on these words will be next Friday, September 18th.
Spelling
This week we are continuing our study of Consonant Blends this time blends that have an "l". In consonant blends you say all the sounds of all the letters, you just blend them together.
Next week's spelling will be learning to spell words with onsets and rhimes - these are also called word families. The ones we will be working on are: -ack, -eck, -ick, -ock, -uck. Some of the words are: black, clock, truck, stick, and deck. We will learn a song called "The -ck, -ck, -ck Rap". It talks about the "Duck stuck in the muck." and "The black backpack hung on the rack."
Some of our challenge words come from our study of rocks.
Writing
We have been studying nouns, verbs and describing words. We learned that a sentence is a group of words that mean something. It has to make sense. The sentence must begin with a capital letter and end with punctuation. We also learned that a sentence must have a noun and a verb (Subject and Predicate). We took a simple sentence and added some details and it became an interesting sentence. (The dog ran.) (The fat little French Bulldog ran quickly through the grass.) The students also drew a treasure map of their house and yard and marked x'es where they had great or treasured memories. They then listed these treasured memories as ideas for their writings. They began a story about one of their treasured memories.
Math
We have started the learning process in the subjects of time, money, geometry, patterns, data and graphing and problem solving. The students have learned about the base ten number system that we use, open figures and polygons, rounding, estimating and measurement. The last two days they have been involved in figuring out if Bag X has _____ blocks are there enough for each student in the class to have one block. They have to answer questions like: Are there any leftovers? If so, how many? Are more blocks needed? If so, how many? They are always asked to show with numbers, pictures or words how they figured out their answers. "Good mathematicians always write about how they figured things out."
Misc.
The 5th grade buddies came and helped the students make giant sunflowers. Look for them in our hallway. We will be doing more sunflower activities. The students also have made a quilt about themselves. It is also in our hallway. And, our bulletin board has great stories the students have written about their summer vacation. The cover to the stories are glyphs about each student. This weeks keyword is: "sunflower."
Thanks to all who filled out the survey about using the blog. Fourteen responses would like an email linking you to the blog. Two wanted only emails with important information and two preferred printed notes. There was no response from only 3 parents. This weekend I will work on setting up the email list and send emails linking you to the blog. I will still send paper notes to those 5 who did not prefer this option. I'm hoping all will soon opt in to this great way to communicate. There will still be some notes from school especially for field trip. Look for one of these on Monday September 14th.
THANKS!
Thank you to all the parents who have signed on to volunteer in the classroom. Thanks also to Angie Brown for setting up the bolunteer schedule and calendar. It is a huge job to meet the needs of all these students and I truely appreciate all the help you give. Thanks also go to those parents who have sent in items for the classroom and for the token store. You are all awesome!
The first few weeks of school are partly for teaching routines: what we do, how we do it and when we do it. Some of the students are starting to get the routines. Yea! This is a good beginning. Some students are still struggling but if they keep trying they will not only get the routines but become great students.
Tuesday Sept. 8th, we made it through the whole day without having to move any students to lonely street (off by themselves) because of too much talking. I hope this is a trend.
Vocabulary
We are working on words from a book called, " Just Plain Fancy" by Patricia Palocco. It is about a peacock egg that got mixed up with the chicken eggs. The words we will focus on for vocabulary are:
peer
shun
exotic
gossiping
constantly
simplicity
The students mostly did very well on the last test.
We will take our time on this book and the test on these words will be next Friday, September 18th.
Spelling
This week we are continuing our study of Consonant Blends this time blends that have an "l". In consonant blends you say all the sounds of all the letters, you just blend them together.
Next week's spelling will be learning to spell words with onsets and rhimes - these are also called word families. The ones we will be working on are: -ack, -eck, -ick, -ock, -uck. Some of the words are: black, clock, truck, stick, and deck. We will learn a song called "The -ck, -ck, -ck Rap". It talks about the "Duck stuck in the muck." and "The black backpack hung on the rack."
Some of our challenge words come from our study of rocks.
Writing
We have been studying nouns, verbs and describing words. We learned that a sentence is a group of words that mean something. It has to make sense. The sentence must begin with a capital letter and end with punctuation. We also learned that a sentence must have a noun and a verb (Subject and Predicate). We took a simple sentence and added some details and it became an interesting sentence. (The dog ran.) (The fat little French Bulldog ran quickly through the grass.) The students also drew a treasure map of their house and yard and marked x'es where they had great or treasured memories. They then listed these treasured memories as ideas for their writings. They began a story about one of their treasured memories.
Math
We have started the learning process in the subjects of time, money, geometry, patterns, data and graphing and problem solving. The students have learned about the base ten number system that we use, open figures and polygons, rounding, estimating and measurement. The last two days they have been involved in figuring out if Bag X has _____ blocks are there enough for each student in the class to have one block. They have to answer questions like: Are there any leftovers? If so, how many? Are more blocks needed? If so, how many? They are always asked to show with numbers, pictures or words how they figured out their answers. "Good mathematicians always write about how they figured things out."
Misc.
The 5th grade buddies came and helped the students make giant sunflowers. Look for them in our hallway. We will be doing more sunflower activities. The students also have made a quilt about themselves. It is also in our hallway. And, our bulletin board has great stories the students have written about their summer vacation. The cover to the stories are glyphs about each student. This weeks keyword is: "sunflower."
Thanks to all who filled out the survey about using the blog. Fourteen responses would like an email linking you to the blog. Two wanted only emails with important information and two preferred printed notes. There was no response from only 3 parents. This weekend I will work on setting up the email list and send emails linking you to the blog. I will still send paper notes to those 5 who did not prefer this option. I'm hoping all will soon opt in to this great way to communicate. There will still be some notes from school especially for field trip. Look for one of these on Monday September 14th.
THANKS!
Thank you to all the parents who have signed on to volunteer in the classroom. Thanks also to Angie Brown for setting up the bolunteer schedule and calendar. It is a huge job to meet the needs of all these students and I truely appreciate all the help you give. Thanks also go to those parents who have sent in items for the classroom and for the token store. You are all awesome!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Vocabulary for the week
The vocabulary words for the week are:
coincidence
recite
bitter
murmmer
loyal
sensitive
The children will be given a sentence and a choice of two of these words. They will need to choose the word that makes the sentence make sense. There will only be 6 questions. This first will give them a feel for what to expect in the future.
We have been talking about the words all week. They have especially been excited to tell us about things that happened that were coincidences. Try to use the vocabulary words in your house during the week. They get to put a mark by the word if they hear it or see it.
coincidence
recite
bitter
murmmer
loyal
sensitive
The children will be given a sentence and a choice of two of these words. They will need to choose the word that makes the sentence make sense. There will only be 6 questions. This first will give them a feel for what to expect in the future.
We have been talking about the words all week. They have especially been excited to tell us about things that happened that were coincidences. Try to use the vocabulary words in your house during the week. They get to put a mark by the word if they hear it or see it.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tomorrow Will be September Morn
Class Overview
We have written a couple of books as a class. One is taken from "A My Name is Alice." The children have had to use the first letter of their name in a short story, writing with alliteration. The other book is rhymes the students have made up that become verses of the song " Down By The Bay." They made up the rhymes with their 5th grade buddies. The children have written stories about their summer vacations and about their "First Day of Second Grade."
Some of the students are working very hard and others are struggling at staying on task. If a child continues to talk rather than do their work the are asked to move to "Lonely Street", which means their desk is moved away from the other students. If the problem persists over several days they have been put on a contract. Check the back of their tracking sheet everyday. If I have drawn smiley, straight or frowning faces there then they are on a contract because of their disruptive behavior. Please set up some consequences at home that your child knows about. Removing their favorite plaything or play activity is often a consequence that will help them realize that they need to change their school behavior to continue to enjoy that priviledge. Thanks for your help in this matter.
Spelling
This week the children are working on consonant blends with the letter r such as "cr" as in crash, "tr" as in trash, and "gr" as in grape. A blend is where two or more letters blend together to form a new sound. There are two types of spelling lists that were sent home on Friday.
If your child has a spelling list with words or groups of words circled they need to study all of the circled words. The challenge words will be given to all children. If they study and spell these correctly they get extra credit. If they miss them is does not harm their score.
If your child has 5 spelling words written on the top of their spelling list they are to study those 5 individualized words, the 5 spelling words on the left in the box, the Word Wall Word and the Challenge Words. They will be tested on 5 random words from the big box but if they have studied the spelling principle and the 5 Spelling Words they should be able to spell the words I choose to test them on.
Math
This week we are learning about the 100's Chart and how we can use it as a mathematical tool. We are learning how to represent a number in several ways such as: 11, eleven, 5+6=11, 12-1=11, 5+5+1=11, 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=11, etc. We will also be learning how to determine if there are enough cubes in a bag for the class.
Please help your child work on learning their basic math facts at home.
Reading
We are continuing the PALS testing. It should be completed by midweek. This is giving me an opportunity to listen to each child read and assess their skills and needs.
Writing
This week we will begin learning the first of the Six Traits of Writing - Ideas. We will draw a map of our yards and mark an X where we had a treasured experience. We will list these ideas for beginnings to our future writings. We will learn about formulating ideas and recognizing a main idea in others writings. We will also talk about conventions such as capitalization, spelling, punctuation and using our best handwriting.
Vocabulary
Today I read the class the book "Ruby the Copycat." We will learn the meaning of 6 important words in the story. The children will get to put a mark by the word on the chart if they can tell me about hearing it used at home or on t.v., etc. On Friday they will be tested on the meaning of the six words. The first word is coincidence. They will learn the other words tomorrow.
Volunteers
Angie Brown is our Room Mother. Her phone number is 415-9966. She is working hard to put together a calendar of volunteers to help in our classroom. I really appreciate all those who have just shown up to help. Each one of you is sorely needed as this year's class has some special needs of differentiated teaching to meet the needs of all the children. I am grateful to all who are willing to come in and help.
Thanks for ordering books and signing the Highlights signature page. These things help us get free books and materials for our classroom.
Special Item
When you have read this post have your child write the word "Special" on the back of their yellow tracking sheet. I will give them a 3 token for letting me know that you have read the Blog.
We have written a couple of books as a class. One is taken from "A My Name is Alice." The children have had to use the first letter of their name in a short story, writing with alliteration. The other book is rhymes the students have made up that become verses of the song " Down By The Bay." They made up the rhymes with their 5th grade buddies. The children have written stories about their summer vacations and about their "First Day of Second Grade."
Some of the students are working very hard and others are struggling at staying on task. If a child continues to talk rather than do their work the are asked to move to "Lonely Street", which means their desk is moved away from the other students. If the problem persists over several days they have been put on a contract. Check the back of their tracking sheet everyday. If I have drawn smiley, straight or frowning faces there then they are on a contract because of their disruptive behavior. Please set up some consequences at home that your child knows about. Removing their favorite plaything or play activity is often a consequence that will help them realize that they need to change their school behavior to continue to enjoy that priviledge. Thanks for your help in this matter.
Spelling
This week the children are working on consonant blends with the letter r such as "cr" as in crash, "tr" as in trash, and "gr" as in grape. A blend is where two or more letters blend together to form a new sound. There are two types of spelling lists that were sent home on Friday.
If your child has a spelling list with words or groups of words circled they need to study all of the circled words. The challenge words will be given to all children. If they study and spell these correctly they get extra credit. If they miss them is does not harm their score.
If your child has 5 spelling words written on the top of their spelling list they are to study those 5 individualized words, the 5 spelling words on the left in the box, the Word Wall Word and the Challenge Words. They will be tested on 5 random words from the big box but if they have studied the spelling principle and the 5 Spelling Words they should be able to spell the words I choose to test them on.
Math
This week we are learning about the 100's Chart and how we can use it as a mathematical tool. We are learning how to represent a number in several ways such as: 11, eleven, 5+6=11, 12-1=11, 5+5+1=11, 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=11, etc. We will also be learning how to determine if there are enough cubes in a bag for the class.
Please help your child work on learning their basic math facts at home.
Reading
We are continuing the PALS testing. It should be completed by midweek. This is giving me an opportunity to listen to each child read and assess their skills and needs.
Writing
This week we will begin learning the first of the Six Traits of Writing - Ideas. We will draw a map of our yards and mark an X where we had a treasured experience. We will list these ideas for beginnings to our future writings. We will learn about formulating ideas and recognizing a main idea in others writings. We will also talk about conventions such as capitalization, spelling, punctuation and using our best handwriting.
Vocabulary
Today I read the class the book "Ruby the Copycat." We will learn the meaning of 6 important words in the story. The children will get to put a mark by the word on the chart if they can tell me about hearing it used at home or on t.v., etc. On Friday they will be tested on the meaning of the six words. The first word is coincidence. They will learn the other words tomorrow.
Volunteers
Angie Brown is our Room Mother. Her phone number is 415-9966. She is working hard to put together a calendar of volunteers to help in our classroom. I really appreciate all those who have just shown up to help. Each one of you is sorely needed as this year's class has some special needs of differentiated teaching to meet the needs of all the children. I am grateful to all who are willing to come in and help.
Thanks for ordering books and signing the Highlights signature page. These things help us get free books and materials for our classroom.
Special Item
When you have read this post have your child write the word "Special" on the back of their yellow tracking sheet. I will give them a 3 token for letting me know that you have read the Blog.
Monday, August 24, 2009
2nd Week of 2nd Grade
Starters
Each morning the students will begin with a starter called "Math 4 Today". They will do 4 problems each day for the first four days of the week. This is the learning side of the paper. We correct these together and learn as we go. On Friday the students do the 10 problems on the back or assessment side of the page. This lets me know if they have learned the concepts taught during starters during the week. This is what is called a spiraling review. It will continue to bring up similar concepts but with increasing levels of difficulty as we go through the year. It is a very good teaching tool.
Math
This week I will assess the students number sense, addition and subtraction understanding. This will tell me what they already know and where there are weaknesses or holes in their understanding.
We are also exploring several of the math tools we will be using during the year: clocks, connecting cubes, base ten blocks, pattern blocks, number lines and the 100 chart. We will also learn some routines that we will revisit often involving telling time, the number of the day in school and this week or next we will do an activity called "How Many Pockets?"
When a page from our math book comes home marked "Homework" in red, as was sent home today, it needs to be completed and sent back the very next day. It is very helpful if parents correct this page by just marking a big "C" by all correct responses and an "X" by all incorrect responses. Thanks a bunch!
Guided Reading and Centers
We will not begin guided reading until I have completed required testing and also training the students to do independent work or centers while I work with leveled reading groups.
I began the PALS testing today. The children read lists of words that help me focus on what level to begin the reading tests for your child. Then I will have each child read to me and answer questions about the stories they read. I will also time their reading and determine their fluency.
Spelling - I am teaching the children activities that they do during centers to practice their spelling. Some of these activities are: LSCWC (Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check), Fix, Mix, Fix, Rainbow Spelling, Pyramid Spelling, Triangle Spelling, If I Can Spell ______ then I Can Spell _____ .
Writing - Each day during centers the children do one of the following writing activities: News of the Week, Handwriting Practice, Tongue Twister Book, All About Me Book and the 1000 Club.
Phonics - Each day the children do activities to help them really understand the spelling/phonics concept taught that week. Some of these activities are word sorts where the children sort their spelling words by designated criteria. This week they will sort their words by which short vowel is in each word. They will do this with pictures and words.
Please help your child practice the Consonants (C) and Vowels (V) (they know a song about these), and then they need to learn the phonics principle for the week: When a word has a CVC, CCVC, CVCC pattern the vowel has the short sound. The a sounds like the a in apple, the e sounds like the e in elephant, the i sounds like the i in igloo, the o sounds like the o in octopus and the u sounds like the u in umbrella.
Other Activities - We have been making some class books and doing some art activities during this time also.
Writing Workshop
Today we read the book "What Author's Do". We are learning the process of writing. It all begins with ideas. Writers start by thinking about ideas. We will be working on this first step this week.
Rotations
This week we learned the difference between rural, suburban and urban communities. The kids made flip books and drew pictures of each kind of community.
During rotations the students have experiences with music, math games, art, science and social studies.
Comprehension
We will work on the comprehension strategy of previewing a book before reading so that our mind begins to think about what the book might be about.
Busy Day
Tuesday is our busy day. We have PE from 9:15 to 10:00, Library is from 10:00 to 10:30 and Computer is from 12:15 to 1:00. We will fit in all the other good work around these activities.
Each morning the students will begin with a starter called "Math 4 Today". They will do 4 problems each day for the first four days of the week. This is the learning side of the paper. We correct these together and learn as we go. On Friday the students do the 10 problems on the back or assessment side of the page. This lets me know if they have learned the concepts taught during starters during the week. This is what is called a spiraling review. It will continue to bring up similar concepts but with increasing levels of difficulty as we go through the year. It is a very good teaching tool.
Math
This week I will assess the students number sense, addition and subtraction understanding. This will tell me what they already know and where there are weaknesses or holes in their understanding.
We are also exploring several of the math tools we will be using during the year: clocks, connecting cubes, base ten blocks, pattern blocks, number lines and the 100 chart. We will also learn some routines that we will revisit often involving telling time, the number of the day in school and this week or next we will do an activity called "How Many Pockets?"
When a page from our math book comes home marked "Homework" in red, as was sent home today, it needs to be completed and sent back the very next day. It is very helpful if parents correct this page by just marking a big "C" by all correct responses and an "X" by all incorrect responses. Thanks a bunch!
Guided Reading and Centers
We will not begin guided reading until I have completed required testing and also training the students to do independent work or centers while I work with leveled reading groups.
I began the PALS testing today. The children read lists of words that help me focus on what level to begin the reading tests for your child. Then I will have each child read to me and answer questions about the stories they read. I will also time their reading and determine their fluency.
Spelling - I am teaching the children activities that they do during centers to practice their spelling. Some of these activities are: LSCWC (Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check), Fix, Mix, Fix, Rainbow Spelling, Pyramid Spelling, Triangle Spelling, If I Can Spell ______ then I Can Spell _____ .
Writing - Each day during centers the children do one of the following writing activities: News of the Week, Handwriting Practice, Tongue Twister Book, All About Me Book and the 1000 Club.
Phonics - Each day the children do activities to help them really understand the spelling/phonics concept taught that week. Some of these activities are word sorts where the children sort their spelling words by designated criteria. This week they will sort their words by which short vowel is in each word. They will do this with pictures and words.
Please help your child practice the Consonants (C) and Vowels (V) (they know a song about these), and then they need to learn the phonics principle for the week: When a word has a CVC, CCVC, CVCC pattern the vowel has the short sound. The a sounds like the a in apple, the e sounds like the e in elephant, the i sounds like the i in igloo, the o sounds like the o in octopus and the u sounds like the u in umbrella.
Other Activities - We have been making some class books and doing some art activities during this time also.
Writing Workshop
Today we read the book "What Author's Do". We are learning the process of writing. It all begins with ideas. Writers start by thinking about ideas. We will be working on this first step this week.
Rotations
This week we learned the difference between rural, suburban and urban communities. The kids made flip books and drew pictures of each kind of community.
During rotations the students have experiences with music, math games, art, science and social studies.
Comprehension
We will work on the comprehension strategy of previewing a book before reading so that our mind begins to think about what the book might be about.
Busy Day
Tuesday is our busy day. We have PE from 9:15 to 10:00, Library is from 10:00 to 10:30 and Computer is from 12:15 to 1:00. We will fit in all the other good work around these activities.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Welcome to 2nd Grade
Dear Students and Parents,
Welcome to 2nd Grade at Elk Meadows Elementary. My name is Mrs. Liz Taylor and I am looking forward to getting to know my new students, and their parents. I hope you students have enjoyed a nice break from school and are now ready to get started learning again. I am excited to get to know all of you.
I am hoping we can use this blog as a means of communication to help us all be aware of what is going on at school, what homework assignments are due and so we can also share some of the fine work of the students through this technology. I am hoping you will check this blog at least once or twice a week to stay current on what is going on.
You can contact me through my school email which is elizabeth.taylor (at) jordan.k12.ut.us or by phone at the school 801-446-3200, or just send a note to school on the back of your child's tracking sheet and I will return a note the same way.
My philosophy is to try to make school a place your child will enjoy coming to and then to help them learn those things that will help them build a strong foundation in math, literacy, writing, science and the other areas of whole child education. My first and most important rule is that we must always be honest. Next we must respect ourselves, others and the property or environment. Thirdly we need to do our best work.
I try to encourage the children through positive talk such as, "Your handwriting is much improved." , "I love how you are following the directions that I gave you." , "I appreciate how Joe is walking so quietly in the hall today," etc. I use a system of class points and individual tokens that the children earn by doing their work and following the rules. The tokens are used to buy things at the Token Store which is held about six to eight times during the year. The store is parent supported with donations of inexpensive items the children will enjoy buying. I usually need one volunteer to help run the store on those Token Store days. I would greatly appreciate your support for this activity as it truly is a wonderfully successful incentive program to encourage responsibility in the children both in their work and in their behavior.
It would be helpful if your child had the following items:
A pencil box - about 6" by 9"
A backpack
A water bottle
A set of 12 colored pencils
The classroom temperature varies greatly - as fall approaches I would encourage you to send a jacket to school to stay here for the times when the room is too cool for your child.
Often I have students who brag about how they stay up until 11:00 at night. All of the research as well as common sense tells us that children of this age need nearly 10 hours of sleep a night or more. If they do not get this sleep their ability to learn and their behavior in the classroom is impared. I can see it in individuals and in the class when they have not had enough sleep. I would encourage you to set up a family routine concerning homework and bedtime that will be the best for your child's health and education.
I see education as a three legged stool; the teacher, the student and the parents are the legs on the stool. Without any one of them the education is unbalanced and less than the strong foundation that each child deserves. Please be involved by helping your child with homework on a nightly basis. Then if you can please volunteer your time to help in our classroom either as a room mother, party hleper, filed trip volunteer, spelling volunteer, in the classroom on a regular basis or by doing things at home to help prepare materials. Any of the following donations would also be greatly appreciated:
boxes of facial tissue
band aids
hand sanitizer
glue sticks
dry-erase markers
Zip-Lock bags - snack or quart size
We are in need of a Room Mother who will correlate things with the other volunteers.
We need helpers to check homework folders each morning - this takes about 30 minutes.
We need volunteers in the classroom each morning from 10:15 - 11:30 to help students with centers while I teach reading in small groups. (Tuesday would be 10:30 - 11:30.)
We need 2-3 volunteers to help on Thursday mornings with grading and pretesting spelling so that we can continue the individualized spelling program we have set up.
We need 1-2 volunteers to help check the math games in and out on Friday mornings.
The basic schedule for our class is as follows:
8:30 - 8:45 - Opening
8:45 - 10:00 - Math
10:00 - 10:15 - Word Wall or Fluency
10:15 - 11:30 - Guided Reading and Centers
11:30 - 12:15 - Lunch
12:15 - 12:30 - Spelling lesson
12:30 - 1:15 - Writing
1:15 - 2:00 - Rotation (Music, Science, Social Studies, Art, Math Games)
2:00 - 2:15 - Recess
2:15 - 2:45 - Independent Reading and Comprehension
2:45 - 3:15 - Vocabulary
3:15 Prepare to dismiss
3:25 Dismiss
On Tuesday we will have PE at 9:15 - 10:00, Library 10:00 - 10:30, and Computers 12:15 - 1:00.
I hope to see all of you parents at Back to School Night. I am excited for this new year and the opportunity to help in the education of your students.
Welcome to 2nd Grade at Elk Meadows Elementary. My name is Mrs. Liz Taylor and I am looking forward to getting to know my new students, and their parents. I hope you students have enjoyed a nice break from school and are now ready to get started learning again. I am excited to get to know all of you.
I am hoping we can use this blog as a means of communication to help us all be aware of what is going on at school, what homework assignments are due and so we can also share some of the fine work of the students through this technology. I am hoping you will check this blog at least once or twice a week to stay current on what is going on.
You can contact me through my school email which is elizabeth.taylor (at) jordan.k12.ut.us or by phone at the school 801-446-3200, or just send a note to school on the back of your child's tracking sheet and I will return a note the same way.
My philosophy is to try to make school a place your child will enjoy coming to and then to help them learn those things that will help them build a strong foundation in math, literacy, writing, science and the other areas of whole child education. My first and most important rule is that we must always be honest. Next we must respect ourselves, others and the property or environment. Thirdly we need to do our best work.
I try to encourage the children through positive talk such as, "Your handwriting is much improved." , "I love how you are following the directions that I gave you." , "I appreciate how Joe is walking so quietly in the hall today," etc. I use a system of class points and individual tokens that the children earn by doing their work and following the rules. The tokens are used to buy things at the Token Store which is held about six to eight times during the year. The store is parent supported with donations of inexpensive items the children will enjoy buying. I usually need one volunteer to help run the store on those Token Store days. I would greatly appreciate your support for this activity as it truly is a wonderfully successful incentive program to encourage responsibility in the children both in their work and in their behavior.
It would be helpful if your child had the following items:
A pencil box - about 6" by 9"
A backpack
A water bottle
A set of 12 colored pencils
The classroom temperature varies greatly - as fall approaches I would encourage you to send a jacket to school to stay here for the times when the room is too cool for your child.
Often I have students who brag about how they stay up until 11:00 at night. All of the research as well as common sense tells us that children of this age need nearly 10 hours of sleep a night or more. If they do not get this sleep their ability to learn and their behavior in the classroom is impared. I can see it in individuals and in the class when they have not had enough sleep. I would encourage you to set up a family routine concerning homework and bedtime that will be the best for your child's health and education.
I see education as a three legged stool; the teacher, the student and the parents are the legs on the stool. Without any one of them the education is unbalanced and less than the strong foundation that each child deserves. Please be involved by helping your child with homework on a nightly basis. Then if you can please volunteer your time to help in our classroom either as a room mother, party hleper, filed trip volunteer, spelling volunteer, in the classroom on a regular basis or by doing things at home to help prepare materials. Any of the following donations would also be greatly appreciated:
boxes of facial tissue
band aids
hand sanitizer
glue sticks
dry-erase markers
Zip-Lock bags - snack or quart size
We are in need of a Room Mother who will correlate things with the other volunteers.
We need helpers to check homework folders each morning - this takes about 30 minutes.
We need volunteers in the classroom each morning from 10:15 - 11:30 to help students with centers while I teach reading in small groups. (Tuesday would be 10:30 - 11:30.)
We need 2-3 volunteers to help on Thursday mornings with grading and pretesting spelling so that we can continue the individualized spelling program we have set up.
We need 1-2 volunteers to help check the math games in and out on Friday mornings.
The basic schedule for our class is as follows:
8:30 - 8:45 - Opening
8:45 - 10:00 - Math
10:00 - 10:15 - Word Wall or Fluency
10:15 - 11:30 - Guided Reading and Centers
11:30 - 12:15 - Lunch
12:15 - 12:30 - Spelling lesson
12:30 - 1:15 - Writing
1:15 - 2:00 - Rotation (Music, Science, Social Studies, Art, Math Games)
2:00 - 2:15 - Recess
2:15 - 2:45 - Independent Reading and Comprehension
2:45 - 3:15 - Vocabulary
3:15 Prepare to dismiss
3:25 Dismiss
On Tuesday we will have PE at 9:15 - 10:00, Library 10:00 - 10:30, and Computers 12:15 - 1:00.
I hope to see all of you parents at Back to School Night. I am excited for this new year and the opportunity to help in the education of your students.
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