Valentine’s
Day is quickly approaching! The
holiday is such an exciting day for children! Students will be decorating Valentine’s Day bags in class in
order to hold valentines that may be delivered from their classmates. Please find a list of Room 19 Students your
child may use when addressing his/her valentines. Students have been asked to include all children in the class if they choose to prepare cards for any. Valentines can be delivered by students
on February 7, 8, or 9. Our party
is on Monday, February 14 from 1:50-3:00.
Please remember that NO CANDY SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR CHILD’S VALENTINES!!!!
Thank you!
Room 19 Students
Faben
Cassandra
Jack
Michael
Griffin
Kayla
Brooke
Truman
Grier
Sophia
Spencer
Isabella
Grant
Sonan
Sarah
Gabrielle
Book Clubs are in full swing! Room 19 students will spend time this week reviewing strategies that will help them figure out difficult words they encounter while reading this year (find these strategies and a quick explanation of each listed below). My hope is that you and your child will practice and use these strategies when you are working together at home as well!
Super
Star Reading Strategies
INSTANT REPLAY
Read the sentence again. Sometimes rereading a sentence will help clarify the meaning, allowing the student to decode the “mystery” word. What word makes sense in the sentence and sounds like the letters printed?
LETTER CLUES/SOUNDS
Your child should think about the clues that the letters give. Student can also break the word into parts to “sound it out.”
LOOK AT THE PICTURES
If the text has illustrations, your child should look carefully at the pictures to see if he/she can make sense out of the text.
SNEAK A PEEK
Keep reading. The words in the sentence following the “mystery” word may help your child decode it.
PUT IN ANOTHER WORD THAT MAKES SENSE
Your child may substitute another word that makes sense in place of the “mystery” word.
As you know, readers use more than one strategy at once when “stuck.”
It’s hard to believe that it’s October and that Halloween is quickly approaching! I am amazed at the growth that I’ve seen in my students since late August. They’ve accomplished so much in the short time that they’ve been second graders! All children have enthusiastically and excitedly taken on the challenges I’ve offered in every curricular area. We are very busy in our classroom and often the pace moves quickly . . . students have shown initiative and willingness to try their best!
I was excited and proud to share my observations of my students with parents at conferences last week. I am hoping that your questions regarding your child’s academic, social, and behavioral progress thus far in second grade were answered and you felt that specific goals have been set for your child based on my observations of and interactions with him/her. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any reason with any additional questions you may have!
The math program now finds us nearing the end of our first unit. After next week’s review and assessment, students will move on to Unit 2, which focuses on MEASUREMENT AND SHAPES. Students will explore the concept of linear measurement and properties of rectangles and triangles. Children will use rulers to measure and draw line segments and then apply their measuring skills to find perimeters of squares, rectangles, and triangles. Children will also investigate the properties of these shapes.
Our investigation of plants continues in October as students embark on a seed study. Children will learn what a seed is, how seeds are created, how they travel, and how seeds grow into plants. We will dissect lima and kidney beans to observe the seed coat, food supply, and baby plant. Students will also plant bean seeds in order to determine what seeds need to grow (sun, water, soil). Also this month students will participate in PUMPKIN MATH!
I heard from many of you at conference time that you have seen improvement in your child’s reading ability already! Much happens during our daily LANGUAGE ARTS BLOCK, during which SPELLING ACTIVITIES occur, BOOK CLUBS read together, and students read silently and individually during DEAR TIME. We have been focusing on reading texts that focus on topics studied in science and social studies. For example, students have read about pollination, worms, communities, and voting.
We are trying hard to get our WRITER’S WORKSHOP up and running. Our goal is for every student to publish by GRANDPARENTS’ DAY. Our current focus of study as writers is PERSONAL NARRATIVES.
Happy Fall!
