Dear Families,
We've had a fun and busy week! Here is an update on what is going on in the Second Grade Team.
Important dates:
*November 4th: End of first marking period
*November 8th: Election Day- no school
*November 10th /11th: Special Person Breakfast
*November 11th: Report Cards sent home and book orders due!
*November 15th: Half day of school/ Parent-Teacher Conferences in the afternoon and evening
Language Arts:
Reading: This past week we continued with the Comprehension Beanie Baby Strategy, “Iggy Iguana” to practice making inferences. Next week we will begin to focus on retelling using the Beanie Baby strategy, “Jabber the Reteller”. When you are reading with your child at home, remember to ask them questions about the text. Who is the main character? What is the setting? Can you tell me what happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story? What was the problem in the story and how was it solved? These types of questions will help them improve their comprehension.
Writing: This week we finished publishing one of the Personal Narrative pieces that they have been working on throughout the card marking. We learned how to use a checklist to check over our writing. Next week, we will continue to work on using craft in our writing by reading mentor texts and then practicing the skills we learned in our own writing pieces.
Math: In math, we finished up Unit 2 with a review and unit test. The scores from these tests should be coming home in your child’s folder this weekend or early next week. We also took a first quarter math assessment to see what information they have retained during this first card marking, and what areas they still need to practice. We will begin unit 3 next week. This unit will be focusing on more addition and subtraction strategies to use.
Social Studies: This week we launched our PBL unit with an amazing entry event. For those of you who don’t already know this, we invited four Japanese Teachers from our Japanese School to come into our classrooms and teach our students, speaking only Japanese! Students became aware of how hard it is to learn in a classroom when you don't know the language. They were able to experience what an English Language Learner experiences when they first move to our country while putting themselves "in their shoes." We wrote about our feelings as well as the experience using a thinking routine called Step Inside. This routine helps students to develop empathy by "stepping inside" a character in order to feel what that character feels. In this case, they stepped inside themselves and told their feelings. We're hoping that students will develop empathy for our new families, while discovering the answers to questions that they have about our community and ultimately answer our Driving Question, "How can we, a caring community of learners, welcome new families into our school and into our city?" This was an incredible experience for both teachers and students. Q Focus Routine. They were given the prompt ‘Leaders Create Change’ and were given the opportunity to formulate questions on this topic. This not only gets them thinking about leadership, but it also shows them how to ask a question. This skill will help them next week when they have to start writing their Need to Know questions.
Character Trait of the Month: RESPECT. We take great pride in adding these character traits to your child's curriculum. We feel it greatly helps your child to grow into a well-rounded, kind and caring human being. Please continue to talk about these traits at home and we will do the same here at school!
Coats: The cold weather has arrived!!! As a reminder, students need to remember to bring appropriate recess gear DAILY. The school rule is that "If it is 60 or below, STUDENTS MUST WEAR THE COAT THEIR PARENTS SENT WITH THEM TO SCHOOL". Often times, we will have the students say, "My Mom/Dad said I didn't have to wear a coat today". Believe it or not, we have even had a few students who have been hiding their coats in backpacks, when they are asked to put their coats on. Please talk to your child about this important school rule. We appreciate your support and truly want the children to stay warm/healthy during this Fall/Winter season. Also, please be sure to mark everything with your child's name. This makes it easier to get a lost item back to its owner.
Have a wonderful weekend!
The Second Grade Teachers
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