September 2018

This Month in 2nd Grade

Math- Our goal is to finish up the first chapter of our math books this month.  It's a long chapter that goes over different strategies for addition and subtraction, many of which are review for the students.  There will be a chapter test which students will be asked to do basic computation as well as a performance task to evaluate their understanding.  We are incorporating math fact games to build up student's ability to recall math facts up to 20 (including doubles and doubles plus one).  ST Math is another tool we use for independent work that is student paced.  As a gauge, students who are on task in class should be close to the 30% mark by the end of October.  ST Math is a great alternative to a math activity at home as well!  

Science- This month we will focus on the properties of matter:  solid, liquid and gas.  We will start our Science Notebooks where we will keep our collection of activities and notes.  Students will be able to classify and describe different materials by their properties.  Throughout this unit, we will be asking the big question:  What is the best material for the job?  This question will allow students to observe, conduct investigations, make connections and gather evidence to support a claim.  The best part of this unit is how it ties to the past (our social studies unit) and how different items have "improved" due to the discovery of a better material.  

Reading- Our assessments are complete and will allow me to define the areas of learning we need to work on together and in small groups.  Together we are learning about being a good reader.  Good readers infer (guess about the story using clues from pictures), predict (make a guess based on prior knowledge and the text), retell (put the story in order from beginning to end), make connections (relate the story to their life) and use cause and effect to understand the story.   It would be awesome if you could use some of these strategies while reading with your child at home!  This month we will also start Read Live, a program designed to build student's fluency.  The newness of this program is pretty exciting and there is usually a ton of growth that happens as a result!  

Writing-  At this point, students have been working hard at writing sentences.  This month we will focus on writing a paragraph with a topic sentence, including details/evidence with transition words and a closing sentence.  Our practice this month will prepare us for writing our first report next month!  Another writing focus for our class will be tidy handwriting.  Writing activities will be added to the homework menu sometime this month, so encourage your student to practice tidy writing whenever they write!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Social Studies- We will start our Grandparent Unit this month!  This is one of my favorite things we get to study.  Who else better to ask about the past then our very own grandparents?!  Each student will interview a grandparent for homework. They will enjoy talking about "the good old days" and how entertainment, transportation and school was different and sometimes even similar to today!  The students will write a report about what they learned.  If grandparents are not available to interview for whatever reason, please let me know sooner than later so I can make other arrangements.  We will conclude our unit with a Grandparent Day presentation in October.  I will let you know the dates as soon as I have them confirmed.  Expect the interview form to come home for homework in the next week or so.  The kids are welcome to bring "artifacts" from the past (for Friday sharing).  Don't worry, I'll introduce them to the original Nintendo and a cassette tape...it will blow their minds!

STAR Homework

We are slowly building our homework menu to include reading (always and forever the best choice!), math, spelling and writing. Here are some ideas of what each area can include:
Reading:  Students can read aloud, silent, or parents can read to them.  Reading at least 20 minutes each night is highly recommended!
Math:  Math practice pages (coming home next week); ST Math at home; Math game (dice, cards or flashcards); parent-approved math app on home device.
Spelling:  Any practice or Spelling City.
Writing:  Writing a story or letter; writing spelling words in sentences (2 for 1 deal!)

Upcoming Dates & Events

9/15 March for Mia (see Achieve Charter Website for links)
9/19 ACS Board Meeting
9/28 Staff Development Day {no school}
10/15 Staff Development Day {no school} 
10/17 ACS Board Meeting
10/31 End of 1st Trimester
11/1 Staff Development Day {no school} 
11/8-9 PLP Conferences