Hello 2nd Grade Parents,
Another great week in second grade!
Classroom Updates
-Now that your children have finished reading through the first Boxcar Children text, we invite them continue reading more with the Boxcar Children Challenge! While the original author, Gertrude Chandler Warner, only wrote the first 19 books, there are upwards of 260 titles in print. They are reading level O, which is above reading level for some students, but all students are encouraged to participate in this challenge. This reading can count for their reading bookmark (if students aren't yet at level O, it could be a parent read-aloud/together). We all have copies of many series titles in our classroom which students are welcome to borrow. If you child reads 5 books, they'll get a 'boxcar' picture with their name on it posted in the hallway. For each additional 5 books, different rewards await! This challenge continues for the rest of the year. The log is attached here (students will get a paper copy on Monday).
-Mrs. Scott's (our beloved Assistant Headmaster) birthday is on Monday! Your child has signed a classroom card, but is invited to make a personal card if desired. She reads in each classroom monthly, so the students should have enjoyed some reading time with her already (in addition to last year & Kinder).
Conversation Starters from Week 7 Content
-How do you feel your poetry recitation of "The Secret" went? What could you work on for next time?
-Name a few nouns we can see in the car/kitchen/house.
-What does the Jataka Tale from Ancient India have to do with the story of Chicken Little? (We used a venn diagram to compare/contrast - they both share the same moral of thinking before acting/look before you leap & both involved animals that made wrong calls after something falling on their head -- they differ in the animal types, the perceived problem, the item that fell & how the story got resolved)
-Let's see your purple history study guide! Are you prepared for your quiz on Monday? How can I help you prepare?
-What are the four main habitats you discussed in class? (Tropical forest, woodland forest, desert & prairie).
Week 8 Academics
Poetry: "The Secret" recitations were wonderful - students are practicing using their 'teacher voices' while also learning how to be respectful audience members while someone else is presenting. We have a new poem this week, "Something Told the Wild Geese" by Rachel Field, but it will just be enjoyed, not memorized.
Grammar/Writing: Narration, copywork & dictation practice will be sentences from Sarah, Plain & Tall. For dictation practice in the classroom, we say the sentence 3 times. Students should not have a pencil in their hands & their goal is to hold as much of the dictation in their heads. The first time we read it, we give them a few seconds of silence to try repeating in their head. The second time we read it, students get to turn to a partner to hopefully together recall the entire dictation. Then -- only after the third time we read it -- are students invited to pick up their pencils to write as much as they can recall. While they're writing, we also write the sentence for them to compare their work against. The intent here is to build their habits of holding/retaining the entire dictation in their heads -- instead of the more common habit we encounter of just listening to the first part and rushing to write that without actually listening to the whole thing.
This might manifest at home in terms of your kiddos only remembering/doing the first part of the 2 or 3 step direction you provided. You can support this skill at home by providing multi-step directions 1-3 times & have the students orally recall the steps back to you before beginning the tasks. For example, "I need you to put your lunch in your backpack, get your shoes on & brush your teeth. (repeat 1-2 more times as needed) Oops, don't start just yet. Ok, what are the three things you're doing next?" "Lunch in backpack, shoes on & teeth brushed!" (delivered with a smile & prompt compliance) "Awesome, go for it!". (Let me know if this helps any of your morning routines -- or if I'm just highlighting my ignorance to parenting realities here!)
Literature: Students will finish Sarah, Plain & Tall on Tuesday. We'll write a friendly letter ourself like Sarah did & begin a short unit of fairy tales. First fairy tale is The Emperor's New Clothes.
Spalding: Regular list of 30 words.
Math: Students will take our bigger unit test covering all of addition on Tuesday. This will include mental math strategies of making a 10/counting on/using doubles and adding single, double & triple digit numbers with & without regrouping. Unlike the short check ups they've taken so far, this will cover more content, will be longer in length & will require different response types (multiple choice, short answer & constructed responses where they will need to explain their thinking and/or show their work. Next is is Unit 1 covering place value. The place value unit can be tricky because of the specific language we expect of students & determining patterns that aren't as obvious to some students. Place value is really intuitive for some students & very abstract for others, so you may be seeing 'extension' or challenge tasks if your child is one of the ones who finds the concepts intuitive. For those kiddos, we're not looking to skip ahead to the next topic, but rather, have them explore the same concepts in ways that require more critical thinking and problem solving.
History: The Ancient India quiz is on Monday. Your students should have their purple study guide. Next topic is Japan. As with any geography based unit, we'll start by labeling a map & identifying key landmarks.
Science: Students will be learning how plants change with the seasons & essentials for plant survival.
A final note reminding what the ACC handbook says about attendance & absences since that has unfortunately been a challenge in our classrooms this year. Regular attendance and arriving on time are essential for every ACA student’s success. Consistent routines build confidence and help students stay on track with their learning. According to Arizona law, excused absences include: illness or medical appointments, mental or behavioral health, bereavement or family emergencies, homelessness, military processing & out-of-school suspensions. Parents/guardians must call or email the school before 8:00 a.m. to report an absence. Without a message, the absence is recorded as unexcused. After an excused absence, it is the student’s responsibility to make up missed work. All other absences are considered unexcused under state law, including vacations. Please schedule family trips during school breaks.⚠️ Important: Teachers will not provide homework or classwork in advance for unexcused absences such as vacations. Students are also not guaranteed make-up work for these absences since so much of the work involves being present for instructions & content.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
-Second Grade
