I'm back!!
I've heard nothing but good things from Ms. Chase about how hard each and every student worked while I was away. I will be back in the class on Monday! There were a few new additions while I was away. Mrs. Buckley was moved into a different classroom. We will definitely miss her (although random visits at recess are now a bonus!). Mrs. Erving will be the new paraeducator on the Monday/Wednesday cohort days. We are extremely lucky to have Mrs. Erving join our team. She is such a kind, caring, and involved teacher whom I am sure your students will talk fondly of at home. So, if you hear that new name - that's why! We are just about halfway done the school year. That means some important things are coming up. The first big item is our Winter benchmark testing. We will be doing AIMsWeb testing the week of January 25th. That means we'll start conferences the first week of February. Look in your emails for information on conferences in the next week or so! I'm excited to be back and ready to hit the ground running! The remote reading assignments are going to look at little bit different starting this week. We are going to build on the skills they have been practicing (listening to a story and answering various types of questions out loud). Instead, we are going to start focusing on writing our answers to comprehension questions. This is a skill that is expected in third grade, and it will be a challenge as we start to explore what that looks like. Each week your child will be given a text to read at home. On their first remote day, their main job is to read it to someone at home (dog, cat, brother, sister, mother, doll) and think about whether that book was too hard, just right, or too easy. Their second remote day will have the same story, but their main job will be to answer a question in writing. They may type this answer or write it on a paper that will be provided and post a picture in the Seesaw assignment. On both days, they will record themselves reading a short paragraph from their story. The goal is to see themselves improve the more they practice. As always, email me if you have any questions or concerns. Upcoming Events: ❤️ Monday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (We Have School) A Look Ahead: 📏 Math is going to RULE next week (inches and centimeters) 🌪️ Reading is going to get some wild weather as we read informational texts ✊ Social studies will focus on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement
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It was another fun week for the Flying Water Hippo Dragons! We finished up our states of matter unit in science with root beer floats! The students were able to use the liquid (root beer) and solid (ice cream) to create a gas on top of their treat. It was quite a treat! Some students even experimented further at home. I'm looking forward to our next science unit in term 2.
We are also wrapping up our second unit with math. Unit 1 assessment will go home this week (sorry it took so long, we had to figure out what pieces of data we were using for Term 1). We've been working on lots of mental math strategies and breaking down the parts of a word problem. In Unit 3 we'll break down addition and subtraction strategies further. How can you move the numbers around in your head to solve problems. The end game will also include a traditional way to solve problems (like we learned in school). So look at this next unit as a way to strengthen their understanding of how numbers work with each other - not a replacement of traditional strategies. After that, we're moving on to time and measuring in January. We've got a lot of work to do! In reading, we started our guided reading groups. The more students can be exposed to reading, the more practice they are getting, and the stronger they will become with those skills. We've got a lot of animal stories coming up. Next week - our theme will revolve around owls! There will even be some optional owl activities and readings to do at home. Upcoming Events: 🦃 Thanksgiving Eve - Wednesday, November 25th: Half-Day 🦃 Thanksgiving Break - Thursday, November 26th + 27th: NO SCHOOL A Look Ahead: 🦉 Reading will have an owl theme, we will also have optional remote stories and activities 📝 Wrapping up patterns and completing the Unit 2 assessment 🐞 Looking at Lady Bug books (an award for picture books) It was a busy week in our science world for Cohort A! I won't give too much away because Cohort B will be experimenting all next week. We're looking at changes in states of matter. Some changes can be reversed and others cannot! This week we will also be wrapping up our states of matter unit. I will be sending out an email for permission to do Root Beer Floats. The root beer will be caffeine free! We are going to use the root beer (liquid) and ice cream (solid) to see if we can create a gas. If students aren't allowed to have the Root Beer Floats, I will respect that and they can watch what happens to create their models.
I will be sending home a lot of projects and assessments this week. The students are graded on a scale of 1 - 4. Typically, a 4 means they have mastered the skill without support, a 3 requires minimal support with a close first attempt, a 2 requires support with the first attempt being quite off, and a 1 means they are unable to do the skill even with support. I typically conference with students before I send things home so they have goals and direction on where to focus as the term continues. The term will be ending on December 4th. After December 4th, I will be reaching out to offer parent teacher Zoom conferences. So be on the lookout for more information on that! We started doing Guided Reading groups instead of reading a whole group story. It was so nice to work with a small group at a time! Students will be reading just right books in class and working on strategies to go back and answer various types of questions. We'll also start to support that answer with evidence from the stories. As a result, we won't have time to read the stories in class. There will be reading assignments on the remote days so students are still getting a double dose of comprehension practice. Next week is another short week. The assignments will be slightly different. From here to the end of the year there are days off all over the place. I appreciate the flexibility as I try to juggle remote activities and in person instruction lessons. Upcoming Events: 🦅 Veteran's Day - Wednesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL A Look Ahead: 🗳️ Reading will have a Veteran's Day theme, we will also have optional stories ➕ Using tools for larger numbers and exploring turn around facts 🍺 Review, changes in matter, and a celebration! Our spooky Halloween week was a success! We weren't able to get a parade in on our rainy Wednesday afternoon, but we were on Thursday. It was so fun to see everyone in their costumes. We had water dragons, princesses, ninjas, Animal Crossing characters, and even a dinosaur! I hope your families are able to enjoy Halloween in some form this weekend!
We finished up our experiments with the different states of matter. We experimented with gases and solids this week! The students were willing to really dig in and get messy to help us count the seeds of our different varieties of pumpkins. The Ghost Pumpkin smelled sweet and only had about 200 seeds. The bumpy pumpkin smelled disgusting and had almost 800 seeds! We weighed them and even tested to see if they would float! Our gas experiments were exciting. We filled up a balloon with carbon dioxide and weighed the gas to see if it was heavier than other balloons. Next week, we're going to attempt to change some states of matter... it may get messy again... or delicious... who knows? In math, we're working on a lot of different strategies to manipulate numbers. Many of these strategies are actually mental math strategies. Ways to think about numbers in your head or patterns within numbers that can making adding easier. Next week we'll start looking at larger number and some of the tools that you can use to add larger numbers. We're going to introduce the tools first, but worry - they will learn to add using traditional methods as well later in the year. Lastly, in reading - we will be doing a slight shift. Instead of me doing read a louds to the class, we are going to shift to doing reading groups within the classroom. The students will have a video story at home on their remote days. They will have the option of answering a few questions using the microphone or typing. The only difference, because they've had these assignments before, is that it will be the first time they hear it. Having a conversation with your student about the story if they are struggling is absolutely fine. Feel free to note if any of the questions were too difficult. I can always touch base in the classroom. That's it from me! Have a great weekend! Upcoming Events: 👕 PTA Clothes Order Due Date: Sunday, November 1st 🗳️ Voting Day - Tuesday, November 3rd: NO SCHOOL A Look Ahead: 🗳️ Reading will have an election theme - the process, not the current candidates ➕ Using tools for larger numbers and exploring turn around facts 🍡 How can we change different states of matter? Let's experiment! Hopefully I linked it correctly this week! Sorry about that 😀
We had another busy week. We got through pictures (barely!) and it was so nice to see those smiling faces without masks - even if just for a few minutes. I can't wait to see how they come out. Our reading got a little creepy crawly this week as we learned about spiders. We learned about the largest spider and practiced labeling diagrams with our vocabulary at home. We read both non-fiction and fiction stories on spiders and dug a little deeper into what each type of story is. Next week we'll move away from spiders and instead look into a traditional Halloween fruit and Halloween in general. Science was a blast this week! We explored one of our states of matter: liquid. Matter needs to take up space and have weight. We looked at the weight, or density, of some liquids and created a liquid rainbow. Some Silly Hippo Dragons even created their own liquid rainbow at home! Next week we'll look at a new state of matter: gas! I can't wait to try out some experiments. We'll also do a little bit of pumpkin science on our Halloween celebration days. In math, we're talking a lot about strategies you can use to add. We're also looking at the bigger picture: there are so many ways to add! You'll use different strategies for all different kinds of facts. The more strategies that you have, the better you'll be able to add. Eventually, you'll have fact power! You won't need a strategy because you're brain will recognize the answer from all the practice you've been doing. We are continuing our math conferences to test that fact power! If you are ready, you can even do a math conference at home. Just record a video and leave a comment so I know where to find your video. We are also going to have spooky snacks and a Halloween Drive By Parade next week. Each cohort gets their own celebration. We'll have spooky math games followed by some treats. Then, students will get in costumes so we can wave to parents as they drive around the school (just like drop off and pick up) at 9:45. We also have some pumpkin explorations and Halloween fun planned. Can't wait! Upcoming Events: 🚗 Halloween car parade: Wednesday/Thursday at 9:45 - 10:05 👕 PTA Clothes Order Due Date: Sunday, November 1st 🌺 PTA Wreath and Poinsettias Order Due Date: Thursday, October 29th A Look Ahead: 🎃 Science and Reading is being taken over by Halloween 💀 Spooky addition word problems, can you handle the spookiness!? 🎈 How will we be able to see gas to experiment with it? We are inching closer and closer to Halloween! There is spookiness in the air! Literally, we hung up some Jack-o-lanterns and scarecrows on our ceiling! When you come in next week there will be a few more Halloween decorations around the classroom and some Halloween books. We'll start talking about our small Halloween party and parade as well. I'll send out a sign-up genius for a few pandemic safe party snacks. Be on the lookout for more information on Monday 👀.
Picture day is next week! The first in class day that you are here (Monday or Tuesday) we will be doing our pictures. I got early slots so your hair will still be looking fabulous (around 9am). Can't wait to see your beautiful faces all fancy for pictures! In math we wrapped up our first unit. Onward and forward! We'll start Unit 2 this week! In reading, bats took over our reading and vocabulary. We learned about a gigantic bat called a Fox Bat. Their arm span is longer than Mrs. Mitchell is tall! Scary! We'll have a new spooky theme taking over next week. Look below to get a hint! We also started researching states of matter. Over the next few weeks we're going to do some experiments to dig deeper into what those states actually are. There will be lots of pictures, so be on the lookout for those in coming weeks! Next week, there will be some additional resources and options available! I am adding a Group D for spelling. If your child already has the Group A - C mastered on day one, there will be some additional words they can work on. IXL will also start to pop up more. It is going to be optional next week, but please try at least one so I can help if you have any trouble logging in. The following week we will have some required activities on IXL. It's a great sight that can individualize much easier than I can to meet the needs of each student. Lastly, math fact practice will have another option! If your child mastered their facts and is just waiting for a "math conference" with me, you can give them one at home. All that I require is it needs to be on video. I need to collect data on their progress, so I'd just have to see them say the answer to each fact in under 5 seconds (without counting on their fingers). If you think that could work for your family, it will be an option starting on Monday. It's not required though! If they are still practicing, they can continue making hopscotch, doing flash cards, or however you choose to practice! A Look Ahead: 🕷️ Our reading theme is getting creepy 🌊 Experiments with states of matter ➕ Unit 2 in Math Begins Upcoming Events: 📷 Picture Day: Monday and Tuesday (October 19th and 20th) 👕 PTA Clothes Order Due Date: Sunday, November 1st 🌺 PTA Wreath and Poinsettias Order Due Date: Thursday, October 29th This week, we started to decorate the classroom with Halloween decorations. The students created pumpkins and scarecrows to hang on our ceiling. We also had our first art lesson! Mrs. Charleson talked a lot about illustrating a narrative story. That will go perfectly with our first writing project. We planned our narrative - including a beginning, middle, and end. We talked about using your sense to add details and even including dialog. This coming week, we'll turn our ideas into sentences as we work on our first draft. Each student will meet with a teacher to get tips and hints about improving their work. I cannot wait to hear everyone's experiences and stories.
In math, we started writing conferences. Many students passed their +1s and are well on their way with their fact practice. Next week I hope to get into the routine of doing a math conference every day the students are in front of me. That means they could pass a math fact every week (they have to get a perfect score twice in a row in order to show mastery). They did a great start practicing their facts at home. Keep up the great work! Believe it or not, we'll be reviewing for our first unit assessment next week. How confident are you with comparing numbers or counting coins? Do you think you can skip count by 1s and 10s? We'll practice on our first day together and then assess on our second. I'm confident you can do it! Reading will look a little different next week. We've been focusing on characters, settings, and events with our friendship stories. However, it's Halloween season so next week we're going to read about bats! I cannot wait! In fact, bats are going to take over our vocabulary as well. I have the classroom directory ready, but we may be gaining students who are returning from remote learning. I will be sending the information home as soon as I know if we are getting anyone new. I want to try to include everyone if I can. Thanks for being patient. 😀 Have a great weekend everyone! Topics Next Week: 🧪 States of Matter (for real this time) 🦇 Reading about bats 🧮 First math assessment Upcoming Dates: 📷 Picture Days: October 19th and 20th The Silly Hippo Water Dragons had a very busy week this week! We enjoyed our last Gym class of this rotation (don't worry, it'll will come back around!). Next week we will start Art! Mrs. Charleston can't wait to see everyone. We also wrapped up our testing which gave us a better idea of where students are after the crazy spring that we had. Everyone worked so hard!
In math, we also started some new(ish) topics. Our first big concept was coins. The students worked so hard and really stretched their brains. That is something that we'll continue to expose them to all year. We also started our fact practice. In second grade, students are responsible for learning their addition and subtraction facts 1 - 10. We started on their +1s (which, no brag... everyone NAILED) and they will continue through the line until completion. If students do complete their addition and subtraction facts, I also have multiplication materials available. Each day they see me, they will do a "conference" with me. This will be tailored to the skill they are working on. Every time they pass a fact group (many will pass their +1s on Monday and Tuesday) I will send home some paper flash cards. I will also be adding a fact practice choice board to practice at home. I find, like spelling, there is no one-size-fits-all way to practice. I will be offering lots of ways to practice. This will definitely be a trust assignment, they just have to mark how they practiced but I don't need "proof." It will work similar to spelling, however it won't be optional. This is intended to be a ten minute assignment, of which I will give many game/fun options. More to come on Monday/Tuesday! Lastly, the math assignments will start to change next week as well. They will have their practice assignment that covers the skill of the day/week. They will also have an optional game. However, that game may occasionally be digital. I will be adding their "ConnectEd" passwords to their binders. This allows them to access Wonders (Reading) and EveryDay Math. Another program that we may start next week or the week after is called IXL. This is a quick, differentiated program that allows me to really tailor what your student needs. It can offer support in areas of weakness or just-right-challenges for their areas of strength. More to come when I wrap my head around how to use it without making it overwhelming for families at home (we all know how fun it is to have seven different websites to log in to 😂). Have a great weekend! Coming up next week: 📝 We're starting our writing projects! A narrative about their lives. 🎨 We start our Art rotation for specials 🧪 We're starting our science unit on states of matter New Dates: 📷 Picture day will happen on October 19th and 20th More information about what that will look like to follow (when I get it 🙂) We made it through our first FULL week of school! Now, to the important stuff... we have classroom names! On Monday and Wednesday our second grade crew will be known as the Flying Water Dragons! On Tuesday and Thursday our second grade crew will be known as the Silly Hippos. When are are able to safely all come together, I cannot WAIT to mash those names together to see what crazy mascot we can come up with! We also started math and opened up our classroom library. In math, we reviewed writing our numbers and started to talk about how math is all around us. I sent you on an adventure through your home to find numbers and read them to me. A few brave Hippo Dragons tackled all the numbers on remotes or even the nutrient facts on the side of boxes. In spelling, we reviewed our short letter sounds. Over the next few weeks we will build on that practice. It was nice to continue to get to know each other. We finished almost all of our Me in a Bag show and shares. We also started doing some partner work (socially distanced or behind shields, of course!). Scholastic News taught us about disgusting germs (as if we don't already hear enough about those these days 😂). In Mystery Doug, we learned about how hair grows. If any Hippo Dragons cut or dye their hair, I blame Mystery Doug. Did you know you can dye your hair with a water squirt gun? It does look pretty neat at the end! Preview for next week:We will finally be able to do our ipad AIMs Web testing! YAY! (Get excited, woot woot!)
We will also be in a different spot for Lunch Recess. We get a break from climbing up New Boston Central School mountain. In math, we're going to continue our number grid work - looking at patterns and talking about different ways you can represent numbers. Our theme next week for reading will be helping others, a skill I already know these second graders have wonderful background knowledge with. I can't wait to read some stories and start digging deeper into them. That's all for next week, have a great weekend! First Week Summary!It was so great to see everyone's faces this week (and some really neat masks!). I am so proud of everyone's flexibility. Every Friday I will make a post to highlight some of the fun things we did during the week as well as give a preview for next week! Make sure to check it out to stay informed. This week, we were busy learning lots of new expectations for when you are in school. We became absolute masters at washing our hands (seriously, you should see the bubbles and scrubbing these second graders are capable of making!). We also saw some neat garage lab videos of people breathing, coughing, and sneezing in masks. But honestly, the highlight was the baby goat sneezing. If you have never seen a baby goat sneezing... I cannot recommend looking that up enough!
We enjoyed a much quieter lunch in the classroom and got the entire soccer field to ourselves (except some grasshopper visitors). We created a first day of second grade page that Mrs. Mitchell will give back to us when we are in sixth grade. We also documented the start of this very different year with a picture. Our poor Tuesday/Thursday crew got up to the top of the soccer field to take the picture and it started to rain! Literally the second we got to the top... but they stuck it out (and jumped it out) so we will be able to look back and remember our first day together. Almost everyone was able to answer my first Remote Day riddle! Make sure to respond to each Seesaw Activity so you will get credit for your Remote Day. I'll see you later this morning at our Zoom! Preview of Next Week: We are going to start reading and math! Since we are only together in person two days a week, we are going to pack a lot into those days. We'll be working out routines and expectations to make sure our classroom can be a safe and positive learning space for everyone in the classroom. We will also start our beginning of the year check in assessments. This will really help your teachers know exactly where you are so we can support you as best as possible. |
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April 2021
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